Kurt slowly opened the front door to the little school house.  Once inside, he soon realized that it was bigger than he had expected.  Along the main hallway were four classrooms.  Taking his time so he wouldn't make any noise, he walked past each doorway until he came upon the fourth and final one.  From the glass window on the door he could make out a person seated at a desk in the far corner.

Palms sweating like crazy, he turned the knob ever so quietly.  As he stepped inside the classroom his eyes fell upon the decorations on the wall and the vibrant colors that adorned the room.  Musical notes hung from the ceiling that the students had obviously made.  There was one corner that had all sorts of instruments in it.  And lying in its case next to a wooden chair was Fraulein Maria's guitar.  He would know that instrument anywhere just from the day that he had seen his governess play it when they were all picnicking on the mountains.  He was just about to walk near and pick it up when a voice brought him back to reality.

"Hello there."  Immediately his eyes locked on the person standing before him.  It was Fraulein Maria.

"Hello."  All he could do was reply with one single word.  His breath began to quicken again and he was sure that tears were forming in his eyes.

"Is there something that I can help you with?  You look a little lost."  The sweetness in her voice hadn't died in the seven years he missed hearing it.  And just looking over her, she didn't look a day older than the night of the party when he last saw her.  Her hair was still short as it always was, and her sparkling blue eyes were as deep and true as ever.

"I'm actually looking for someone.  Someone that I knew years ago.  She was a very dear person and I, my brother, and my sisters loved her very much…"  As soon as those words escaped from Kurt's lips Maria's face fell and she clasped her hands over her mouth in disbelief.

"Oh my word….Kurt!  Is it really you?"  And with that Kurt almost ran to the front of the room and embraced his former governess in the biggest hug possible.  He didn't care about being a gentleman anymore as he let all of his tears fall in happiness.  Maria, likewise, did the same.  And at the same time she rubbed Kurt's back and soothed his hair with her free fingers.

Maria was the first to pull away.  She couldn't believe what she saw before her.  A young man stood before her, but all she could see was the sweet eleven year old boy she once knew.  And now he was just as tall as she was and he looked so much like his father that it gave Maria the same goosebumps she felt the night she had danced with the Captain.

"Yes, it's me."  Kurt finally responded as he wiped his eyes free from the tears.

"I still cannot believe it.  And after all this time.  I honestly didn't think that I would ever see you again.  You look wonderful, and so grown up too."  With that being said, Maria ran her hand along the side of his face and took a step back to get a better look at him.

"I'm glad that I found you.  You don't know how long I've wanted to come back here and see you….I didn't think that I'd ever see you again either, Fraulein Maria."

Maria laughed at the last part.  He had said it in the same little voice that he once used in what seemed like ages ago.

"But what are you doing here, Kurt?  Are you by yourself?  Does your father know that you're here?"

"Here on a holiday.  By myself.  Yes."  They both laughed at his response.

"I expected to meet you at the Abbey when I arrived, though.  I must say, I'm not at all surprised that you didn't become a nun.  You never did seem to fit the profile you know." He beamed as he said all of this.

Maria had to smile at Kurt.  He had only been eleven when she was seriously considering entering into the convent and he had seen that she didn't belong there.  Why had she then?

"After I returned to the Abbey I just didn't feel the sense of welcoming and homeliness that I did before."  She said this and had to look away from him.  After I returned, she had said.  That was a long time ago, she thought to herself.  But she still had such a heavy feeling of guilt of leaving Kurt and his siblings.  It was very unfair to them and she had never said good-bye.

"After you left the night of the party you mean?"  There it was, she was waiting for it and now she could either ignore it for seven more years or she could tell her side of the story for the first time ever.

"Kurt, it's so very good to see you. Why don't you and I go for a walk by the stream outside and you can ask me anything you like as long as I can do the same to you?"

"Sounds fair to me."  Terrific.  Now he could ask the question that had been sitting inside him for all of his teenage years and finally get the answer that he knew was the reason why his beloved governess had disappeared from his life.

To be continued…….

Well what do you think?  Better than the first chapter?  Review and let me know soon!  J