Missing

Chapter Thirty

As David walked along the street from the bank with Maria and Bethia on his arms, he was deep in thought. I've a beautiful woman's love, I've a warm, enfolding family, I've financial independence, so many creative projects, a place to live and the health to explore and to enjoy life. Why is it so difficult to accept this? Why do I want to go back to the sounds of gunfire and exploding shells, to the acrid smell of burnt explosives, of scorched flesh, the putrid stench of rotting bodies, scattered body parts and shit oozing from guts split open? Back being awakened in wet mud by rats running across my face...

He was shaken from his thoughts by Maria tugging at his arm. "You're in a deep trance, David. Like you're sleepwalking."

He looked at her, glanced around and shook his head. They were standing in front of a table on a tea room's patio, and he had no idea how they had arrived there. He shook his head again. "Thinking of leaving all this and going back. So difficult to wrap my mind around it."

She rose to her toes and kissed his cheek, then said again, "Let's sit here and have some wild berry pie and coffee."

He nodded, then held Bethia's chair as she sat, then Maria's. He sat, leaned back in his chair and sighed. "So difficult."

"Take more time, David." Bethia put her hand on his. "Stay until you're ready. It doesn't matter how long that takes."

He nodded. "I need to get my mind back to here, back to the present." He ran his fingers through his hair then rubbed his face. "Pie and coffee sound a fine idea." He looked at each woman and sighed again. "Sorry, I was reliving scenes from the trenches."

"That must have been a horrid time for you."

"Inconceivable. No one's wildest imagination could capture the horror of it. Beyond believable, so far beyond. Man has gone completely mad to be doing this." He shook his head again. "Back to here. Please help me focus on here. On now."

"The manager was very impressed with you," Maria said as she rubbed his arm. "He offered you a position in the bank."

"That's the last thing I could ever conceive of doing... Spending my life cyphering."

"But you're so good at it."

"It's mind-numbing to me."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I've not seriously turned my mind to that, beyond thoughts of exploring the world. Now, thinking, I'd love to wander the world with you. Explore exotic places, different cultures. I'd love to write about our adventures. Tante Bethia's given me the freedom to do that."

"But we can't do that forever. What will..?" Maria paused as the waitress arrived. They ordered berry pies with clotted cream and coffees, then Maria continued. "So, after... What would you like to do?"

"I'd love to make wine. The entire process fascinates me. I'd love to make babies with you. That fascin—" His words were smothered by her mouth on his as she pressed herself against him. They then stared at each other, wiping tears from each other's cheeks. "Yes, I'd really love that." He pulled her to his chest.

"We could start now. I'm at the height of my fertile time."

"Not until the horror of the war is over. It wouldn't be fair to our children to bring them into such uncertainty."

They sat quietly for a while, looking into each other's eyes and nodding. Their spell was broken when their coffees arrived.

As they sipped, they discussed Bethia's plans for the estate. "The first thing we must do is make the house habitable, so we can be comfortable when we move in. Greta has only four rooms in order; the remaining ones are in shambles."

"That's mainly cleaning and refreshing the paint. New wallpaper, cosmetic things," David said. "Except for the leaking roof in one of the corner bedrooms of the north wing."

"I didn't see that," Bethia said.

"Stained walls and a smell of wet rot. I've factored the repair and restoration costs into my valuation." He leaned back as the waitress placed his pie in front of him. "This looks good."

"I've thought of doing it quickly." Bethia laughed. "The cleaning and restoration, not the pie."

David finished savouring his bite. "Jacob and Maddie likely know of available workers. A large team to clean the entire interior in short order so we can more easily assess the work required."

They continued discussing ideas on how to proceed as they rose from the table and walked along toward the office of the first lawyer on the list. As they passed a tobacconist, Maria tugged his arm. "Let's see if there's a nice cigarette case here for your photos."

In the selection the clerk laid out on the counter top, two stood out, both of them hallmarked sterling silver, one a little larger than the other. "Have you a rule or a tape? I want to measure the insides."

The clerk returned with a small rule, and David measured the larger case. "Have to round the corners a bit, but this will do well."

"Round the corners?" The clerk asked.

"Of some photos."

"I've not seen that done. Like a large locket." He looked up and nodded. "Fine idea. Maybe I can expand my sales of these."

Later, farther along the street, a lawyer was engaged to do a title search on Sonnenhang and draw up a more formal sales contract than the handwritten one that had been quickly drafted when Greta had accepted the offer. He suggested he also handle the registration of the transfer.

As they walked back toward the lorry, Maria asked, "Title search? What's that? I didn't want to interrupt in there."

"The search is to view registration documents to confirm that Frau Frith is the owner of Sonnenhang," David explained, "But it also entails looking for any liens or mortgages recorded against the property."

"Leans? I didn't see anything leaning against the property." She giggled. "You've lost me here."

"When work is done and not paid for, a worker or a craftsman can show reason and register a lien — spelt l-i-e-n, not l-e-a-n — a lien against the property. If these are not paid before the transfer of the deed, the debts become the purchaser's. Also, if a bank holds a mortgage against the property, it must be paid out from the proceeds of the sale before the vendor receives any funds."

"There's a lot more to this than I thought." She squeezed his arm. "And there's a huge amount more to you than I would ever have imagined."