Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
So do we perhaps see Kiki returning to her family a lot more disciplined and focused and as such less inclined to follow the edicts and plans of her parents. With a consequence being more determined than ever to march to her own drum?
Will we see perhaps Suga being allowed a sabbatical (of sorts) in Berlin and really letting her hair down. Or will she just confine her “rebelllion” to music?
Will we see perhaps Suga being allowed a sabbatical (of sorts) in Berlin and really letting her hair down. Or will she just confine her “rebelllion” to music?
Sounds like someone wants to make sure his own kids don't follow the family business...
Ithought all of it was put towards the land estate/new suburb where she lives?
ISTR it was part of the funding for the Templehof project along with some of Gia's money.
There was a whole shipload of trouble over that little party.
Part 79, Chapter 1200
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred
28th October 1956
Kyoto
It felt like Kiki’s head was buzzing ever since Suga had confided in her what she wanted to do. The Japanese Princess wanted to attend school in Berlin, but it would be entirely for herself. Probably the most shocking part had been that Suga considered Freddy a friend and confidant of sorts but until she spent some actual time getting to know him in person she wasn’t interested. That was surprisingly realistic and honest. What Suga really wanted was to study Western Literature and she felt that her horizons would be limited in Japan.
What Suga was suggesting was that after Kiki’s presence in Japan this academic year Suga’s family would have to allow her to study in Germany as a reciprocal measure if for no other reason than to save face. Suddenly, the reason why Suga had been so welcoming back in July made perfect sense. The thing was that unlike Kiki, Suga wanted the trip to be entirely open ended. Kiki was the only one who she had told any of this to.
The other thing was that Suga had never heard of Berlin Jazz or the Gutter Blues that defined the music of that city. The idea of improvisation was strange to her. This afternoon Suga had arranged for them to sneak off to Suga’s chambers where Kiki played a few records that she had found in a thrift store in Kyoto. They were from the Django Reinhardt Orchestra and almost a decade old and vinyl records were heavily worn but Suga listened to them all the way through and she looked confused, until she started playing them again from the start. Kiki remembered the first time that she had done something like that with Zella and Aurora a few years earlier. It was fun to relive that through Suga.
Berlin
Her name was Josefine Falk, or Jo as Jarl had called her. Apparently at the age of ten she was already a handful, worse of all she was already showing signs of sharing the radiant beauty of her mother which would inevitably draw trouble as she grew older in the Copenhagen neighborhood where she had grown up.
Recently, Jo’s mother had been arrested by the Danish Government for Trafficking of a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy. She was looking at the prospect of being a guest of the State for an extremely long time and had turned to Jo’s father, Jarl Gunnarsson, to figure out what to do with the girl. Jarl knew that for knowledge to get out that he had a daughter would put the girl into extreme danger. Strangely, he had turned to Kat as one of the few people he trusted with that information. He had also asked Kat to take the girl in and much to her disgust, she had agreed to do it after discussing it with Douglas. Kat knew better than anyone that the danger that Jo was in was very real. Still, Kat knew that it was going to be an adjustment for everyone involved. Jarl had asked her to do this as a favor for him. While Kat felt that having Jarl be in her debt would be a good thing because he would avoid her to prevent her from ever calling it in, the truth was that she would have done this for free.
“Everyone is excited to meet you” Kat said to Jo who was sitting sullenly in passenger seat of Kat’s car. She had hardly said two words since Kat had collected her from the train station. Instead, Jo stared out the window at the city as it passed by with her forehead pressed against the window, it would have a very different feel from Copenhagen. Jo had been torn from everything that she had ever known.
“I want to go home” Jo said without looking at Kat.
“Your father made this arrangement for you” Kat said as she turned into her neighborhood.
That got Jo’s attention.
“He cared enough to send me to live with strangers but not enough to show up, ever” Jo spat at Kat, “I’ve never even met him.
“You have no idea how lucky you are” Kat said, “Understand one thing, your alternatives are worse.”
“I would have survived” Jo said with the assurance that came with naive arrogance.
“Having lived through a great deal I can tell you that there is far more to life than survival” Kat said as she pulled the car into the alley and parked it in front of the garage, “Just think about that.”
Kat got out of the car and opened the garage doors before walking back to her car. Jo hadn’t moved, she was still at an age where it hadn’t occurred to her yet how easy it would be to run off. When Kat pulled the car into the garage and shut off the ignition the sudden silence was oppressive.
