Here's part 2, enjoy!!!
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An hour later, when they were walking in the middle on a deserted street surrounded with trees, Maria and Georg were in a conversation about the convent. The children had dragged Max with them a few yards in front of the other 2 adults, and were playing truth or dare.
"So every time sister Berthe and I had a disagreement, I had to kiss the floor."
Georg had been listening with much interest, when he suddenly felt something pulling on his sleeve. He looked down at Gretl.
"Yes darling?"
"Is it still far?"
"Are you getting tired?"
Gretl nodded. Georg took her arms and placed her on his shoulders.
"Are you quite comfortable there?"
Very happy to be at her father's shoulders she nodded again. Friedrich had seen this. He wanted to be as his dad, so he asked Marta if she was tired too.
"No thank you, I'm alright."
A bit disappointed, he looked back at Maria and Georg. Maria thought it was so sweet of him to offer help. So she gave him a smile, making Friedrich feel better again. They continued their conversation, with Gretl listening to every word they said. After a while, they finally began to come closer at their destination. Gretl asked is she could get back at the ground. The children, with Max a few foot behind, were already running to the lake as soon as they had seen it. Max had noticed how different Georg was in her neighborhood and how he didn't want him to come too. So he decided to stay with the kids. While Maria and Georg were walking to a place to sit, Maria felt cheerful because this brought up another memory.
"Yes, I recognize this place!"
Georg didn't assume she knew this place, but he could've guessed because he understood Maria did go to the hills a lot. He folded out a blanket under the shadow of the tree, and offered her to sit. Soon he sat down too. A bright smile formed on her face as she was glancing at the top of the hill a bit further where they sat.
"You seem so happy, Fraulein. Tell me about it."
"One winter day when I was 12, my dad gave me a beautiful sleigh with bells on it. He had spent days making it. And it had been snowing a lot that time, so we went out to test it. There was so much snow here. We walked all the way up there ..."
She pointed at the top of the hill.
"... and then I'd slide back down with my sleigh right into this tree. I couldn't stop on time so I had to jump off it before I bumped into it."
Her smile grew dim and her voice was much more quietly than before. She turned her head to her lap and started to play a little with her fingers.
"My father died not long after that."
"I'm sorry."
Maria was surprised by the sympathy in his voice.
"I had my mother and Chris to get through it ... Then Chris moved away. I was 19 when my mother died, leaving me alone with no one to talk with ..."
She felt tears coming up. One fell down. Not long after that another one went on the other side of her face. Georg wanted to comfort her, to show her she wasn't alone anymore. So he got closer and embraced her. 'Maybe I'm going to far, maybe I should just --' Maria laid her arms around him and tightened the grip, softly crying on his shoulder, stopping his thoughts about crossing the line. He felt her hands carefully grabbing the material of his shirt to hold on to. His hands were slowly roaming over her back, giving her a feeling of security and affection.
"I miss her so much!"
"I know Maria, I know. And I'm here for you."
'He really called me Maria.' Both Georg and Maria were secretly enjoying each others touch, but Maria didn't feel it as much as Georg, because all she wanted at the moment was someone to talk to. She had the same feelings, only were they hidden by her sadness. They stayed like this for a little while. Georg's hand still striking her back. She seemed more relaxed. Georg could feel it. Slowly they parted. They kept looking into each others eyes, their faces still pretty close together.
"Fraulein, what is wrong? Are you crying?"
"Oh no dear."
She said as she was wiping of a tear on her cheek.
"I have something in my eye. I think it was a small fly or something.'
Gretl saw how close her father and Maria were. Georg had noticed it. He wasn't sure she would understand these things, but came up with something just in case.
"I was helping her to get it out of her eye. Well I don't see anything Fraulein. I guess it's already gone."
Gretl was concerned about Maria. She herself had experience with bugs in her eye and she knew it was a nasty thing to put up with.
"Is it really gone, Fraulein?"
"Yes darling, I'm all better now.
