The cloud clang of the abbey bell rang through the air. Maria couldn't help but nervously keep looking over her shoulders - almost waiting for a Nazi soldier to appear out of nowhere and drag her back to that awful prison.
After what seemed like hours, Maria finally heard the tapping of one of the sister's shoes getting closer to the gate. She craned her neck, counting the seconds, as she awaited for the woman to grant her refuge. As the nun came into view, Maria felt tears forming in her eyes as she saw the glorious black and white habit flowing in the gentle breeze toward her. Walking near was a young nun Maria recognized, but didn't know too well, but the woman obviously recognized Maria and all but ran to the gate upon seeing it was her.
"Good heavens! Maria - oh thank goodness. We've all been so worried!" The nun hurried as she plucked the proper key into the gate and turned the lock.
"Oh Sister Anna!"
Maria rushed into the nun's awaiting embrace and was quickly ushered inside, the gate clanking shut as Sister Anna locked it. She took Maria's hand and the immediately began walking down the corridor; Maria hoped she was being taken to the Reverend Mother's office.
"We have literally been thinking about and praying about nothing else than your safe return, my dear. When we other sisters heard what had happened to you, why we were all overcome with such confusion and rage! To think, those men storming in here and demanding you help them out, after all they wrong and harm they've committed...why it just makes me sick to my stomach!"
In spite of Sister Anna's obvious display of hatred, Maria had to smile and chuckle. Even though she still knew in her heart that she'd never be able to call herself a nun, it felt good to be back within the confines of the abbey walls. However, Maria knew that as soon as she spoke with the Reverend Mother and showed she wasn't seriously harmed, that she'd have to tell her of her true intentions for her future.
The pair finally made their way to the Mother Abbess' office. Sister Anna rapped lightly on the door and almost instantly Maria heard the Reverend Mother beckoning them to enter. Sister Anna took one final glance at Maria, gave her a reassuring smile, and then opened the door signaling for Maria to follow close behind. The Reverend Mother was seated at her desk with Sister Berthe and Sister Margaretta standing nearby, all three were engaged in some kind of intense conversation for none of them looked up when Maria and Sister Anna entered the room.
At last, Sister Margaretta looked toward the newcomers into the room and was just about to greet Sister Anna when she locked eyes with Maria.
"Oh thank the Lord!" She practically shouted and ran to embrace Maria, who fiercely hugged the nun back. Emotions overcoming both women as they cried with each other, holding the other close.
Sister Margaretta pulled back and her hands went to Maria's face, examining it, landing on the bruise on her cheek from where she had been hit by Herr Zeller.
"My child, you're hurt - those awful men."
"It looks much worse than it actually is, Sister - I can assure you. I'm perfectly fine."
The older nun cautiously looked at her, and as if reading her mind Maria spoke, "If it makes you feel any better it's because I couldn't keep my smart mouth shut."
The two shared a smile and Sister Berthe came over to embrace Maria. All at once, fresh tears forming as Sister Margaretta stood to the side and silently cried to herself. The Reverend Mother stood from her desk and walked around to the women in front of her. Sister Berthe was running her hands over Maria's face as Sister Margaretta had just done.
"Those low lives. If they were here right now do you know what I'd do to them?"
"I'd assume you'd have each and every one of them on their hands and knees kissing the floors of our abbey," was the Reverend Mother's sarcastic retort, causing everyone to laugh. Although her remark had been light, her cheeks were moist with tears and as fast as she could, Maria was on her knees kissing the Reverend Mother's hand out of respect and thankfulness; she never thought she'd ever see the woman she thought of as an actual mother again. Maria's hands encircled the Mother Abbess' waist and she buried her face into the stomach of her habit. The Reverend Mother bent her head as she kissed the top of Maria's and closed her eyes tightly. The other sisters in the room smiled at the sweet display of affection, for they knew that despite Maria's tendencies to be outspoken and rambunctious, she still held special places in their hearts.
Realizing it was a private moment to be shared, Sister Anna silently slipped out of the room unnoticed and said an extra prayer for Maria on her way out.
For a moment Maria knelt like that, crying and surprising herself for she didn't think she had any tears left in her. And just as she was about to speak, the Reverend Mother stood up straighter and gently held Maria's face in her hands. Even though Sisters Margaretta and Berthe had just examined the bruise on Maria, it was needed that a third person look her over, just for her own piece of mind. When she was satisfied, the Reverend Mother gave a sad sigh seeing that Maria had been treated so badly and brought the young woman to stand in front of her.
Her eyes darted back and forth and a few times she motioned like she was going to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. She finally mustered them to come out, "It's wonderful to have you back here safely,my child." And she placed a tender kiss upon Maria's forehead. Maria smiled in return and tightened her grip over the kind woman's hands.
Sensing it was alright for them to move closer, Sister Berthe and Sister Margaretta came forward.
"How in the world did you manage to escape from them, Maria?"
Maria looked to Sister Berthe. "One of their soldiers helped me...he said he was a friend of Captain Von Trapp's."
The three older nuns looked at Maria and then at each other. The Reverend Mother let go of Maria's hands and made her way back around to her desk to sit down. Maria was confused. Had she said something wrong? Or did none of them truly believe her? Nobody said anything as they watched the Reverend Mother lost deep in thought behind her desk.
"I see," she finally said.
"You do?" Maria asked, suddenly unsure if the woman understood what she had just said or not.
She nodded back in response. "I do understand, Maria, mainly because we were all just discussing that before you returned safely to us...the four of us."
Maria gave the nuns another inquisitive look. "The fourof you, Reverend Mother?"
