Chapter 3 - Food for Thought
By the time Maria reached the gate of the Von Trapp villa, she'd more or less got herself together again. She would tell Georg, she had decided for herself, but she didn't want to let him know how much she'd been affected. The mood of the last few weeks had been so blissfully happy, and she couldn't bring herself to ruining that.
First, she reported to the kitchen, where she found Frau Schmidt on a chair, sitting next to a large bouquet of garden flowers, her foot bandaged and resting on a stool. Maria smiled. A real soldier did not leave the front for such a small injury, she thought, as she watched Frau Schmidt telling one of the maids to go make the beds.
Placing a few parcels on the kitchen table from her purse, Maria said to the housekeeper: "These are from the drugstore. The food will be delivered this afternoon, and the linen by Thursday. How is your ankle?"
Frau Schmidt sent a thankful smile at her. "Thank you so much for going, Fraulein Maria. I would have sent a maid, but they have enough to do already with me like this." She motioned toward her leg. "As long as I keep still, it is all right. Any movement is painful, though."
Maria nodded. As a child, she was always running around, climbing trees, and getting into all sorts of mischief, and she had had enough first-hand experience with bruises and sprains to know what it felt like.
She said goodbye to the housekeeper and went outside, hoping to find Georg alone for a moment so she could recount to him what had happened. She was disappointed when she found the terrace empty, the dishes from morning tea cleared away. But as she stood looking around, she heard cries and laughter from the direction of the lake, and she walked down the path that led to the boat landing. She found Georg and the children on the terrace by the lake, in the middle of a ballgame. Apparently, they all had a number assigned to them, and they must catch the ball as their number was called. They all laughed as Georg motioned to throw the ball at Friedrich, then quickly changed and threw it at Kurt, who wasn't expecting it at all. Maria watched them in silence for a little while. It was not often that she got the chance to watch Georg interact with his children, and she was filled with warmth and love at what she saw. What a difference to just a few months ago!
Louisa was the first to see her standing there, and called out to her happily. "Fraulein Maria! Won't you join our game?" Maria walked up to them smiling. "I'll come to join you in a few minutes. Can I just steal your father away for a little while?" The children protested in mock insult that she was not joining, but were soon into the game again by themselves.
Georg walked up to her with an investigating look on his face. As he slipped his arm around her waist, he planted a kiss on her cheek. He led her away from the children's noise, and asked: "Are you all right?"
How did he do it, Maria wondered. She thought she had calmed down completely - and yet he saw in her face that something was wrong. Having reached the gazebo, Maria sat down on one of the benches, pulling Georg down to sit with her.
She gave him the short version of what happened in the department store. "They must have thought I was a maid or something," she finished. "Otherwise they wouldn't have spoken to me of course. But it was clear that they do not believe you want to marry me out of love."
During her story, Georg had only looked at her, not interrupting, holding her hand. Even though Maria hadn't literally repeated what the accusations were exactly, Georg could guess, and through her brave smile he could tell that she was actually quite upset. He pulled her toward him, and Maria rested her head on his shoulder. "Darling, darling, don't let them get to you," he told her, stroking her hair. "People must always gossip. And it's nothing but proof of their own narrow minds."
She managed a smile into the fabric of his shirt. "But doesn't it bother you what they are saying about you?"
"Don't forget what is really important," Georg said, taking her face in his hands and sitting back so he could look at her. "I love you. Nothing else matters. And don't you forget that!" Now, Maria's face broke into a full smile. "I love you, too," she replied, and leaned closer to kiss him. "Mmm," mumbled Georg. "I notice." And as he kissed her back, she felt the last bit of anger and anxiousness drain from her body.
"My goodness," mumbled Maria as she looked around her, and cast her eyes upward in a silent prayer. She had taken these children into Salzburg, shopped, picnicked, and climbed trees with them, fallen into the lake with them, and even put on a puppet show, and never during all of that had she ever really had the feeling she was in over her head - until now. The kitchen was a mess. And to be frank, she had to admit, so were the children. All of them, herself included, were covered in a thin layer of flour. Eggs had splattered on the ground, every single horizontal surface was covered in bits of food, and somehow, the chocolate glazing for the Wiener Sachertorte had ended up on the ceiling.
