Thank you for the lovely reviews. I don't want to keep you waiting for too long, so here you have Chapter 5. Enjoy it!
Chapter 5.
The first weeks after the birth were kind of hard on Maria. It took her a while until her energy returned. Most of the time she felt physically weak and vulnerable. She loved her child more than anything, ever since the moment the little girl was placed in her arms, but as she looked at her child, her memories tended to go back to another time in a different life of hers. Her worries about the von Trapp family didn't go away either. She knew that Georg most probably had made the right decision by taking away his family from Austria.
Maria was busy around the inn and with her baby daughter and the outside world such as politics stopped to exist for her. She didn't care much about the political events of those days, even though the wind of danger was always hanging in the air as the summer of 1938 was passing by.
The morning sunlight peaked into Maria's room and the little baby's cry made Maria slowly open her eyes.
"Alexandra darling. You are up so early. Why don't you let your mother sleep in a bit?" She stifled a yawn while placing the baby against her chest for feeding. As she watched her daughter's face contently resting in her arms, she heard a soft knock on the door.
"Maria, I have to talk to you. Urgently." She heard Helena's voice.
"One moment please." She said and made herself presentable. "Come in."
Helena ran to her, her face reflecting fear and panic. Holding her daughter still in her arms Maria tried to read the other woman's expression.
"Maria. I have to tell you something." Helena whispered. "No one should hear us now, do you understand?" She urged her words to come out. Maria nodded and a wave of fear crossed her mind.
"Listen. We have to get out of here. You and I are in danger, and so is your baby." Helena said. Maria's face turned white.
"But how, I mean why?" Maria asked while cuddling the baby even closer to her.
"Since the Anschluss, I have been hiding Jews in the basement and helped them escape from Austria. Now the Nazis have discovered it. And this is not all Maria. A few months ago, a man called Captain Georg von Trapp filed a report with the police in Salzburg in search for his missing fiancé." Maria inhaled sharply upon hearing Georg's name leaving Helena's lips. Automatically she put her arms around the baby in protection.
"Maria, you were his fiancé, right?" Helena asked her voice just above a whisper.
"Yes. We were engaged, but what... ?" Maria couldn't finish her sentence, but tried to avoid any eye contact with Helena.
"Maria, the police have found you as well. And Captain von Trapp is missing, too. I saw the article on the floor before Alexandra was born. The police may think that you might be able to give them information on Captain von Trapp's and his children's whereabouts." Helena replied. "Do you understand what I mean? What it would mean if they found you here with Captain von Trapp's child?" Helena asked.
Maria nodded, but didn't dare to say a word. She looked down at her sleeping baby, and for her sake she knew they had to leave soon. Putting her child in danger like this was out of the question.
"Good. We have a few more hours, but we mustn't waste much time. I have already made the arrangements." Helena said.
"But where are we going? And how are we going to escape from them?" Maria asked in fear.
"Trust me. Just get yourself and Alexandra ready. We are leaving around noon." Helena said and hugged Maria.
The hours were slowly passing by as the two women and the baby sat in their train department on the way to Switzerland. Alexandra slept through the long hours of their journey without even realizing the new surroundings. Maria was deep in thoughts and the information Helena had given to her was about to sink in her. First they were going to arrive in Switzerland on fake papers. They are going to stay there for a few days, or a week maybe before they were heading for England to board a ship to America. "America" She thought of this far away country and looked down at her sleeping baby. Helena had assured her that everything had been arranged, and once they arrived in America they would go to New England where Helena's uncle owned a farm. Her thoughts and worries wandered over to the von Trapp family. Helena's words about the report Georg had filed were replaying in her head. She couldn't help but feel guilty for hurting the man and the children she had loved more than anything. Helena might have been right about the letter being a misunderstanding, now she had to admit it as painful as it was. "You stubborn woman." She scolded herself and looked down at the baby in her arms. "And now it's too late to do anything, we are leaving Austria, and no one knows where they are..." She looked up trying to contain her tears and arrange herself, mostly for her daughter's sake. They had to get out of Austria and start a new life in safety and freedom and maybe some day the fate will give them a second chance.
