I am posting the final chapter of my story. Enjoy reading it!
Chapter 5
The two blissful weeks came to an end very soon and for Maria it was time to say goodbye to her family again. She felt part of her heart and soul in pain for leaving her daughter and Salzburg again, but the other part of hers was eagerly anticipating her return to the US where she could reunite with the rest of her family. One thing was clear now, these two weeks made her realise that no matter where she had lived or where she ever would, the phrase home sweet home would always mean Salzburg. She knew that one day she would return to Salzburg again together with all of her children. Also she knew that no matter how old she is, in her heart she would always be the cheerful, outspoken, tree climbing governess, the young girl who once made her way to the von Trapp villa to enter a new life.
Maria was packing her suitcases wondering how she would get all her things mostly presents she had bought for her children and grandchildren into the bags when she heard a soft knock on the door and Christine's voice softly calling her.
"Come in." She said and went to answer the door.
"Mother, I was thinking. This is your last night here and I think we should make the most of it." Christine looked into her mother's eyes. Maria gently touched her daughter's face and nodded.
"Why don't we sit and talk a bit more on the terrace? It's a lovely summer evening." Maria offered.
The sky was full of stars and the two women enjoyed the mild evening breeze touching their faces. For a while they kept on gazing at the stars without saying a word. Christine was the one to break the silent moments.
"This is how I always imagined it." She said not removing her gaze from up there.
"Imagined what?" Maria asked and turned her head to her daughter.
"When I was a little girl and I was sad you would make me think of nice things to cheer me up. I remember one of those things you said skies full of stars. I think this is exactly how I imagined it as a little girl. Also I remember the song you used to sing for us... My Favorite Things. Even now each time I feel sad I simply remember the words of that song and it really does make me feel better." Christine words touched Maria's heart and started humming the song.
"Oh darling.. you remember this song?" was all she could say while a few tears were running down on her cheeks. The two women exchanged a smile before gazing up at the sky again.
"Mother, can I ask you a question?" Christine asked her voice turning serious.
"Of course darling, you can ask me anything." Maria responded a bit worried all the while trying to read the expression on her daughter's face if something was wrong.
"Mother, you and father, you were very much in love with each other, weren't you?" Christine asked a bit worried of what her mother's reaction was going to be.
After a moment of arranging her thoughts Maria started speaking.
"Yes Christine. I loved him very much and I still do. Your father was a wonderful man. Between the two of us there was a very special connection, a strong tie and there was no one and nothing that could have changed it. He married me for true love and this love grew only stronger throughout the years. He was everything I had ever hoped and wished for." Maria let out a sigh.
"That's what I have always suspected. Mother you are so lucky to have been blessed with such a wonderful partner." Christine's voice turned a bit sad.
"Christine? What's wrong?" Maria sat up.
"Oh nothing mother.... let's just state that I'm not as lucky as you were." She responded.
"What do you mean? You love your husband, don't you? He loves you, I can tell you he does. Christine, when I told you that we were in love, I didn't mean that our marriage went without any problems. We had our little arguments once in a while. You know what a vivid temper I have." Maria laughed.
"But I don't remember you being at mad at each other." Christine said.
"Oh, our arguments didn't go in front of you children. And also, with love and tolerance and with respect that we had for each other, we solved our problems quickly. No, I cannot remember being mad at each other for a longer period of time." Maria said with a worried expression on her face. "What is wrong with you darling?" she asked.
"I don't know, mother. Of course I love him and I respect him. He is a wonderful person, a great father, the kids adore him. I'm afraid there is something wrong with me. I'm a bad wife. Oh mother, how did you do that? You were a mother of 11, and a very good mother indeed and I remember father telling me not too long before he had passed away what a wonderful wife you were and how happy you had made him." Christine's eyes filled with tears. Maria rose from her seat and put her hand on her daughter's shoulders. Looking into her eyes she went on talking.
"Christine, listen to me. You are a very good mother; you are a very good wife. Believe me, I'm an experienced old woman who has seen a lot. Have you tried talking to him about what bothers you?"