Even though Georg had comforted her, she hadn't been able to stop her thoughts from drifting back to the department store every now and then - only to be called back to reality by a small disaster of some kind. But somehow, it did look like dinner was ready. There were large bowls of green salad on the table, over which Liesl was now sprinkling the last bit of dressing. The noodles were cooking on the stove, which was more than Maria had expected when she'd seen Brigitta, Marta and Gretl messily moulding the eggs, flour and water together an hour before. A large pan of meat-and-tomato sauce was heating next to the noodles, with Kurt - whose entire shirt was tomato-coloured - stirring it carefully. Louisa was slicing the Sachertorte and Friedrich was watching her like a hawk, making sure every piece she cut was the same size as the previous. Maria shrugged. Well... maybe it wasn't so bad, all in all. After all, dirty kitchens could be cleaned.
She noticed Johanna, one of the maids, entering the kitchen and clapped her hands to get everybody's attention. "All right all right, everybody! Apart from the mess" - this caused the children to giggle - " I think you've done a good job. I've asked Johanna to come and keep an eye on the stove, so we can all go to clean up and change for dinner." At her words, the children immediately made a beeline for the door, thinking they were getting out of cleaning up the mess. But Maria had anticipated this, and, catching Kurt by the shoulders, she turned him around and marched him back to the stove. "BUT - first we clean up the biggest mess. Come on now, if we all do something it'll be done in five minutes."
And indeed, Maria mused as she took another bite of salad, it had worked out rather well. She looked round the table at the children, who had all managed to get the flour out of their hair. Only a smear of chocolate glazing round Marta's lips told that she hadn't been able to resist tasting a dab. Finally, she let her gaze rest on Georg, who was sitting next to her. "And, darling, what do you think," she asked him with a smile.
The children looked up at him in anticipation. Their father had not yet commented on the food in any way and they so much wanted to know what he thought of it. "Well," Georg started, "it's.. different."
Maria bit her lip trying not to laugh, while Louisa and Liesl exchanged hidden smiles, having seen the twinkle in the Captain's eyes. But from the other children came a storm of protest. "Oh Father, come on," cried Friedrich, and Brigitta piped up, "Do you know how much work those noodles were, father?" Georg managed to keep a straight face. "Well, it just can't compare to Frau Schmidt's dinners." This only caused more protest, of course. "No." Georg continued, "this really is a lot better!" And at the surprised faces of his children, he burst out laughing, with the children quickly joining in.
Georg stole a glance at Maria. Softly, without anybody else hearing, he whispered at her: "You really do keep surprising me every time, Fraulein." "As I've told you before. They're your children, Captain," she returned the compliment.
By the time Maria reached the gate of the Von Trapp villa, she'd more or less got herself together again. She would tell Georg, she had decided for herself, but she didn't want to let him know how much she'd been affected. The mood of the last few weeks had been so blissfully happy, and she couldn't bring herself to ruining that.
First, she reported to the kitchen, where she found Frau Schmidt on a chair, sitting next to a large bouquet of garden flowers, her foot bandaged and resting on a stool. Maria smiled. A real soldier did not leave the front for such a small injury, she thought, as she watched Frau Schmidt telling one of the maids to go make the beds.
Placing a few parcels on the kitchen table from her purse, Maria said to the housekeeper: "These are from the drugstore. The food will be delivered this afternoon, and the linen by Thursday. How is your ankle?"
Frau Schmidt sent a thankful smile at her. "Thank you so much for going, Fraulein Maria. I would have sent a maid, but they have enough to do already with me like this." She motioned toward her leg. "As long as I keep still, it is all right. Any movement is painful, though."
Maria nodded. As a child, she was always running around, climbing trees, and getting into all sorts of mischief, and she had had enough first-hand experience with bruises and sprains to know what it felt like.
She said goodbye to the housekeeper and went outside, hoping to find Georg alone for a moment so she could recount to him what had happened. She was disappointed when she found the terrace empty, the dishes from morning tea cleared away. But as she stood looking around, she heard cries and laughter from the direction of the lake, and she walked down the path that led to the boat landing. She found Georg and the children on the terrace by the lake, in the middle of a ballgame. Apparently, they all had a number assigned to them, and they must catch the ball as their number was called. They all laughed as Georg motioned to throw the ball at Friedrich, then quickly changed and threw it at Kurt, who wasn't expecting it at all. Maria watched them in silence for a little while. It was not often that she got the chance to watch Georg interact with his children, and she was filled with warmth and love at what she saw. What a difference to just a few months ago!
Louisa was the first to see her standing there, and called out to her happily. "Fraulein Maria! Won't you join our game?" Maria walked up to them smiling. "I'll come to join you in a few minutes. Can I just steal your father away for a little while?" The children protested in mock insult that she was not joining, but were soon into the game again by themselves.