With the time passing by she quickly recalled the information on her fake identity. Her name was Marianne Kutschera, a young widow with child; her husband had died about a month ago. Out of grief she was still wearing black clothes and Helena was supposed to be her mother. She looked up at the ceiling and went into a silent prayer. Helena saw the expression on Maria's face and gave her a reassuring look. They exchanged a quick look before the border inspectors came to check their passports. Helena gave both documents to them. The men took a long look at both papers before one of them turned to Maria and surveyed her long. His gaze made the air freeze in the department.
"How old is your child?" He asked.
"She is 4 months old." Maria gave a short answer.
"Where is your husband?" The other one asked.
"He died about 5 months ago." She answered and tear fell down her cheek.
"My daughter is still grieving, Sir. Please..!" Helena joined in the conversation.
"I see... and tell me ladies, where are you heading?" The first inspector asked.
"We are visiting relatives in Switzerland. They would like to see my grandchild and unfortunately they couldn't come to see us in Austria." Helena answered and gave a quick look to Maria.
"Well then.. have a safe trip. And take care of the baby." They said and left the train department.
None of them dared to say a word. The two women exchanged a reassuring look and a sigh of relief left both of them indicating that everything was all right and their first steps to freedom had been made safely.
"Let me hold my grandchild." Helena reached out her hand. Maria smiled and placed a little kiss on her child's face before handing the small bundle over to Helena.
6 years later...
The sun was shining bright on that wonderful spring day when Maria's train sped to Boston. In her mind she went through her list of things-to-do. She needed to go to the market place where she would take a look at the new materials and maybe would make a few orders for her tailor shop in Vermont. Then, she had an appointment with another dressmaker for new designs. And of course as first priority she had to get a little present for her daughter as well. Alexanda had been eager to accompany her mother to Boston, and had been disappointed when Maria had refused it. She had known how exhausting a business trip can be, especially for a little girl. The little dark haired girl was a miracle in Maria's life, always being there to put a smile on her mother's face. Maria's dreams and hopes lived on in her daughter. Each time she looked at the little girl, Maria couldn't help but notice the resemblance between Alexanda and Georg. The girl obviously had inherited her father's features; she had his eyes and dark brown hair. On the other hand, the little girl surely carried some of her mother's temper within her. She was just as outspoken, spontaneous and curious as her mother.
When the train pulled in the station in Boston Maria gathered her bags and started getting off. The chilly spring air touched her face and automatically she pulled the coat tighter around her. From one appointment she ran to the other, arranging her business issues one by one until only one errand was on her list, namely the present for her daughter before she could check in at her hotel where she was going to stay overnight. From the bookstore she ran to the toy store all the while trying to figure out what she should get for Alexandra. As she exited the toy store a heavy rain started falling down. It was pouring, so she soon had to find a shelter if she didn't want to get soaking wet. In her run she found a small café in street where she thought she could spend some time until the weather conditions changed. She stormed in and sat down at the first empty table while trying to shake out her coat. She only noticed the waiter approaching her, and quickly she made an order for a cup of hot tea.
A few tables away a lonely man was sipping his cup of tea. He noticed the young woman when she had come in, and for a moment he thought he had seen an angel. "No, you silly man. You are imagining it again." He thought but when she heard her German accent ordering a cup of tea, he felt his heart skipping a beat. "Now you are hearing things... it's nonsense. How could she possibly be here?" For a long moment he refused to turn his head towards the young woman, but he heard her say thank you for the cup of tea she had just received, his heart again skipped a beat. He turned his head to the direction of where the angelic voice came. He was left breathless by the vision of Maria, his former fiancé sipping her cup of tea just a few meters away from him. For a long moment he studied her. She was bit older and mature; her features were just as beautiful as they were when he last saw her. He didn't know what to do; he only knew he couldn't let her go one more time without talking to her. Maybe this was their second chance to sort out their things. Slowly he stood up from his chair; his heart was beating rapidly as he approached her. "What shall I tell her? What if this woman is not Maria?" He had nothing to lose he thought, admitting the fact.
To be continued....
Please review... Chapter 6 will follow shortly!
