"Guess what!" Anton smiled as he entered the house, and Patty saw his hands were behind his back.
"Oh, please tell me!" she begged.
Anton brought his hands around, revealing that they held two tickets.
"We're going to New York City to see 'My Fair Lady' at the Mark Hellinger Theater. The first show is tomorrow night at seven."
"But how will we get there in time?" asked Patty.
"We're taking the train," Anton replied. "It leaves at noon tomorrow. That will give us time to check into the hotel and freshen up before the show."
"But what about Anna?" Patty glanced at the little girl, who was sitting at the table eating her dinner. Anna was almost four now. She had her father's blonde hair and her mother's brown eyes. She looked up when she heard her name.
"It is all taken care of." Anton reached for his wife and pulled her close. "Elizabeth told me she and Paul can take her for a couple of days."
The next morning, Patty fed Anna breakfast and dressed her, then packed her suitcase.
"You're going to stay with Laura and Max for a couple of days," she said. "Won't that be fun?"
Anna nodded.
Anton drove his family to the Brimmers', and then he carried Anna to the front door. Elizabeth smiled when she saw them.
"Well, hello there, Miss Anna! Laura will be so glad to see you."
Anton kissed his daughter's cheek. "Be a good girl for Tante Elizabeth," he said as he lowered her to the floor. Laura came running right away.
"Hi, Anna! Let's go watch 'Romper Room.'" Laura took Anna's hand, and the two little girls rushed to the living room together.
"Here are her things." Patty handed Elizabeth the tiny suitcase. "Call Hannah if there's any kind of emergency." By now, Hannah had a small son, Matthew, and was expecting again.
Arriving at the train station, Anton and Patty held hands as they boarded the train.
"I haven't ridden in a train in so long I don't even remember the last time!" Patty said as she took the seat by the window, which Anton had offered her.
"I do," Anton said grimly. The tone of his voice made his wife turn to look at him, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "This trip will be much nicer, because I am sharing it with you."
They rode through Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and many other towns. Patty saw cherry blossom trees in bloom.
"Oh, they're so pretty!" she cried.
"They are," Anton agreed.
At one point, they ate dinner in the dining car. By the time they reached their destination, it was almost dark. In the unfamiliar city, Patty was grateful for Anton's hand in her own.
They took a cab from the railway station to the hotel, where they left their luggage and then took another cab to the theater.
Patty gasped as she entered the huge building and looked all around. The ceiling was as high as that of a cathedral; it was made of brass and inlaid with works of art all along the sides. In the balcony were rows of seats on fourteen levels, and on the ground floor were three rows of plush red seats. The stage was the width of the entire middle row of seats, and on either side were private boxes. Anton led Patty to a seat near the back, where she continued to gaze around in wonder until the play began.
The couple watched as the story of Professor Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle unfolded on the stage. Patty sympathized with Eliza as the Cockney girl endured many trials under the tutelage of Professor Higgins, who tried to teach her to speak like a proper lady. Later, her heart thrilled as she watched Eliza dance with the Transylvanian prince at the Embassy Ball.
Mesmerized, Patty lost all sense of place and time and was taken aback when the play ended. Anton took her hand, and in silence they walked outside into the cool night air. The streetlights bathed the area in their golden glow, and the stars twinkled down on them.
"Did you enjoy the play?" asked Anton.
"It was wonderful!" Patty replied. "Did you like it?"
He nodded. "It was very nice."
The cab arrived to take them back to the hotel. Patty hummed 'I Could Have Danced All Night' as they rode along, and when they were inside their room, she took Anton's hand and began to dance with him.
"You're the Transylvanian Prince, and I'm Eliza," she told him.
Anton soon began to kiss and caress her; then he lifted her and laid her on the bed. Patty pulled him close, and the dance was forgotten.