Chapter Ten
New York, New York
Upper West Side
"I'm sorry to see you go, Mr. Detweiler," said the young door man Max had befriended since the young man took the job two years ago. "We'll miss you around here."
"And I will miss you too, young Gerald," Max replied. "But I have an excellent investment in Vermont and truth be told, I was at the 70th birthday party of my best friend this April and I realized I turn 71 in October. It's time to be close to family."
"I get that," Gerald replied. "Say goodbye before you leave?"
"Of course, I have a little parting gift for you and little Rachel," Max smiled as he went into the building.
"Good evening, Mr. Detweiller," the concierge greeted. "You have a telegram, Sir."
"Telegram…" Max took the folded paper from the concierge and stopped to read it. It was quite succinct. "Max – Get your ass back to Vermont. Georg.
Max put the telegram in his jacket pocket. "Walter, would you mind hailing me a cab and reserving me space on the next train to Montpelier. I have a family emergency. Also, please have all of my things shipped to this address. There will be something extra in it for you."
Walter started jumping to do as Max asked as Max hurried upstairs to pack a quick bag. Georg would never send for him like that unless it was a true emergency. Georg was old fashioned, he could have made a phone call, but he'd sent a telegram instead. Max had to laugh even as his heart was beating out of his chest. Max grabbed the phone, "Long distance operator. Von Trapp, Georg, Stowe, Vermont."
Stowe, Vermont
As soon as they left the restaurant, Lida had been at Georg about what he thought of Will and if he would be all right with them seeing one another in a more formal capacity. Georg dodged the question pleading rich food and wine, he didn't want to talk about it at that hour. Lida accepted it grudgingly, but by her own assessment felt the dinner had gone really well.
This is what she relayed to Cathy when she went to her room that night. "I think it was good," Lida told her sister. "Papa insisted on paying for everything and ordering the wine and all that, but I think he liked Will. Mama isn't so sure, but if Papa is okay with it, she'll come around."
"Why are you back so late though?" Cathy asked. "Papa isn't a night owl; he likes his routine."
"He had to stop at the Western Union office on the way home, something about a bill he had to pay," Lida replied. 'But I got to get Mama alone twice and while she said that Will had to impress her too, that if she didn't like him Papa might agree with her, she didn't say anything bad. I think it's going to be okay.'
Cathy rolled over onto her back, "You think you're going to marry him? That would be so much fun! I was only 11 when Gretel got married, I couldn't really do anything!"
"I don't know," Lida said honestly. "I hope so. I really hope so."
In the privacy of their bedroom, Maria put the screws to Georg. "What on earth is up your behind?" she asked, using an American euphemism Georg hated.
"Maria," Georg sighed and sank onto the bed. "I am tired, I had to sit through that interminable dinner, drop over $65 on French food, bad French food mind you…I'm not in the mood.'
Georg started to remove his shoes and his tie. He was tired and his head was spinning. Life could not be so cruel as to do this to their family. It would devastate Lida, send Maria back into shell shock, and more than likely hurt a young man who by Georg's estimatation was not that bad a guy.
"You don't get off that easily, Captain," Maria said firmly standing over him as he slowly undressed.
Georg sighed, calling him Captain in that tone of voice was never a good sign. "What on earth got into you? When Lida and I came back from the bathroom you were pale as ghost, then you go outside, come back smelling like a chimney, I thought you gave up smoking by the way."
"I cut back," Georg groused. "Of course, I was irritated when you came back from the bathroom, I had to sit and listen to William talk about himself and how sorry he was he didn't respect us enough as Lida's parents to talk to us before they got caught making out in public. Remind me to throttle Friedrich by the way, I should have been the first person to know about that."
"Given your behavior about this, Friedrich made the right call," Maria countered. "I liked William. I didn't like that both Lida and William chose to judge your feelings the way they did, and I let Lida know I was disappointed in her for that, but I think they are a good pair."
Georg closed his eyes. Pain shot through his head and down his back. He could feel heat rising inside of him from his gut. "I don't want her to see him again, at least for a while. I'm not certain it is a good pair."