Glad that nothing was wrong with her governess, she remembered the reason why she came in the first place.
"Father, can we please eat? I'm hungry."
Georg and Maria were quite hungry too and agreed with Gretl.
"Sure. Can you go get the others too?"
He didn't have to say that twice. Gretl was already off, calling the rest. Maria turned back to the captain. She was thankful he didn't say anything.
"Thank you, sir."
"It was my pleasure, Maria."
There it was again. He had called her Maria 2 times already in a very short period. She, on the other hand, didn't dare to call him anything else than captain or sir. All the children, and Max of course, gathered up around their father and their governess. Starting to eat, Brigitta was wondering something.
"Fraulein, when are you going to tell us the tricks you had done in your youth?"
Georg looked at Maria with a small sparkle in his eyes. As she looked back, she didn't really wanted to tell these things in his presence. She thought it would make her look bad.
"Oh not now."
"Do tell, Fraulein."
Georg was eager to hear her tomboyish acts. A little grin had formed on his face as he laid down, with his head leaning on his hand.
"Please ..."
"Ok, if you insist. Let me see ..."
She was searching in her mind to find some really good ones.
"Oh I know one. We had a lot of parties in our neighborhood. The whole village was invited. One day, at another party, I came with this really wonderful idea! There were this 7 men standing next to a long table. So Chris and I crawled under the table and very carefully, we tided everybody's shoelaces to each other. Quickly we got away from there. Chris asked me to dance in their sight so they wouldn't suspect us. They stood there for a while, when one of them finally attempted to walk away. I believe it was the third one. So when he moved, he fell, pulling everybody else with him."
Everybody was laughing.
"Well, they suspected us anyway ..."
She told them chuckling.
"Tell us more."
"Alright Kurt. You remember I said Chris and I hated each other in the beginning?"
Georg thought back of the time they sat in the sitting room and the story Maria and Chris had told them. All the children seemed to be knowing the story as none of them made objections as she continued. 'I bet the children even knew it before me.'
"He knew of my tree house ..."
Yet they kept quiet, listening to the story instead of asking excitedly if se had a tree house. 'They know more than I thought.'
"... and my passionate dislike of spiders and slimy things. One time, when I was 9, not long after my mum's birthday party, I went back up in my tree house. And when I had opened the trap-door to get inside, I got this bucket with huge spiders and snails all over me! Of course I fell down! Then suddenly he appeared. He was laughing so hard since he had seen my face before I fell. But as I was laying there on the ground, he had seen I was hurt. He got worried, very worried. A spider crawled on my face and when he had heard my scream, he knew I was gonna be alright and helped me to get all these nasty things away from me."
All of them had been laughing, till the part she said she had fallen. Maria was amazed of the silence now around her. They were all looking concerned, afraid something would've happened to her. Yet she was sitting there in front of them, so many years later. She continued telling them stories. Georg was intrigued by her, and once again he had trouble with looking at anything else but Maria. Occasionally their eyes would meet. And they both couldn't get that smile off their faces. After a while, they had finished their meal. The children were off again, without Max for a change. He sat with Maria and Georg, not saying much. None of them did.
"Well Fraulein, I must say, I'm a bit surprised Chris isn't here too. Where is he?"
"Oh he had to do something in the city."
"Too bad he couldn't make it, he's a very nice guy!"
'I knew he would ruin everything!' Georg rolled his eyes. All day everything went swell, now they were talking about that blasted Chris again. Although it was getting quite silent again. Maria was enjoying this day so much. First with the captain waking her up, then their embrace. She could've sworn they were holding each other for at least 10 minutes. And after they parted, if it wasn't for Gretl, something might have happened. She was thinking how it all would've turned out if Gretl hadn't showed up. In her mind she saw him sitting close again, looking into her eyes. They moved closer and closer ...
"Lovely weather, isn't it?"
Max was trying to keep a conversation going, but didn't have much success with it. His friends were very quiet, not at all like he knew them.