"He wouldn't care about that one. He is always busy with his job. Very often he doesn't have time for me. I'm alone most of the time especially now with the kids growing and going their own ways." Christine's eyes were in tears before she went on. "I know about that special and strong connection that the two of you had, I remember the sparks flying across the room when the two of you would look at each other. Of course I didn't understand it when I was a little girl, but when I grew older it simply dawned on me."
"Darling, flying sparks aren't enough to make a marriage work well. We worked hard on it; tolerance is the key. In a way we were the same, but on the other hand we were different. We came from different backgrounds and from two different generations, we both had our faults just like anyone else. But as I said by working hard on it, we made it roll along. Please try to be patient with him, and first of all try to get rid of your sorrows by telling him what bothers you. This is what usually worked between the two us. So my daughter, please keep the faith and trust God. Everything will be alright. I know that Hans loves you, I can see it in his eyes." Maria said.
"Thank you mother, you are my best friend. You know mother, there is a picture from my childhood that keeps on coming back to my mind. Each time I remember it all I can think how lucky I'm to have such a wonderful family." Christine let out her words.
"And what is this picture?" Maria asked.
"I think I was 7 years old. You were pregnant with little Georg. On a late summer afternoon the three of us, you and father and me, had a wonderful time on the beach. We had a nice picnic, the sun was shining and we simply enjoyed our time. Father and I went into the water, you stayed sitting on the blanket watching us. Father tried to teach me how to swim and you were watching our activity with so much pride in your eyes. „You are doing it wonderfully sweetheart." you told me. In that moment you and father exchanged a look with each other and that very moment was filled with so much love. This kind of private moment of yours was so special and I knew that I'd always remember it. Only when I grew older did I realise what that look was about." By the time Christine finished her story both women had tears in their eyes.
"I remember that afternoon, too. I was so proud of you. This picture keeps on coming back to me, too. I felt completely happy; I was expecting a baby again. Those were miraculous times for me. After your birth I had miscarried twice and the doctors had told me that I was never going to be able to get pregnant again." Maria responded and the two women smiled at each other.
"It's amazing how time has flown by. Sometimes it seems as if it was yesterday that I was a little girl growing up in a big and happy family. Do you remember those wonderful vacations we used to spend in that little town up in Vermont?" Christine said remembering. "And I remember how often I had the privilege to be a flower girl on a wedding. All the girls at school were jealous of me." Christine went on.
"Oh yes, we had numerous reasons to celebrate over the years. But don't remind me of the time flying by. In my heart I'm still the 22-year-old tree climbing and troublesome governess. And now look at me, I'm 75 years old, all my children have grown up and I have 30 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren." Maria laughed.
"You are an awesome woman, Mother. I love you and I'm very happy that finally you could make it over here." Christine said breaking the silence.
"I love you too my daughter and remember what I have told you. Believe me, things will be fine again." Maria said in reassurance while taking a hold of her daughter's hand.
The following morning Maria hugged her daughter and granddaughters goodbye at the airport. A few tears appeared in the corner of her eyes.
"You girls, take good care of yourselves, okay? And remember to send a letter once in a while to your old grandmother in the US." Maria gently stroked their faces.
"Yes grandmother, we will." They chorused and hugged Maria close. After holding them close to her she turned to her daughter.
„And you my darling, thank you so much for everything. I enjoyed my stay here and the special moments we shared." She said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Believe me, things will be fine. Trust me!" She whispered into Christine ear while hugging her close to her. After a few more moments of teary looks and hugs Maria turned to the direction of the gate and waved her hands to her family.
Epilogue
Maria slowly approached Georg's grave in the local hillside cemetery. Kneeling down next to his gravestone, she gently rubbed it with her fingers. Without saying a word she carefully pulled out a little paper bag from her purse. Taking a deep breath she opened it and turned it upside down.
"Georg, this is from our home, a piece of ground from our garden in Aigen." She said while the grains of ground landed on the grave. With her hands she softly scattered the grains and her eyes couldn't contain a few tears that made their way down on her cheeks.
She slowly stood up. Looking up at the skies she admired the beauty of the setting sun and the magical glow of the clouds. "It's time to go home." She thought and turned around to slowly walk to the exit of the cemetery.
The End.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this story. I want to thank to all my readers, for all the reviews and of course I want to say a big thanks to Jessica again for her support and encouragement.
Please leave me a little review, I would be very happy.
