Yesterday Was Long Ago: Part Two Page 10

  Astrid didn’t know if she should laugh or cry, run or stay. But given no choice, she simply opened the door, noticing a tall husky young man behind her son. While Bertram’s two arms were held up by crutches, his friend was loaded with packages. “Good Lord, Bertram! You always knew how to surprise people. Please come in!”

  “This is my buddy and lifesaver, Rupert Foster.”

  “So happy to meet you. Make yourself comfortable,” she stammered while slowly regaining her composure, when Bertram stated frankly, “Of course, you would have been happier if father had surprised you, but such is life. He may be here in no time at all… believe me.”

  “He was declared missing, Bertram.”

  “Same thing, Mother,” he replied. “Missing men are usually the prisoners who arrive on a daily basis. You’ll see.” Personally, he cared nothing if he ever saw his father again; however, his stepmother was very gullible.

  “Where do you live?”

  “In the ninth district near the general hospital.”

  “But that is quite a long way from here. With Andreas and Gaby in Switzerland, I have plenty of space here… please,” she pleaded, looking at Bertram and Rupert and both knew she meant every word of it.

  “My father will pick us up around eleven, Mrs. von Walden. He is glad to forsake the midnight Mass,” he smiled. “He brought us with a sled, waiting to see if there was still a light on.”

  “So you knew where I lived! When did you arrive in Vienna?”

  “Beginning of September, Mother, but I looked so bad. I didn’t want to shock you, or the family, for that matter. I got seven of my toes frozen in 1917 and would have been dead if Rupert, who was a medic, didn’t carry me out of this muddy ice hole. He carried me on his back to the next field hospital, which was not much warmer but had a bed and blankets, aside from doctors who amputated my toes.” Astrid cried openly now. “Then I ended up in an overcrowded infirmary in Linz and I didn’t want to write my family for many reasons.”

  “For heaven’s sake, why not?”

  “Father, for the main one. I just can picture him telling me that I was not strong enough to withstand a cold winter.”

  “Oh, Bertram. He would never say that!”

  “Oh, no?” You never knew what was going on between us, Mother,” he smirked sarcastically. “If you don’t mind, Mother, I’d like to relax and catch up on all the news… like why you sold the place in Lindenfels, although I am elated you did.”

  For the next two hours they talked until Astrid came to the subject of the money he was owed from the sale in Lindenfels. “Bertram, we owe you money and among other things, I’d like to get the very best of civilian doctors so you can get your balance back.”

  “Mother!” He smiled at her naïve suggestions. “No one can put seven toes back. In time I hope to walk with a cane. Considering that most of our buddies died, or lost two legs, or arm and legs, and never mind the many blind guys, I am a very lucky fellow.”

  She didn’t know what to answer and directed the questions at Rupert. “And you, Mr. Foster?”

  “I was even luckier; just got brushed with a bullet while carrying the wounded on a stretcher.”

  “That horrible, senseless war. It could have been avoided,” she cried. “And as always, the responsible ones fled to safety and live comfortably like nothing ever happened.” Both nodded in agreement.

  “Mother, don’t you want to open the gifts Rupert and I brought you and the children?”

  “Oh,” she stammered. “I assumed those were your belongings and you came to stay.”

  “I always had a place away from home, except for the few days before I entered the service in 1914,” he replied. “Most of it’s from Rupert’s parents’ grocery store.”

  “Well, you are lucky indeed,” she smiled in awe, with Rupert helping her unwrap.

  “Don’t worry Mrs. von Walden. My parents hoarded their goods for years, or sold for Swiss francs only. Now we are heavy into the black market,” he smiled like it was the only thing to do.

  Astrid came to a large carton and looked in awe at the contents. “A very warm coat for you, Mother; pure wool and fur-lined. How about it? It will keep you warm.”

  “Oh, my God!” she stammered, slowly looking from one to the other.

  “I’ll get clothes for Andreas and Gaby after their return, but here, have some chocolate! And as for the money, Mother, keep it until I need it. Right now, I can give you Czech crowns, which are going up in value… and Swiss francs.”