'Even in my own thoughts I don't get to that point. It's a sign. I shouldn't have these thoughts.' But how hard she tried, her mind kept going to the captain. Then it struck her, she wanted to share some memories with him.
"Captain, I want to show you something."
She stood up, waiting for him to show some signs he wanted to come. Georg looked over to the children.
"What about them?"
At last the moment had come. Max had been expecting something like this all day.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them."
Max was already heading their direction, leaving the other 2 behind. Finally Georg got up too.
"It's not far from here."
After 15 minutes walking, they came to this beautiful, huge tree, with what seemed a little wooden hovel in it.
"So this is your little tree house. It's beautiful!"
Gazing up the tree in awe, he felt Maria smiling. The sun shined through the leaves.
"Sir, can you climb?"
"Climb? Oh yes, I used to do it all the time in the past. But that was a very long time ago."
'Does she mean I have to climb all the way up there?' The expression on his face betrayed his thoughts.
"Please sir, it's so nice up there."
Immediately he started to climb up, feeling strong and manly, hoping he would impress Maria. But when he was almost there, his hand grabbed a loose peace of the trunk, making him fall down. The next thing he knew, he heard the sweetest voice softly through his mind. He opened his eyes.
"Captain, are you alright?"
His sight was still a bit hazy, although the woman bending over him looked stunning. He tried to get up, but was slightly dizzy. So he let his head back lay down on the grass.
"I think it's better if you'll stay like this for a few minutes."
A faint smile appeared on her lips. 'Did I just fall? God I must look like a fool ...'
"Well, we both made the same fall. But I think I was out more longer. I'm sorry, sir. It's my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to climb up there."
"No Maria, I just misplaced my hand, happens to everybody."
The dizziness was gone. He was back able to stand up without any difficulties.
"Let's try again, shall we?"
"Ok, but I'll go first this time."
Maria placed herself against the trunk and started climbing up. She knew all the right places to put her hands or feet. So she was up in no time. Georg once again was amazed with her skills. 'Is there anything she can't do?' Soon he followed, being much more careful. He too made it without falling down again.
"It's very roomy inside ... I never thought I would fit in here."
They both sat down, Maria leaning against a wall with her arms over her folded knees.
"I used to come here a lot. First with my dad. He learned me how to climb this tree. Once up here we always took a nap. I used to cuddle myself so close against him. He made me feel safe."
Maria hadn't been talking about this to anyone, not even to the children. But as she sat there, it came out so easily. He made her feel safe too, just like her dad. Georg was listening with the most interest. He loved to know more about her past, about who she was. And to make everything complete, they both were so comfortable in each others presence.
"Chris came, we were always playing these big adventures in here till we were 12. Until my father died. Mum was devastated, and so was I. The thought of never being able to cuddle up against him anymore, that he wouldn't be there for me. I didn't feel safe any longer. Chris and I came here, not to play anymore, but we would just hold each other and talk. He was there for me and my mum in these rough times. When my mum died, I was just me up here. Everyone I loved was gone. I used to sit here for hours, just crying."
Feeling deeply for Maria, he moved closer, until he was sitting next to her against the wall. His hand entwined in hers. She didn't pull back. In a way she was thankful. They were bonding like very close friends. Georg knew how important Chris was for her. His sympathy for him started to grow.
"We both suffered from some terrible losses."
Maria let her head lean on his shoulder. And strangely enough to her, the captain didn't seemed to mind.
"The day I met Agathe, I was in 7th heaven. It was love at first sight. She was the first person I ever felt close with. I could talk to her about everything. She was so loving, caring and she had the most beautiful voice."
'Should I say her this?' He hesitated, not knowing whether to be so open or not. Yet he decided to tell her everything, like she had done with him.
"You remind me of her."
That was the last thing she thought he would say.
"Then she passed away. The one person in life who was so important to me ... I even couldn't bear to look at the children, because I saw her. The pain was to dreadful. I hate the person I had become!"
