Chapter Two
May 1960
The weather was warm and clear on the day bakery was set to open. Georg and Max had put up about half the funding themselves with the older children providing the other half. Rosamaria was a little bit overwhelmed at the outpouring of support she was receiving, though it should be no surprise, it had been that way since she met Friedrich. The von Trapps were nothing if not an open, loving brood.
"Did you see the line of people out there?" Maria asked her daughter-in-law.
"Yes, but I owe all of this to the family," Rosamaria replied. "The money, the time you have put in, Lida's marketing strategies, and I'm so relieved that she is going to stay home this summer instead of touring Europe. I'm going to need someone like her to help me with this."
"Georg and I are happy as well," Maria replied. "You'll see as your boys grow up, it's very hard to watch your children spread their wings, but it is easier if they do it close to home."
Lida came over to Maria and Rosa with a wide smile. "Everything's ready up front. It's nearly the noon chimes at the church now, we'll open the doors then. Uncle Max is down at the end of the road with samples."
"I'm surprised he's not having us all sing," Kurt joked as he appeared carrying a stack of paper products that had arrived just a touch late.
"You know," Lida remarked. "It's funny to think of it, all of you can sing, from Father right on down to Jules, and then there's tone deaf little me. If I didn't look so much like you Mother, I'd say I was the milkman's kid."
Maria felt her gut lurch. She lost all of the color in her face and had to take several deep breaths to keep upright. Lida had made references like that before. There were things about her that didn't fit into the von Trapp mold, her singing voice being the most obvious, but there were other little things, such as her olive allergy. It wasn't a common allergy but no one in the family had it except for Lida. When she was a baby, her feet had turned in a bit and one of them still did, none of the other children had that either.
Liesl noticed the color in Maria's face and gently touched Georg's arm to alert him. Liesl looked at her father with a knowing glance. Georg knew deep down Liesl knew the truth. She never spoke of it, but she knew. The only time Maria looked quite like this was if Lida had made a comment about not fitting in, or if a man or boy was too close to one of the girls.
Georg nodded and moved to break the tension and support his wife. "Darling." Georg slid a supportive arm around Maria's shoulders, and she sank into him needing to feel the safety and reassurance his touch alone had always been able to bring to her. "Rosamaria, I just want to tell you, on behalf of the entire family, I am so glad that you decided to go on this little adventure and open this place. We are all so proud of you and we know that you are going to be a phenomenal success."
Max appeared with Cathy at that moment and smiled at his nieces. "Of course, it will, with Rosamaria's cooking skills and the charm, beauty, and intelligence of all these fine ladies, how can we lose. I'm out of samples, my dear and the line is growing. Are you ready?"
Rosa sought out Friedrich. He was busy with Marta and Gretel lining up more small pastries on trays for the display case. He wiped his hands and moved closer to his wife. Friedrich had always tried to mimic Georg's relationship with Maria in his own marriage. Quite strength, gentle encouragement and fierce protection all rolled up and so far, it worked. Friedrich and Rosamaria had been married for 15 years.
Friedrich gave Rosa a hug then she looked at Lida who was marking time on a stopwatch. "In five, four, three, two, one…Battle stations!"
The family moved like a well-oiled machine. Everyone knew where they were supposed to go and what they were supposed to do. Everyone had a job and a place to help make the very busy opening a success. That is, except for Georg and Maria. He'd planned it that way.
Once everyone in the family was busy, Georg gently tugged Maria's arm, leading her to the back of the bake shop and out the side door. "I thought they would never turn around," Georg laughed as he pulled Maria close to him and kissed her deeply.
"They'll notice we're gone in a few minutes," Maria whispered against Georg's lips.
"No, they won't," Georg replied. "You think that strategy in there was put together by just anyone. No, that was done with all the knowledge and skill of a decorated U-boat Captain, I'll have you know."
Maria laughed at Georg's pride, "Honestly, Georg, sometimes…"
"Come on," Georg urged. "We can be home, finished, and back here before they have a chance to miss us. How often do we get the entire house to ourselves?"