“Are you going to need help with your suitcase” Kat asked Jo who was deep in the throes of self-pity. She didn’t say anything, but she did get her suitcase out of the car and followed as Kat opened the back gate for her. The house still didn’t look too inviting from this angle. The trees and the hedge that had been planted had only had a single summer of growth. At least it was a sunny day, otherwise Jo might have gotten the impression that she was being sent to prison.
That was when Fleur rushed out of the house, the rat terrier mix excitedly greeted Kat but rushed towards Jo trying to get a handle on the intruder in her domain. “Fleur is mostly harmless” Kat said as Jo look apprehensively at the dog that was sniffing at her shoes and legs.
The scene in the kitchen that greeted them was one of pure domestic bedlam. Tat and Kol were yelling at each other in one of their endless arguments. Petia was lecturing the cook over some minor detail. Ilse, Anne and Asia were at the table looking at a magazine with Noella. Marie, who was on Noella’s lap was doing her best to chew on the edge of the table. Doug was noticeably absent, he had been invited to go to a football match with Hans this afternoon several weeks earlier.
As soon as Jo walked in everyone stopped what they were doing and were looking at her expectantly. That wasn’t the sort of greeting that Kat wanted Jo to receive.
28th October 1956
Kyoto
It felt like Kiki’s head was buzzing ever since Suga had confided in her what she wanted to do. The Japanese Princess wanted to attend school in Berlin, but it would be entirely for herself. Probably the most shocking part had been that Suga considered Freddy a friend and confidant of sorts but until she spent some actual time getting to know him in person she wasn’t interested. That was surprisingly realistic and honest. What Suga really wanted was to study Western Literature and she felt that her horizons would be limited in Japan.
What Suga was suggesting was that after Kiki’s presence in Japan this academic year Suga’s family would have to allow her to study in Germany as a reciprocal measure if for no other reason than to save face. Suddenly, the reason why Suga had been so welcoming back in July made perfect sense. The thing was that unlike Kiki, Suga wanted the trip to be entirely open ended. Kiki was the only one who she had told any of this to.
The other thing was that Suga had never heard of Berlin Jazz or the Gutter Blues that defined the music of that city. The idea of improvisation was strange to her. This afternoon Suga had arranged for them to sneak off to Suga’s chambers where Kiki played a few records that she had found in a thrift store in Kyoto. They were from the Django Reinhardt Orchestra and almost a decade old and vinyl records were heavily worn but Suga listened to them all the way through and she looked confused, until she started playing them again from the start. Kiki remembered the first time that she had done something like that with Zella and Aurora a few years earlier. It was fun to relive that through Suga.
Berlin
Her name was Josefine Falk, or Jo as Jarl had called her. Apparently at the age of ten she was already a handful, worse of all she was already showing signs of sharing the radiant beauty of her mother which would inevitably draw trouble as she grew older in the Copenhagen neighborhood where she had grown up.
Recently, Jo’s mother had been arrested by the Danish Government for Trafficking of a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy. She was looking at the prospect of being a guest of the State for an extremely long time and had turned to Jo’s father, Jarl Gunnarsson, to figure out what to do with the girl. Jarl knew that for knowledge to get out that he had a daughter would put the girl into extreme danger. Strangely, he had turned to Kat as one of the few people he trusted with that information. He had also asked Kat to take the girl in and much to her disgust, she had agreed to do it after discussing it with Douglas. Kat knew better than anyone that the danger that Jo was in was very real. Still, Kat knew that it was going to be an adjustment for everyone involved. Jarl had asked her to do this as a favor for him. While Kat felt that having Jarl be in her debt would be a good thing because he would avoid her to prevent her from ever calling it in, the truth was that she would have done this for free.
“Everyone is excited to meet you” Kat said to Jo who was sitting sullenly in passenger seat of Kat’s car. She had hardly said two words since Kat had collected her from the train station. Instead, Jo stared out the window at the city as it passed by with her forehead pressed against the window, it would have a very different feel from Copenhagen. Jo had been torn from everything that she had ever known.
“I want to go home” Jo said without looking at Kat.
“Your father made this arrangement for you” Kat said as she turned into her neighborhood.
That got Jo’s attention.
“He cared enough to send me to live with strangers but not enough to show up, ever” Jo spat at Kat, “I’ve never even met him.
“You have no idea how lucky you are” Kat said, “Understand one thing, your alternatives are worse.”