  “No, no, Bertram. I have your inheritance in a Swiss bank in Lausanne, plus some hidden here.”

  “Keep it and let me take care of you for a change,” he smiled proudly.

  “What a turnaround,” Astrid thought to herself. “Just as I predicted. If only his father could see him; but then again he might not approve of the black market.”

  “And if you get caught and arrested?”

  “You are looking at a policeman without his uniform, Mrs. von Walden,” Rupert answered, pleased.

  “We work hand in hand with those poor returning and crippled soldiers, who have no chance of working anywhere and no way to feed their families. We owe nothing to our former empire. Now we are a Republic with dozens of parties trying to get the upper hand. Believe me, the worst is yet to come. Sooner or later, there will be a revolution,” he finalized while handing her real coffee, butter and many other items she forgot still existed in Austria. She thought of her family in Switzerland and wondered if she should get her children back. But Rupert and Bertram predicted a revolution; like in Berlin and other cities, it could easily happen in Vienna. When both recognized the snow bells of the oncoming sled, Astrid insisted, for more than one reason, on meeting Rupert’s father. The resemblance was astonishing, and she felt good about it, as Bertram had told the truth. She tried her coat on, with Bertram looking quite happy.

  “We got your coat for sugar, rice and flour,” he laughed aloud.

  She explained about the big day in Lindenfels tomorrow for anyone who served the country, while thanking and squeezing him for the perfect fitting coat.

  Both promised that they would try to be there, providing Rupert’s father could enter this famous castle.

  “But of course,” she replied happily. “There will be hundreds of people there. Why should one more matter?”

  Bertram, however, couldn’t wait to see Philip Reinhardt’s reaction, though he, himself, would pretend to meet him for the first time. He had never said a word to Rupert about his former life, only that he hated his father and lived with a friend. Rupert would have never understood, as he was still waiting to meet a pure girl.

  ∼

  Christmas Day turned out to be beyond everyone’s expectations. It was a combination of ‘good will towards men’, and then becoming a festive and happy party, where most of the soldiers and officers experienced their first joyful event since entering the war. All of Lindenfels was represented by each family, regardless of whether or not they had lost a loved one. Even their own wounded sons were brought along to intermingle with the rest of the newly arriving soldiers, who came via ambulance, horse sleds, or any other available means, providing they were not able to walk with the help of nurses, who volunteered for a chance to see a great and well-known castle. The inhabitants of Lindenfels sent some of their servants with food and men’s clothing. The servants were told to help with any chores Lotte and Victoria Reinhardt were in need of. They were only too happy to oblige, as they were so curious to see the inside of the castle they had heard so much about from their employers. The table setting was done strictly by the Reinhardt servants, as well as their regular chores. Every possible comfort, including chairs brought down from the attic, was thought of under the direction of Victoria and her newly and carefully chosen head housemaid, Mrs. Gerber. Since Anette’s sudden death, she was the most qualified and respected one to take over, and had always been considered Anette’s right hand helper.

  So far, the surprise was the
early arrival of Isaak Wertheim and the rest of the Wertheim family, who owned several clothing stores in Vienna. They were followed by their servants with boxes and armfuls of clothing. Then came Martin and Gertrude Silverman. He came reluctantly at his wife’s insistence, though he, too, went in his closet to give suits away he hadn’t worn for years, which was in every way unusual.

  By noon, all rooms were filled almost to capacity and the mood was extremely joyful. Everybody talked to everybody and the three Reinhardt children, Peter, Paul, and Gisela, had the time of their lives. So many new and grateful faces was to their own liking. And as always, Gisela and a nice young man, who never spent a day on the battle front but helped his father with his prosperous boot factory, were equally smitten with each other. After all, she was not only a Reinhardt, but was very pretty and charming.

