"Welcome! Hope the journey wasn't too long for you all! My delivery van is just over yonder, if you'll grab what you can carry, I'll help load up the rest of your things and we can be on our way." The portly older man gestured to a beat up utility van parked not too far from where they all stood on the train platform. The four companions exchanged furtive glances before deciding to grab their bags and gear and make their way to the van.
Maria held tight to her well worn carpet bag in one hand, her trusty guitar case in her other, and started walking towards the van.
"Here, let me take that, Maria," a fair haired young man with a light Irish brogue gestured to her carpet bag, while shouldering his own duffle.
"I'm ok, thank you, Dec. You should probably help Artie, though. You know how he is about his cymbal bags," she laughingly replied, eliciting a snicker from the man.
"You're right, you're right." Declan started back towards the man standing amidst what seemed like a mountain of suitcases and bags. "Need a hand, Artie?"
"You know I do," came the exasperated reply.
Maria continued on towards the van, deciding it might be best to see it first, to make sure it could accommodate all of their gear. Because of his drumset, Artie always had the most bags of the group. Declan only ever carried his large duffle, so she and he were the lightest travelers.
"That van better have enough room for my bass," muttered the lanky man coming up behind Maria. She turned and smiled at him. "I'm not walking with it again."
"Oh John, that was one time. And it was only two blocks!"
"Be that as it may, I suspect we're more than two blocks from the lodge now. Two New York blocks is manageable. But this…" he cast a glance around their much more suburban, dare she say, rural location. "This ain't the city, that's for sure."
"I think it's charming!" She grinned back at John. "It's so lush and green, and the mountains make my heart so happy, I can't even begin to tell you!" She gushed. She'd loved watching the scenery change as the train had worked its way out of New York City and towards the mountains of Vermont they were in now. It was the closest she'd felt to the landscape of her homeland since she'd left Salzburg five years prior.
The men worked to load all of Artie's drum set, John's stand up bass, and their suitcases into the delivery van, accomplishing the task in short order.
"It's a delivery van, so she's only got the one seat upfront beside mine…" the driver explained to the group.
"That's fine, Maria can take it, and us boys'll pile into the back, won't we, lads?" Declan glanced around to his bandmates, and they all nodded in agreement.
"She's the only one who will appreciate the view, anyway." Artie nudged her good naturedly. "Plus I can make sure my kit doesn't get too tossed."
As the men all climbed into the back of the van, Maria took one last look around, enjoying the scene. Then she took a deep breath, smiled, and climbed into her passenger seat, ready for this new adventure.
The van bounced slowly but steadily down the well worn back road. The lodge wasn't exactly in a remote location, but it wasn't in the little town they'd just left. Maria was enjoying all the lovely scenery, but the driver was a talkative fellow, who seemed to want to ask her all manner of questions. Where was she from, "with an accent like that?" What brought her here? How long had she known the "boys in the back?" She didn't much enjoy talking about herself, so she decided to turn the tables and ask the driver questions instead.
"So what can you tell me about this lodge?" she politely inquired.
"It's a nice spot. Wonderful location, not too far from town, but far enough out you feel free from it all. Seems to stay pretty steadily full, but summertime is definitely the busy season for it; I know I end up delivering goods out this way twice as much in the summer. Must be why you all are headed out there, huh?"
"Yes, we've signed to work all summer."
"I suspect you'll like it. Especially since the owner and his family are from your neck of the woods."
"New York City?" She asked politely. She wasn't too sure the owner and his family would factor much in her life, so long as he paid them their wages. Jack had assured them he'd negotiated a prime rate for this summer long gig.
"Oh no, they're not from America. They're from," but he suddenly stopped talking and pointed just ahead to the large sign by the road. "We're just about there! Should be able to see the lodge here in just a moment. She's a beaut!"
Maria looked up ahead to the lodge's welcome sign.
"Edelweiss Lodge?!" Incredulous, she whipped her head around to the driver, before staring back at the sign as they passed it.
"Yes! Didn't your manager fella tell you the name?"
Maria racked her brain to see if she could recall anything Jack had told them about their home for the summer. Had he mentioned it and she just hadn't paid close enough attention? Or had he really not ever said the name of the lodge? Had she never bothered to ask?
"Umm, I don't remember…" she muttered, still trying to wrestle back control of her thoughts. She'd worked so hard to bury all her memories of that summer when edelweiss had become more than just the sweet little flowers on her mountain.