Sister Berthe and Sister Margaretta now turned toward the far corner of the room and Maria followed their stare as Georg Von Trapp made his presence known for the first time, having witnessed Maria's return and her reunion with the sisters the entire time.
Georg stood there shyly with his hands in his pockets, exercising all his self control. All he wanted to do was run and embrace Maria and soothe, tell her everything would be alright now that he was there for her.
Maria stood there, half in shock, half in sheer elation. She owed her life to the man who stood before her and even though she had yet to renounce her plans of becoming a nun, Maria still stood there in her postulant's habit and knew it would be inappropriate to hug and hold Captain Georg Von Trapp in the Reverend Mother's office, but she didn't care what any of the others thought and she walked over to the man she loved.
"Thank you...thank you so very much, for everything," she spoke, barely above a whisper and through teary eyes.
She then wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Georg didn't hesitate and put his arms around Maria and held her and he shut his eyes. They were together and they were both safe. Maria started to silently weep again.
"Sshh, there there. It's okay. Everything's going to be alright now, I promise you. I'm not going to let anything else happen to you."
The Reverend Mother stood there watching with a smile on her face. Sister Berthe and Sister Margaretta shared her sentiment. Obviously they all knew the life of a nun wasn't one that Maria was ultimately suited for, but they knew she had to discover that on her own.
Remembering where they were and composing herself, Maria stood back, her hands still comfortably resting on Georg's arms. The two smiled at each other, but Georg's quickly faded when he saw the bruise on Maria's cheek. Out of protective instinct, his hands went to her face. Maria closed her eyes and her breath caught upon feeling his contact. She opened them to see a very blatant look of rage on Georg's face.
"What the hell did they do to you?" Georg's voice bellowed in the small office. His breath grew heavier and stronger, but he willed himself to calm down.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so worked up."
"No, it's fine. And I'm fine."
Georg let his hand linger on Maria's cheek for a few more moments and then let it fall, but his eyes stayed focused on Maria's face. She took his hand in hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze, causing Georg to half smile at her. The sound of the sisters clearing their throats brought the pair back to reality.
"As I was saying, my daughter, I understand what you meant that this officer was a friend of the captain's. And by now I'm sure you do too...Captain Von Trapp has risked his own life to come to the aid of yours and now you must do something for me and not question why, Maria."
Maria studied the woman for a minute and then slowly nodded in agreement back.
"You must leave here, with the captain, Maria. You must leave and never come back. The first place those men would look for you would be here and we cannot risk you being in any more danger. Do you understand me? You'd no longer be able to be a nun."
Silence filled the room as all eyes fell on Maria who was deep in thought. She looked to each person in the room, her gaze falling last on Georg and smiling with him, finally back to the Reverend Mother, tears flowing freely down her face yet again.
"In all honesty, Mother, I think we all knew that the life of a nun wasn't something that was in my future. And I understand that I need to leave, but I can't go with all of you being here in danger while I'm safe."
"We'll be fine, don't you worry about us," Sister Margaretta said as Sister Berthe nodded in agreement next to her.
"What we need to do now is to get you packed and ready for your journey with the captain here," Sister Margaretta continued.
"But...no! I'm not done here - your safety!" Maria continued to protest as the sisters all but dragged her out of the room, leaving Georg and the Reverend Mother together to briefly discuss about his plans for getting back to Switzerland safely.
0000oooo0000oooo
Moments later the door reopened as the sisters came back in with Maria in tow, clad in traveling clothes and grey overcoat tied neatly with a sash at the waist; gone was her postulant's outfit. In spite of the situation, Georg found himself drawn to her, seeing her short golden locks exposed again. Maria noticed him staring at her and blushed deeply.
Upon seeing Maria re-enter the office, the Reverend Mother stood from her desk and took her ring of keys from a hook on the wall.
"Maria, captain, I'm going to ask you to come with me. Now that you're both here and ready to go we need to execute the rest of what we had planned out," she said the last part to the captain as the five of them left the office and walked out into the corridor. They followed the Reverend Mother down several sets of steps until they arrived in the basement in front of a door leading out to the small loading dock at the back of the abbey.
"This is as far as Sister Margaretta, Sister Berthe and I go I'm afraid."
Maria looked at the sisters nervously, "What do you mean, Mother?"
"In an hour's time, the laundry will be picked up. Every week it's then driven to the train station where it's transported to a launderer just outside of Salzburg to be washed and returned. Maria, you and the captain will be on that train this afternoon, which will take you out of Salzburg and get you one step closer to Switzerland."
No one spoke. Again, Maria looked around to everyone, wishing there was a way she could know that everyone would come out safe from the arrangement.
Sister Berthe approached her, "It's time we said our good-byes, Maria." The two embraced sweetly where more tears were exchanged. After a moment Sister Maragretta replaced Sister Berthe. Finally Maria all but ran into the arms of the Reverend Mother. "I don't even know where to begin...how can I thank you for everything you've done for me all these years."
"My child, there is no need. I've only done what I vowed to do and in your case, much more. Believe me when I say I will truly miss your spirit around here and know that this new journey of your life is for the best." She placed another tender kiss on Maria's forehead and they shared one last embrace together. Then she went over and briefly hugged Georg and whispered to him, "take care of her for me."
Sister Margaretta and Sister Berthe were crying in the doorway.
"Remember, you have one hour until the laundry car gets here. When the driver opens the door he'll load these two carts and then he'll head for the train station, that's it so your window is very limited."
Georg and Maria nodded back as the nuns walked up the stairs and out of sight, leaving them alone. Georg placed a comforting hand on Maria's shoulder and she flew into his arms once more.
"It's just you and me from here on out now, fraulein."