"Why not?" Maria pushed. "Lida is going to ask you the same thing and you'll need to have an answer for her."
Georg stood up quickly and wobbled he got so dizzy. Maria pulled back and surveyed him, "You're drunk."
"I am not drunk," Georg countered. "I got up too fast and since when do I NEED to have answers for why I say something for the benefit of my children. Because I said so sufficed with the other girls, it'll have to do for LIda also."
"The other girls are different, Georg," Maria sighed. "They grew up Austrian, even Gretel and Marta still grew up Austrian, Lida developed as an American child, American teen, American woman and I said so isn't going to be enough for our 22 year old daughter."
"Well, it's going to have to be," Georg said in a firm, low tone that told Maria he was leaving the bargaining table.
Maria wasn't about to let it go, but Georg was literally saved by the bell. The telephone shrieked to life in the kitchen startling both of them. "I better get it," Maria said. "It could be one of the children."
Maria went to get the phone and let Georg cool down a little before working on him again.
"Hello," Maria said softly. She was tired herself from the stress of the day.
"Long distance call for Georg von Trapp," the operator informed her. "Do you accept the charges from Max Detweiler from New York?"
"I am Mrs. von Trapp, I accept," Maria replied as the call was connected. "Max? It's late, are you all right?"
Maria remembered a time when Max was in Chicago on one of his excursions, he had gotten himself into a place that permitted gambling without the proper license and got caught up in a raid by the Chicago Police. He'd phoned for Georg to send over money for his bail. Another time he'd gotten into an argument with the Sheriff in a neighboring county and Georg had to go and bail him out in the middle of the night. A late call from Max was not always a good thing.
"I'm fine, Maria," Max replied. "It's an expensive call. Please tell Georg my train gets in at 6am and I expect some sort of gooey pastry when he picks me up."
"Why are you coming home so quickly?" Maria inquired.
Max realized by that reply that whatever was going on, Georg had not told Maria about it yet. Georg was usually a pretty open partner so if he hadn't spoken to Maria first, it had to be delicate and important. Max thought quickly, "August rent of course," he fibbed. "I took too long wrapping things up and I don't want to pay another month so I'm jumping out early. The overnight trains have the best rates. We all didn't have a secret fortune in a Swiss bank you know."
Maria shook her head. Georg had stashed away a good deal of money before escaping Austria, but not enough to allow them a life of luxury and leisure, everyone had to do their part. "I'll tell him," Maria replied. 'Do be careful, Max. I'll see you in the morning."
Maria hung up and went back into the bedroom, hoping Georg would be in a better mood. She heard the shower running, he often did that to clear his head. Something was on his mind, and Maria couldn't figure out what it was. Was he still angry that Will had come over unannounced and frightened her? She was still so embarrassed about that. Maria had tried to convince herself that the resemblance was all in her head, triggered by the cologne, but looking at Will tonight, it was still there, though not as prevalent as her mind led her to believe.
Maria changed and settled on the bed to wait for Georg. He came out of the shower only a few minutes later, his hair combed back and his robe tied in a loose sailor's knot. Maria took in his overall appearance and for the first time, Georg looked every one of his 70 years and then some.
Maria changed her approach, the fatigue and tension on Georg's face was too much for her to keep arguing. She got out of bed and put her arms around him. "Why don't we go to bed hmmm? Max called and he'll be on the 6am train. I can call Kurt to get him if…"
"No," Georg replied. "I have to. Darling, I am so sorry I'm…I'm sorry. I wll explain all of it I promise, it's just I don't have it settled in my own mind yet."
Maria gave Georg a kiss and held him tighter. "I'm sorry too. Sometimes I suppose I…I see the difference in our younger girls over the older ones and I know it's the environment they grew up in. They aren't the same, their mannerisms, their ideas, and I don't want to push them away from us by being too mired down in old world ways."
"We won't," Georg assured Maria, holding her close against him. "I promise you we won't."
Montpelier Train Station
6:06AM
Max stepped off the train with his walking stick, a gift from an Irish lady he had courted briefly, and his suitcase to find Georg anxiously waiting on the platform.
