Gretl scanned the outside of Maria's apartment building, trying to find what Maria found so charming about this place instead of their villa in Austria. The building was tall a sleek, with many floors. Maria led Gretl inside and to the elevator from there Maria pressed the fifth floor button and the elevator took a jolt. Grinning at Gretl with a little embarrassment Maria jammed the fifth floor button again. The elevator made a sound of a dying starter engine in a car. Maria then stomped her foot hard on the elevator floor and both the girls felt a jerk as the elevator began to move upward.
"Sometimes you have to give it a little help," Maria said as she gave Gretl a smile of accomplishment. Gretl gave her an unsure smile back as the elevator gave another jolt and Maria responded right away with a hard and abrupt stomp.
The elevator came to a stop with a ting of a bell and a jerk stop, which set Gretl off balance and into the elevator wall. Maria on the other hand was quite used to the workings of the elevator and its confusing schedules of working properly and ill properly. Gretl got back on her feet with more help from Maria then she actually needed. Once back on her feet Maria led her to apartment number 503.
"Home sweet home," said Maria as she dug around in her hand bag for her key. "Got it!" Maria mumbled in triumph as she pulled the brass key out of her purse. "Would you like a cup of tea inside?"
"Yes, I would love a cup," Gretl said clasping her hands together. "It'll be like old times!"
"Oh, yes, just like old times," Maria said warmly as she remembered Gretl forcing her sisters and herself to a tea party with a few select stuff animals.
"You okay?" Gretl asked after Maria's eyes had softened from reminiscing on the past. Maria gave Gretl a warm smile and shook her head yes. In fact for the first time in about seven years, she felt more then 'okay'.
Maria opened the door and the two walked in and Gretl immediately noticed the picture of herself, at age five, with her six brothers and sisters, her father and Maria. Her memory of the picture being taken was a little blurry but she remembered everyone having to protest with Maria to get her to stand in the picture with them. She had remembered Maria refusing because it was supposed to be a family portrait and she wasn't part of the family. Then Gretl remembered her father denying her claim that she was as much as part of the family as he was and they were his kids. How could Maria deny that claim when she was the one who truly brought them all together? Gretl smiled as she scanned over the picture for more memories.
"That's an old picture," Maria commented.
"Yes, I know," Gretl sighed still looking over the picture, "I still have memories from then."
"How about that tea?" Maria said as she went to the kitchen and started sitting everything up.
"So, you've been here this whole time?" Gretl asked. She began to fully examine the apartment over. It wasn't very full. There was a radio with an easy chair sitting right next to it. A few other pictures besides the one she had looked at. There were also religious artifacts hung all over the room.
"I've been living here for about three years," Maria said from the kitchen.
"Where were you the other four?" Gretl yelled back to her as she made her way to the easy chair to see how it felt for herself.
"Well… Fours a very precise number," Maria said bewildered by the question.
"That's how long you've been gone from us," Gretl returned now in the easy chair and checking out the workings of the radio now.
"I guess really I've been around the upper side of the city for about two years and I saw there was this apartment up for sale and it had a clear view of the park below so I moved in right away!" Maria finally answered her question.
"What about the first two year then?" Gretl asked doing some quick math in her head.
"I was at the abbey," Maria quickly answered as she finished up her tea making and came into the small living room to find Gretl. "That's enough about me, so tell me a little bit about your self."
"Well… I'm in the choir at my school. The instructor told me that I had the most beautiful voice out of all the girls and that I must have had great teacher who taught me the basics…" The girl cut off as she saw Maria sniffle and her eyes water. "Are… Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," sniffed Maria.
"What's wrong?" asked Gretl.
"Absolutely nothing at all," Maria said giving the girl a side hug, "Continue telling me about your self."
"Well, I'm a whiz at math my tutor said that I can calculate just about anything!" Grtel said highlighting the 'anything'.
"That's excellent darling!" Maria gave her another squeeze," How about reading I suppose you get high marks in that, too!"
"Actually, I'm not a very good reader," the girl looked bowed her head, "But… Brigitta helps me out with the words I can't figure out."
"That's awful nice of her," Maria said as she wiped away a strained of stray hair from Gretl's forehead. "How are your brothers and sisters?"
"They're fine Leisl's going to be married soon…"
"To who?" Maria interrupted.
"His name is Paul and boy is he a real character!"
"What's so interesting about him?" Marie inquired.
"He has these eyes that can point in different directions," she attempted to separate her eyes in different directions but she ended up claiming it gave her a headache to try anymore and stopped.
"How's Friedrich?"
"He's fine. He's probably out hunting for girls!" Gretl said as she rolled her eyes.
"I take it you don't approve?" Maria laughed.
"I just don't like some of the girls he brings home," Gretl said.
"Oh, boys do that you know they bring home girls. But, soon enough he'll grow out of them and bring home a lady." Maria gave Gretl another warm smile.
"I've missed you terribly!" Gretl exclaimed as she hugged Maria tightly.
"I've missed you, too, darling!" Maria hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.
"Why did you leave us Fraulein Maria?" Gretl asked as she began to cry. "Father's been so awful since you've been gone!"
"Oh, it'll be alright darling! I'm sure it hasn't been all bad," Maria said as she thumbed a tear.
"I can't remember a time he's been happy since you've been gone," Gretl acknowledged from her memories. "I think he loves you."
With that Gretl pulled even tighter to Maria and didn't let her go for a long time. When she did let Maria go she wiped her nose on her arm and just began to smile. Her smile looked suspicious and Maria couldn't help but grin back as she wondered what the girl was thinking.
"I have an idea," Gretl whispered with her mind spinning around with thoughts.
"What kind of ideas?" Maria asked.
"What if… What if I brought you to Father?" Gretl said excitedly.