"Sir, you learn from your mistakes."
"Oh dear Maria, if you hadn't come ..."
They both turned silent. Talking about some pretty sad things, Georg wanted to change the subject to something more lively.
"I was just thinking ... I think I should apologize."
"Apologize?"
Maria asked, not willing to move her head from his shoulder. He squeezed lovingly into her hand.
"Yes, you see, when I was a little boy, I had had a lot of governesses as well. The children are very much like me too. I always managed to get those damn Frauleins away in a short time."
Chuckling he went on.
"Before Agathe passed away, Louisa, Friedrich and Liesl had been asking me about the pranks I used to do to get those governesses away. How would I know, I was going to do the same thing to them as my parents did to me. So anyway, the first day, when your 'rheumatism' was troubling you, I'm afraid I gave them the idea to put that ridiculous pinecone there. Again, I apologize."
"You knew it was a pinecone?"
She said, turning her back to look him in the eyes. She tried to look mad and serious, but her laugh came through, ruining her whole act. He gave a look back, laughing too.
"I'm very sorry!"
Maria moved to the corner of the tree house, and took the brown box. Then she went to sit next to Georg again, her head back on his shoulder. As she opened it, she took and held it close, then she took those pictures of her and her family and Chris.
"It has been here ever since Chris left. We both did some things in it, so we could bring up our memories again whenever he would return."
Both looked at the photos of a very young Maria, who still had long hair, standing in between of a couple. All 3 of them with the biggest smile on their faces.
"You look a lot like your parents."
She didn't say anything, but continued looking at all those little things in the box. After a while, when they had finished looking at the things of her past, Maria realized it had been an hour, maybe longer, since they had left the group.
"Do you think the children are missing us?"
"Let's go back and find out."
Carefully they climbed back down. They had grown so much closer, and both of them knew, they had gained a friend for life.
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Okay, I know it isn't very well written (English isn't my native language), I apologize for that. The next chapter will be posted as soon as I've finished it and after another 6 or more reviews.
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An hour later, when they were walking in the middle on a deserted street surrounded with trees, Maria and Georg were in a conversation about the convent. The children had dragged Max with them a few yards in front of the other 2 adults, and were playing truth or dare.
"So every time sister Berthe and I had a disagreement, I had to kiss the floor."
Georg had been listening with much interest, when he suddenly felt something pulling on his sleeve. He looked down at Gretl.
"Yes darling?"
"Is it still far?"
"Are you getting tired?"
Gretl nodded. Georg took her arms and placed her on his shoulders.
"Are you quite comfortable there?"
Very happy to be at her father's shoulders she nodded again. Friedrich had seen this. He wanted to be as his dad, so he asked Marta if she was tired too.
"No thank you, I'm alright."
A bit disappointed, he looked back at Maria and Georg. Maria thought it was so sweet of him to offer help. So she gave him a smile, making Friedrich feel better again. They continued their conversation, with Gretl listening to every word they said. After a while, they finally began to come closer at their destination. Gretl asked is she could get back at the ground. The children, with Max a few foot behind, were already running to the lake as soon as they had seen it. Max had noticed how different Georg was in her neighborhood and how he didn't want him to come too. So he decided to stay with the kids. While Maria and Georg were walking to a place to sit, Maria felt cheerful because this brought up another memory.
"Yes, I recognize this place!"
Georg didn't assume she knew this place, but he could've guessed because he understood Maria did go to the hills a lot. He folded out a blanket under the shadow of the tree, and offered her to sit. Soon he sat down too. A bright smile formed on her face as she was glancing at the top of the hill a bit further where they sat.
"You seem so happy, Fraulein. Tell me about it."
"One winter day when I was 12, my dad gave me a beautiful sleigh with bells on it. He had spent days making it. And it had been snowing a lot that time, so we went out to test it. There was so much snow here. We walked all the way up there ..."
She pointed at the top of the hill.
"... and then I'd slide back down with my sleigh right into this tree. I couldn't stop on time so I had to jump off it before I bumped into it."