Chapter 5
The two blissful weeks came to an end very soon and for Maria it was time to say goodbye to her family again. She felt part of her heart and soul in pain for leaving her daughter and Salzburg again, but the other part of hers was eagerly anticipating her return to the US where she could reunite with the rest of her family. One thing was clear now, these two weeks made her realise that no matter where she had lived or where she ever would, the phrase home sweet home would always mean Salzburg. She knew that one day she would return to Salzburg again together with all of her children. Also she knew that no matter how old she is, in her heart she would always be the cheerful, outspoken, tree climbing governess, the young girl who once made her way to the von Trapp villa to enter a new life.
Maria was packing her suitcases wondering how she would get all her things mostly presents she had bought for her children and grandchildren into the bags when she heard a soft knock on the door and Christine's voice softly calling her.
"Come in." She said and went to answer the door.
"Mother, I was thinking. This is your last night here and I think we should make the most of it." Christine looked into her mother's eyes. Maria gently touched her daughter's face and nodded.
"Why don't we sit and talk a bit more on the terrace? It's a lovely summer evening." Maria offered.
The sky was full of stars and the two women enjoyed the mild evening breeze touching their faces. For a while they kept on gazing at the stars without saying a word. Christine was the one to break the silent moments.
"This is how I always imagined it." She said not removing her gaze from up there.
"Imagined what?" Maria asked and turned her head to her daughter.
"When I was a little girl and I was sad you would make me think of nice things to cheer me up. I remember one of those things you said skies full of stars. I think this is exactly how I imagined it as a little girl. Also I remember the song you used to sing for us... My Favorite Things. Even now each time I feel sad I simply remember the words of that song and it really does make me feel better." Christine words touched Maria's heart and started humming the song.
"Oh darling.. you remember this song?" was all she could say while a few tears were running down on her cheeks. The two women exchanged a smile before gazing up at the sky again.
"Mother, can I ask you a question?" Christine asked her voice turning serious.
"Of course darling, you can ask me anything." Maria responded a bit worried all the while trying to read the expression on her daughter's face if something was wrong.
"Mother, you and father, you were very much in love with each other, weren't you?" Christine asked a bit worried of what her mother's reaction was going to be.
After a moment of arranging her thoughts Maria started speaking.
"Yes Christine. I loved him very much and I still do. Your father was a wonderful man. Between the two of us there was a very special connection, a strong tie and there was no one and nothing that could have changed it. He married me for true love and this love grew only stronger throughout the years. He was everything I had ever hoped and wished for." Maria let out a sigh.
"That's what I have always suspected. Mother you are so lucky to have been blessed with such a wonderful partner." Christine's voice turned a bit sad.
"Christine? What's wrong?" Maria sat up.
"Oh nothing mother.... let's just state that I'm not as lucky as you were." She responded.
"What do you mean? You love your husband, don't you? He loves you, I can tell you he does. Christine, when I told you that we were in love, I didn't mean that our marriage went without any problems. We had our little arguments once in a while. You know what a vivid temper I have." Maria laughed.
"But I don't remember you being at mad at each other." Christine said.
"Oh, our arguments didn't go in front of you children. And also, with love and tolerance and with respect that we had for each other, we solved our problems quickly. No, I cannot remember being mad at each other for a longer period of time." Maria said with a worried expression on her face. "What is wrong with you darling?" she asked.
"I don't know, mother. Of course I love him and I respect him. He is a wonderful person, a great father, the kids adore him. I'm afraid there is something wrong with me. I'm a bad wife. Oh mother, how did you do that? You were a mother of 11, and a very good mother indeed and I remember father telling me not too long before he had passed away what a wonderful wife you were and how happy you had made him." Christine's eyes filled with tears. Maria rose from her seat and put her hand on her daughter's shoulders. Looking into her eyes she went on talking.
"Christine, listen to me. You are a very good mother; you are a very good wife. Believe me, I'm an experienced old woman who has seen a lot. Have you tried talking to him about what bothers you?"
"He wouldn't care about that one. He is always busy with his job. Very often he doesn't have time for me. I'm alone most of the time especially now with the kids growing and going their own ways." Christine's eyes were in tears before she went on. "I know about that special and strong connection that the two of you had, I remember the sparks flying across the room when the two of you would look at each other. Of course I didn't understand it when I was a little girl, but when I grew older it simply dawned on me."
