Chapter 3: OBSERVANT BRIGITTA
"Kurt! Why do you always have to take my stuff?" Brigitta entered the living room with quick steps, "You barrowed my atlas without even asking me and now I can't find it anymore!"
Kurt looked up, "What makes you think I took it?" he asked, taking another cookie from box on the table,
"Maybe it was Louisa or."
"Was not!" an annoyed Louisa gave her brother a shove, "You're always the one who takes our things without asking!"
"Alright," Kurt made a face at her, "It's in my room. You can take it."
"How nice of you," Brigitta said with an ironic undertone in her voice, "I'd better go and get it now before you lose it all the way!"
She made her way to the boys room and entered without knocking.
Friedrich was sitting at his desk with his history book in front of him,
"Don't you people ever knock?" he asked annoyed.
"I need my atlas," Brigitta answered without further explanation, "It must be here somewhere."
While rummaging among the things on Kurt's desk, she looked at her oldest brother.
"You have hardly eaten anything tonight," she said, "and you were so quiet at the diner table."
Friedrich looked up, "Since when do you care about what I eat?" he asked her, still pretty irritated.
"Mother said it too," Brigitta continued without paying too much attention to what Friedrich just said,
"That you've been so quiet lately. And Louisa."
she smiled when she thought about her sister's comment, ".found it a real improvement."
Friedrich shook his head, "Don't you have anything else to discuss?" he asked.
Brigitta shrugged her shoulders. "I guess not," she said.
She turned to him, "Does Kathi Simming still bother you so much?" she asked.
Friedrich looked up, "What are you talking about?" he asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"The other day, you mentioned how annoying she was," Brigitta said and smiled,
"And when I saw today that you can hardly eat anything, and that you're so quiet, I thought."
She took a deep breath, because she knew her brother would not like what she had to say,
"You're in love with her!"
Friedrich felt how he turned red, and he hated himself for it.
"I'm not!" he said angrily, "What makes you even think that?"
"The way you behaved lately," Brigitta answered calmly, "You've really been acting funny lately!"
Friedrich didn't answer. He stood up and left the room without saying another word.
In love.He didn't even like Kathi!
Oh yes, Brigitta had always been the observant one of the family, but that did not necessarily mean that she was right!
She was only 10 years old, what did she know about this stuff?
.What did he know about this stuff?
Brigitta could not know how much he detested Kathi's manners: the irritating smile she gave him when he happened to turn around in class, the way she shook her head so her dark hair danced around her face, the way she put her hand on his arm when she was talking to him.
At night, just before drifting away in a deep sleep, he often saw her smiling face in front of him, and then he wondered why she could not leave him alone - not even in his sleep!
Friedrich went downstairs, and hoped he would not run into one of his family members.
He really wanted to be alone right now.
"Friedrich, where are you going to?" Maria stopped him before he could open the front door, "It's almost dark!"
"I only want to take a little walk," Friedrich answered, "I'll be back soon."
Maria gave him an examining look, "Are you sure you're alright, darling?" she asked him a bit worried.
Somehow, Friedrich had not been his cheerful self lately, neither did he seem to have much of an appetite.
"You're not sick, are you?" Before she could place a hand on his forehead, Friedrich had already taken his coat,
"I'm fine," he said, "I'll be back in ten minutes."
"Don't go too far!" Maria said before closing the door behind him.
Friedrich took a deep breath and looked at the sky where a few stars had already appeared.
In love.that was really the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
Oh yes, he had been thinking about Kathi Simming quite a lot lately.
She had been on his mind, well.most of the time actually.
But that was only because the sight of her face in the morning had been causing funny stomach cramps lately he had never had before. In fact, sometimes he even felt a sort of sickness when she talked to him.
When she looked at him and smiled, he felt as if he had caught a high fever.
He really didn't know why of all people in class Kathi Simming made him feel like that, but it couldn't be that he had feelings for her.
After all, people who were in love should feel happy all the time, shouldn't they?
They shouldn't feel sick, or confused, or glum - all at the same time.
They also should want to be with the one they loved every hour of the day.
He certainly didn't want to be with Kathi all the time.
He was pretty sure about that. or not?
*
A/N I thought it would be fun to let Brigitta be the one who notices that Friedrich is in love - and also tells him so.
In the movie, she's the one who tells Maria that "her face is all red" after dancing with the Captain. And if I remember correctly, she's the one who tells Maria and the Captain are in love in the original Broadway play. I wanted Friedrich to feel quite confused about what she tells him - he is in love but doesn't know it himself yet! I think that's quite normal for a 14-year-old boy, who only just started noticing girls.
In imnotacommittee's "Eight on Wednesday" the name of Friedrich's girlfriend is Kaethe. When my friend and I discussed about a good name for a girl, she came up with the name Kathi- although she had never even read the story. She had taken it from a Swiss movie she had just seen. So although it may sound unlikely, it's a pure coincidence! I decided to keep the name anyway, because I liked it a lot. I hope you won't mind, imnotacommittee!