"It's named after some fancy flower or plant or something from the Alps," the driver proudly told her. She didn't feel like telling him she knew it well. Not just because of the memories associated with it, though.
"And people are still visiting a place named like this?" She carefully asked. Anti German sentiment was prominent in America, she'd found. Though she understood exactly why Americans were leery of Germans, they weren't always willing to hear that she wasn't German, but Austrian, especially since Austria didn't really exist anymore.
"It's been here for longer than you think. The owner and his family came over after the Great War, and settled here. They built the lodge, and it's really been a boon to the area. Folks in this region don't so much think of it as unAmerican."
"Well that's good," she murmured, almost to herself. "What else can you tell me about the family?" Maria suddenly found herself longing for kinship with these immigrants to the region. It sounded like they were from somewhere around her homeland, and it would be nice to meet some people who remembered it.
"The family that built the lodge?" She nodded. "I think the husband fought in the Great War. They left after the Central Powers lost. Came to America and settled here because it reminded them of home, I think." Yes, she could agree with that, especially if they'd been from Austria or thereabouts. "They raised all their kids on the lodge. They have a whole gaggle of 'em, too! Something ridiculous like six kids! Can you imagine?" The driver laughed at the size of the family, but Maria found herself struggling again. Yes, she could imagine six children. She could even imagine seven.
"Well, I guess that was the original owners, though. I think the new owners are different." The driver contemplated after a brief silence.
"New owners?" Maria blinked and looked back at the driver.
"Yeah, the family that built the lodge sold it a few years back and retired out to Connecticut or somewhere. Their kids settled out that way and they wanted to be with them all. So they sold the lodge to the new owners three, maybe four years ago. I'm from these parts, so it's still hard to think of it belonging to any folks but the original owners. New family seems nice enough, though."
A bit disappointed, Maria felt deflated as her hopes for finding some kinship with fellow immigrants were dashed.
"New family is a bit like the other one," the driver snatched her back from her thoughts.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, there's another lot of kids in the new family. Six again, I think. What are the odds, I wonder?" He laughed.
"Well, at least the lodge has already proven a fit for a family of eight," she observed.
"Nah, there's not eight of 'em," he replied, shaking his head. But as Maria began to ask what he meant, the driver suddenly excitedly pointed ahead again. "There she is!"
Maria looked out the windshield to see the large lodge seemingly rise up out of the ground. It was impressive but not intimidating, and seemed warm and inviting. The architecture of it reminded her of the hunting lodges from home in Austria. But that made sense, she guessed.
"Well that doesn't look too shabby!" Dec appeared out of nowhere as he knelt next to Maria. He smiled up at her. "Y'alright, Maria?" He studied her. She tried to smile comfortingly at him.
"I'm fine, Dec." He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I promise I am," she reassured. "Maybe just a little tired from the trip." Truth was, she found herself more than a little unsettled at the memories that had been stirred up by the driver's chatter.
The van slowed to a stop at the front of the lodge, and the driver threw the gearshift into park with a flourish, then hopped out and headed to open the back.
"Wilson! What do you think you're doing?! You know better! Deliveries come in around the back!" A petite, serious looking middle aged woman bustled out of the lodge's entryway and gestured emphatically for the van to get out.
"I've got the band though, Mrs. Adams! I thought it might be nice to bring them in the front door," came Wilson's reply as he popped his head out from behind the van. Artie, Dec, and John appeared next to him, just as Maria alighted from the passenger door.
"Oh, that's right. Well….it is unorthodox, but I suppose it's allowable this one time." She approached Maria and held out a hand. "Welcome to Edelweiss Lodge! I'm Mrs. Adams, the manager." Maria shook her hand and then stepped to the side as her bandmates introduced themselves.
"I hope you all had a pleasant journey here. We're very excited to have you all join us this summer. If you'd like to grab your things and follow me, I'll show you to the lounge and then your rooms." She turned sharply and headed back towards the entryway.
The band looked at each other, knowing they couldn't all gather Artie's drums and John's bass, plus suitcases in one go.
"Go on, Maria. I'll help the lads and we'll catch up. We'll find ya." Declan assured her. She hesitated a moment longer though, reticent to go after the businesslike woman alone.
"Actually Dec, why don't you go on ahead with Maria, while Artie and I gather up the gear. You can backtrack to find us, as I don't think Artie and I plan on moving our instruments more than once." John spoke up. He was the quietest of the group, but they found that when he did deign to speak, it was usually something worth hearing.
