Or a cat .... of any size (I’m not size prejudiced when it comes to despising cats).
Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
Part 76, Chapter 1144
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Forty-Four
2nd September 1955
Berlin
Doug had decided that he owed Kat a dinner and a movie after the sort of week that she’d had. Working almost entirely on the administration side of the First Foot because she was blocked from doing anything else. Lengthy discussions with the Empress in her capacity as Mistress of the keys that didn’t amount to much. Then at home, Kat had to deal with Tatiana and Malcolm excited at the prospect of a new brother or sister being on the way but that had led directly to Tat asking questions about how if it was growing in Kat’s belly then how did it get in there? That had necessitated a very careful conversation with Tat where she was told enough to get her to stop asking so many questions without telling her too much. Before they went to their dinner reservation Kat had insisted that Doug drive her to the house in Tempelhof.
It was the first time that Doug had been in the new house in weeks. In that time, it had gone from being four masonry walls to having floors, a roof and a great deal of the finish work was done. Kat was looking pensive as she looked around. Since the surprising news that she was pregnant Kat had been hit with the full range symptoms and the emotional rollercoaster that had come with it. To no one’s surprise she had been placed on light duty and forced to do something that came unnaturally to her. Delegating the more physically demanding responsibilities to the XO of the First Foot. Recently, when the Regiment had gone out for field maneuvers like they had every autumn for the last few years. She had found herself in the Division HQ with a map, a radio set and an entire camp full high-ranking Officers who were acting even stranger than usual around her.
Strangely, Kat was unhappy with Helene who had been instrumental in changing the law. Just a few years earlier Kat would have been placed on medical leave for duration of the pregnancy followed by maternity leave. Now even the Heer had to come up with a reasonable accommodation for the first six months. It was almost as if Kat had wanted them to force her out like the BII had.
“This is going to be the master bedroom” Doug said, as Kat walked to the windows and looked down into garden and the alley three floors below. It would be beautiful eventually with plants and trees, now it was just muddy expanse pockmarked with footprints. The wooden form was still around the drying concrete walkway that went out to the garage.
“It’s all bigger than I thought it would be” Kat said absently.
It was a rowhouse, one of several on this block. The basement plus five floors if the attic was included. Garden floor, parlor floor, the two floors that contained the bedrooms and then the attic space. Kat didn’t want to admit it, but the demands of her social ranking made a smaller space impractical. Then there was the Architect had told Doug that if they wanted better return on their investment having a Gräfin and her family living on this block. The people who aspired to be within her social circle would clamor to live here.
“It will be a lot nicer when we move in next month” Doug said, “Right now it is still very unfinished, the additions you insisted on delayed construction by a bit.”
That was one way to put it. The plaster that would cover the walls of this room had not been completed and they could hear the workers downstairs installing the shelves in the library. In the basement Kat had insisted that a pair of secure rooms be constructed of steel reinforced concrete. The workers had no idea what they were building but it was like the safe from the old house on a massive scale. The stairwell had been of similar construction and the exterior doors were not the sort that could easily be kicked in. The house wasn’t quite a fortress, but it would hold many unpleasant surprises if anyone was stupid enough to mess with Kat here in what had been jokingly referred to as the Tigress’ Lair.
“You know my reasons” Kat said as she stepped out of the bedroom into the stairwell. “If this is going to be our home, feeling safe is a part of it.”
“With your usual overkill” Doug said.
Kat didn’t respond, instead she was looking up the stairwell at the skylight above the fourth-floor landing. The stained glass had been sourced from a company that Kat’s Uncle Klaus had referred them to. It was the least that he could have done considering that a considerable amount of the hardware in the neighborhood had come from Klaus’ shop. Something that Kat said she had nothing to do with. While he knew he could believe that Kat had nothing to do with that. Kat’s Aunt Marcella was different. Ruthlessly leveraging her connection with her niece was perfectly in keeping with the sorts of things that she had done in the past. Keeping the family business afloat by any means she could had been her habit for decades.
