Many Questions

Eva returned to the bedroom, stripped off all her clothes and washed herself. Then, tired and exhausted from the strenuous hike, she fell into bed like a stone. Despite the hard straw mattress, she spent the first night in her new home in a deep, supposedly dreamless sleep.

Only once did she think she heard thunder. She blinked her heavy eyes and saw the comparatively light square of the window in the otherwise pitch-black wall. But there was no further clap of thunder and there was no trace of lightning either. Assuming that her nerves had played a trick on her, she turned around and immediately fell asleep again.

The next morning she woke up shivering, but refreshed and recovered. Only her legs still felt heavy. She also couldn't shake the unpleasant feeling that something bad had happened during the night. Maybe she had had a bad dream that she couldn't remember. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Judging by the brightness outside, the sun had already risen. A glance around the chamber showed Eva that Leni's bed against the other wall had been used, but was now empty. She suspected that the country folk had to get up early to do their daily chores. She didn't want to be seen as a useless slacker, lounging in bed and being a burden to the others, so she peeled herself out of the warm blankets. Shivering, she quickly got dressed and hurried down the stairs to the kitchen.

When she entered the low room, Adrian and Lisi were sitting at the table sipping hot tea from steaming cups. The two looked up and nodded at the newcomer. Grete was already busy at the stove, which was radiating a welcome warmth, stirring something in a large pot. The young farmer spoke up.

“Good morning, Eva, did you sleep well?”

The young woman hesitated for a moment, unsure how to answer. Was this a hint that she had stayed in bed longer than necessary?

“Yes, thank you. Very well,” she finally replied, knowing full well that it was not the whole truth. She felt a knot in her stomach that was not just due to her hunger. ”Where are Julius and Leni?”

“My father is already outside. He has something to do,“ Adrian replied vaguely. “Leni is in the stable taking care of the cows.”

“Can I help with anything?” Eva offered, trying to make herself useful.

Grete came up behind her and pushed her onto a chair. “First, eat something.” She placed a wooden spoon on the table next to Eva and pointed to the bowl in the middle of the table. Eva realized that it was the reheated leftovers from dinner. She understood that food in this harsh environment was scarce and hard-earned, so you couldn't afford to waste any of it.

Lisi poured tea into a cup and pushed it toward Eva. “Careful, it's hot.”

Those were the first words the young farmers' wife had spoken in Eva's presence. Like Leni, she seemed very shy and reserved. Eva still couldn't quite make sense of the fact that Adrian's wife resembled his sisters so much. She wondered if she dared to ask a few questions. As long as she remained polite and harmless, there should be no difficulties, she decided.

“Where are you from?” she finally turned to Julius's daughter-in-law between two bites. Lisi glanced at her husband, who nodded in agreement.

“From the neighboring farm,“ the farmer's wife replied, ‘Johann is my father.”

“So you and Adrian have probably known each other for a long time?" Eva pushed for more information.

“Yes, our whole lives.” Lisi put a hand on her husband's arm, and he stroked her cheek in a surprisingly tender gesture. Eva could hardly imagine what it must be like to live in this small community, presumably from birth to ****, always around the same people. She realized how limited the choice of potential marriage partners must be if fresh blood did not occasionally enter the community. But this would not be a topic to discuss at the breakfast table.

Eva remembered that Leni had called Julius her grandfather. So she had been wrong to mentally categorize the girl as the other girl's little sister. Adrian and Lisi seemed much too young to be Leni's parents, so she must be Greta's daughter. Eva turned to the oldest.

“The food tastes very good, thank you,” she began. Grete seemed pleased with the praise. Eva added, ”Where is Leni's father?”

The faces of those present froze. It was clear that Eva had touched on something that was not openly discussed in this family. Immediately, she was sorry, but she couldn't make the words unspoken.

Grete looked petrified and all color had drained from her face. Out of the corner of her eye, Eva saw Adrian give his sister a secretive gesture to hold back. Grete's jaw dropped as she announced curtly, “Leni never knew her father.”

“Oh. I'm sorry.” Eva was more than embarrassed. The statement could mean that the father had died before Leni was born or that he had left Grete. Judging by the family's reserve, Eva suspected that the second explanation might be true. Clearly, it was a taboo subject that no one wanted to talk about. Presumably the villagers regarded it as a source of shame and tried to undo it by keeping quiet about it.

Eva swallowed the many questions that were on the tip of her tongue and refrained from making any further comments so as not to make the situation even more uncomfortable for everyone. She sipped her tea in silence. Adrian and Lisi disappeared with a curt greeting. When she had finished eating and drinking, Eva offered to help Grete again.

“Thank you, but I can manage on my own,” she was told, ”but you can see if Leni has something for you to do in the stable.”

Eva found Leni milking and suggested helping her. But although the girl showed her several times and she tried hard, her success was more than modest. When a cow kicked over the bucket and spilled the little milk that Eva had gathered, she gave up. Leni handed her a basket lined with hay and showed her where the chickens that roamed freely around the farm normally laid their eggs. Eva collected eggs from shallow grassy hollows and under bushes, where the birds sought sheltered places to lay their eggs. She suspected that she would need considerably longer for the task than if the villagers did it themselves. Nevertheless, she was happy and relieved to be able to do something for the household and contribute to its upkeep.

As she rounded the house and came to the village square, she saw Julius standing and talking with four other elders. All of them had white beards and resembled each other in their clothing and posture. However, none of the others had the charisma and natural authority that surrounded her host.

The five of them stood close together in a circle, heads tilted toward each other. Curiosity pricked Eva. She would have loved to know what important and confidential things the men had to talk about. But she had already provoked an embarrassing moment this morning. She didn't want to risk a second.

She hurried to bring the collected eggs safely into the house, not wanting another mishap to happen and break some of them.