Yesterday Was Long Ago: Part Two Read online

  “Ella?” cried Isabell. “Is it really you?”

  “Bella, it is!” she replied, equally tearfully, as they embraced each other with a few twirls around in front of an assembled crowd who didn’t know what had happened. Ann Leitner lost no time in walking quickly towards the podium and as always, in control no matter what the situation, shouted, “Stop the music please!” Then she motioned her daughter and Isabell to join her and proclaimed, “Let me introduce you to everyone. Oh, God, I am shaking like the girls… This is the former Isabella Reinhardt, my daughter’s dearest and longtime friend from her schooldays in Switzerland. We lost contact during the war years and it is inexcusable on our part that we never inquired afterwards. I am sure there is some gentleman here to whom she now belongs,” she laughed.

  William, with his group of friends and their chatting wives, came closer after hearing the great outburst of none other than Ann Leitner, a woman who is famous for her icy stares and small talk, while always feeling superior towards everyone. He hardly remembered her daughter Daniella, as both were always in different schools.

  “And I want all of you to know,” she continued undisturbed, knowing that all were listening. “that we have in our midst the closest lady to royalty! I visited her family in one of the grandest castles outside of Vienna and their palace in the heart of the city. Never mind the noble family who can trace its ancestry back to 1509!” She held both girls’ hands still not believing her luck.

  The McAllisters, although equally surprised and elated about the unforeseen incident, felt it was now their turn to say something. Not only because it was their party, but Isabell was now family. Kathryn looked at William with a wink and told him to take over on their behalf. He took a few fast strides and jumped to the podium with a big smile.

  “This is my wife Isabell from Switzerland and Austria. I met her in Vienna where she lived during the war years serving the Red Cross as a nurse at their own hospital. More astonishment and whispers were visible. “Well, to make a long story short, that’s where I was transferred after war’s end and the rest you will hear as time goes on.” Turning to Ann Leitner he said, “Thank you for making the introduction so much easier.” All applauded spontaneously, and why not? Ann Leitner declared her ‘Royal’, and if anyone knew about nobility and high society, she was known to be an expert.

  Turning to the musicians she asked politely, “Why not play a Viennese waltz in honor of my friend?”

  It was, for Kathryn and Barbara McAllister, unmistakably their finest hour. But, as usual, for the men it meant considerably less. With the dance behind them, everyone went outdoors for food, drinks, fresh air, and a seat. The weather was still delightful.

  Ann Leitner’s husband pulled, with the help of two waiters, two tables together to sit with the McAllisters. They had now so much in common and so much to discuss. ‘Dani’ Buchanan, after introducing her rather average-looking but snobbish Tom to her group of close girlfriends, made it clear they were in need of plain ‘girl talk’. He was rather happy about it. Of course, three tables had to be pushed together, as Barbara had no intention of leaving Isabell.

  The band played melodies from Glen Miller and Tommy Dorsey, throwing from time to time a waltz or tango in. The girls sat each dance out while Daniella held court. There were so many stories from their schooldays in Switzerland, and her great times in Vienna, including Lillian. Isabell’s face saddened, explaining the circumstances.

  “I never saw your daughter more spellbound,” one of Dani’s friends voiced, not without a certain sense of pride.

  Of course, they heard about those terrible Russians, Germans, and all other devils.

  “What about those Japs who kept my Tom in prison? He got a beating anytime one of their savages said so.” As it stood right now, only America was in every way right and their poor guys sacrificed their lives to make the world a better place to live. Isabell couldn’t have agreed more. On the lighter side, she heard where most of the families and friends spend their winters or summers and she heard the names of Arizona, Newport, and Palm Beach for the first time.

  It was now an open secret that William and Isabell would be one of the most desired newcomers for Scarsdale and Bronxville. The McAllisters’ background was never in question, but Ann Leitner made sure that Isabell’s background was spread like wildfire. The way it stood right now, nobody could claim to come from a 140-room castle, never mind a palace in the heart of Vienna, a villa in Salzburg, and a chalet in the health spa of Ischl.

  Isabell took, as she spoke, a glance at Dani’s friends and found them beautiful, well-groomed and dressed and, of course, properly raised in what would be doubtless the best schools and colleges America had to offer. And as far as Daniella was concerned, she still had the same facial features which made the two of them hard to tell apart in their Swiss school. The difference was always the color of their eyes, with Daniella’s having almost a violet look, while Isabell’s were always considered the darkest brown possible. Daniella was also two-and-a-half years older and the more stylish even now. Also, her dark hair was still put up like a ballerina before her great entrance.

  Isabell had a chance to look around, not that they ran out of subjects, but one felt like dancing and had to look for a husband. Tom Buchanan seemed to be engrossed between a friend from Harvard and William, who doubtlessly had known each other from their schooldays.

  “I am so happy those two men get along so well, Isabell. It’s so important for me not to have any friction on those many social functions. In two weeks, Mother has a big double birthday party.”

  “Really?”

  “Frank Leitner is fifty and I am twenty-five.”

  “Great!” she said quite happily.