  Philip, having the luck to get unlimited rations of gasoline, went to every given address to get a wounded soldier to his castle with greatest pleasure. Lotte von Wintersberg, Astrid von Walden, and Victoria were doing their utmost by greeting every arriving soldier, then turning them over to any waiting Lindenfelser to supply him with a chair and food. The Silvermans and Wertheims were busy finding the right size clothing for everyone, and even the elusive Martin seemed to enjoy himself listening to war stories.

  “I don’t believe it!” exclaimed Astrid quite loudly to Victoria. “There is my Bertram, along with his friend and father. They came after all. As I told you before, I doubted they would show up.”

  “Dear Lord, this must be Bertram on his crutches, but those two other ones carry so many packages they look like Santa Claus!” said Victoria.

  “I told you all about my gifts,” she replied, striding towards the trio.

  She embraced Bertram very heartily but clumsily because of his crutches. Then she greeted Rupert and his father with their many stacked up packages. One could only see their eyes. Lotte was right behind her, showing them the large table where still more gifts and clothes were expected, as Philip also invited many doctors from Reinhardt’s hospital, who had their day off. Astrid was glowing with pride, not only about Bertram’s perfect mannerisms, but his appearance in a good suit. She introduced him to Lotte and Victoria.

  “I regret deeply that I had not the pleasure to meet Miss Anette Essler,” he uttered in a tone as though he knew her personally. “Mother’s letters were always full of praise for this fine woman who changed our lives completely, along with you, dear Mrs. Reinhardt. I can only express a heartfelt thank you, and hope to meet your husband too.” Then the two Fosters were formally introduced, and Victoria took it upon herself to introduce them to the Wertheims and Silvermans. Both families had not had a chance to leave their chosen places, as so many wounded soldiers were still in their ragged uniforms and trying to get some of the clothes.

  “Mother,” whispered Bertram. “I will stay right here with the Wertheims and Silvermans and plan to snub the rest of those hypocritical Lindenfelsers, as they snubbed us for many generations… and then some!”

  “As you will in time notice, I planned to do the same!”

  “The Wertheims were our only visitors as far as I can remember,” Bertram replied.

  “But I’d like for you to be very nice to the Silvermans. They are the ones whose house we live in. I have the feeling you will get along with him as he teaches art and history.” It took no time at all for Martin Silverman to captivate Bertram while discussing ancient Rome.

  Rupert and his father lost no time in opening carton after carton to hand out cigarettes, chocolate, fine biscuits made in Switzerland, along with writing paper, pencils, and envelopes that already had stamps on them. Each soldier got this with a hearty handshake and thanks for fighting in the war. Even the Lindenfelsers gave both men a hearty ovation while every soldier stood up. It was quite a moving moment and Bertram lost no time in telling Martin Silverman the story of how he and Rupert met on the battlefield. After the boxes were almost empty, Victoria put a servant in charge so every newly arriving soldier would get his fair share. Victoria gave both Fosters the opportunity to see the castle and give a bit of its history, which both never expected but enjoyed immensely.

  Peter and Paul also joined the group in their conversation, with a Reinhardt servant keeping their table supplied with food and refreshments. The Lindenfelsers had a great time among themselves, as each one made the many arriving soldiers comfortable and exchanged stories about their own sons, who were either dead or still missing. All others who returned were presently enjoying themselves, too. Gisela was next to her newfound love, Wolfgang Burgdorf. He was highly educated and one of four sons from the well-known leather goods firm, who had stores in many districts of Vienna, and were considered very prosperous even before the war. Three of his brothers entered the war with two known to be prisoners in Italy and were expected home soon. One was still recuperating in Tyrol. As in so many cases, including the Reinhardts, they had had to convert their factories to many items needed in the war and from shoes, handbags, and belts, they made boots and other parts for the soldiers to wear, and that included saddles and packs for horses, which made them enormously rich. Their isolation and tête-a-tête conversation was not long overlooked, and rumors began to spread that Gisela was in love again! Victoria, after hearing about it, answered smilingly that it would last only a short while, like all her previous flings. To herself she thought, “She’s her father’s daughter.”

  Rupert looked at his watch, reminding his father of the time and went to Bertram to do the same. Martin Silverman was clearly disappointed at his early departure, but Bertram replied with a big smile, “May I remind you that we live in your house, just a few stairs below you?”