“I would have survived” Jo said with the assurance that came with naive arrogance.
“Having lived through a great deal I can tell you that there is far more to life than survival” Kat said as she pulled the car into the alley and parked it in front of the garage, “Just think about that.”
Kat got out of the car and opened the garage doors before walking back to her car. Jo hadn’t moved, she was still at an age where it hadn’t occurred to her yet how easy it would be to run off. When Kat pulled the car into the garage and shut off the ignition the sudden silence was oppressive.
“Are you going to need help with your suitcase” Kat asked Jo who was deep in the throes of self-pity. She didn’t say anything, but she did get her suitcase out of the car and followed as Kat opened the back gate for her. The house still didn’t look too inviting from this angle. The trees and the hedge that had been planted had only had a single summer of growth. At least it was a sunny day, otherwise Jo might have gotten the impression that she was being sent to prison.
That was when Fleur rushed out of the house, the rat terrier mix excitedly greeted Kat but rushed towards Jo trying to get a handle on the intruder in her domain. “Fleur is mostly harmless” Kat said as Jo look apprehensively at the dog that was sniffing at her shoes and legs.
The scene in the kitchen that greeted them was one of pure domestic bedlam. Tat and Kol were yelling at each other in one of their endless arguments. Petia was lecturing the cook over some minor detail. Ilse, Anne and Asia were at the table looking at a magazine with Noella. Marie, who was on Noella’s lap was doing her best to chew on the edge of the table. Doug was noticeably absent, he had been invited to go to a football match with Hans this afternoon several weeks earlier.
As soon as Jo walked in everyone stopped what they were doing and were looking at her expectantly. That wasn’t the sort of greeting that Kat wanted Jo to receive.
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IOTL Suga, AKA Takako Suga-no-miya gained a reputation for being unconventional by going out and getting a job when she was in her late twenties. In TTL her aspirations are far wider.
Hmm... Let's see at age ten Jo is at the right age to be friends with Vicki and Rea, or course they first have to come in contact with each other.
ITTL I don't think that the Japanese Nobility was abolished like it was IOTL but I do think that there is still some reforms made and their influence greatly diminished.
I think that after Princess Kristina has been in Japan for awhile, she is going to find herself doing some public appearances on behalf of her parents for things like cultural exchanges, port visits from the KLM, among other things and at her side will be her good friend Princess Suga and both the German and Japanese press will describe their relationship as being like sisters thus preparing both German and Japanese people for a potential match by both Imperial Houses.
ITTL I don't think that the Japanese Nobility was abolished like it was IOTL but I do think that there is still some reforms made and their influence greatly diminished.
I think that after Princess Kristina has been in Japan for awhile, she is going to find herself doing some public appearances on behalf of her parents for things like cultural exchanges, port visits from the KLM, among other things and at her side will be her good friend Princess Suga and both the German and Japanese press will describe their relationship as being like sisters thus preparing both German and Japanese people for a potential match by both Imperial Houses.
Part 79, Chapter 1201
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred One
5th November 1956
In transit, rural Germany near Schwerin
He had been warned by Kat that the training would start long before he reached the depot. Kat had also warned him that no one would care who he was, and he would be wise to keep quiet about it. For his own security, he was joining the Pioneer Corps under a pseudonym and only his Commanding Officer would know his real identity. Freddy kept those things in mind as he pretended to sleep sitting on the wooden floor of the boxcar with his back to the wall and tried to ignore the cold wind that was blowing through the open door, in the last few minutes he thought that he could smell salt which meant that he was near the ocean. Other than that Freddy had no idea where he was, just that he had been shoved onto a slow train that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. He also had no idea of what time it was because he had forgotten to wind his watch. It was just extremely late, or early depending on one’s perspective.
He was also aware that for the first time in his life, Freddy was truly alone. The others that surrounded him were what one would expect joining the Pioneers. Impoverished, destitute and many had been prison bound before this became a diversion. Before they had even left Berlin, Freddy had been put at odds with most of them when one of the Feldwebels had informed them as a group that Officer Aspirant von Fischer, meaning Freddy, was in charge of them until they got wherever it was that they were going. That was absurd, Freddy being considered an Aspirant was contingent upon his completing basic training to the satisfaction of the War Academy. Presently, he was no more than any of the other Soldaten.