“It will look nice?” Kat asked, “Once it’s done.”
“Of course” Doug replied, “Everything that we’ve always wanted even if we are getting more than we ever were expecting.”
“I was thinking that I like the name Marie” Kat said with a vague smile.
“I think that I might have a few things to say about that” Doug said.
Kat’s mood changed to annoyance as they walked down the stairs. “Don’t you dare” She said, “The last time you did that, and we ended up with twins.”
“That is not how it works Kat” Doug replied, “You said that when you did that sonar thing, they told you that they would have detected a second twin. You made a point of asking.”
“I don’t want to chance it” Kat said, “If a second baby pops out this time I am definitely filing for divorce. Having four of your rotten children is too much for any woman to put up with.”
Now Doug suspected that she was pulling his leg. “But what if it’s a boy?” He asked.
“Then he’ll teased a bit in school” Kat said matter of fact, “It would hardly be a surprise, with a name like that. He would have it coming for having the nerve to be born with that sort of physical and mental impairment.”
“You would name our son Marie?” Doug asked, “And how is being a man a disability?”
Kat just blew a raspberry at Doug in reply, she did seem to be in a good mood at the moment. That was why Doug figured that he would wait until tomorrow to tell her that he had sent a letter to his parents.
2nd September 1955
Berlin
Doug had decided that he owed Kat a dinner and a movie after the sort of week that she’d had. Working almost entirely on the administration side of the First Foot because she was blocked from doing anything else. Lengthy discussions with the Empress in her capacity as Mistress of the keys that didn’t amount to much. Then at home, Kat had to deal with Tatiana and Malcolm excited at the prospect of a new brother or sister being on the way but that had led directly to Tat asking questions about how if it was growing in Kat’s belly then how did it get in there? That had necessitated a very careful conversation with Tat where she was told enough to get her to stop asking so many questions without telling her too much. Before they went to their dinner reservation Kat had insisted that Doug drive her to the house in Tempelhof.
It was the first time that Doug had been in the new house in weeks. In that time, it had gone from being four masonry walls to having floors, a roof and a great deal of the finish work was done. Kat was looking pensive as she looked around. Since the surprising news that she was pregnant Kat had been hit with the full range symptoms and the emotional rollercoaster that had come with it. To no one’s surprise she had been placed on light duty and forced to do something that came unnaturally to her. Delegating the more physically demanding responsibilities to the XO of the First Foot. Recently, when the Regiment had gone out for field maneuvers like they had every autumn for the last few years. She had found herself in the Division HQ with a map, a radio set and an entire camp full high-ranking Officers who were acting even stranger than usual around her.
Strangely, Kat was unhappy with Helene who had been instrumental in changing the law. Just a few years earlier Kat would have been placed on medical leave for duration of the pregnancy followed by maternity leave. Now even the Heer had to come up with a reasonable accommodation for the first six months. It was almost as if Kat had wanted them to force her out like the BII had.
“This is going to be the master bedroom” Doug said, as Kat walked to the windows and looked down into garden and the alley three floors below. It would be beautiful eventually with plants and trees, now it was just muddy expanse pockmarked with footprints. The wooden form was still around the drying concrete walkway that went out to the garage.
“It’s all bigger than I thought it would be” Kat said absently.
It was a rowhouse, one of several on this block. The basement plus five floors if the attic was included. Garden floor, parlor floor, the two floors that contained the bedrooms and then the attic space. Kat didn’t want to admit it, but the demands of her social ranking made a smaller space impractical. Then there was the Architect had told Doug that if they wanted better return on their investment having a Gräfin and her family living on this block. The people who aspired to be within her social circle would clamor to live here.
“It will be a lot nicer when we move in next month” Doug said, “Right now it is still very unfinished, the additions you insisted on delayed construction by a bit.”
