Early the next morning, 7 Von Trapps were fed and outdoors, waiting for their father (or husband in one particular case) and for their future.
The children were all still exhausted. Sleeping in the hay, though preferable to the ground, was far from a bed, let alone the kind of beds that they were used to. Plus they had woken up earlier this morning than they had on the last several mornings.
Pietr's arrival caused a lot of excitement. Most of the children had seen or heard of him, but not met him. Though he was obviously busy and feeling the importance of his job, he took the time to fully introduce himself to all of the children. Maria smiled inside, knowing that her family had found its second Swiss friend.
As Pietr collected Swanli, Baerli, Marta and Gretl (the goats, not the girls) the younger children started to collectively complain about the fact that they wouldn't be seeing the goats anymore.
Amidst the moans and woeful chattering Maria heaved a deep sigh. Much as she loved them, seven children were tiring, especially because they were still children. And here she had only six of them! Switching into her best governess-and-mother-getting-attention-mode she clapped her hands and projected over the cacophony. "Children," she announced once they had quieted down, "if any of you would rather stay here in the barn with the goats, I'll see if I can arrange that with Herr Kramer. The rest of us will be moving down to our new house in Dorfli."
She had no intention of leaving any of them behind, but she also knew they wouldn't call her bluff. They stayed largely quiet after that bidding farewell to the goats. Marta quickly forgot about the goats and moved as close to Maria as she could, grabbing onto her skirt in the process.
Maria wrapped her arm around Marta, knowing that she was still feeling very insecure. Then she knelt down and looked Marta in the eyes. "Don't worry darling," she assured her, "we would never leave you."
"Promise?" Marta asked in a voice that was hardly discernable.
"Promise," Maria assured her again, and stood back up, beckoning to the rest of the children to join her so that Pietr could be on his way.
ooooooooooooooooooooo
Herr Kramer watched this interaction from the window. He had never had or been part of a large family before and found it fascinating to watch them. He noticed how much Maria communicated with the children non-verbally, and how well she could get their attention when they were as distracted as they had been over saying goodbye to the goats. To him, it was more evidence of how much they adored her and what a good mother she was to them. Their bond and communication was visible, even to an outsider.
He had mixed feelings about them leaving: relief that he wouldn't have to keep finding enough to feed them, and sadness about their absence. His life had never been as full and rich as it had been these last few days with so much company. He had learned he wasn't quite the confirmed hermit he had thought he was. He hoped, but didn't believe, that he would see them again. He wasn't good at saying good-bye and was hoping to avoid it by staying in his cabin.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
As Captain Von Trapp finally crested the hill and saw the rest of his family for the first time in days, he only had eyes for one and she was glowing. Days of sleeping in a hayloft, living outdoors and wearing the same set of clothes hadn't dampened her beauty one bit. He actually thought she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her. She was smiling back at him and they locked eyes, sharing their own private moment even as he was closing the distance between them.
He was tempted to throw restraint to the wind and sweep her up in his arms, but never got the chance as six children charged towards him and Brigitta with glad shouts and welcomes. He greeted all of his children enthusiastically, but still had a hard time catching the breath that the sight of Maria had taken out of his chest.
Maria stood back, watching the children crowd around their father. The mother in her was happy to see them reunited with their father, but wife in her was more than captivated by her husband. He was so handsome, even more than she remembered. As the children finally moved out of the way for them to greet each other, she felt like her heart was beating out of her chest with anticipation. Although married and absolutely certain of Georg's love for her, Maria felt very similar to the way she had that fateful night in the gazebo when she first heard that the Captain and Baroness had called off their engagement.
Still chaste in front of the children, the two first hugged for several long moments. The children, mostly unconcerned with their parents' reunion, chattered amongst themselves, peppering Brigitta with questions about Dorfli and their new home. Finally, unable to resist and realizing that most of their children were paying more attention to Brigitta than to them, Georg pulled Maria's face up for a kiss. Chaste, but incredibly tender. She rested her head against his shoulder for a few more moments before the two inevitably had to separate.
After a few more moments of holding his wife and watching his children, the Captain asked after Herr Kramer.
"In the house," Maria responded, regretfully letting go of him.
"I'll be right back," Georg replied, kissing her gently on the forehead.
oooooooooooooooooooo
Herr Kramer saw the Baron approaching the house and despite himself felt a slight trepidation. These two men had helped each other immeasurably over the last two days, both had bonds with Maria and the children, yet they hardly knew each other. And as much as Herr Kramer was relieved to see this family head down to Dorfli to get properly settled, he couldn't help but feel a slight bit of envy towards this man who had claim to all seven of the people he had become so fond of, and couldn't help but resent him slightly for taking them away.
