The American Lady(78)

“Pardon me, madame, but are you perhaps waiting for the Braunschweig train?”

“Yes, what about it?” Johanna stared in alarm at the railway official who stood next to her with a notebook open in his hand. For heaven’s sake, had something happened to the train?

“It’s running about two hours late, although I’m afraid I don’t know why. I thought I should tell you just in case, so that you don’t catch your death of cold out here. Do go into the waiting room; at least it’s warm in there.” He touched the brim of his cap, gave her a cheerful nod, and then went on his way to see who else was waiting for the train.

And she’d been in such a hurry! Johanna walked over to the waiting room, annoyed. She was just about to look around for a free seat when she spotted a sign through the station window: “Coburger Stadtcafé.” She might as well enjoy a cup of coffee and a sweet pastry while she waited. She hardly broke her stride as she pushed open the wrought-iron station door. If she had to wait, she could at least pass the time pleasantly.



The train screeched harshly as it lurched into motion. Not too many more miles and they would be in Lauscha.

“I can hardly believe that I’m finally here!” Wanda flung her arms around her aunt’s neck, who sat next to her on the wooden bench. All of a sudden she felt so weepy that she had trouble holding back the tears that pricked at her eyelids. “Finally home,” she added with a sigh.

Johanna looked at her, astonished.

“It’s not far now, is it?” Wanda peered anxiously out the window but couldn’t see much more than the forest. Her eyes stung and she rubbed at them quickly with both hands.

“No, it’s not far now,” Johanna assured her. “My poor girl! You must be dreadfully tired after the long journey.” She stroked Wanda’s head as though she were still a child.

“I’ll be all right,” Wanda said brightly. In fact she had to struggle not to burst into tears.

She had had to supervise the transfer of her baggage every time she changed trains, always with the nagging fear that one of the cases might get left behind on the platform or even stolen. Now she was exhausted, although happy to be with her family too.

“I’m a little cold, that’s all. The train stopped in the middle of nowhere for two hours—nobody had any idea why—and it became rather chilly in our carriage.” Then she sneezed hard, as if to add conviction to her words.

“Well, I do hope you don’t fall ill,” Johanna said, frowning in concern.

“Certainly not! I’m so much looking forward to exploring Lauscha, but first of course I’m looking forward to meeting all the others. Uncle Peter, Johannes, Anna, and Magnus! I had expected . . .” Then she broke off, shaking her head.

“What?” Johanna looked at her, smiling.

“Well, I . . .” Wanda was suddenly embarrassed. “I had thought perhaps that the others might be at the station as well . . .”

Johanna burst out laughing. A married couple sitting on the next bench looked at her disapprovingly.

“Oh, you’re wonderful, my girl! And who did you think would do all the work meanwhile?”

Wanda blushed furiously. What kind of nonsense was she blathering here when she knew quite well how things were in the workshop?

“But I’m sure they couldn’t concentrate on work today, because they can hardly wait for us to get home,” Johanna added.

Johanna asked how she had spent her days on the ship, and Wanda told her about how Wilma had prided herself on having a rubber baron for a fiancé. That led of course to the subject of Marie and Franco, and Johanna wanted to know all about him. Wanda felt flattered that Johanna was talking to her like an adult, and she wanted to share one or two spicy details about Franco de Lucca, but all she really knew was that he was very good-looking. So she said, “Marie always calls him her handsome Italian.”

Johanna laughed sadly. “I don’t begrudge my dear sister her happiness . . . but it all happened so fast! Or maybe not, it depends how you look at it. Even in the months before she set out on her travels she was behaving so strangely that I hoped she didn’t have some dreadful illness that was wearing her away from the inside. But it seems she just wasn’t happy with her life anymore. All the same, though—who would have thought that one day Marie would simply leave Lauscha without a word of farewell, and all for love?” Johanna pursed her lips.

Wanda put a hand on her arm. She would have liked to offer her aunt some words of comfort but didn’t know how to begin.

It wasn’t so bad just to sit in silence. Wanda used the time to take a look at Johanna out of the corner of her eye. It was astonishing how much alike the three sisters looked. They all had the same regular features and the same big dark eyes that never gave too much away. Her aunt also still looked amazingly young—despite her old-fashioned outfit. She had appeared much older in the photograph Wanda had seen, rather like a strict schoolmarm, but the camera had clearly been lying. Wanda’s mother always wore makeup to give her skin that pearly luster, but it looked as though Johanna was wearing none at all—either she thought that she didn’t need it, or she regarded it as an unnecessary indulgence. Wanda began unconsciously to lick her lipstick off.