That was one way to put it. The plaster that would cover the walls of this room had not been completed and they could hear the workers downstairs installing the shelves in the library. In the basement Kat had insisted that a pair of secure rooms be constructed of steel reinforced concrete. The workers had no idea what they were building but it was like the safe from the old house on a massive scale. The stairwell had been of similar construction and the exterior doors were not the sort that could easily be kicked in. The house wasn’t quite a fortress, but it would hold many unpleasant surprises if anyone was stupid enough to mess with Kat here in what had been jokingly referred to as the Tigress’ Lair.
“You know my reasons” Kat said as she stepped out of the bedroom into the stairwell. “If this is going to be our home, feeling safe is a part of it.”
“With your usual overkill” Doug said.
Kat didn’t respond, instead she was looking up the stairwell at the skylight above the fourth-floor landing. The stained glass had been sourced from a company that Kat’s Uncle Klaus had referred them to. It was the least that he could have done considering that a considerable amount of the hardware in the neighborhood had come from Klaus’ shop. Something that Kat said she had nothing to do with. While he knew he could believe that Kat had nothing to do with that. Kat’s Aunt Marcella was different. Ruthlessly leveraging her connection with her niece was perfectly in keeping with the sorts of things that she had done in the past. Keeping the family business afloat by any means she could had been her habit for decades.
“It will look nice?” Kat asked, “Once it’s done.”
“Of course” Doug replied, “Everything that we’ve always wanted even if we are getting more than we ever were expecting.”
“I was thinking that I like the name Marie” Kat said with a vague smile.
“I think that I might have a few things to say about that” Doug said.
Kat’s mood changed to annoyance as they walked down the stairs. “Don’t you dare” She said, “The last time you did that, and we ended up with twins.”
“That is not how it works Kat” Doug replied, “You said that when you did that sonar thing, they told you that they would have detected a second twin. You made a point of asking.”
“I don’t want to chance it” Kat said, “If a second baby pops out this time I am definitely filing for divorce. Having four of your rotten children is too much for any woman to put up with.”
Now Doug suspected that she was pulling his leg. “But what if it’s a boy?” He asked.
“Then he’ll teased a bit in school” Kat said matter of fact, “It would hardly be a surprise, with a name like that. He would have it coming for having the nerve to be born with that sort of physical and mental impairment.”
“You would name our son Marie?” Doug asked, “And how is being a man a disability?”
Kat just blew a raspberry at Doug in reply, she did seem to be in a good mood at the moment. That was why Doug figured that he would wait until tomorrow to tell her that he had sent a letter to his parents.
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And now Doug gets to play my favorite game:
"Has Your Mother's Therapy Made Her Able To Not Be An Idiot About This?!"
If the answer is no, I feel for Doug.
One of the most important things that has not come up so far in the Tempelhof redevelopment updates is the naming of streets.
While very unimportant, there is a lot of politics involved, and hurt feelings if this person or that event or cause is left out of naming of streets, parks, the different sections of the development and anything else we can think of.
As an example of this while I don't think that Empress Kira is lobbying Kat to name a street or park after her, she would be hurt if a major street is not named Kirastrasse.
While very unimportant, there is a lot of politics involved, and hurt feelings if this person or that event or cause is left out of naming of streets, parks, the different sections of the development and anything else we can think of.
As an example of this while I don't think that Empress Kira is lobbying Kat to name a street or park after her, she would be hurt if a major street is not named Kirastrasse.
Yet another example of how I wish Kat were a real person I could shoot the shit with: Custom home design.
The panic is reserved for the other guys when they realize that they haven't trapped her in the house, they've trapped themselves in with her.
Given the timescales, I think the answer will be yes, it has. And despite the years of counselling Kat has had, where she will believe it hasn't had that much effect on herself, she'll be pleasantly surprised at the effect it's had on Margaret (?). Completely missing that she will have been far more affected by the counseling herself.
Why do I get the feeling that if Kat has her way, Dougy's "nads" will soon have a date with a rusty butter knife?
One of WW2's more capable Panzer commanders had the forename "Hyacinth". Old family name.
His surname wasn’t Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) by any chance was it?