  Martin’s expression showed that he had completely forgotten. “Serves me right. Each time I discuss history, I am not accountable for anything else.”

  With a laugh and a promise of a visit, Bertram and Rupert, along with his father, started to leave when Astrid intercepted them. “Wait a minute, Bertram. Mr. Reinhardt just arrived with two wounded soldiers and has given orders to do everything possible for them. It was his last trip.” She moved to introduce the two men. “Mr. Reinhardt, my son and his friends are on their way home, but I want you to meet Bertram, his friend Rupert, and—” Astrid began as Victoria made her way towards them.

  “You have no idea how happy those gentlemen made our soldiers with cigarettes, chocolates, and many other things,” Victoria interjected. “Many, many thanks!”

  Philip’s legs were shaky when he looked at Bertram, who pretended to have met him for the first time.

  “Glad to meet you, Mr. Reinhardt. We heard how busy you were in fetching our war buddies from every direction. We all are overwhelmed by your hospitality."

  “It was a pleasure, Mr. von Walden,” was all Philip could come up with and he thanked the Lord that all three were in a hurry to leave.

  “Philip, please rest now. You look exhausted and the whole thing was a great success.”

  “I agree with your wife, Mr. Reinhardt. You need some rest.”

  “I couldn’t agree with both of you ladies more,” he replied, almost wobbling to a chair.

  “Bring Mr. Reinhardt some tea with rum, please,” Victoria said kindly to one of her servants, who worked extremely hard but very cheerfully.

  “Good Lord! The way I see it, there must be at least five hundred guests here!” he muttered, elated but his thoughts were with ‘Bertie the pimp,’ who had made it back just as he feared.

  “You have no idea how surprised I was last night, Mr. Reinhardt,” Astrid commented, informing him in detail about everything. “He is a completely changed human being,” she added proudly. “Although he never tells me why on earth he doesn’t want to live with me with so much space.”

  “He may in time,” Philip answered, somewhat calmer after taking her stories into consideration. Somehow, he didn’t trust him, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had the same handsome features, though he was considera
bly shorter than his father, from whom he inherited the light blonde, wavy hair, and gray, piercing eyes with extra-long and heavy lashes. That, along with flawless skin, were his best assets. It was only natural to have chosen a friend like Rupert, to whom he looked up like a protecting big brother. Especially after the loss of the main supporting toes, as his balance would be forever gone.

  Astrid had told Philip about his condition in the presence of his wife, and now he wondered seriously if or when he should tell her about their encounter at Breuners? After some soul searching, he decided to wait, as it also involved Astrid, who had not the slightest idea and appeared to be quite happy about his supposed change for the better. With the pleasant day behind them, they arrived home in great spirits. Victoria suggested a long rest for Philip who looked quite tired. The boys were packing for the next day’s skiing trip and Gisela mentioned happily that Wolfgang had invited himself, which caused the family only to smile, with Lotte’s remark of what a nice young man she found in all the tumult.

  “He is from Burgdorf’s leather firm.”

  “So what?” retorted Peter.

  “So, he is not after the Reinhardt money,” Gisela replied curtly.

  Victoria was also tired but very pleasantly so and, giving only a smile, said, “It turned out so much better than I thought. Many thanks to all of you. And I have never seen Astrid happier, with Bertram’s return in the company of such nice and generous people.” All agreed, including Philip who was still quite worried.

  ∼

  It was an entirely different Christmas in Switzerland. Their citizens were convinced that God loved their country very much, and therefore gave them neutrality. It was one way to see their luck.

  Having been in Lausanne and entrusted to their caring relatives, Aunt Ingrid and Uncle Henry, since the beginning of July, Andreas and Gaby had escaped the downfall of the once proud Empire. According to all the newspapers and all the newly arriving children whose faces showed a combination of hunger and misery, the aftermath of the war was even worse, let alone the so-called spread of Spanish flu, which, in time, took the lives of millions.