"Part One 1987" "Morning." "Morning." "Morning, sweetie." "Get up, Eva." "Morning." "Put on your red sweater." "Do you have everything ready for school?" " Your brother's coming this evening." "I know." "Can you help me out with the shopping?" "I'll pick you up." "Can you bring me something?" " What?" " Something good." "Dear Mother and Father," "Please excuse George and me for not writing sooner but so much has happened here since Mama's death, we simply haven't had the time." "My brother, Alexander, was hit pretty hard and we didn't quite know what we should do for him." "He became extremely depressed." "There were days when he couldn't get out of bed." "Eventually he had to go to the hospital and received dreadful treatment." "It was just awful I had to take care of the business by myself, take care of the settlement of the will, the household... and look after my sick brother all at the same time." "Thank God things have calmed down:" "Alexander is back at work, so I finally have the time to write." "George was wonderful through it all... even though the times were just as difficult for him as they were for me:" "He was transferred into a new department where he was assured that his chances for promotion would be better" "Unfortunately, he has a different boss, an incompetent man who will retire in a couple of years and thinks he knows everything better than anyone else." "Afraid that George might take over his position, he did everything he could think of to make things difficult for him." "But you know your son:" "things like that spur him on and he does everything he can to fulfill every assignment in order to prove he is the better one." "By the way, his salary has also been raised, so we are... thanks to the inheritance I received after Mama's death as well - in an excellent financial state." "Well, what else should I say?" "Yes, Eva is - knock on wood - back in good health." "She has not had an asthma attack since the time we visited you last winter." "The doctor is very pleased." "She sends you both a hug and a kiss." "As you see, when it gets right down to it, nothing but good news." "Like Evi, I send you both a hug and a kiss." "Take care." "Your daughter-in-law Anna." "P. S." "George of course sends his love to you both and asks that you forgive him for not writing himself" "She's in there." "Tell me what's going on here." "Come on, tell me what's wrong." "Come on, be reasonable, tell me what's wrong." "She can't see anymore." "Is that right?" "Is that true?" "Yes." "Since when?" "How long hasn't she been able to see?" "Since just now - in the restroom." "Is that true?" "Open your eyes." "Come on, open your eyes!" "For Pete's sake, open your eyes!" "How else can I see what's wrong with you?" "Okay, Eva, if you don't open your eyes then we'll all just leave you here all by yourself." "Let's go!" "Teacher!" "Yes?" "I can't see." "Look at me." "Do you see me?" " This either?" " No." "What?" "What do you mean "what"?" " What can't you see?" " Your..." "Nobody could have known how near-sighted she was." "She really hid it that well..." "Thank you." "And she was my friend." "Sit up, please." "You can imagine, at that age:" "ugly, a face full of pumples... and determined to be... my bosom buddy." "But I had other things going on in my head, that you can be sure of." "Look up, please." "Anyway, one day, she shows up wearing these thick, grotesque glasses." "Look straight ahead, please." "She really looked like a frog." "I mean," "I felt sorry for her in a way, but you know how kids are." "They asked, "How do you like your bosom buddy's glasses?"" ""They're disgusting" I said." "I'll never forget the look she gave me." "Then she spoke with that German accent, full of spite:" ""I hope you all have to wear glasses!"" "We nearly rolled on the floor for laughter." "She stood there and didn't know what to do and suddenly she wet her pants." "I mean, you have to imagine, she stood in the middle of the classroom and suddenly there was a puddle on the floor." "And, what about the curse?" "What can I say, at graduation we all wore glasses." "The entire class?" "The entire class!" "The teacher came in and asked what that was on the floor" "and she ran away." "Eventually he made us clean up the mess." "Oh well, you know" "how kids are." "What else could you say." "How are you doing?" "Yes, how do you mean?" "What's the matter?" "No, I'm afraid this week wouldn't be very good." "Why do you ask?" "What did she do?" "What?" "That's hard for me to believe." "What has gotten into you?" "Are you crazy?" "Why?" " What do you mean, why?" "How can you tell someone you're blind?" "Are you crazy?" "I didn't." "You didn't?" "Your