Her smile grew dim and her voice was much more quietly than before. She turned her head to her lap and started to play a little with her fingers.
"My father died not long after that."
"I'm sorry."
Maria was surprised by the sympathy in his voice.
"I had my mother and Chris to get through it ... Then Chris moved away. I was 19 when my mother died, leaving me alone with no one to talk with ..."
She felt tears coming up. One fell down. Not long after that another one went on the other side of her face. Georg wanted to comfort her, to show her she wasn't alone anymore. So he got closer and embraced her. 'Maybe I'm going to far, maybe I should just --' Maria laid her arms around him and tightened the grip, softly crying on his shoulder, stopping his thoughts about crossing the line. He felt her hands carefully grabbing the material of his shirt to hold on to. His hands were slowly roaming over her back, giving her a feeling of security and affection.
"I miss her so much!"
"I know Maria, I know. And I'm here for you."
'He really called me Maria.' Both Georg and Maria were secretly enjoying each others touch, but Maria didn't feel it as much as Georg, because all she wanted at the moment was someone to talk to. She had the same feelings, only were they hidden by her sadness. They stayed like this for a little while. Georg's hand still striking her back. She seemed more relaxed. Georg could feel it. Slowly they parted. They kept looking into each others eyes, their faces still pretty close together.
"Fraulein, what is wrong? Are you crying?"
"Oh no dear."
She said as she was wiping of a tear on her cheek.
"I have something in my eye. I think it was a small fly or something.'
Gretl saw how close her father and Maria were. Georg had noticed it. He wasn't sure she would understand these things, but came up with something just in case.
"I was helping her to get it out of her eye. Well I don't see anything Fraulein. I guess it's already gone."
Gretl was concerned about Maria. She herself had experience with bugs in her eye and she knew it was a nasty thing to put up with.
"Is it really gone, Fraulein?"
"Yes darling, I'm all better now.
Glad that nothing was wrong with her governess, she remembered the reason why she came in the first place.
"Father, can we please eat? I'm hungry."
Georg and Maria were quite hungry too and agreed with Gretl.
"Sure. Can you go get the others too?"
He didn't have to say that twice. Gretl was already off, calling the rest. Maria turned back to the captain. She was thankful he didn't say anything.
"Thank you, sir."
"It was my pleasure, Maria."
There it was again. He had called her Maria 2 times already in a very short period. She, on the other hand, didn't dare to call him anything else than captain or sir. All the children, and Max of course, gathered up around their father and their governess. Starting to eat, Brigitta was wondering something.
"Fraulein, when are you going to tell us the tricks you had done in your youth?"
Georg looked at Maria with a small sparkle in his eyes. As she looked back, she didn't really wanted to tell these things in his presence. She thought it would make her look bad.
"Oh not now."
"Do tell, Fraulein."
Georg was eager to hear her tomboyish acts. A little grin had formed on his face as he laid down, with his head leaning on his hand.
"Please ..."
"Ok, if you insist. Let me see ..."
She was searching in her mind to find some really good ones.
"Oh I know one. We had a lot of parties in our neighborhood. The whole village was invited. One day, at another party, I came with this really wonderful idea! There were this 7 men standing next to a long table. So Chris and I crawled under the table and very carefully, we tided everybody's shoelaces to each other. Quickly we got away from there. Chris asked me to dance in their sight so they wouldn't suspect us. They stood there for a while, when one of them finally attempted to walk away. I believe it was the third one. So when he moved, he fell, pulling everybody else with him."
Everybody was laughing.
"Well, they suspected us anyway ..."
She told them chuckling.
"Tell us more."
"Alright Kurt. You remember I said Chris and I hated each other in the beginning?"
Georg thought back of the time they sat in the sitting room and the story Maria and Chris had told them. All the children seemed to be knowing the story as none of them made objections as she continued. 'I bet the children even knew it before me.'
"He knew of my tree house ..."
