Chapter 2 Tea Party
During the two months' leave that Lili's boss granted her, they had established a daily routine. Fortunately, Maria slept through the night, but she was an early riser, like Gilbert. He got her up, changed and fed her (she liked muesli soaked in milk without raisins or nuts). Lili then joined them and they all went out with the dogs and Maria for a walk. Then as Gilbert worked on his blog and reviewed his correspondence and duties with his bosses, Lili played with Maria and kept her occupied. Then lunch and a nap. By then, Lili was often exhausted and she would nap with the toddler. After the nap, Gilbert took Maria out to play or amused her indoors while Lili worked on her computer and started dinner, which was usually simple. Then some quiet playtime or maybe a children's video , bathtime, a story and bedtime. Finally, Lili and Gilbert and the dogs could have some time for themselves before they went to bed.
The structure was simultaneously soothing and boring, Gilbert realized. It definitely helped them manage Maria, who seemed to be a little creature of habit, but it also meant no last-minute plans to go out in the evening or sleeping in on a weekend morning. He couldn't quite remember if it had been the same when he had raised Ludwig; somehow it had seemed easier, less time-consuming. But then he had been the Kingdom of Prussia, with mortal servants and provinces to command. Also, when Ludwig was the German Confederation, he had shared custody with Austria, so that had been six months of the year when he had been free to plot, carouse, and campaign. But soon, Lili would have to return to Liechtenstein, and even though she assured him she would be back one week out of every month, he wondered how he could manage this on his own. He thought of either finding an au pair or eine Tagesmutter or getting her into a Kinderkrippe.1 It pleased him to see that at least the eastern German states still had more public childcare available than Ludwig's territories; see, he wanted to smirk, I wasn't a total jerk to women.
Sometimes Gilbert would walk by Maria's bedroom and overhear Lili playing with her. He would peep in and see the two sitting on a blanket with Bruno lying next to Lili and Willi wandering around the blanket's edges. They were having a tea party and Gilbert figured he would run off before they recruited him to be bored.
"What's on the plate?" Lili pointed at the little china tea set that Austria had sent Maria.
Maria twiddled her braid and stuck it in her mouth.
"Ein Keks," Lili held up one cookie and put it back on the plate with the others. "Die Kekse.2 Can you say that, Liebling?"
"Ein Keks, die Kekse." Maria imitated Lili's gestures. Her treble voice melted Gilbert's heart.
"Ja, gut! Now let's see how many guests we have." Lili pointed to herself, Maria and the dogs. "Ein, zwei, drei, vier! Can you count too, Maria? I want to make sure I counted correctly." Maria repeated her. "Gut! Now let's see how many Kekse we have. I hope we have enough for all of us. Come count with me." Gilbert leaned against the doorway, engrossed in watching the toddler count along with Lili; he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing as Willi kept trying to attack the cookie plate and Lili kept pushing him back.
"Gut, we have how many guests?" Lili asked. Maria thought and then chirped, "Vier!" Gilbert found himself grinning along with Lili. "Gut, Maria! And how many Kekse do we have?" Maria bounced excitedly as she cried, "Vier!"
"Gut! Now we can start passing around the cookies to our guests." Lili gently pulled the plate away from Maria's eager hands. "Nein, nein, we are the hostesses. We have to serve our guests first. Let's give one to Bruno first because he is such a good, patient boy." The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog perked up. "Bruno, would you like ein Kekse?" Lili leaned towards the dog as if he were whispering to her. "Ja, bitte," she said in a voice that sounded like a cartoon version of Ludwig's; Gilbert had to hide to keep from bursting into laughter and disrupting the party.
"What good manners, Bruno! Here is your treat." Lili fed the dog a cookie and now held the plate towards Maria. "How many do we have left now, Maria? Can you count them?" Gilbert peeked back to see the toddler tap and count the remaining cookies. "Drei Kekse! Good job. Now who gets the next one?"
"Me!" Maria squealed. Lili shook her head gently. "Nein, Maria, we are the hostesses and hostesses serve their guests first. So let's give the naughty boy Willi ein Kekse. Willi, would you like ein Kekse?" Of course he does, Gilbert thought, as he watched the Pomeranian spin and leap on his hind legs to reach the plate Lili held out of reach.
"Ja, bitte!" Maria said in a hoarse, high-pitched baby growl that was supposed to be Willi's voice. Lili laughed and gave the little dog the cookie. "How many do we have left now?"
As Maria counted, Gilbert marveled at how cleverly Lili managed what would have been an excruciating experience for him. She had taught Maria words, numbers, counting and even basic manners; it would never have occurred to him to do that. He would have sat, bored and frustrated, pretending to drink tea out of a cup, muttering "Ja," and hoping Maria and the dogs would carry the brunt of the conversation. He suddenly felt very lucky and very inadequate.
"Would you like ein Kekse, Maria?" Lili asked. Maria nodded and reached for the plate. Lili put up a warning hand that made the girl pause. "What do you say? What did Bruno and Willi say to get their cookies?"
Maria paused. Gilbert mouthed the words, willing them to her. "Ja, bitte?" She said, and Lili handed her the cookie in triumph. "What good manners! And now there's only one left! Who gets it?" Maria pointed at her. "Muti!" Lili laughed and placed the last cookie on her plate.
Willi sniffed about for crumbs and then he saw Gilbert shift in the doorway. He woofed and romped over. When Lili and Maria looked up, he raised an eyebrow. "I see I missed all the treats," He said with a play pout.
" Vati." Maria got up and came to him. He squatted down to gather her in his arms and kiss her; there were crumbs scattered along her cheeks and chin.
"That's all right. I'll just eat you instead. Nom nom nom!" He pretended to chew on her and she squealed and squirmed with delight before breaking loose and running back to Lili. As Lili gathered the giggling girl in her arms, she looked at Gilbert. "Come join our party," she said, and he did.
1 Tagesmutter-in-home day care provided by a person who has had some training, qualitifications and is registered with local government. Kinderkrippe-daycare for infants and toddlers usually associate with a Kindergarten.
2 German: a cookie, the cookies.