Let's Start At The Very Beginning

Chapter 3

The six children, in nice clean clothes, marched down the stairs in simultaneous steps, before descending the landing and standing in a straight line. Maria was surprised they weren't wearing uniforms. In descending height, they stood, but there was a gap between who she knew to be Kurt and who she presumed to be Marta.

"Uh where's Brigitta?" Maria broke the silence. At that moment a girl of 10 exited the sitting room, walking slowly so she could read the book she held in her hands.

"Brigitta," Georg held his hand out and Brigitta handed the book to her father, sighing in defeat before traipsing to her spot between her brother and sister.

"Children, this is Maria, I believe some of you remember her. She has recently moved back to Salzburg and at the beginning of the school year she will teach at the primary school. These are her children, Jane and Michael. I expect all of you to carry yourselves with cordial decorum. Understood?"

None of the children moved a muscle. Instead, all of them shifted their eyes to look at this woman and her children.

"Well, I'll leave you to get reacquainted, I'm going to review dinner arrangements." Georg gave a half smile to his friend before walking off to the kitchen. As soon as he was out of sight his seven children relaxed.

"Maria!" Friedrich stepped out of line fist and stepped to give the lady a hug. Jane and Michael took a step back.

"Oh Friedrich," Maria hugged him back. "You're almost as tall as I am! How old are you now?" She pulled out of the hug and grabbed his arms.

"Fourteen, I'll be fifteen in the fall."

"Oh my word, practically a man!" she beamed before noticing Liesl standing excited behind her brother.

"Oh Liesl," Maria outstretched her arms and the pair hugged and swayed for a long time "You are so grown up darling."

She remembered the last time she saw the children. Liesl was only 6 at the time. But she was coming back to go to her uncle's funeral and chose to stay with the von Trapps. That had been ten long years ago, but she remembered loving it. Charlie hadn't come with her as they were only just wed and he had work to do, but Maria loved seeing Georg as a father. He had Liesl, Friedrich was merely 5 years old, Louisa was three at the time, Kurt was still a baby himself and little Brigitta was a newborn. How time had flown, now they were all grown up and she had children of her own. Georg had adored his children when she saw them last, and Maria laughed at the fact he already had so many. But after that, a decade flew by, letters were sent but it was not the same. Georg had visited a couple of times in passing to visit the Whiteheads but then it was only an afternoon. He came for a multi-day visit only one time, and Maria didn't enjoy thinking about it. Instead, she focused on the young woman in front of her.

"I feel grown up." Liesl rolled her eyes. She practically helped raise her siblings nowadays, but heaven forbid her father let her do anything unchaperoned.

"And Lou." Maria smiled at Louisa but the girl merely shrugged back.

"She's just tired is all." Liesl covered, and Maria knew it.

Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl hung back a bit and Maria noticed. She motioned her children over to her and they all approached the younger von Trapps.

"Hello, I'm Maria." Maria extended an arm out. "I'm very excited to meet all of you."  She looked at who she knew to be Kurt.

The boy smiled immediately, and Maria was surprised he smiled with his whole face. He had the most charming grin. "I'm Kurt, I'm 11 and I'm incorrigible."

"Oh?" Maria laughed, "Who told you that?"

"My teacher at school." Kurt shrugged.

"And you must be Brigitta?" Maria turned to the 10 year old.