Maria had to agree that often didn't happen. They still had Lida, Cathy, and Julia at home with them and most of the oler children had children of their own that often found their way to Grandma and Grandpa's house any time of the day. It was the way they liked it, the way they wanted it, except it made time alone precious and rare.
Lida was a little over a year old when Maria had first approached Georg about love making. She had weaned the baby and they had settled in the farmhouse in Stowe. With their lives settled down, Georg gainfully employed, and an ocean and endless mountain ranges between them and Jakob Braun, Maria felt safe enough to expand the boundaries of their marriage.
Georg took his time, he courted her in a way he never had a chance to do in Austria, and it paid off in spades. Maria came alive as a woman, as a wife, as a mother, and as a lover when they finally came together as one. Once they started, neither one had wanted to stop.
Of course, there were times when it wasn't easy. There were times when Maria was pregnant and nursing, times when Georg was tired or stressed, but all-in-all they came together as well and as often as they could.
Maria was quiet as they drove toward home. She knew what he husband wanted, she wanted the same, to be alone together, in Georg's arms, safely cradled and protected.
"What happened before?" Georg asked as he navigated the winding road out of town towards their house on the hill.
Maria shook her head. "I'm just…I'm still recovering from Lida announcing she even wanted to go to Austria this summer. Now she isn't going, thank God, but Georg, you know she'll want to go eventually and…When she says things about being different from the other kids it turns my blood so cold that she could ever discover…"
Georg sighed, "Maria," he said gently, but with a firm enough tone that Maria knew he was going to say something he had thought about for a long time. "Would it be so bad if she knew I'm not her natural father? Would that be so earth shattering that we couldn't recover from it?"
Maria looked at Georg as if she'd never seen him before. "Of course, it would! For Lida to know that she…that her father is a…No, no I could never. We promised each other!"
Georg hadn't meant for Maria to get so upset. "I didn't mean it like that," Georg replied gently. "I mean if she does go rooting around in our history, wouldn't it be better if we told her the truth first. We could tell her another story, that you had a husband that passed on suddenly or…But if she found out on her own. I just want to protect her. I just want to protect you."
"I need for it to stay like it is for now, Georg," Maria replied. "Please, my darling. Please understand."
"I do," Georg replied. "I do, I really do. I'm sorry that I even said…"
Maria moved her hand to Georg's thigh, "Your heart, as always, is in the right place. It's always in the right place when it comes to our children, when it comes to me. I love you so much."
Georg parked the car in the drive and got out. Maria waited for him to come around and open her door, it was something he insisted on doing all the time. When he did open the door and Maria stepped out, she fell into his arms. Georg stooped and lifted her up into his arms. The years had taken a bit from him, but not much, and Maria had only grown to be more lovely.
Georg began to kiss Maria gently, walking into the house, with Maria in his arms. Georg's mouth never left Maria's as he carried her to their bed to prove and solidify their love once again.
Later that day
When the lines and events finally started to slow down, Max looked around for Georg. "Kurt, where's your Father?"
Kurt started to laugh. Kurt and his family lived on the property, and he knew more than anyone about Maria and Georg sneaking off whenever they could steal a few moments alone. "I'm pretty sure he's at home with Mother. They'll be back soon and act like they were here all along."
Max started to laugh, "Old man still has it, hmm?" This made Kurt blush, the idea of his biological parents or his parental set as it stood now doing what he and his wife did just irked him.
Just as Kurt predicted, Georg and Maria popped in the back door a few minutes later. "And where have you been?" Max pressed his friend with a knowing smile.
"We went to get a little fresh air," Georg replied as Maria moved to help Lida, Rosa, Cathy, and Julia close up the front. "How did you do?" Maria asked.
"It looks good," Lida replied. "I had a tally a couple hours ago and it was close to $350 then. People just kept buying and buying."
Maria gave Rosa a warm hug, "I'm so proud of you, Rosa."
"Thank you so much," Rosamaria replied. "I just wish my parents were here, that they could see this. That they could know Friedrich."