Georg walked up to her with an investigating look on his face. As he slipped his arm around her waist, he planted a kiss on her cheek. He led her away from the children's noise, and asked: "Are you all right?"
How did he do it, Maria wondered. She thought she had calmed down completely - and yet he saw in her face that something was wrong. Having reached the gazebo, Maria sat down on one of the benches, pulling Georg down to sit with her.
She gave him the short version of what happened in the department store. "They must have thought I was a maid or something," she finished. "Otherwise they wouldn't have spoken to me of course. But it was clear that they do not believe you want to marry me out of love."
During her story, Georg had only looked at her, not interrupting, holding her hand. Even though Maria hadn't literally repeated what the accusations were exactly, Georg could guess, and through her brave smile he could tell that she was actually quite upset. He pulled her toward him, and Maria rested her head on his shoulder. "Darling, darling, don't let them get to you," he told her, stroking her hair. "People must always gossip. And it's nothing but proof of their own narrow minds."
She managed a smile into the fabric of his shirt. "But doesn't it bother you what they are saying about you?"
"Don't forget what is really important," Georg said, taking her face in his hands and sitting back so he could look at her. "I love you. Nothing else matters. And don't you forget that!" Now, Maria's face broke into a full smile. "I love you, too," she replied, and leaned closer to kiss him. "Mmm," mumbled Georg. "I notice." And as he kissed her back, she felt the last bit of anger and anxiousness drain from her body.
"My goodness," mumbled Maria as she looked around her, and cast her eyes upward in a silent prayer. She had taken these children into Salzburg, shopped, picnicked, and climbed trees with them, fallen into the lake with them, and even put on a puppet show, and never during all of that had she ever really had the feeling she was in over her head - until now. The kitchen was a mess. And to be frank, she had to admit, so were the children. All of them, herself included, were covered in a thin layer of flour. Eggs had splattered on the ground, every single horizontal surface was covered in bits of food, and somehow, the chocolate glazing for the Wiener Sachertorte had ended up on the ceiling.
Even though Georg had comforted her, she hadn't been able to stop her thoughts from drifting back to the department store every now and then - only to be called back to reality by a small disaster of some kind. But somehow, it did look like dinner was ready. There were large bowls of green salad on the table, over which Liesl was now sprinkling the last bit of dressing. The noodles were cooking on the stove, which was more than Maria had expected when she'd seen Brigitta, Marta and Gretl messily moulding the eggs, flour and water together an hour before. A large pan of meat-and-tomato sauce was heating next to the noodles, with Kurt - whose entire shirt was tomato-coloured - stirring it carefully. Louisa was slicing the Sachertorte and Friedrich was watching her like a hawk, making sure every piece she cut was the same size as the previous. Maria shrugged. Well... maybe it wasn't so bad, all in all. After all, dirty kitchens could be cleaned.
She noticed Johanna, one of the maids, entering the kitchen and clapped her hands to get everybody's attention. "All right all right, everybody! Apart from the mess" - this caused the children to giggle - " I think you've done a good job. I've asked Johanna to come and keep an eye on the stove, so we can all go to clean up and change for dinner." At her words, the children immediately made a beeline for the door, thinking they were getting out of cleaning up the mess. But Maria had anticipated this, and, catching Kurt by the shoulders, she turned him around and marched him back to the stove. "BUT - first we clean up the biggest mess. Come on now, if we all do something it'll be done in five minutes."
And indeed, Maria mused as she took another bite of salad, it had worked out rather well. She looked round the table at the children, who had all managed to get the flour out of their hair. Only a smear of chocolate glazing round Marta's lips told that she hadn't been able to resist tasting a dab. Finally, she let her gaze rest on Georg, who was sitting next to her. "And, darling, what do you think," she asked him with a smile.
The children looked up at him in anticipation. Their father had not yet commented on the food in any way and they so much wanted to know what he thought of it. "Well," Georg started, "it's.. different."
Maria bit her lip trying not to laugh, while Louisa and Liesl exchanged hidden smiles, having seen the twinkle in the Captain's eyes. But from the other children came a storm of protest. "Oh Father, come on," cried Friedrich, and Brigitta piped up, "Do you know how much work those noodles were, father?" Georg managed to keep a straight face. "Well, it just can't compare to Frau Schmidt's dinners." This only caused more protest, of course. "No." Georg continued, "this really is a lot better!" And at the surprised faces of his children, he burst out laughing, with the children quickly joining in.
Georg stole a glance at Maria. Softly, without anybody else hearing, he whispered at her: "You really do keep surprising me every time, Fraulein." "As I've told you before. They're your children, Captain," she returned the compliment.