  “But you will soon be alone with me so we can catch up on everything and also surprise my darling dad, Chris O’Hara. I do it very frequently since his mother passed away. She was quite a woman. I wish you would have had the chance to meet her.”

  “So do I.”

  By now, some of the elderly couples started to get ready to leave, but everyone stopped by Daniella and Isabell to congratulate them for their good fortune to have met so miraculously at the McAllisters’ party.

  The McAllisters were now alone in their cozy family room to have their little ‘toddies’, as they called their daily drinks among themselves. Don was extremely relieved that neither his wife nor daughter drank over their limits.

  “Where are William and Isabell?” questioned Kathryn, ready to discuss their most unusual evening.

  “Changing their clothes, Mother. Both claimed to be uncomfortable.”

  “Well, as long as they join us. I am now all perked up,” Kathryn claimed, taking another sip. “I’d like to tell Isabell not only how gorgeous she looked, but also how proud she made us by her gracious behavior.”

  “And I’d like to ask her to help me with a new hair color and possibly style,” Barbara sighed. “I felt for the first time so inadequate. And it’s not only because I was without Steve.”

  “Never mind that scoundrel. I noticed a great improvement in your behavior towards us, and also the way you treated our friends. You were previously hard to take, and I for one keep wondering if your upcoming divorce is indirectly a great relief,” her father said sincerely.

  “I wonder myself,” she replied, but thought of Isabell when she advised her to ‘kill her enemies with kindness’. She had to confess to herself that she had many socialites very confused.

  William and Isabell changed clothes in their separate closets, but not before he gave his wife the usual embrace. “I imagine I was the most envied fellow this evening.” She overlooked his compliment, knowing there were quite a few ladies who, in her opinion, looked even better.

  “I am still in complete shock over encountering my former friend of many years ago and her mother. It’s a miracle. And by the way, the name ‘Dani’ doesn’t become her at all. To me, she will always be Ella. We started in school to give each other ‘secret names�
��,” she laughed. “Therefore, our beautiful shepherds’ names, Ella and Bella.”

  “Now that you mention it, I feel rather stupid not to have thought of it the moment you called her that name. However, I have my reservations about all those girls… women… wives… whatever or whoever they are. Like my own mother and sister, they belong to every club or organization there is in this town, one of the reasons Barbara’s husband was finding himself very alone,” he replied, a little irritated, possibly giving a hint how he would feel about it.

  She had no time to reply as she needed his help with her zippers being stuck. “Please, William, come in and help me. I cannot get out of my dress,” she pleaded.

  “I am more than happy,” he replied, entering instantly. Strange as it seemed, so far, he had never even seen her in a slip. But her frilly nightgowns were quite sufficient, the way he saw it. He managed, carefully, to separate the entangled zippers on both sides and noticed the bulges once she was freed.

  “My goodness, Isabell! Our American steak becomes you. You seem to have put on some weight. And I don’t mean it in a criticizing way, darling, as I was worried how you would take to it after your superb Austrian cuisine.”

  “Sit down, William,” she ordered with a gleam and threw herself on his lap the moment he sat.

  “What has happened?” he asked, astonished, having never experienced her spontaneity previously.

  “Well, something has happened to both of us, William.”

  “Like?” he gulped, wondering.

  “We are going to be parents,” she replied joyfully.

  “When?” he asked, overcome with joy and holding her closer.

  “By the middle or end of November.”

  “That makes you three months pregnant already?”

  “Yes, William, and the reason I never told anyone was that I didn’t want to worry anyone for my long trip. Besides, I promised Uncle Bill a polka as soon as I got my first chance. So today I had it all. God only knows how much special advice I would have gotten.”

  “For one thing, I would have extended my duty for a year, Isabell. There’s no way I would have let you travel.”

  “Now you see why I kept it to myself? Because I was ready to go,” she smiled, elated.

  “Change quickly into something comfortable, darling, and we’ll tell the family. If you think Ann Leitner and Daniella made their day, watch their faces now!”

  She put on a coatdress with buttons from top to bottom in a hurry, and he offered to carry her in and set her down. “If I am not too heavy?” she smiled.

  “For a husband a head taller and double your weight, you must be kidding.”

  “Soon I’ll beat you around your waist,” she admonished.

  “Then you’ll look like dad and Uncle Bill,” he laughed, picking her up.

  “They are tall, or let’s say big, men and carry it well.”

  “I thought you decided not to come,” Kathryn said, happy to see them.

  “We made your waiting worthwhile,” William said in jest but with a special glow.

  “I doubt it. We just talked about the best party we ever had.”

  “Your sister included,” Uncle Bill interrupted. “And that’s something.”

  “All right, William. Let’s have it,” his father joked. “And I for one hope it beats the party, because it will be the topic for the next few months.”

  “Oh, it beats it all right. Isabell and I are expecting a new addition in November.”

  Their joy was indescribable. Everyone jumped up, embracing each other, and Kathryn cried. “That beats any party a million times.”

  “You can say that again,” voiced his father grandly.

