"We know a way that can make Fraulein Maria stay and doesn't have to go back to the abbey!"
"When we talked about this, we all came to the same conclusion." Friedrich explained.
"Can you guess what is it?" Louisa challenged her father.
"A way that can make fraulein Maria stay?" Georg think for a moment, trying to figure out his children's idea.
"No, I can't think of anything." He said after seconds. It's not that he can't think but he wants to know it as early as possible.
"That's no good Captain von Trapp. How can you give up so early?" Kurt teased his father. The children giggled and Georg feels that he looked stupid that moment.
"Now, Tell me." He only continued.
Brigitta started and before continuing what she'll say, she gave a quick look on her siblings with excitement.
"Father, we think you should…"
"Marry fraulein Maria!" The children told him in unison. Excitement and Happiness can be seen on their faces.
"Marriage?!" The wide-eyed Captain repeated his children's words. He didn't know that they will thought of this thing which is beyond impossible.
"If you marry her, none of us will disagree." Liesl told him and wink.
"Yes!" The little ones replied.
"But..." He can't refuse but he can't agree because he is worried to Maria. He knows that she'll leave in ten days to fulfill her dream.
"You don't want to, father?" Brigitta asked worriedly.
"That's not it."
"Do you like fraulein Maria?" Louisa asked with a fret look. All of them are looking for a little hope.
Georg looked at his children and gave a deep sigh. He can't lie to his children at that serious question.
"Your father really like fraulein Maria." He honestly answered.
"Yay!" The children, especially the girls, cheered and jumped at their father's statement. Georg saw these big smiles for the first time after the loss of their past mother.
"Calm down!" The Captain said nervously with his serious tone. The children looked at him, surprised. He sat down and gave another sigh before continuing what he wants to say.
"But I don't know how fraulein Maria feels about me." He told them truthfully. A moment of silence pass them.
"yes. I don't know if fraulein Maria likes me." Little Gretl said softly. Liesl comforts the youngest who was about to cry.
"That's not a problem. We can ask her anyway." Brigitta had another idea again.
"Yes! I'll come with you!" Friedrich supported her sister.
"Me too!" the children followed and they all went to where Maria is. Georg was left there. He walked around his study room because of his nervousness.
"I can't ask her." He told himself. He sat on the chair and wait for his children to come back with an answer.
"One little girl in a pale pink coat heard, Layee oh dl Layee oh dl Lay eeh ohh!" Maria sang softly while cleaning the chandelier in the living room.
The door opened without knocking and there came the seven children in a rush and calling her "fraulein Maria!"
Maria looked confused at the children's actions.
"Fraulein Maria... Do you like me?" Brigitta asked first.
"Eh? What's the matter with you?" she asked them.
"Please tell me." Brigitta begged.
"I like you, Brigitta." she said with a smile.
"Yay!" She smiled back to her governess.
"How about me, fraulein Maria?" Louisa asked.
"Really. What's the matter with all of you?" Maria asked again for the second time.
"Please." Louisa begged.
"I like you, Louisa."
"What about me?" Kurt asked
"Of course I like you."
"What about me?" Friedrich asked next.
"I like you too, Friedrich."
"How about me, fraulein Maria?" Marta asked.
"I like you too, Marta."
"Me, Fraulein Maria?"
"yes Liesl, I like you."
"Fraulein Maria... Do you like me?" Gretl asked last in the line.
"Of course I like you Gretl." and she carress Gretl's blonde hair.
"Really?"
"Yes! No question about it." she said with a wink.
She went down on the ladder and went to Gretl.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
The children shaked their heads, hiding smiles.
"Do you like father, too?" Louisa and Brigitta asked in chorus.
"Yes. I like your father too... huh?" she blushed on what she said but she only realized it after the children cheered.
She was about to look at them but she found nothing anymore.
"I don't understand what's going on." she said to herself.
The children went back to their father's office and stand in front of him with hidden smiles. He looked at them nervously without showing it.
Gretl giggled and broke the silence.
"What is it? Why are you all staring at me?" He asked them.
"Let's say it together." Liesl told them. Everyone nodded.
"Fraulein Maria likes you too Father!" the children said cheerfully and Georg was surprised again. He thinks about it for a while. He heard Marta said, "Now fraulein Maria will stay with us." and Gretl replied "Yes!" happily.
Georg stand and looked at them then straight at the door. He exits his room and before he closed the door, he gave them a small smile. The children was left, looking at their father with eagerness and enthusiasm.
