She looked at herself in the mirror one last time as the church bells rang out in the distance. She couldn't believe it was Liesl's wedding day, and she found herself unbelieving even more that she had been personally invited by the bride. After years of trying to forget, trying to put the Von Trapp family behind her, there she was, suddenly reintroducing herself to them. It was as if no time had passed, yet all the time in the world, in the same breath.
She adjusted her necklace, feeling a bit self-conscious by the lower neckline of her dress. She didn't have anything nice enough for a wedding, but a quick phone call to her boss was enough to allow her to borrow a dress for the evening. She went down to the dress shop below and found a lovely yellow dress that flattered her figure quite well. It was tighter up top, but the skirt that fell in flowing fabrics just below her knees reminded her of a breeze on a summer day. She took a deep breath, the tops of her breasts complimented by the gesture as they rose above the neckline, and she decided it was time to leave for the wedding before she lost her nerve.
She locked her apartment and descended the stairs, finally walking down the sidewalk toward the chapel. Living in town sure had its perks she thought as she was able to walk nearly everywhere she needed to go. She made it a point to leave a bit early, expecting to keep her promise to Liesl that she would be on time. Some things never changed; she was perpetually running late.
Nerves overtook her stomach as she neared the chapel, and she slowed down a bit when she approached the front doors. She had allowed her excitement about the wedding to push her through the morning, but suddenly she found she was incredibly nervous to enter the church. It wasn't as if she necessarily had a place there, perhaps as a simple friend of the bride, but it felt wrong all of a sudden. She bit her lip as her ever-present instinct to run away began to nag at her. She was certainly tempted, but there was no way she could, and she knew that.
Taking a deep breath, she entered the church, finding a seat to the side in the back row. She didn't necessarily want to be seen or approached in any way. As lovely as it would have been to see all the children again, she didn't feel it was the right place for a reunion. She smiled as she saw Max rushing about, directing traffic, so to speak. Never one to sit still, she remembered fondly.
She crossed her legs, trying to relax as she looked about the room. She scanned the eyes of the crowd, vaguely wondering what would happen if Baroness Schraeder were in attendance. She shivered at the thought, but was certain she wouldn't be there after how Liesl talked about the woman. Maria was hopeful, as the last time they spoke, it was incredibly clear how the Baroness felt about her. Maria knew she had never been called such hateful things in her life, and likely never would be again, but the words still stuck with her.
"Are you Fraulein Maria?" She turned her head to find an older woman looking at her, eyebrows raised in question. She tried to place the woman, but was having terrible luck with it. Perhaps she was someone who had been helping with the wedding planning.
"Yes…"
"Please come with me." She didn't have time to protest as the woman grabbed her arm and led her from her seat.
"Excuse me, where are we going?" The woman quickly pulled her to a door down the hallway, looking around for a moment before opening it and pushing her inside. Her eyes widened, and she immediately felt them welling up with tears.
"Oh, thank goodness you're here." Liesl was dressed in a lovely white gown, lace and beads intertwining in such a delicate fashion. She couldn't believe her eyes.
"Liesl, you look absolutely stunning." She moved forward, and they shared a quick hug.
"I need your help. Please tell me you can help." The girl held up a section of her dress that was ripped, revealing her thigh in a most distasteful way. Maria gasped, reaching for the dress to look at it.
"What on earth?"
"Can you fix it?"
"Oh dear, only God can work miracles, I'm afraid." She hurriedly reached into her purse, taking out a small sewing kit that she carried with her and pulling over a stool from a vanity to sit. She began moving the fabric about, sticking in a couple of pins and preparing the area for fast work. "How did you do this?"
"Marta stepped on it. She's the clumsiest girl I know."
"I said I was sorry!" Maria looked up to find Marta holding back tears, suddenly she had aged from seven to ten years old and was much taller than she last remembered. She met Maria's eyes with a frown, obviously unsure of what to say to her. As Maria looked around the room, she noticed all of Liesl's sisters were her bridesmaids, and she nearly burst into tears at the sight of them all, each looking at her as if they were seeing a ghost.
"I promise there will be time later…" Liesl's voice brought her out of her moment, and she shook her head as she began to thread a needle and sew the dress. She sniffled a bit, clearing her voice to compose herself.
"It's right on the seam, you won't even be able to tell." She worked quickly, doing her best to maintain the delicacy beneath her fingers as her hands shook from nerves. She thought she had prepared herself well enough for the sight of them, but she couldn't have been more wrong.
"You look lovely, Fraulein." She laughed a bit, as she knew the young bride was doing her best to break the tension. She felt a bit packed into her dress, and far from lovely. "I never imagined you showing such cleavage."
"What?" She looked up, and Liesl burst into laughter, knowing she could get a rise out of her former governess. It was a trait she had inherited from her father, Maria noted. "Is it too much?"
"No, I'm just impressed, I think." Maria rolled her eyes, chuckling a bit at the silliness as she removed one of the pins and continued sewing.
"I borrowed this dress from the dress shop. Borrowed clothes can only fit so well."
"Well it looks lovely all the same. Even a little sexy." She smiled, shaking her head at the compliment.
"Thank you, but I can't get over your dress. It couldn't be more perfect for you." She made a quick glance to the other girls, who all happened to be staring at the scene before them in bewilderment. She supposed they hadn't expected to ever see her again either. She had likely come as quite the shock. "You all look very beautiful as well. I love the flowers in your hair."
"Thanks." Louisa spoke for the group, her voice bitter. If Maria had bet money on it, she would have bet Louisa would be the hardest one of the children to win over again, easily. Gretl would be the easiest, she could tell by the small smile of excitement already growing upon her face. Maria gave her a quick wink as she finished her last few stitches, remembering she was the first to accept her the first time they met as well.
"There we go, like nothing ever happened." Liesl looked at her work, smiling brightly before lunging into her arms for a hug.
"Thank you so much, oh, thank you!" Maria laughed, holding her tightly for a moment, before she pulled away and smiled. There was a small knock on the door, and the bride rolled her eyes. "We're coming."
"Good luck, I'll see you after." She smiled as she grabbed her purse from the floor, rushing to the door to go back to her seat. She turned to the other girls, giving a small smile, which only a couple returned, before hurrying away.
Suddenly, her body slammed into another, just as she closed the door behind her and tried to rush away. She groaned at the impact, dropping her purse to the floor, and nearly feeling the breath had been knocked from her body. Fumbling with apologies, she grabbed her purse and looked up to see the victim of her own clumsiness…and then she was sure her heart stopped.
"Fraulein…"
"Captain…"