If Freddy hadn’t felt out of place before, he really did after that, he had been getting a whole bunch of odd looks since then. He had not even reached the depot yet and he had already been marked out. The real trouble was that most of these, what did he call them? Men? They were all around the same age as he was but that was where the similarities ended. Most of them had grown up on streets that were a world apart from where Freddy had come from. The result was that he was pretending to sleep, waiting for what was to come. Arrival at their destination or whatever happened when the others decided to let him know what they thought of him being put in charge.
It was Matthias who had prepared Freddy for this moment. “Respect is earned” Matthias had said, “You can’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, sometimes it’s a bit of a bloody process.” Freddy really missed his old friend, but Matthias had told him that in his career dying of old age wasn’t exactly likely. Regretfully, Matthias had been correct about that. So far, Freddy hadn’t been stupid enough to try to order any of them around. Still though, Freddy had caught bits and pieces of talk about how he didn’t belong with them.
He wondered what they would think if they knew that he had chosen this over several other, probably better offers that certainly promised a lot more excitement and glamor.
The tempo of the train changed, and they were slowing down, rolling onto his knees Freddy could see what looked like flood lights ahead but he couldn’t see what it was. A few minutes later the train rolled through a gate and the interior of the boxcar was filled with the blue-white light. In the minutes that followed they rolled past hundreds of parked construction vehicles and dozens of warehouses. Eventually the train came to a stop.
“Everyone out!” A man who appeared outside the boxcar yelled at them.
With that Freddy hardly had time to grab his duffle bag and be out the door before he got stampeded. As he did, he became aware of hundreds of others who were milling around on a vast expanse that was lit by more flood lights. Then came the order to fall in. While they had an idea of what that meant, carrying it out was not something they had practice doing. Freddy couldn’t help but notice that the men on the edges, watching them, were amused by the resulting mess.
That was when the yelling really started.
They were collectively too stupid to follow basic instructions. They were going to stay out in the cold until they got it right. With that Freddy glanced at what he thought might be the eastern horizon and thought he saw the faint signs of sunrise. He knew right then that it was going to be an extremely long day.
Washington D.C.
For Harry Truman the light at the end of the tunnel came in the form of W. Averell Harriman delivering a Nationally televised victory speech on the steps of the State capitol building in Albany, New York. Truman turned off the television cutting the speech off mid-sentence, he had heard all of that before. Governor Harriman would be riding high, full of optimism and ready to see his vision brought to fruition. The reality of all would slam down on him like a ton of bricks about five minutes after he was sworn in next January. In the case of Truman, it had started with a very literal bang, he just hoped that Harriman had better luck.
In a few days, Truman was supposed to meet with the President-Elect. He remembered eight years earlier when he had met with Thomas Dewey under similar circumstances, Dewey had seemed to want nothing more than to leave. At the time Truman had thought that it had to do with him trying to get out of a difficult situation. After two terms, Truman had a different perspective. It was the pressures of the job that Dewey had been happy to escape from. In a few short months, all of this would someone else’s problem.
5th November 1956
In transit, rural Germany near Schwerin
He had been warned by Kat that the training would start long before he reached the depot. Kat had also warned him that no one would care who he was, and he would be wise to keep quiet about it. For his own security, he was joining the Pioneer Corps under a pseudonym and only his Commanding Officer would know his real identity. Freddy kept those things in mind as he pretended to sleep sitting on the wooden floor of the boxcar with his back to the wall and tried to ignore the cold wind that was blowing through the open door, in the last few minutes he thought that he could smell salt which meant that he was near the ocean. Other than that Freddy had no idea where he was, just that he had been shoved onto a slow train that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. He also had no idea of what time it was because he had forgotten to wind his watch. It was just extremely late, or early depending on one’s perspective.
He was also aware that for the first time in his life, Freddy was truly alone. The others that surrounded him were what one would expect joining the Pioneers. Impoverished, destitute and many had been prison bound before this became a diversion. Before they had even left Berlin, Freddy had been put at odds with most of them when one of the Feldwebels had informed them as a group that Officer Aspirant von Fischer, meaning Freddy, was in charge of them until they got wherever it was that they were going. That was absurd, Freddy being considered an Aspirant was contingent upon his completing basic training to the satisfaction of the War Academy. Presently, he was no more than any of the other Soldaten.
