Ch. 2: The Broken Harmonica
Georg looked at her questionably. "Darling, now we can all play together as a family." Elsa told him happily.
"I didn't know you could play the harmonica Elsa." Georg told her surprised. He did not mention that smoking made it incredibly difficult to play any instrument.
"Yes I do. So do you children want to sing?" She asked them. The children slowly nodded and followed Elsa to the family room. They elected what to play and the first note Elsa blew from the harmonica sounded like finger nails running down a black board. Maria watched intently trying not to laugh. Elsa tried again and the same thing happened. By now the children were laughing hysterically. They had tried to contain the giggles, but their harmonious voices did not do well with Elsa's sharp ugly sounds. Maria saw Elsa gazing helplessly at her and Georg. Georg smiled and shrugged while Maria walked over and looked at the harmonica.
The harmonica on the outside had diamonds on the side of it and looked like real silver. It glistened in the light of the room. It was absolutely gorgeous. Infact Maria had never seen a more beautiful instrument…on the outside. She glanced inwardly at the inside of the instrument. She noticed some slight dents from over use and a bit of rust on some of the pieces.
"Elsa, it seems to me that this harmonica is just a little out of tune. I could probably fix it in a few days if you would like me to." Maria told her. Elsa nodded appreciatively. "In the mean time I have another one if you would like." Maria told her pulling out an old rusted looking harmonica. It did look old and used simply because it was. On the inside however, the harmonica was flawless and perfectly in tune. Elsa grimaced at the sight of the ugly thing.
"No thank you my dear. I can wait. You would never see me playing that disgusting looking thing. Who did you get it from anyway? Some homeless beggar off the side of the street?" Elsa asked.
"No actually it was my mother's." Maria stated with her pained expression coming back to her.
"Oh did your Mother live on the streets? She obviously wasn't upper class. We tend to have nicer harmonica's." Elsa told Maria.
"She was a music teacher that always looked out for the poor." Maria shot back.
"Where is she now? Is she some lowly creature like yourself?" Elsa asked.
"She is actually dead now and she gave this to me before she died. Now if you will excuse me I am going to sing with the children." Maria uttered. She went to the other room where the children and the Captain were seated. "Well shall we begin?" Asked Maria the children nodded and Maria played beautiful songs on the harmonica until dinner for the children to sing to.
Maria was not happy and throughout dinner she gazed straight in front of her. The Captain knew she was not her normal self. Something was obviously very wrong. He wished he had been there to hear what Elsa had said to her. He left to spend a few minutes with his children while Maria tried to fix the harmonica. He firmly regretted leaving her.
After dinner Maria left to put the children to sleep. After they had all been put down, and she worked on the harmonica for awhile, she decided to go and sit by the fireplace. The family room had always been a welcome spot to her. It seemed so warm and full of love. She sat down and sighed as she remembered the events of the day. She longed to talk to someone. She did not know why she was suddenly very hurt about her past. It had never upset her before to think about it, but now the thought of her Mother or Father made her heart ache. She wanted to see them, hear their voices and feel their loving touch. With tears forming in her eyes she noticed she was being watched.
"Hello." The Captain said sheepishly like he had earlier in the day.
"Hello." Maria said confused. "Do you want something?"
"No." He told her with a smile spreading across his face. "Elsa decided to go to bed early. I decided to come and relax by the fire for awhile and praise the Lord that she was asleep."
"Why are you praising the Lord about her being asleep? Aren't you about to marry her?" Maria asked stunned by the words coming out of her mouth.
"Marrying her? Well I don't know about that." Georg told her honestly. "She can be very cold, and I am afraid you have witnessed that hmm?"
"Well…no…you see…"
"Maria I can tell something is wrong." He told her sitting down beside her. "I don't want anyone who is a friend of mine to be hurt so please did she do something to you?"
"No it wasn't her Captain. I just have not been feeling well for the past day, I suppose." Maria told him honestly. If it hadn't been for Maria's low state Elsa would have never been a problem.
"Is it homesickness for the Abbey?" He asked.
"I don't have a home to be sick for." Maria told him. He became even more interested in her life because of her comment. He decided to change the subject slightly in hopes that Maria would come back to the topic of her home later.
"You never told any of us you could play the harmonica too." His voice telling her he was impressed.
"Oh there was no reason to. I really don't think that harmonica's go well with voices. Not as well as a guitar or piano anyways." She told him.
"Can you play the piano as well as the guitar and harmonica?" He asked.
"Well I can play it, you see my Mother was always big into music, singing. I have never heard her, but I guess a acquired that gift from her." Maria stopped obviously in silent thoughts of her Mother. How she wished she would have known her Mother. Maria tried to stop thinking of her, but it was too late.
"Maria, I really do not mean to pry, but I am really interested to hear about your childhood and what went on before you came here." He told her innocently.
"Captain it really is not interesting…and it is a long story, I don't think you would have time to listen to a pathetic story…it is a waste of your time…"
"Maria. I am here we have all the time in the world." He told her while slouching lower and getting comfortable, showing her he was in no rush. "Please any story you have to tell is well worth my time. The children tell me you are a wonderful story teller so nothing you tell could possibly be boring. Tell me everything." Maria was stunned at his eagerness to hear. No one had ever expressed interest in Maria's life before. Not her uncle, not her friends or the nuns. Maria sighed and sat up a little. If he really wanted to hear she decided she would tell him.