Through Blood

Chapter 14: Loyalty

The day following her return home and the traumatic events of the previous night, Ivy heard her parents arguing from her room. She was tired of hearing them argue all the time, it happened with more frequency now. Ivy took the twins to her Oma's house. On the way there, she stopped at Kristian's former apartment, now Uli's and hers. She watered the potted flowers on the windowsill and threw out old food that had gone stale.

She missed him a lot, and wondered where he was and if he was well. It had been a while now since anyone had been there, but without Uli present she saw no point in staying. Even with him there, she'd hardly ever spend the night, since they weren't married yet and high society people in Berlin loved to gossip.

They arrived at Gerda's house and her old friend Adelheide was there. "She has been keeping me company, she's also a widow," Gerda told Ivy.

Adelheide was a firm, some might say strict, older lady who came from a long line of German aristocrats and royalty. As stern as she was, she was delighted by the twins. However, she wasn't pleased with Ivy's marital status and she made that clear.

"I just don't understand why a young, healthy woman like yourself hasn't married yet! You're still young, but you're getting old. Before you know it, you will be too old to have children! You will lose what good looks you have. That young man, Werner, seems like quite the gentleman. I think you should stop wasting his time and marry him already, before he finds another girl better suited for him," she ranted.

Ivy felt outraged and embarrassed. She wanted to retort a few things back at her, but she kept her composure and simply smiled, nodding in agreement. Gerda knew better than to argue in Ivy's favour and disagree with her old friend.

Before she could insult her any further, Ivy went to the kitchen to get more tea and Heidi spoke.

"My name, Frau Adelheide, descends from yours. It's the short form, as are the names Adelaide, Adelle, and Adela," the platinum-haired little lady said as they drank tea in the living room.
"Very good, how did you come upon such knowledge, Heidi?" Adelheide said.
"Ivy taught me, she teaches me and my sister many things."
"Ah, it's my sister and I," she corrected her.
"I'm sorry, my sister and I," she smiled.
"Clearly she hasn't taught you properly. Anyway, it's a lovely name. And you're a lovely girl, so clever!"

Trudi, feeling jealous over all the attention her sister was getting, stepped in.
"Frau Adelheide, would you like me to play the piano for you? I have been practicing at Liesel's house," she said eagerly.
"Of course, that would be most wonderful," she replied.

As Trudi went over to the beautiful grand piano that used to be Antoine's and lifted up its cover, Ivy was reminded of the times she saw her grandfather playing it. After she moved to Berlin, whenever she was at their house she noticed he would play it a lot. He would play it at random, in the morning, or after lunch, before and after dinner, or in the evening. He played it for himself, she could tell. Although everyone enjoyed the beautiful melodies, it was as though the piano healed him. He would become entranced by the music, nobody dared interrupt him until he was finished. It was his therapy. Trudi used to sit next to him and watch him play.

He taught her and Kristian how to play and he tried to teach Ivy, but her fingers just couldn't follow the rhythm.

With a warm smile and a hug, he once told her "It's alright, not everyone has musical talents. But you have many other talents, Ivy. You're very skilled with languages. And you're so fair, so wise and kind."
She remembered saying, "But Opa, fairness, wisdom, and kindness aren't talents, anyone can have those," to which he replied, "Yes, only not everyone does."

Trudi played a small part of the 4th movement in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, better known as Ode To Joy. She was incredible, she was skilled and not just for someone only five years old. It brought tears to Ivy's eyes. She looked at Gerda and she, too, was crying.