If Freddy hadn’t felt out of place before, he really did after that, he had been getting a whole bunch of odd looks since then. He had not even reached the depot yet and he had already been marked out. The real trouble was that most of these, what did he call them? Men? They were all around the same age as he was but that was where the similarities ended. Most of them had grown up on streets that were a world apart from where Freddy had come from. The result was that he was pretending to sleep, waiting for what was to come. Arrival at their destination or whatever happened when the others decided to let him know what they thought of him being put in charge.
It was Matthias who had prepared Freddy for this moment. “Respect is earned” Matthias had said, “You can’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, sometimes it’s a bit of a bloody process.” Freddy really missed his old friend, but Matthias had told him that in his career dying of old age wasn’t exactly likely. Regretfully, Matthias had been correct about that. So far, Freddy hadn’t been stupid enough to try to order any of them around. Still though, Freddy had caught bits and pieces of talk about how he didn’t belong with them.
He wondered what they would think if they knew that he had chosen this over several other, probably better offers that certainly promised a lot more excitement and glamor.
The tempo of the train changed, and they were slowing down, rolling onto his knees Freddy could see what looked like flood lights ahead but he couldn’t see what it was. A few minutes later the train rolled through a gate and the interior of the boxcar was filled with the blue-white light. In the minutes that followed they rolled past hundreds of parked construction vehicles and dozens of warehouses. Eventually the train came to a stop.
“Everyone out!” A man who appeared outside the boxcar yelled at them.
With that Freddy hardly had time to grab his duffle bag and be out the door before he got stampeded. As he did, he became aware of hundreds of others who were milling around on a vast expanse that was lit by more flood lights. Then came the order to fall in. While they had an idea of what that meant, carrying it out was not something they had practice doing. Freddy couldn’t help but notice that the men on the edges, watching them, were amused by the resulting mess.
That was when the yelling really started.
They were collectively too stupid to follow basic instructions. They were going to stay out in the cold until they got it right. With that Freddy glanced at what he thought might be the eastern horizon and thought he saw the faint signs of sunrise. He knew right then that it was going to be an extremely long day.
Washington D.C.
For Harry Truman the light at the end of the tunnel came in the form of W. Averell Harriman delivering a Nationally televised victory speech on the steps of the State capitol building in Albany, New York. Truman turned off the television cutting the speech off mid-sentence, he had heard all of that before. Governor Harriman would be riding high, full of optimism and ready to see his vision brought to fruition. The reality of all would slam down on him like a ton of bricks about five minutes after he was sworn in next January. In the case of Truman, it had started with a very literal bang, he just hoped that Harriman had better luck.
In a few days, Truman was supposed to meet with the President-Elect. He remembered eight years earlier when he had met with Thomas Dewey under similar circumstances, Dewey had seemed to want nothing more than to leave. At the time Truman had thought that it had to do with him trying to get out of a difficult situation. After two terms, Truman had a different perspective. It was the pressures of the job that Dewey had been happy to escape from. In a few short months, all of this would someone else’s problem.
W. Averell Harriman has at least some idea on how the Real World works (hopefully) and he might be willing work with other nations on things like arm controls, peaceful exploration of space, and the emergence of environmental awareness.
Freddy may have been giving some extra coaching by the First Foot before he was shipped off to training and that may give him the confidence to take charge and help the others to get through the hard parts, but he will be challenged by his fellow trainees and this will before the inevitable discovery that he is the Crown Prince.
Freddy may have been giving some extra coaching by the First Foot before he was shipped off to training and that may give him the confidence to take charge and help the others to get through the hard parts, but he will be challenged by his fellow trainees and this will before the inevitable discovery that he is the Crown Prince.
Part 79, Chapter 1202
Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred Two
11th November 1956
Kyoto
When Kiki had finally written the letter a couple months earlier, she had not really been expecting a response. Nancy D’Alesandro had written at length about her life in Baltimore. The daughter of a United States Senator, Nancy was the youngest of seven, so she had six older brothers. Kiki only had two older brothers and she understood what a bother they were, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have six. Nancy had also gone on at length about how exciting it must be to go to Japan as an exchange student, she thought it was an incredible adventure. Kiki guessed that it was a matter of perspective. She had been sent to Japan basically in what amounted to exile, it had been Kat who had told her that she should make the most of it. Kiki had been writing a letter detailing much of what she had been doing over the autumn and found that it did help her sort her thoughts.
There had been changes, and not just the leaves on the trees. Kiki had recently accompanied Suga to a public reception. Unlike what had been happening over the last few years in Germany, there were no shouted questions and far fewer flash bulbs. It had actually turned out to be an enjoyable evening. The Japanese Press loved seeing Suga and Kiki together and had depicted them as having become good friends over the last few months.