Yet they kept quiet, listening to the story instead of asking excitedly if se had a tree house. 'They know more than I thought.'
"... and my passionate dislike of spiders and slimy things. One time, when I was 9, not long after my mum's birthday party, I went back up in my tree house. And when I had opened the trap-door to get inside, I got this bucket with huge spiders and snails all over me! Of course I fell down! Then suddenly he appeared. He was laughing so hard since he had seen my face before I fell. But as I was laying there on the ground, he had seen I was hurt. He got worried, very worried. A spider crawled on my face and when he had heard my scream, he knew I was gonna be alright and helped me to get all these nasty things away from me."
All of them had been laughing, till the part she said she had fallen. Maria was amazed of the silence now around her. They were all looking concerned, afraid something would've happened to her. Yet she was sitting there in front of them, so many years later. She continued telling them stories. Georg was intrigued by her, and once again he had trouble with looking at anything else but Maria. Occasionally their eyes would meet. And they both couldn't get that smile off their faces. After a while, they had finished their meal. The children were off again, without Max for a change. He sat with Maria and Georg, not saying much. None of them did.
"Well Fraulein, I must say, I'm a bit surprised Chris isn't here too. Where is he?"
"Oh he had to do something in the city."
"Too bad he couldn't make it, he's a very nice guy!"
'I knew he would ruin everything!' Georg rolled his eyes. All day everything went swell, now they were talking about that blasted Chris again. Although it was getting quite silent again. Maria was enjoying this day so much. First with the captain waking her up, then their embrace. She could've sworn they were holding each other for at least 10 minutes. And after they parted, if it wasn't for Gretl, something might have happened. She was thinking how it all would've turned out if Gretl hadn't showed up. In her mind she saw him sitting close again, looking into her eyes. They moved closer and closer ...
"Lovely weather, isn't it?"
Max was trying to keep a conversation going, but didn't have much success with it. His friends were very quiet, not at all like he knew them.
'Even in my own thoughts I don't get to that point. It's a sign. I shouldn't have these thoughts.' But how hard she tried, her mind kept going to the captain. Then it struck her, she wanted to share some memories with him.
"Captain, I want to show you something."
She stood up, waiting for him to show some signs he wanted to come. Georg looked over to the children.
"What about them?"
At last the moment had come. Max had been expecting something like this all day.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them."
Max was already heading their direction, leaving the other 2 behind. Finally Georg got up too.
"It's not far from here."
After 15 minutes walking, they came to this beautiful, huge tree, with what seemed a little wooden hovel in it.
"So this is your little tree house. It's beautiful!"
Gazing up the tree in awe, he felt Maria smiling. The sun shined through the leaves.
"Sir, can you climb?"
"Climb? Oh yes, I used to do it all the time in the past. But that was a very long time ago."
'Does she mean I have to climb all the way up there?' The expression on his face betrayed his thoughts.
"Please sir, it's so nice up there."
Immediately he started to climb up, feeling strong and manly, hoping he would impress Maria. But when he was almost there, his hand grabbed a loose peace of the trunk, making him fall down. The next thing he knew, he heard the sweetest voice softly through his mind. He opened his eyes.
"Captain, are you alright?"
His sight was still a bit hazy, although the woman bending over him looked stunning. He tried to get up, but was slightly dizzy. So he let his head back lay down on the grass.
"I think it's better if you'll stay like this for a few minutes."
A faint smile appeared on her lips. 'Did I just fall? God I must look like a fool ...'
"Well, we both made the same fall. But I think I was out more longer. I'm sorry, sir. It's my fault. I shouldn't have asked you to climb up there."
"No Maria, I just misplaced my hand, happens to everybody."
The dizziness was gone. He was back able to stand up without any difficulties.
"Let's try again, shall we?"
"Ok, but I'll go first this time."
Maria placed herself against the trunk and started climbing up. She knew all the right places to put her hands or feet. So she was up in no time. Georg once again was amazed with her skills. 'Is there anything she can't do?' Soon he followed, being much more careful. He too made it without falling down again.