He swallowed any negative feelings down quickly, however, and reminded himself that this was the way things were supposed to be. He, Herr Kramer, lived alone in the alm. That was how he had arranged it, that was how he liked it. He had helped a family in need, and had profited from it in the process. That experience was over now.
But the music … he would miss the music.
Herr Kramer opened the door for the Captain before Georg had even knocked on the door.
As Georg entered the small house, the two men locked eyes for a few minutes. They had sized each other up when they first met, and were sizing each other up once again now that they knew something about each other.
Georg spoke first. "Herr Kramer," he began, "I can never.." but he found himself quickly cut off.
"Tobias," Herr Kramer insisted, without knowing why. Georg could see the man's eyes soften, and felt himself soften even more in return.
"Tobias," Georg began again, "I can never thank you enough for what you have done for my family." He held out a large wad of Swiss francs and continued. "I hope this may be of some use to you in the time ahead. And if there is ever anything we can do in return, please know that you have a friend for life."
Herr Kramer looked at the money. His first instinct was not to take it, but he knew that it would be inevitably helpful. He also didn't want to insult this man who effortlessly commanded respect, and whose family he was growing to love.
"Thank you," he responded, taking the money. "Your family – your wife – they are remarkable. It's been a privilege. I thank you as well for the goats. Please know that you also have a friend in the mountain, should you ever need him again."
Each breaking character, they smiled a little at each other, finding a kinship that crossed years, boundaries, and cultures.
oooooooooooooo
The moment was interrupted by a knock on the door, and Maria stepped into the small house. She stepped naturally to Georg's side, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders while she wrapped hers around his waist. She breathed in the now familiar air of this house once again.
"I couldn't leave without thanking you and saying good-bye," she explained to Herr Kramer.
Months ago she had learned that if you couldn't properly say good-bye to a person or a place, it might not be right to leave at all.
Still, Herr Kramer avoided her eyes and she impulsively walked up and hugged him. After hugging him, she looked him in the eyes and smiled. "You've given us more than I can ever say. Not just food and a place to stay, but a reminder that there still are truly good people in the world."
Herr Kramer looked at her and nodded. He understood what she meant, because this remarkable young woman had also taught him about the caliber of people in the world that he simply hadn't met yet.
"I hope you don't mind visitors," Maria continued. "We love walking in the mountains, and we intend to keep you as a friend."
Herr Kramer harrumphed in a way that he knew Maria could see right through. "If I have to have visitors, I suppose you'll do," he responded.
"Well then, if you wouldn't mind stepping outside, we would like to say good-bye to you as a family." She leaned forward and reassured him, "you don't have to do or say anything, just come outside." And so Herr Kramer found himself being pulled outside by her magnetic appeal.
Maria linked hands with Georg as he whispered to her in confusion "what is going on here?"
Maria whispered back "Don't worry darling, just follow my lead."
oooooooooooooooooooooo
Before he knew it, Georg found himself standing next to Maria, with all of the children piled behind them, just as they had performed during the encore at the festival. Maria picked up the guitar he had sent her, played the opening chords and started singing:
"There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall,
and the bells in the steeple too,
and up in the nursery an absurd little bird is popping out to say 'coo coo."
This time Georg wasn't as surprised when his children poked their heads out from every which way and he carried along with his portion of the song:
"Regretfully they tell us
But firmly they compel us
To say good-bye…"
"To you!" they all sang together.
Georg and Maria stepped off to the side as the children took the center, though she continued playing the guitar.
Georg hadn't ever anticipated singing for this man, but as he had learned, life with Maria was full of surprises, and it was not infrequent that those surprises involved music.
As the song ended, the children all impulsively rushed forward to give Herr Kramer a goodbye hug. As with so many things that had happened over the last few days, the song and this display of affection was more than he had anticipated. He crumbled just as Georg had when he had first heard his children singing, and Herr Kramer hugged each one of the children, kneeling down to hug the smallest ones. Even Brigitta, who he had hardly known, he hugged. She had been hanging back in a way that he found all too familiar, and so he pulled her forward for as big a hug as he was giving all the other children. As a young man he had learned to reject people before they had the opportunity to reject him, and he didn't want this beautiful, soulful girl learning the same bad habit.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooo
As the children rejoined their parents, they waved a final good-bye and began the journey down into Dorfli