Her eyes filled with tears as the pain in her heart started up again. She scanned the crowd around her. She saw some familiar faces but she did not see the ones she expected. There was quietness in the air around her. She closed her eyes for a moment...
1910 was the year she came into this world. Electricity was an exciting thing in her small town – along with the automobile and telephone! How she laughed as she remembered how she waited with anticipation to hear the operator to let the family know they had a call waiting! She clearly heard the rattle of the automobiles of the day – nothing like the autos of today but it was an exciting time! She watched the children play and wished she could play too.
Her Mama and Papa were always strict with her – making her observe the decorum of the day. She often wondered how it would feel not to have to always be so prim and proper. She was a spoiled princess to her parents. They provided as much as they could for her. Life was always wonderful and filled with wonderful things. She was scheduled to take a European trip the spring following her graduation. It was October when she found Mama crying in the garden. Papa was nowhere to be seen. She was confused and asked where he was but Mama just hugged her – telling her that they would be alright. Some things may change but they would be alright. She later learned that that day was called Black Tuesday – the year was 1929. The days of the family wealth ended on that day – and the life of her Papa. She was so young then. Barely 19 years old! She must admit that she was no raving beauty – not even as a young woman. She did not have a dowry any longer or any suitors. At the time life looked very bleak. Her life change forever that day.
Softly sighing she opened her eyes again. The quiet in the air was still there but it felt just a little warmer than before. The light was soft, urging her to close her eyes...
Time went by and she got her wish! She learned how to walk and run without all the niceties of society. Her chaperone was her Mama. The fine house was gone and so were the servants. She learned to turn her skills of embroidery into a business. The ten years of the Great Depression, as it became known, flew by, she emerged a grown woman. Papa would have been amazed – Mama still had trouble with the change in their circumstances but she did as all in her position did; she accepted with grace what was handed to her, still dreaming of the old days. Mama still waited for Papa to come home. She finally joined him just before the end of the Depression. Walking away from their gravesite, she now knew she was really alone.
It was a few years later that she met Henri. He was such a nice and decent man. Her heart did not run away with her as with so many other younger women at the time. She was now 38 – considered an “Old Maid” but she was a woman with a business and a sharp mind. She knew her worth and she was careful. Henri was from an old family of European decent – German. He had the old world manners and no vices that she knew of. Their courtship lasted 2 years and they set a date for the wedding. Time had taken care of any fears and they grew to love each other deeply. Life had different plans. Henri had to take care of family issues in Germany. It was 1940 and Jews were not very welcome in Germany. Henri did not make it back to the States. She learned of his fate through the American Embassy – a family connection who still kept in contact. She cried for many months when she thought she was alone. Life was not fair to her! She had his ring and the memories of their planned life together. That ring never left her finger – she never took it off.
The years flew by as work became her center. There was no time for any personal relationships. She did her duty with her family. Aunts, Uncles, cousins - they all received her attention. She knew she was talked about behind her back but that was alright. She had become accustomed to being called the Maiden Aunt.
She had taken a trip to Europe on the pretext of a vacation. She stopped in Berlin to try to find out more as to Henri’s fate. Her fears were confirmed what she was told years ago – he was taken by the Gestapo and never seen again. Her heart was torn apart knowing that she would never really know what happened to him. She cried herself to sleep for many nights after that trip. She vowed never to marry. Instead, she filled the large house that she and Henri were to have lived in, with antiques. She filled it with the things they talked about. It was not filled with children – they were never to be. A small tear fell from the corner of her eye as this memory filled her mind.
With the passing of time she was witness to more wars; Korea, Vietnam, the Middle East and more. She was in awe at the moon landings and the technology which came about. She saw the children of her cousins grow and begin lives of their own. The loss of a family was something she deeply regretted. How she wished that Henri was still with her!
In the last 30 years, she left the business in the hands of others as she had grown old. The large rambling house was now a memory. It was given to charity – a shelter for abused women and children. She now lived in a penthouse – secluded from the majority of society. Her only contact was her maid of many years of service and the occasional visit from the many nieces and nephews. She preferred the quiet life and did not miss the business world as much as she thought she would.
Her eyes fluttered open – the room was now darkening and there were some sounds which she could not recognize. She was tired; just a few more moments of sleep would not harm her…
Her personal physician pronounced her dead on October 1, 2010. She was 100 years old. The family gathered, as families do, at the death of a loved one. The greed in the room was palatable as they anticipated the millions to be inherited. She did not disappoint them. Her money was left to charity – every cent. Her funeral was a sad affair – though her death was published – it was a private affair with little mourners in attendance.
She watched from a distance. No one was here to mourn her – no one that mattered to her. It was a small crowd of business associates and some family members. It was good that her fortune was left to those who needed. She had made the right choice. She heard her name whispered. Henri!! He looked the same; just as she remembered him. She took his hand as the sunlight filtered through the clouds. She left her life behind with the mourners at the gravesite; it was just a passing thought.
© 2010 October 24/cb