"Cracker idea, John!" Declan grinned. "C'mon Maria." Declan handed Maria her carpet bag and guitar, before shouldering his own duffle. Lightly resting a hand on Maria's elbow, he ushered her forward towards the door. Together, they walked through as Mrs. Adams held it open for them.
"If you'd like to follow me this way, I'll show you the lounge first, where you'll perform." Her short, clipped gait quickly leading them through the entryway. Maria glanced quickly around the vestibule of the Lodge, and found it to be homey. While rustic, it was polished, and definitely felt luxe. It boded well for the clientele they would likely encounter this summer; the well to do were more inclined to tip generously.
As they passed the reception desk, Mrs. Adams called over her shoulder to the young woman manning it without even so much as a glance in that direction.
"Joan, please let him know the band is here. I'm taking them to the lounge."
"Yes ma'am."
Declan made eye contact with Joan and returned her smile warmly, before looking over and exchanging a glance with Maria. She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at him, but he just shook his head and cut his eyes back at her.
"So I heard Wilson telling Maria a bit about the place on the drive in. How long have you and your family owned the lodge, again?" Declan was at ease making conversation with anyone and everyone, and Maria was content to let him chatter away and try to charm the seemingly stoic, severe woman.
"Oh no, I'm not the owner. I'm just the manager. The owner is a very busy man, but I'm sure you'll meet him later today."
"What's he like?" Maria inquired before she could help herself.
"He's a good man. Very sharp and very hardworking. Fair. I enjoy working with him, and I'm sure you will as well. How he does it all, I still don't know."
"All?" Declan asked.
"In addition to overseeing all that goes on here at the lodge, he's a very active father. Perhaps the most involved father I've ever met. But I guess he's had to be, as a single father. Still, the children are impeccably behaved, and wonderful individuals. Real testaments to him. I suppose it is a bit easier now though, what with how old they are."
"How old are they?" Maria spoke up again. The Reverend Mother hadn't been mistaken all those years ago; Maria did like children. It would perhaps be fun to make their acquaintance this summer. Though, she doubted they could fill the void in her heart that had been created when she left Salzburg.
"They run the gamut from the eldest, who is 21, to the youngest at 10." Before Maria could ask her to elaborate, Mrs. Adams pushed open the double doors they'd arrive at and ushered Maria and Declan into the large room.
It was a decent sized space, that still felt homey and cozy without feeling cramped. A long bar stretched down one side of the room, with lots of groupings of more comfortable armchairs and loveseats arranged throughout. The stage was the central focus of the room, but it wasn't more than a step or two above the dance floor that was situated right in front of it. At first cursory glance, it seemed welcoming enough.
"So this is the lounge, where you all will perform. Sundays and Tuesdays you'll have off, but for Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, you can expect perform from around 7:00 in the evening until 10:00. Fridays and Saturdays would be 7:00 til 11:30. Not straight through though, of course you'll have breaks and such as was negotiated in your contracts. And there's always the possibility of special events and such, but you'll be given advance notice of any changes that would affect you directly."
Mrs. Adams came to a stop in the middle of the dance floor and looked back to Maria and Declan, as they took in their surroundings.
"Oh, is that the piano? Wow, it looks great!" Declan was drawn to the impressive looking grand piano that occupied a portion of the stage, and climbed the two small steps up to the stage.
"Yes, and it was just tuned and serviced, so you should find it to be in perfect working order."
"Come and see, Maria! Even the bench looks posh!" Declan laughed at his good luck, walking around the instrument in awe.
Maria climbed the stairs just as Declan had done just before her. Walking to the center of it, she turned and looked out at the lounge, observing the view that would be hers almost nightly for the summer. The room didn't look so large as to require extra projection effort on her part, but the microphone stand was a comforting sight.
"Oh, Mr. Declan, did Jack perhaps mention the possibility of your adding in some extra shifts as needed…" Mrs. Adams continued to talk business with Declan as Maria allowed herself to absorb the space. Visualize how her summer might play out. What kinds of people would be in the room while she sang? What songs would they like best? Would they like her voice? She tried to picture the couples on the dance floor, holding each other close while she sang "People Will Say We're in Love," or "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me."
Declan chatted amiably with Mrs. Adams, when suddenly there was a commotion at the doors to the lounge. The young man carrying an armful of table linens stumbled and knocked into a fully set table near him, causing the cutlery and glassware on the table to rattle loudly, and a second later, the double doors of the lounge flew open to reveal a tall, imposing shadowy figure looming in the doorway.
Maria froze, color draining from her face as she swore she felt her heart stop.
It was Captain von Trapp.
