20-year-old Wendla Bergmann Gabor woke up to the sound of birds chirping. She could see the sun streaming through the curtains. With a start, she turned to her left, where her husband Melchior usually slept. His spot in the bed was empty.
Goodness! Wendla was usually the first one awake - how late was it? Quickly, Wendla got dressed and went downstairs.
She found Melchior, also 20, sitting in his armchair with the couple's daughter, 4 year old Ada, in his lap.
"Good morning, Mama!" Ada hopped off her father's lap and ran over to Wendla. Wendla scooped her daughter up in a hug.
"Oh, your stomach is kind of getting in the way," Ada observed. Wendla and Melchior chuckled. Wendla was about four months along with the couple's second child.
Ada had been born when Wendla and Melchior were fifteen. Melchior had been sent off to a reform school following the suicide of his friend Moritz. Melchior, who had devoured any and every book he could get his hands on was well-versed in the workings of the world - including when it came to knowledge of sexual intercourse.
Moritz had gone to Melchior with questions about the things he was feeling and the things happening to his body, as his parents and teachers were no help. Melchior had provided these answers, in written detail. After Moritz took his life, Melchior's "obscene" essay had been blamed and he was shipped off to the reformatory.
Melchior had learned about Wendla's pregnancy when his cruel classmates had intercepted one of Wendla's letters. Like Moritz, Wendla had led a very sheltered life. She did not know that intercourse could lead to pregnancy. That evening in the hayloft, Melchior had had no problem with convincing Wendla to do those things with him.
But after being sent to the reformatory, Melchior hadn't been able to see Wendla. Shortly after the letter announcing her pregnancy, Wendla had sent another letter saying something to the effect of, "Mama said she wants to take me to a doctor 'who will take care of everything.' I don't know what this means but she is very set on it."
Melchior, of course, knew exactly what this meant. And he knew that after Wendla saw this doctor, not only would she lose their baby, but he would also very likely lose her, too. He had started to write a response, urging Wendla to do whatever it took to avoid going to that doctor, but then his classmate, Rupert, had come into his room and hit him over the head.
A few days later, however, Wendla had sent another letter. Her friend Anna had overheard her mother talking with Wendla's mother. Wendla's mother had said something about an abortionist. Anna had never heard the word before, but after looking it up, told Wendla what it meant (she still didn't know at the time Wendla was pregnant) and Wendla had begged her mother not to go through with it.
Frau Bergmann had agreed, but sent Wendla off to live with her sister, brother-in-law, and nieces for a while.
In the letter, Wendla had also asked Melchior what names he liked, and for a girl the pair had chosen Ada Lise.
A lot had happened since then - Wendla was now on better terms with her mother who was excited to be a grandmother again, but not until after another rift when she discovered the (then) unmarried Wendla, and Ada, had spent the night at Melchior's house. Insinuating that the pair had slept together again, Frau Bergmann was furious. So was Wendla, who angrily packed her and Ada's bags and headed back to Melchior's house, and soon after that, he proposed.
Wendla affectionately squeezed Ada on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry I slept so late," Wendla told Melchior, kissing him on the forehead.
"That's alright. You need your rest - and I ended up waking earlier than usual. I had a little peace and quiet before someone traipsed down the stairs and joined me," Melchior helped Ada back on his lap as she giggled.
"Did she have her porridge?" Wendla asked.
"Yes," Melchior replied. "There's some left for you although it might be a little cold."
"That's just fine," Wendla smiled and excused herself to the outhouse before eating a bowl of porridge.
After Ada was down for her nap, Wendla and Melchior sat in the parlor.
"Melchi," Wendla said. She had been knitting a pair of mittens for Ada, while Melchior, of course, was reading a book.
"Yes?" Melchior looked up.
"We talked about names for Ada the moment you found out I was expecting. We're nearly halfway to meeting this baby and we still haven't discussed what to name them - whether they're a boy or a girl."
Melchior paused. "Well, if we have a boy I'd like to name him Moritz," he said softly.
"Of course," Wendla put her hand on Melchior's.
"But for a girl…I honestly have no idea. I got the idea for Ada's name only because that was the name of a character in a book I was reading at the time. I was grateful you came up with her middle name because I couldn't come up with anything for that - and I can't for Moritz, either."
"Maybe we could do…Moritz Casper - after my father," Wendla suggested. Her father had died of typhoid fever when she was around five years old. She had some memories of him, but most came from her mother or older sister, Carolina, who most people called "Ina."
"Alright," Melchior smiled. "But…for a daughter?"
Wendla thought hard. "My Oma's name was Bertha," she said. "I was so heartbroken when she died - so was Mama. I'm sure Mama would love having a granddaughter named after her own mama," Wendla smiled.
Melchior paused. He and his mother-in-law still were not on good terms, but having a baby named after her Oma was important to Wendla, so it was important to him, too.
"Bertha it is," he smiled back at his wife.
"What about her middle name?" Wendla asked.
Melchior looked down at the book he was still holding in his hands.
"Well, there's a character in this book named Lotte. And, I kind of like it. What do you think of Bertha Lotte Gabor?" Melchior asked.
"I think that sounds like the name of our daughter," Wendla smiled.