  “Gosh, now that I am on the way to being an ex-wife, I am going to be Aunt Barbara.” Isabell was overjoyed at their heartfelt reaction.

  “But I am not going to be a grand-uncle,” Bill jested. “I was born to be an uncle, only.”

  “But I will be a better aunt,” Barbara teased.

  “Don’t bet on it, kid.”

  “I do, because I, for one, have plenty of experience in babysitting.”

  “Look who’s talking. How about a grandmother?”

  “Or father,” from Don again.

  “What a happy day,” William said, his arm around Isabell’s waist.

  “May I say something?” asked the mother-to-be.

  “Of course, Isabell! You have brought us nothing but joy,” cried Kathryn, and everyone was quiet.

  “I know it’s going to be a boy and I thought of the name, Scott Gregory.”

  “What a beautiful name. I mean, how much more Scottish can we get?” Uncle Bill chuckled. “But what about a girl?”

  “That will be the McAllister family’s problem,” Isabell laughed. “But I know it’s a boy.”

  “Sweetheart, we’ll take anything,” Kathryn said, hoping there would be more than one.

  “We have to look for a house, son. Starting tomorrow,” his father said seriously. “It may take a while to get what you both like.”

  “Let’s have a toast first,” William said, looking at their embarrassed faces for not offering one sooner. They all toasted to the parents-to-be and to the unborn Scott Gregory, since Isabell was always right.

  “You have to call me Mama now, Isabell. After all, I have to be one first before I can be called ‘Grandma’.”

  “Of course, I am glad to do it,” she smiled, elated.

  “Same here,” Don smiled.

  “All right, ‘Mama’,” she laughed aloud, with all joining in.

  Barbara, still in her stockings as the high heels got the best of her, said to Isabell quite seriously, “Tomorrow we are going to look for baby items.”

  “Not without me!” Kathryn replied.

  “Alright, Mother, it’s settled. You women do your things and we’ll do ours. As a future grandfather, I should have some say so too.” They all had no choice but to laugh at his serious comment and William thought they were finally a family again. Kathryn, of course, thought of something too, but it would not have been the right time to mention that Don Reed would have loved to be an uncle too. But one cannot have everything, especially when her greatest wish was fulfilled. She was becoming a grandmother at last.

  ∼

  Isabell and William were in bed talking about the days ahead of them. Both were too excited to sleep. “We have to send your family a telegram. Or better yet, try to get a call to Austria. It may take a few hours of waiting, but I am sure your mother wouldn’t mind being awakened.”

  “Of course not, her phone is in her bedroom.”

  “I hope to God she will be just as happy as my mother. Don’t forget, your mother is only forty-one, while mine is fifty-eight.”

  “That shouldn’t matter at all. My grandmother, Astrid von Walden, was forty-two when I was born. Age has nothing to do with the love for one’s children or grandchildren. Some should have many and some shouldn’t have any at all. Believe me, William, I have seen lots of it.”

  “I know that, and I agree. I’ll bet my mother is on the phone talking about it right now,” he smiled.

  The next day, the three men went house-hunting, but to be on the safe side took a realtor along, telling him what they were looking for. After all, Isabell wanted a French style place and William didn’t object. She was the one who would spend most of the days there.

  “There is no hurry,” Don proclaimed rather solemnly. “We enjoy having our children with us, and after that, a home near to our place.”

  38

  By September, they finally found a place all agreed on. It was only a few minutes’ drive and two houses down the street from where Barbara used to live. Her place was sold within two weeks, but it was never to the McAllisters’ taste to begin with. It was Steve’s house and it still infuriated the family since they paid for it. Now Barbara moved back in her parents’ house.

  Bronxville was known to be more snobbish and clannish, but Isabell was so sure of herself and in eve
ry way her own person that she gave it very little thought. Aside from that, at the McAllisters’ and Leitners’ big parties, there were quite a few young couples from Bronxville. William was the last one to care about anything other than Isabell and the baby.

  The newfound place was well worth waiting for. It looked like a small French castle in a perfect setting of seven acres, with a fishpond and a small lake, which could be easily enlarged since it was man-made. William and Isabell loved it after taking the first look at it, and the realtor was quite relieved. That place had just come on the market a few days earlier and the McAllisters got a call from a friend who knew, like everyone else by now, how hard they were looking. It was light-green stucco with huge white French windows, black shutters, and a gable roof with four smaller windows on the third floor, which were doubtless servants’ quarters. Although Isabell was never particularly fond of those tall Greek columns, those were short to keep a half-round balcony up. Also, a large door led to a comfortable setting of tables and chairs on the portico. The unusual entrance door was almost befitting the Reinhardts’ villa in Salzburg, and two staircases made it the perfect home. The realtor explained that the owner was an architect who supervised the construction personally.

  “I think the house is about forty-years old and only the kitchen needs updating. Ever since his wife’s death due to breast cancer two years ago, Mr. Kehler moved to live with his brother in South Hampton until he finds his own place.”

  The McAllisters insisted on a deal right then and there, for fear it might be gone the next day. The few remaining pieces of furniture would be picked up within the next few days, they were told, which was alright with them.