Chapter Ten

Three Days Later

Georg looked around the bedroom and sighed. He looked at Maria's side of the closet, the bed, the bathroom…so much of it was missing. The same night he had gone for drinks with Max, Maria spoke to him about their issues. He had apparently not improved his behavior to her standards.

"Georg," Maria told him in that firm, gentle voice that always got his attention. "I have been trying very hard to understand your point of view, to feel as you do now, knowing that for a time I was very unhappy and lonely in our marriage. I know you pride yourself on being a solid leader, a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and you are that, you truly are. There was a time though when you weren't, when I was so alone that you were three feet away and I still felt the loneliness. I still felt it, and you never even looked up from your book."

Maria licked her lips, "Now, you are choosing to push me away instead of having this out. You cannot seem to bring yourself to the point where you can accept things were not always as they seemed. You need to do that, sooner rather than later. Georg, I do love you so much, but I would rather miss you from afar than when you are sleeping in the study. If we can't solve this then, well, I think I'll go visit Liesl for a time, give you the space you seem to need."

That was three days ago, and three hours ago, she left. She packed her things and left him there alone in a huge, empty farmhouse. She had to know instinctively by now that being alone was his greatest fear. That being apart from her, not seeing her, being near her, was almost terrifying.

"She's gone from you, hasn't she?" Georg looked up to find Max in the doorway.

"How did you find out so fast?" Georg asked. "But yes, Maria has gone to see Liesl for…a couple days."

Max nodded, "I took her to the train myself. She's worried about you, she asked me to keep an eye on you while you come to your senses."

Georg sat down on the edge of the king size bed. "How in the Hell did this go so far? I mean, aren't I right to be angry? Everything I did, all these years, everything I will do while there's breath in my body, is for her. Everything! How and when did I manage to fail her?"

Max sat down beside his old friend. "You are thick, old man," Max sighed. "Did you talk to her at all? Did you try to find out her feelings or are you still obsessed with yours?"

Georg looked down at his right hand and twirled his wedding ring. He never got into the American habit of wearing it on the left side. "I just keep hearing her words over and over. She wanted to leave me, leave our family. I need to know when and why, but mostly I keep going back to how. How could she have ever? How?"

Tears escaped Georg's eyes. He hadn't shown this particular emotion over this situation yet. Max hadn't seen Georg shed tears of pain since they left Austria. He had released his feelings to Max in the study while Maria readied their family. It hurt him to see his friend in so much pain.

Max sighed, "Georg, I think you are past the part where you have to pinpoint the how and the when. I think now you need to deal with the what, in essence, what do you need to do to fix it now? Then is over, you are angry with Maria and are punishing her for a past that is gone."

Georg shook his head, still not ready for that part of it, still not able to release. "Georg, we are in our seventies, you will be 74 your next birthday. Why waste what's left on something that happened nearly 20 years ago?"

Max made a lot of sense, Georg hated it when he did that. It was easier for him to be the sensible one and Max to be the clown, so when the tables turned Georg was usually pretty unsettled by that.

"She went to see Liesl for a few days at the very least," Georg replied. "She knows I can't stand to be alone here, with my thoughts, with the emptiness…but I think that's part of the reason she did this. To give me a taste of my own medicine for shutting her out over what boils down to nothing since it didn't even happen in the first place."

"Almost there," Max encouraged. "Georg, sometimes you are as obtuse as a triangle, you know that? You could just let it go, drive out to Liesl's and get her, but I think you are braver than that. I think you can handle a few days on your own and miss your wife. Then, you need to woo her."

"Woo her?" Georg looked at Max as if he had his head on sideways.

"Yes," Max replied. "Think about it. You never did actually take the woman on a date. You declared your love, gave her a kiss, and proposed all in one night, not even, one hour. The wedding was only six weeks later and then it was honeymoon time. When did you actually court her?"

Georg bit his lip; Max was 2 for 2. "You're right. I never did, did I? Once we moved here it was babies and working, war time…I promised her and myself more romance when I retired, but then the grandchildren came. Yes, perhaps you are on to something there. Perhaps, I could court my wife, make amends, talk and…and listen. Really listen this time."

Max shifted as it finally sunk into Georg's thick skull that he was focused on the wrong thing. "When did she say she was going to come home again?"