Gretl and Marta was about to run and follow their father but Louisa blocked the door. Liesl explained why to her younger siblings.
"We should let Father handle it. It's a matter between them."
The little ones nodded as they understand what their sister meant.
Maria just finished cleaning the chandelier so she went down to the floor and looked at how stunning the chandelier is.
"That looks perfect." and smiled as she finished her first objectives fo the day.
"Now what's next?" She thought as she looks around the room.
She was about to walk to the window when the door opened again and heard someone called her.
"Fraulein Maria." The Captain said.
"Y-yes?" Maria was surprised as the captain went their all of the sudden.
The Captain walked near in front of her and offered a hand.
"Thank you."
She looked at him, confused with the smile on his face.
"Huh?" she said and looked again on his smile and back to his happy face, figuring what's the handshake for.
The Captain finally asked,
"Will you marry me?"
The towel that Maria used in cleaning fell from her hand.
"Ma-Marry you?!" She was shocked and tried to understand what's going on.
"You don't want to? The children told me so." Georg was worried.
Maria tried to recall what happened earlier,
"They asked me if I like Captain von Trapp... and... I answered them that I do."
"But, getting married..." she stopped.
"You don't want to marry me?" Georg interrupted.
"That's not... I- I've never thought about that before." she explained what she feels.
"Then please, think about it now." He begged.
"Captain..." The only word that came from her mouth that moment.
"I-I..."
"I... I want to become a sister. I-I... I shall go back to the convent, and one cannot enter a convent and marry at the same time." she replied in a low tone.
"I came to Salzburg because I wanted be a sister."
"And then you went to the abbey." The captain continued what she was to say.
"That's right. Then Reverend Mother..."
"Sent you to this house as my children's governess...But in ten days, you are going back there. You'll not see me again and the children. You'll be a sister that you wished."
"I don't know." Maria said confusingly. She feels that she might faint. She cried as she doesn't know what to say.
"You don't know? Why? Please tell me what you feel." The Captain is asking her for the answer.
"If I do, I don't know." She thought.
Maria left the place where she stands and turned away, still thinking of what she will do. Her mind is becoming empty. She felt a tear on her eyes.
The children came to the room running with their smiles again but when they saw their father's face and their governess', they knew what happened. Those sweet happy faces were vanish by sadness.
"Fraulein Maria..." Brigitta called her name in a sad voice. Maria tried to smile at her but she can't. The proposal of the captain is running on her mind and made her stuck in her own blank world. The children knows that their idea was failed, that Maria didn't accept the proposal.
"Fraulein Maria, please be our mother." Brigitta implore.
"Please say "yes", fraulein Maria." Liesl beg.
"Please Fraulein!" Friedrich entreat.
"I'll study harder." Kurt made his promise for her.
"I won't play tricks again." Louisa promised too.
"Be our mother, Fraulein Maria. Please, Please, Please." Marta and Gretl pleaded.
"Can you give us a good answer?" Georg ask her again.
Maria gave a deep sigh to think of a solution. "I'm going back to the abbey."
"Why?!" The children cried. They are very worried. They don't want her to leave. They're afraid, like their Father, that she'll not come back.
"I have to talk with the Reverend Mother. I cannot make that decision of my own." Maria smiled and played the salute to comfort them. Georg and the children doesn't want Maria to leave the house. He's scared and so his children on what the Reverend Mother will say.
As she was to exit the room and pack her things, the children rushed to her and embraced her.
"Fraulein Maria! Will you come back?"
"Please come back!" She was touched with the children. She felt that she was really needed, the way she never felt when she was young.
"I promise to come back... Promise." She gave her word and nodded to Captain with a very small smile.
Georg felt contented on her word but he is still unsure. She pack her things then she walked to the gate. She's excited to go back and yet unhappy that she'll leave the children. She doesn't know what will happen next. She's afraid of what will the Reverend Mother say- It's either to break the children and Captain's heart or break her dream. Before she leaves, She gave a glimpse to the villa. Beyond those tears of fear, she gave a quick smile to comfort herself. She gave a deep sigh and told herself what she said before,
"When the Lord closes a door, Somewhere He opens a window."
3 more chapters to finish this story. Sorry, I know I'm really not good in writing stories. Anyway, Reviews are highly accepted and you are free to write on the box below. I would love to see and read what you think of this chapter and the previous one.
I do not own The Sound of Music, Trapp Family Story, Die Trapp Familie and The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. :)
-Louisa x