Then there was the letter that Suga had received from Freddy, he had gone ahead and joined the Pioneer Corps. Kiki had trouble explaining what the Pioneer Corps was exactly. It was like the Heer but separate, they handled construction and logistics for entire military. Anything that was too large to be handled by their own people. Suga had understood it completely before Kiki had, Freddy was going to become an Engineer. Suga had been delighted by that development. Then there was the matter of Freddy’s dog Aki. Aki had been a gift from Suga a couple years earlier and the big dope of a dog couldn’t go with Freddy when he had gone off to the training depot. So, Freddy had entrusted Aki to their younger brother, Louis Ferdinand Junior. Kiki had to explain that Louis was fun, though a bit reckless. He was also frequently dragooned into being the dance partner for the Kiki and her friends after Anya had introduced the idea to them. Louis had actually been becoming a pretty good dancer over the last couple years.
Wunsdorf-Zossen
After several months of them living in the moment, the fun had come to an end. Nancy Jensen had been appointed the Press Liaison of German Imperial Court. Her employers at Volkswagen had been sad to see her go, but they were reveling in the prestige that having one of their own elevated to such an important post had brought. Unfortunately for Nancy it had come at a time when she had needed professional security because her personal life had gotten quite a bit more complicated.
Going to Wunsdorf was a part of that, Nancy and Tilo had an enjoyable summer where she simply had not wanted to think of the future. Now it was autumn and fading into winter, the future was here, and they were having to deal with it. It wasn’t helped by Tilo’s sister Inga. She'd run away from the Order of Saint Clair and had gone to Berlin where she was staying with their former neighbor Sarah Schmidt. Helga had gone to Berlin to try and find out what was going on with her daughter and had gotten far more than she had bargained for. Learning the truth about Inga had been a brutal awakening for her. Inga had not pulled any punches, she had gone off on how she couldn’t live a lie based on her mother’s preferences anymore and there was no way in Hell that she was returning to the Convent. Helga had a panic attack over that and had been in the hospital for several days.
Now, with Tilo and Nancy coming to the Schultz house Helga already had her back up before Nancy had walked through the door. The result was that Tilo had gotten an earful about how he had been forbidden from ever bringing Nancy around and had sent most of the Sunday dinner with Helga’s eyes boring into the side of Nancy’s head. Johann Schultz, who Nancy finally got to meet had sat silently at the head of the table, not willing to get in the middle of the argument between his wife and youngest son.
As the meal concluded, Tilo had nervously addressed his family.
“Both Nancy and I are here to make an announcement” Tilo said, “We are finally getting married in a couple weeks.”
What followed was dead silence as everyone liked at Helga, whose face was turning several shades of red. Nancy heard Jost whisper to Lenz that this was like a hang-fire in an artillery piece, waiting for some idiot to open the breach.
“That’s too fast” Helga said, “There is no way that you could arrange things with the Church and isn’t she Lutheran.”
“Actually, we are going with a Courthouse wedding” Nancy said only to get a withering look from Helga.
“It is the best way to side step questions like that Ma” Tilo said.
“If you gave it some time to get all this worked out” Johann said, “Have this be in keeping with family traditions.”
Nancy could see from the look on Helga’s face the conflicted emotions that she had over this matter. No matter how old he was, Tilo was still her baby. His father’s suggestion offered her a bit of hope. While she might not care for her newest perspective Daughter-in-Law, that would enable her keep up appearances.
“That would not be a good idea” Tilo said.
“Why are you two in such a hurry?” Johann asked.
That question hung in the air and Nancy found herself with Helga looking at her accusingly. She wished that she could fall through the chair and vanish into thin air.
“That is also a family tradition” Ava, Tilo’s oldest sister, said.
11th November 1956
Kyoto
When Kiki had finally written the letter a couple months earlier, she had not really been expecting a response. Nancy D’Alesandro had written at length about her life in Baltimore. The daughter of a United States Senator, Nancy was the youngest of seven, so she had six older brothers. Kiki only had two older brothers and she understood what a bother they were, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have six. Nancy had also gone on at length about how exciting it must be to go to Japan as an exchange student, she thought it was an incredible adventure. Kiki guessed that it was a matter of perspective. She had been sent to Japan basically in what amounted to exile, it had been Kat who had told her that she should make the most of it. Kiki had been writing a letter detailing much of what she had been doing over the autumn and found that it did help her sort her thoughts.