"Darling, flying sparks aren't enough to make a marriage work well. We worked hard on it; tolerance is the key. In a way we were the same, but on the other hand we were different. We came from different backgrounds and from two different generations, we both had our faults just like anyone else. But as I said by working hard on it, we made it roll along. Please try to be patient with him, and first of all try to get rid of your sorrows by telling him what bothers you. This is what usually worked between the two us. So my daughter, please keep the faith and trust God. Everything will be alright. I know that Hans loves you, I can see it in his eyes." Maria said.
"Thank you mother, you are my best friend. You know mother, there is a picture from my childhood that keeps on coming back to my mind. Each time I remember it all I can think how lucky I'm to have such a wonderful family." Christine let out her words.
"And what is this picture?" Maria asked.
"I think I was 7 years old. You were pregnant with little Georg. On a late summer afternoon the three of us, you and father and me, had a wonderful time on the beach. We had a nice picnic, the sun was shining and we simply enjoyed our time. Father and I went into the water, you stayed sitting on the blanket watching us. Father tried to teach me how to swim and you were watching our activity with so much pride in your eyes. „You are doing it wonderfully sweetheart." you told me. In that moment you and father exchanged a look with each other and that very moment was filled with so much love. This kind of private moment of yours was so special and I knew that I'd always remember it. Only when I grew older did I realise what that look was about." By the time Christine finished her story both women had tears in their eyes.
"I remember that afternoon, too. I was so proud of you. This picture keeps on coming back to me, too. I felt completely happy; I was expecting a baby again. Those were miraculous times for me. After your birth I had miscarried twice and the doctors had told me that I was never going to be able to get pregnant again." Maria responded and the two women smiled at each other.
"It's amazing how time has flown by. Sometimes it seems as if it was yesterday that I was a little girl growing up in a big and happy family. Do you remember those wonderful vacations we used to spend in that little town up in Vermont?" Christine said remembering. "And I remember how often I had the privilege to be a flower girl on a wedding. All the girls at school were jealous of me." Christine went on.
"Oh yes, we had numerous reasons to celebrate over the years. But don't remind me of the time flying by. In my heart I'm still the 22-year-old tree climbing and troublesome governess. And now look at me, I'm 75 years old, all my children have grown up and I have 30 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren." Maria laughed.
"You are an awesome woman, Mother. I love you and I'm very happy that finally you could make it over here." Christine said breaking the silence.
"I love you too my daughter and remember what I have told you. Believe me, things will be fine again." Maria said in reassurance while taking a hold of her daughter's hand.
The following morning Maria hugged her daughter and granddaughters goodbye at the airport. A few tears appeared in the corner of her eyes.
"You girls, take good care of yourselves, okay? And remember to send a letter once in a while to your old grandmother in the US." Maria gently stroked their faces.
"Yes grandmother, we will." They chorused and hugged Maria close. After holding them close to her she turned to her daughter.
„And you my darling, thank you so much for everything. I enjoyed my stay here and the special moments we shared." She said with a twinkle in her eyes. "Believe me, things will be fine. Trust me!" She whispered into Christine ear while hugging her close to her. After a few more moments of teary looks and hugs Maria turned to the direction of the gate and waved her hands to her family.
Epilogue
Maria slowly approached Georg's grave in the local hillside cemetery. Kneeling down next to his gravestone, she gently rubbed it with her fingers. Without saying a word she carefully pulled out a little paper bag from her purse. Taking a deep breath she opened it and turned it upside down.
"Georg, this is from our home, a piece of ground from our garden in Aigen." She said while the grains of ground landed on the grave. With her hands she softly scattered the grains and her eyes couldn't contain a few tears that made their way down on her cheeks.
She slowly stood up. Looking up at the skies she admired the beauty of the setting sun and the magical glow of the clouds. "It's time to go home." She thought and turned around to slowly walk to the exit of the cemetery.
The End.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this story. I want to thank to all my readers, for all the reviews and of course I want to say a big thanks to Jessica again for her support and encouragement.
Please leave me a little review, I would be very happy.