Max went to his friend immediately and swatted him on the arm with the carpetbag. "Don't do that to me!" Max scolded. "Don't send me telegrams telling me to rush home and not tell me why!"
Georg looked wryly at Max, "Don't start. I couldn't wait weeks for you to get back and I couldn't tell you over the phone. Max, if what I suspect is true, we are in such a mess."
"We?" Max pressed.
"Yes, we," Georg replied. "I need your help, and I'm not ashamed to say so."
Max looked at Georg's face. He was exhausted, eyes black and heavy, cheeks drawn, he'd only seen this way a few times before. "If it's mine to give it's yours, you know that."
"I do," Georg half chuckled. "There's been a development. I found out why Friedrich and Lida had been arguing a few weeks back. She's been dating someone, openly and in public, and never mentioned it to the family. Naturally, Friedrich was upset."
"Of course, but this is a grown woman, Georg," Max reminded him. Georg had a hard time realizing any of his children were adults.
"I know, I know, I've heard it from Maria," Georg sighed. "A few days ago Maria had a spell of shell shock. It was the day you left. A man came to the house to see me, this was the boyfriend, but we didn't even know he existed at the time. He smelled like that awful woodsman cologne so many men wore back home. Men like Jakob Braun…"
"Oh, no," Max sighed. "Oh, poor Maria. Is she okay now? She seemed like herself when I called last night."
"She's all right now, yes," Georg assured Max. "Julia called Curtis and he came up and gave her something to help her relax and Marta called around until she found me. Maria's fine, for now. It gets worse."
"Worse? Georg, Lida's dating a man that scared the life out of her mother, how can it get worse?"
Georg opened the trunk of the car and Max put his bags inside. "We met the young man last night, sans his cologne at Maria's request through Lida. He's a lovely, handsome young man from England, named William Brown. He has dark hair, dark eyes, a charming smile and…his last name was anglicized by his mother after the war. And guess what his actual surname would be if she didn't do that."
"Oh, Georg," Max shook his head. "William Braun, that's a common name all over Europe, but the looks and the bad taste in men's fragrances could possibly mean something, but I think you're overreacting."
"He looks just like him, a little less angular, but very similar," Georg replied. "And he never knew his father, his father was killed in the Battle of the Bulge fighting for Germany. Tell me that's not too many coincidences to get your feelers up, old man."
Max had to admit Georg had a point. What if the man were Lida's cousin or uncle or some other relative. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you, my charming sponge of a friend," Georg instructed. "To keep him and Lida apart at all times when he comes into the bakery today and find out from him where his father was from and where his mother lives in West Sussex. Then send her a wire and get all the information you can about William's father. Hopefully, I'm wrong and you're right, I pray for that but if I am right…"
"If you're right, you have to keep Lida from dating him, and you'll have to tell her the truth, Georg," Max suppled.
"It'll be over my dead body I ever tell Lida I'm not her birth father," Georg said viciously. "Let's do some digging and find out what we need to know. Are you up for a little old fashioned espionage?"
Max nodded, "My command, Captain," Max responded as he would in th Navy.
"Your command," Georg echoed. They were agreed.
A/: All right, you persuaded me with your kind comments to drop the next chapter. I could be persuaded to drop a chapter a day until the revelation, but then I'd have to ask your patience as I caught up with myself. Let me know…
A few additions to the chapter to enhance the experience, lol.
In 1960, $65 is about $662 today and we all know Georg likes expensive wines…
Also, in the 1960s, most men smoked. Georg von Trapp was known to be a very heavy smoker. He would not likely quit for any "health" reason, if he quit or "cut back" it's because Maria didn't like the odor, but that's explained more in further chapters.
The exchange at the end between Max and Georg, "My command," "Your command," is something that pilots often do in aircraft and I know my husband has spoken of similar exchanges when referring to his Army career. It is a way of telling one another that you are in charge of something and that the other person accepts you are taking the lead so there is no miscommunication.
And on that note…Thanks for reading.