teacher didn't just make this up!" "Answer me!" "I didn't say I was blind." "Look at me." "Is it true that you pretended to be blind?" "Tell me whether you did or not." "I want to hear the truth." "Come, you can't have to be afraid." "I won't harm you in any way." "Honestly." "But tell me:" "Did you pretend to be blind?" "Yes." "And Anna asked, "the entire class?"" "and she said, "Yes, the entire class" ""wear ugly glasses!"" "I told her the little witch obviously had no notion of contact lenses." " Would you like more?" " Yes, please." "Has the respite for the inheritance tax been granted already?" "More or less." "We haven't gotten an answer yet but Dr. Knopp thinks they'll be no problem considering the investments we're making in the business." "It's pretty good for you both, too, isn't it?" "Should I turn it down a bit?" "Not on my account." "Thanks." "By the way, it is excellent, sis'." "Thank you." "What did you season it with?" "Let me think... salt, pepper, a clove of garlic, thyme, basil... and then a dash of tabasco at the end..." "What's wrong?" "Is something the matter?" "Wait a second." "Do you know what Mama said to me a few days before she died?" ""Sometimes I wonder" ""how it would be if we had a monitor" ""instead of a head where we could see our thoughts. "" "Have you brushed your teeth, sweetie?" "Do you like the comic book uncle Alex brought you?" "He loves you very much." "Did you know that?" "So do I." "Yes." "Do you feel all alone sometimes?" "Do you love Papa and me?" "So, time for prayers." "Dear Lord, make me meek, so that I in Heaven shall Thee meet." "Okay, time to go to sleep." "Good night." "Will you leave the light on?" "No, dear." "It's already too late." "Sweet dreams." "Good night." "Good night." "What's the matter?" "Nothing." "Part Two 1988" "Morning, dear!" "It's raining." "Good morning, sweetie!" "Wake up." "Good morning." "... at the beginning of the month, four days ago," "George took on his new position." "It was hard work." "Perhaps you recall when he was transferred:" "his new boss was everything but favourably inclined towards him." "But now he's made it..." "His work spirit has brought inspiration into the department and when his boss fell ill with an apparently serious intestinal problem and was on sick leave more than at work, they asked George to take over the department pro visionally." "His boss will retire in a couple of years anyway so it's only a formality until George is officially named the head of the department" "You can be pretty proud of your son." "Alex, too, has found himself again." "He took a cruise to Scandinavia in the summer and it did him world of good." "He sends his regards." "Dr. Breitenfels, George's superintendent at work, is having dinner with us tonight, to reciprocate an invitation to a party 14 days ago where George's new position was as it were, officially announced." "He is known as an epicure so I'll have to give my very best to win him over." "By the way, with your recipe, mother-in-law: stuffed duck." "Keep you fingers crossed..." "I just wanted to pick up a few of my personal belongings." "They're no longer here." "How's that?" "They were..." "I had someone pick them up." "I didn't want anything to happen to them..." "Yes, I understand." "And where did you have them put?" "They're in the staff department." "I see..." "Thank you." "Well." " Are you feeling better?" "What?" "Oh, yes, everything's just fine." " I'm glad to hear that." "Yes." "You must have forgotten this." "Sorry if I disturbed you." "Please, no need to mention it." "Good day." "Tell him I'm looking forward to this evening!" "His wife has a cold." "He'll be coming alone." "Do you think they're just making excuses?" "No, he sounded very sincere." "What's holding things up?" "Probably an accident." "Part Three 1989" "Drive carefully, you hear." "There is a lot of traffic today." "I heard them talkin' about it on the radio." "Yes, Mama." " Thanks again for everything." " Don't mention it." "God bless you, Everl." " Bye, bye." " Give me a kiss." "Give Grandma a kiss." " Take care of yourselves, you hear." " Bye, mother." " God bless you, Everl." " Bye." "Take care, Mama." "Write real soon - at least you, Anna." "With boys I already know it doesn't help to remind them." "Yes, mother." "She didn't feed them today and yesterday." "Mrs. Gebhardt didn't feed the fishes." "We'll just have to fire her." "Tomorrow." "Eva!" "Supper!" " Do you want anything or not?" " Thank you." "Thank you." "That's enough." " Wash up, okay?" "Yes, Mommy." "Dear Lord, make me meek, so that I in Heaven shall Thee meet." "Good night, my love." "Will you leave the light on?" "No, it's time to go to sleep." "It