"She didn't, but the first hearing for Brigitta's divorce proceedings I think is going to be in three weeks time. That's a long time to be apart though."

Max agreed. He knee why Georg hated to be on his own, ever since the war they both fought in, Georg had people around him. He was able to hide the demons most of the time. "Yes, so I'll stay here. I'll stay here and we can win Maria's favor. It'll just take patience."

Georg raised his eyebrow at Max. "I know, I know…but stranger things have happened."

Concord, New Hampshire

Saturday

Liesl gave Brigitta a big hug as she, Annie, PJ, and Edit came into her expansive New Hampshire home. Maria stood back as the two sisters embraced then moved in to hug her grandchildren and her daughter.

"How are you, Brigitta?" Maria asked. She was concerned about their relationship, that her lack of initial support potentially damaged more than her marriage.

"I'm okay," Brigitta replied. "Papa has been coming over alot to help me set things up and help watch Edit."

Brigitta's words were a touch pointed, she wanted Maria to know she was upset that Maria had chosen to leave Georg alone, even if it was temporary.

"Your Papa always does his best," Maria replied. "Liesl, would you mind terribly if I spoke to Brigitta alone?"

Liesl nodded, "Come on, wait till you see what I have for you."

The children went along with Liesl for treats and milk while Maria sat down with Brigitta. "I am so sorry, Sweetheart. I know that you needed and wanted my support in this and I failed you, I did, and I'm so sorry. I just wanted you and needed you to be sure, to make absolutely certain that you knew what you were getting yourself into."

Brigitta sighed, "Mother, it's more what I'm getting myself out of. My marriage is miserable, I am unhappy, and my children are exposed to that."

Maria nodded, "I know and I see now that your situation is very different than mine was. It was only because I eventually realized what a mistake it would be, what I could have lost, that I wanted to warn you."

"This is not a mistake," Brigitta replied. "This is not coming from profound emotion, I am very calm and very sure. I knew it was going to mean change, I didn't think he would keep as much as he did in terms of material items like cups and plates but Papa helped me with that."

"If you need help, we are going to be there, always," Maria assured her. "I was trying to…I jumped the gun with my outspokenness again and I hurt you and your Father."

"What happened?" Brigitta asked. "Why did you nearly leave Papa. I never saw two happier people."

"It was nothing like your situation," Maria replied. "It was after I gave birth. That's what I thought was happening at first, you said things went off when you had Edit. Well, when I had Johnny and your Father was working away from home so much with…more worldly ladies, I was very depressed and down on myself. I was alone and frightened about how I felt and your father was too busy to notice I needed him. That never happened before, that he didn't realize. I was in a bad place and I almost made a horrific mistake. Now, by revealing it as I did…He is so hurt that he is…he is focused on the wrong thing."

Maria held tears in her eyes as she relayed these old feelings to Brigitta. Brigitta held Maria's hand and Maria settled down. "Papa will be okay. He is hurt and confused right now, but he will come around. You both love each other and never stopped. That's the difference. That's a big difference. Peter and I…it just isn't there. Maybe it never was. I can talk to Papa if you like."

"This is something we have to work out," Maria replied. "But thank you. I'm just giving Papa a little time and space, then we will settle things."

"There is a preliminary hearing in three weeks," Brigitta told Maria. "I really need both my parents to be there. Will you be home by then?"

"Of course I will be there, even if we haven't resolved things yet," Maria assur3d Brigitta. "I know I didn't handle this properly, but, Darling, I am still so proud of you. I am really proud of you taking charge of your life. I will be with you on this every step of the way, I promise and perhaps, some day, you will meet your soul mate like I met mine."

Edit ran into the room and broke the emotional conversation. She threw herself onto Maria's lap with her stuffed animal. "Grandpa got me a bear," she told Maria. "For if I'm scared when we go to Daddy."

Edit's words made Brigitta flinch. She hated the idea of Annie and PJ spending the night with Peter, he was never a demonstrative father, but Edit was so young. Still, her attorney advised cooperation in Peter seeing the children, it would give her a better chance to have a favorable custody arrangement, so she would hand her babies over for two days the following weekend.

For now, Brigitta forced a smile and then a laugh. Now was now, and she was going to enjoy the time she had with her family, feeling more secure than ever she did the right thing.

KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR THREE NEW SHORT STORIES COMING SOON!