~*Chapter 6*~
Maria had been surprised when she received the parcel since she hardly ever got mail. In the hectic of the day, she soon forgot it, so finally it was late evening when she found the time to open it.
It contained a beautiful old wooden box with an engraved Edelweiss on the lid. Carefully she opened it and held her breath when she saw the contents. A green loop held a pile of old letters together. Slowly, she opened the loop and looked at the uppermost letter, while she gently stroked the address on it. She knew this handwriting too well – it was her own. As well as she knew the content of the letter, without even reading it. This had been the first letter she had written to Georg after they had taken him to Bremerhaven.
She lifted the letter and looked at the next one. The address was written with a well-known writing, too. Nevertheless, this time it wasn't her own, it was Georg's.
With shaking hands, she opened the faded envelope and unfolded the paper. The letter was dated October 1938.
Maria glanced over the words and started to go through the pile hastily. Every letter of hers had a response from Georg, envelope after envelope, letter after letter, words that had been written years ago, words which were directed to her eight-year younger self, words which revealed Georg's thoughts, words which answered all her unasked questions and completed the puzzle of her past.
Smiling, she read the last letter, which was only three days old. "You crazy bastard….." She whispered to herself, her hand enclosing the golden ring that had been in the envelope.
~*~*~*~
Drowsily, Georg opened the door of his hotel-room, it was long past midnight and he certainly hadn't expected any visitors at this time.
"May I?" Without even waiting for an answer, Maria entered the room, walking strictly to the sitting-group in front of the chimney and sat down.
Georg grinned and closed the door. "Maria."
"Georg." She answered his smile and opened her purse, taking out the letters. "Do you really think this will change everything?"
Georg walked towards the sitting-group and sat down, too. He glanced at Maria, trying to interpret the expression on her face.
Maria looked at the letters. "You know, those, they really helped me to understand you. I mean – somehow I always did. But on the other hand…." She sighed, not knowing how to go on. "It's so hard to explain my feelings, Georg." She looked at him firmly.
"I know. It's hard for me, too." For a while, neither of them said anything. They were just looking into each other's eyes, searching for the right words.
Georg was the first who spoke. "You have changed so much. When I met you the first time, you were so, so girlish. Now you're a woman. Not that you hadn't been before, but there's something different. I always expected you wouldn't change, that you still would be the woman I married. I never thought about the fact that you could change. In my imagination, you didn't. I was truly surprised when I saw you the first time after our separation."
"In which way?" Maria asked quietly.
"That you became a better woman."
Maria laughed. "A better woman?"
"Maybe better is the wrong word. I just don't know how to describe it. Nevertheless, you changed. You changed a lot."
"Of course I've changed. Everybody does. But I wouldn't call it better, I just got reasonably well. I haven't had much time for daydreaming in the last years; I had to face the reality, real reality, for the first time in my life."
"Do you think that there, in this new reality, that there'll be a place for me?"
"I don't know, I truly don't know. Maybe we could just be friends?" She bit her lip. She knew this must sound like an ordinary phrase to him, but it was not. When she saw his silent nodding, Maria went on. "I need you Georg, the children need you. However, I don't know how long it will take until I can wholeheartedly trust you again, if I ever will be able to trust you again. I need some time. I just can't say, "let's be lovers again". I need the time to getting to know you again, to trust you again. And I only can do this, if you'll be my friend. I won't, I can't lie at you, Georg - I don't think that I ever will be able to love you again the way I did."
Maria got up "I'd like you to keep this." She took Georg's hand and put the golden ring into it. "Maybe you'll need it again, one day."
~*~*~*~
After Maria had left, Georg hadn't moved for an eternity, his fingers still enclosing the ring. Although he had wished to have her back as a lover, he accepted her decision. However the short touch of their fingers had sent jolts of electricity through his body, the smell of her perfume had awakened all his senses.
~*~*~*~
Tonight, Maria laid awake again, thoughts of Georg kept her awake like so many nights before.
When their hands had touched, there had been a few seconds in which she had forgotten everything. In which every part of her body had longed for his touch. However, this feeling at just lasted for a moment until she had felt the reality entering her perception again, until her brain had told her to go.
~*~*~*~
Finally, Georg had started to pack his bags, as his plane would leave in a few hours. He was happy that he had found his family again.
He would never forget the first moments when he had seen his children again. The surprised expressions on their faces, the few seconds they had just stared at him and the wonderful feeling when they finally had started to laugh, hugging him, all seven speaking at the same time, everybody trying to be the first to tell their father their story.
During all his hugging, chatting and laughing, he had glanced at Maria, how she stood at the door, smiling, tears filling her eyes and how she quickly turned around when she realized he was looking at her.
Georg was happy that the children seemed to understand the reasons for his past behaviour and did not talk about it anymore. They were just happy to be reunite again.
After he had cleared the relationship to the children, he wanted to clear the one with Maria, too. For a long time he had thought about the way, finally concluding to send her the letters she and he had written a long time before.
He was glad she had answered to his last letter, a letter he had only written three days ago. Maybe not directly, but her short visit in his hotel room, her words convinced him that there maybe would be a future for them, that she maybe would agree to what he had asked for.
~*~*~*~
Maria ran through the hall, hoping she was not too late. After she had been laying awake for hours, she decided that there was nothing to lose. She had read Georg's last letter repeatedly, although she already knew it by heart.
She had given him back the ring – however, not the ticket as she had intended to ..there's still a villa down there in Austria, our home...she remembered the words of his letter.
Our home. There was nothing to lose, nothing to be afraid of. Although she doubted she ever would be able to love him as a man again, she loved him as the father of their children, as the man who had saved her children. She knew it wasn't logical at all, but she decided to accept her feelings as they were. She was so sick to think about it again and again.
~*~*~*~
Georg fastened his seatbelt. He didn't like flying, actually he hated it, he had always preferred the waterway. Nevertheless, he was excited to return to Austria. He hadn't been there for a very long time. He didn't know if the villa was still there or if it had been destroyed in one of the bomb raids. However, he wanted to return there, to build a new home there. The children should find everything as beautiful as possible when they would visit him, as well as…….."Maria?"
To be continued.
***ATN: Thanks to my two Betas, who helped me a lot, especially with this chapter (Edelweiss and reunions *GG*)*** Hope you all like it;-)***