was a long journey." "Good night." "Good night." "Good night." "G'Night." "We have to cancel the newspaper subscription." "Dear Mother and Father," "A speedy reply even though you've always said I was a lazy letter writer and you never hear from me." "Today, one day after coming back from visiting you," "I quit my job." "My boss was at first a little surprised, as you must be too, but he figured I had something better and he didn't want to hold me back if I wanted to go." "And that's just how it is." "You' re probably asking yourselves why I didn't tell you all this while we were there." "But don't you think the debates would only have spoiled the time we had together, for you and for us?" "When you have decided on something you should stick to it" "That's what father always said." "And we have made a decision." "We have decided to leave because there is nothing, other than you, to keep us tied down here." "Anna had already arranged for her brother to take over her part of the business... before we visited you, so he will run the business by himself now." "Is it for a wedding, Miss?" " No, no." "Just so." " You're having guests?" "No." "Eva." "What's the matter?" "Have you got fleas?" "It itches." "Let me have a look." "Nothing." "Yes there is." "You're red because you scratched." " But it itches." " Come, sit down and don't scratch." "The last time." "Everything's back in order." "Thank you." "There's my medical insurance form." "Thank you." "Is that all?" "Yes." "All together it's 478. 000 Schillings and 60 Groschen." "But I can't pay out the interest due to the 5-year-proviso." "That doesn't matter." "May I ask why you need the money so suddenly?" "You might be better off with a loan." "You can take a loan..." "We're emigrating." "To Australia." "Hello." "Is the teacher Mrs. Polasek still there?" "Yes, thank you, I'll wait." "Yes." "Hello, this is Anna Schober." "I'd like to excuse my daughter from school." "She has caught the flu while skiing." "She has close to 40 fever." "What did they want?" "They brought something to eat." "There's just the problem with our little Eva;" "we thought a long time about whether we should take her with us or whether we should leave her with you." "As you can imagine, Mama, and you, Father, for sure, too, this decision cost us a lot of sleepless nights because although we are certain we're doing the right thing for us," "it is another matter to make a choice over someone else's life who is the dearest person in the world to you." "Perhaps you can remember when we were with you in church at Easter and we heard the cantata" "7 look forward to my death"." "Afterwards Evi said," ""me too"" "and you were quite shocked." "We have talked a lot about it since that time and I know that Evi is not afraid of dying." "We talked about it today, just now in fact and although we are certain it is the right thing to take her with us, it was at the same time beautiful and sad to see" "how easy it was for her to decide to come with us." "I believe that looking at the life we have lived straight in the eye makes any notion of the end easy to accept." "Please don't be sad or reproach yourselves with the situation or consider it as a form of critique or whatever;" "I am only making a statement of fact which has nothing to do with you." "Lovingly, Your son, Georg." "I think the only way we'll make it is if we go about it systematically." "It'd be better if you put on your shoes, Princess." "You have to be careful anyway." "You don't want to hurt yourself." "Okay." "No." "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Stop it!" "Sorry." "Wait a minute, I think I heard something." "May I help you?" "We're from the telephone company." "Someone registered a disturbance with your line: you can't be reached." "Apparently you haven't put the receiver back correctly." "Yes, that's true." "I didn't want to be reached." " You know, that isn't allowed." " No." "We'll have to disconnect the phone if you leave it off the hook for too long." "Oh, excuse me." "I'll put it back right away." "Can I have a look at the telephone?" "No." "Good day." "Can I watch television in the bedroom?" "To our parents!" "It tastes bitter." "Dear Lord, make me meek, so that I in Heaven shall Thee meet." "The Family S. was found on January 17, 1989." "The brother of the wife was so concerned that he notified the police to break into the apartment." "The Family was buried on February 20th." "Despite the farewell letter, Georg'S parents could not believe it was suicide and filed for investigation of possible murder." "Police investigations brought no evidence which indicated murder." "The case was placed in the files; unresolved."