"They do," Maria replied. "They do. The are always with you, honey, and Friedrich's birth mother is always with him. They are proud, I assure you."
"Rosa, where do you want me to put…" Louisa began as she carried a tray almost totally emptied from the Italian Rainbow cookies it held in front of her pregnant belly.
Louisa gasped as she dropped the tray and leaned over. Louisa was eight months pregnant with her third child. "Ow…"
"Whoa," Lida moved closer to her sister. "You okay? What happened?"
"Go get Sam," Louisa told Lida as she gripped the side of the counter. "My water just broke."
The women in the family sprang into action, though of course, Georg was the most seasoned of anyone at dealing with a birthing mom. Lida ran to find her father and Louisa's husband, Samuel. Cathy and Maria held Louisa upright and Julie started to place the paper towels on the floor to absorb the fluid.
"It's too early," Louisa whispered gripping her belly. "It's three weeks."
Georg arrived in the room just then, "Oh goodness." He slid his arms around his daughter. Louisa was amping herself up into a panic pretty quickly given she had given birth three times before. "Louisa," Georg whispered to his second eldest daughter. "Listen to me, my darling. It's going to be okay. Samuel is here, I'm here and Mother, and it's okay, okay? Babies come early all the time. You were busy as a worker bee the last few months helping us here, it isn't much of a wonder."
Just the softness of Georg's voice and the firmness of his hug steadied Louisa. Maria constantly marveled at how Georg could simply be in a room and calm everything down with his gentle firmness and sharp intelligence. His presence had the ability to simply dispel fear.
Sam appeared in a rush behind Lida and found Louisa calming down in her father's arms. He gave her a kiss and took her from Georg just as he had thirteen years before. This baby had been a surprise. They had the first three in rapid succession, then were surprised by this pregnancy, though pleasantly so.
"Call us as soon as you know anything," Lida instructed.
"We will," Maria assured the rest of the family before turning to join arms with Georg. They hadn't missed a birth yet, home or hospital they had been near if not directly involved. Given Louisa's age, she was going to have this baby in a hospital. Now it was early, that was certainly the proper choice.
Lida waved to her parents as they drove off toward the hospital. "Well, that was a good end to the day," she chuckled as she turned to help finish cleaning up. "We should take the rest of this stuff to Mama and Papa's for have while we wait."
All nodded in agreement and started to pack up the smattering of left over pastries. Rosa and the younger girls were helping to pack the cars while Lida started to count out the register for a final tally.
Lida heard the bell announce someone had opened the door. "I'll be finished in a minute, Uncle Max," Lida said without looking up.
"Oh," a deep baritone voice spoke. "I'm sorry, the sign still said open."
Lida turned around and smiled, "Well, we have nearly run out of food. It was opening day after all."
The young man nodded his head, "I read about it in the bulletin. I was delayed, I was hoping for a piece of real Austrian strudel."
Lida looked into the refrigerator where she had stored a few of the heartier pastries. "I have apple left," Lida replied. "Just one small slice. You can have it."
Lida put the crooked, smallish piece of strudel in a box and smiled. "On the house, it's not very big at all."
The young man took the box from Lida's hands, 'Thank you very much Miss…"
"Lida, Lida von Trapp," Lida replied. The tall man had a hint of British action she found startlingly appealing.
"Miss Lida," the gentleman bowed. "I'm William. William Brown, my friends call me Will."
"It's nice to meet you," Lida replied. "I really must finish and close the shop. Do come again."
Lida flashed Will her mother's smile and turned to complete her task without giving him a second though. For Will however, Miss Lida von Trapp would stay on his mind…she wasn't someone that was easy to forget.
A/N: For the purpose of this story, I have used the age of the younger Maria von Trapp and added ten years. The third von Trapp was born September 1914, I have placed Louisa's birthdate in September 1924 making her 35 at the time of this story. Please do leave a review. This story is being written as I go so it has more evolution as the previous one. Hope you still enjoy it.