"Kurt! Why do you always have to take my stuff?" Brigitta entered the living room with quick steps, "You barrowed my atlas without even asking me and now I can't find it anymore!"
Kurt looked up, "What makes you think I took it?" he asked, taking another cookie from box on the table,
"Maybe it was Louisa or."
"Was not!" an annoyed Louisa gave her brother a shove, "You're always the one who takes our things without asking!"
"Alright," Kurt made a face at her, "It's in my room. You can take it."
"How nice of you," Brigitta said with an ironic undertone in her voice, "I'd better go and get it now before you lose it all the way!"
She made her way to the boys room and entered without knocking.
Friedrich was sitting at his desk with his history book in front of him,
"Don't you people ever knock?" he asked annoyed.
"I need my atlas," Brigitta answered without further explanation, "It must be here somewhere."
While rummaging among the things on Kurt's desk, she looked at her oldest brother.
"You have hardly eaten anything tonight," she said, "and you were so quiet at the diner table."
Friedrich looked up, "Since when do you care about what I eat?" he asked her, still pretty irritated.
"Mother said it too," Brigitta continued without paying too much attention to what Friedrich just said,
"That you've been so quiet lately. And Louisa."
she smiled when she thought about her sister's comment, ".found it a real improvement."
Friedrich shook his head, "Don't you have anything else to discuss?" he asked.
Brigitta shrugged her shoulders. "I guess not," she said.
She turned to him, "Does Kathi Simming still bother you so much?" she asked.
Friedrich looked up, "What are you talking about?" he asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"The other day, you mentioned how annoying she was," Brigitta said and smiled,
"And when I saw today that you can hardly eat anything, and that you're so quiet, I thought."
She took a deep breath, because she knew her brother would not like what she had to say,
"You're in love with her!"
Friedrich felt how he turned red, and he hated himself for it.
"I'm not!" he said angrily, "What makes you even think that?"
"The way you behaved lately," Brigitta answered calmly, "You've really been acting funny lately!"
Friedrich didn't answer. He stood up and left the room without saying another word.
In love.He didn't even like Kathi!
Oh yes, Brigitta had always been the observant one of the family, but that did not necessarily mean that she was right!
She was only 10 years old, what did she know about this stuff?
.What did he know about this stuff?
Brigitta could not know how much he detested Kathi's manners: the irritating smile she gave him when he happened to turn around in class, the way she shook her head so her dark hair danced around her face, the way she put her hand on his arm when she was talking to him.
At night, just before drifting away in a deep sleep, he often saw her smiling face in front of him, and then he wondered why she could not leave him alone - not even in his sleep!
Friedrich went downstairs, and hoped he would not run into one of his family members.
He really wanted to be alone right now.
"Friedrich, where are you going to?" Maria stopped him before he could open the front door, "It's almost dark!"
"I only want to take a little walk," Friedrich answered, "I'll be back soon."
Maria gave him an examining look, "Are you sure you're alright, darling?" she asked him a bit worried.
Somehow, Friedrich had not been his cheerful self lately, neither did he seem to have much of an appetite.
"You're not sick, are you?" Before she could place a hand on his forehead, Friedrich had already taken his coat,
"I'm fine," he said, "I'll be back in ten minutes."
"Don't go too far!" Maria said before closing the door behind him.
Friedrich took a deep breath and looked at the sky where a few stars had already appeared.
In love.that was really the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
Oh yes, he had been thinking about Kathi Simming quite a lot lately.
She had been on his mind, well.most of the time actually.
But that was only because the sight of her face in the morning had been causing funny stomach cramps lately he had never had before. In fact, sometimes he even felt a sort of sickness when she talked to him.
When she looked at him and smiled, he felt as if he had caught a high fever.
He really didn't know why of all people in class Kathi Simming made him feel like that, but it couldn't be that he had feelings for her.
After all, people who were in love should feel happy all the time, shouldn't they?
They shouldn't feel sick, or confused, or glum - all at the same time.
They also should want to be with the one they loved every hour of the day.
He certainly didn't want to be with Kathi all the time.
He was pretty sure about that. or not?
*
A/N I thought it would be fun to let Brigitta be the one who notices that Friedrich is in love - and also tells him so.
In the movie, she's the one who tells Maria that "her face is all red" after dancing with the Captain. And if I remember correctly, she's the one who tells Maria and the Captain are in love in the original Broadway play. I wanted Friedrich to feel quite confused about what she tells him - he is in love but doesn't know it himself yet! I think that's quite normal for a 14-year-old boy, who only just started noticing girls.
In imnotacommittee's "Eight on Wednesday" the name of Friedrich's girlfriend is Kaethe. When my friend and I discussed about a good name for a girl, she came up with the name Kathi- although she had never even read the story. She had taken it from a Swiss movie she had just seen. So although it may sound unlikely, it's a pure coincidence! I decided to keep the name anyway, because I liked it a lot. I hope you won't mind, imnotacommittee!