"It's very roomy inside ... I never thought I would fit in here."
They both sat down, Maria leaning against a wall with her arms over her folded knees.
"I used to come here a lot. First with my dad. He learned me how to climb this tree. Once up here we always took a nap. I used to cuddle myself so close against him. He made me feel safe."
Maria hadn't been talking about this to anyone, not even to the children. But as she sat there, it came out so easily. He made her feel safe too, just like her dad. Georg was listening with the most interest. He loved to know more about her past, about who she was. And to make everything complete, they both were so comfortable in each others presence.
"Chris came, we were always playing these big adventures in here till we were 12. Until my father died. Mum was devastated, and so was I. The thought of never being able to cuddle up against him anymore, that he wouldn't be there for me. I didn't feel safe any longer. Chris and I came here, not to play anymore, but we would just hold each other and talk. He was there for me and my mum in these rough times. When my mum died, I was just me up here. Everyone I loved was gone. I used to sit here for hours, just crying."
Feeling deeply for Maria, he moved closer, until he was sitting next to her against the wall. His hand entwined in hers. She didn't pull back. In a way she was thankful. They were bonding like very close friends. Georg knew how important Chris was for her. His sympathy for him started to grow.
"We both suffered from some terrible losses."
Maria let her head lean on his shoulder. And strangely enough to her, the captain didn't seemed to mind.
"The day I met Agathe, I was in 7th heaven. It was love at first sight. She was the first person I ever felt close with. I could talk to her about everything. She was so loving, caring and she had the most beautiful voice."
'Should I say her this?' He hesitated, not knowing whether to be so open or not. Yet he decided to tell her everything, like she had done with him.
"You remind me of her."
That was the last thing she thought he would say.
"Then she passed away. The one person in life who was so important to me ... I even couldn't bear to look at the children, because I saw her. The pain was to dreadful. I hate the person I had become!"
"Sir, you learn from your mistakes."
"Oh dear Maria, if you hadn't come ..."
They both turned silent. Talking about some pretty sad things, Georg wanted to change the subject to something more lively.
"I was just thinking ... I think I should apologize."
"Apologize?"
Maria asked, not willing to move her head from his shoulder. He squeezed lovingly into her hand.
"Yes, you see, when I was a little boy, I had had a lot of governesses as well. The children are very much like me too. I always managed to get those damn Frauleins away in a short time."
Chuckling he went on.
"Before Agathe passed away, Louisa, Friedrich and Liesl had been asking me about the pranks I used to do to get those governesses away. How would I know, I was going to do the same thing to them as my parents did to me. So anyway, the first day, when your 'rheumatism' was troubling you, I'm afraid I gave them the idea to put that ridiculous pinecone there. Again, I apologize."
"You knew it was a pinecone?"
She said, turning her back to look him in the eyes. She tried to look mad and serious, but her laugh came through, ruining her whole act. He gave a look back, laughing too.
"I'm very sorry!"
Maria moved to the corner of the tree house, and took the brown box. Then she went to sit next to Georg again, her head back on his shoulder. As she opened it, she took and held it close, then she took those pictures of her and her family and Chris.
"It has been here ever since Chris left. We both did some things in it, so we could bring up our memories again whenever he would return."
Both looked at the photos of a very young Maria, who still had long hair, standing in between of a couple. All 3 of them with the biggest smile on their faces.
"You look a lot like your parents."
She didn't say anything, but continued looking at all those little things in the box. After a while, when they had finished looking at the things of her past, Maria realized it had been an hour, maybe longer, since they had left the group.
"Do you think the children are missing us?"
"Let's go back and find out."
Carefully they climbed back down. They had grown so much closer, and both of them knew, they had gained a friend for life.
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Okay, I know it isn't very well written (English isn't my native language), I apologize for that. The next chapter will be posted as soon as I've finished it and after another 6 or more reviews.