There had been changes, and not just the leaves on the trees. Kiki had recently accompanied Suga to a public reception. Unlike what had been happening over the last few years in Germany, there were no shouted questions and far fewer flash bulbs. It had actually turned out to be an enjoyable evening. The Japanese Press loved seeing Suga and Kiki together and had depicted them as having become good friends over the last few months.
Then there was the letter that Suga had received from Freddy, he had gone ahead and joined the Pioneer Corps. Kiki had trouble explaining what the Pioneer Corps was exactly. It was like the Heer but separate, they handled construction and logistics for entire military. Anything that was too large to be handled by their own people. Suga had understood it completely before Kiki had, Freddy was going to become an Engineer. Suga had been delighted by that development. Then there was the matter of Freddy’s dog Aki. Aki had been a gift from Suga a couple years earlier and the big dope of a dog couldn’t go with Freddy when he had gone off to the training depot. So, Freddy had entrusted Aki to their younger brother, Louis Ferdinand Junior. Kiki had to explain that Louis was fun, though a bit reckless. He was also frequently dragooned into being the dance partner for the Kiki and her friends after Anya had introduced the idea to them. Louis had actually been becoming a pretty good dancer over the last couple years.
Wunsdorf-Zossen
After several months of them living in the moment, the fun had come to an end. Nancy Jensen had been appointed the Press Liaison of German Imperial Court. Her employers at Volkswagen had been sad to see her go, but they were reveling in the prestige that having one of their own elevated to such an important post had brought. Unfortunately for Nancy it had come at a time when she had needed professional security because her personal life had gotten quite a bit more complicated.
Going to Wunsdorf was a part of that, Nancy and Tilo had an enjoyable summer where she simply had not wanted to think of the future. Now it was autumn and fading into winter, the future was here, and they were having to deal with it. It wasn’t helped by Tilo’s sister Inga. She'd run away from the Order of Saint Clair and had gone to Berlin where she was staying with their former neighbor Sarah Schmidt. Helga had gone to Berlin to try and find out what was going on with her daughter and had gotten far more than she had bargained for. Learning the truth about Inga had been a brutal awakening for her. Inga had not pulled any punches, she had gone off on how she couldn’t live a lie based on her mother’s preferences anymore and there was no way in Hell that she was returning to the Convent. Helga had a panic attack over that and had been in the hospital for several days.
Now, with Tilo and Nancy coming to the Schultz house Helga already had her back up before Nancy had walked through the door. The result was that Tilo had gotten an earful about how he had been forbidden from ever bringing Nancy around and had sent most of the Sunday dinner with Helga’s eyes boring into the side of Nancy’s head. Johann Schultz, who Nancy finally got to meet had sat silently at the head of the table, not willing to get in the middle of the argument between his wife and youngest son.
As the meal concluded, Tilo had nervously addressed his family.
“Both Nancy and I are here to make an announcement” Tilo said, “We are finally getting married in a couple weeks.”
What followed was dead silence as everyone liked at Helga, whose face was turning several shades of red. Nancy heard Jost whisper to Lenz that this was like a hang-fire in an artillery piece, waiting for some idiot to open the breach.
“That’s too fast” Helga said, “There is no way that you could arrange things with the Church and isn’t she Lutheran.”
“Actually, we are going with a Courthouse wedding” Nancy said only to get a withering look from Helga.
“It is the best way to side step questions like that Ma” Tilo said.
“If you gave it some time to get all this worked out” Johann said, “Have this be in keeping with family traditions.”
Nancy could see from the look on Helga’s face the conflicted emotions that she had over this matter. No matter how old he was, Tilo was still her baby. His father’s suggestion offered her a bit of hope. While she might not care for her newest perspective Daughter-in-Law, that would enable her keep up appearances.
“That would not be a good idea” Tilo said.
“Why are you two in such a hurry?” Johann asked.
That question hung in the air and Nancy found herself with Helga looking at her accusingly. She wished that she could fall through the chair and vanish into thin air.
“That is also a family tradition” Ava, Tilo’s oldest sister, said.
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I wouldnt have thought that it would turn out this way, but now that I know I couldnt have imagined a better "resolution" to their relationship uncertainty!
I'm also very much looking forward to the reaction Kat is going to have.
I'm also very much looking forward to the reaction Kat is going to have.