Otto Makes a Big Mistake

Clara Hoffmann chatted animatedly with her friend Gisela Krause as they headed home from work in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia She’d grown up with the Otto and Mia Krause children Ben. Leo and Gisela as their neighbours on one side of their home, and Josef and Sophia Schwarz family and their children Elijah, Wylda and Leni as neighbours on the other side.

Clara’s father Hans remembered stories told of the rest of the Hoffmann extended family who’d remained in the United States but there was no contact now and they were just a memory. The Hoffmann’s migrated as a clan to the US to follow the gold rush in California during the eighteen hundreds, but some had migrated to Canada to join more of the German diaspora there after the rush was over and seek other opportunities. They gravitated to working in timber lands to earn enough to marry and establish families.

The German men had worked in those remote timberlands, and their wives had initially braved the bitter winters in roughly constructed log cabins in those pioneer days until their husbands had earned enough to establish families in towns where services and education were available for their children. Most of them had bought land and built their houses in Vancouver BC then left their families and returned to those log cabins during the cutting seasons returning to Vancouver to recover their health in off seasons. Their children had heard harrowing stories from their grandfathers though Clara’s father had never experienced that kind of life and was employed from the time he left school in one of the trading warehouses at the wharfs where he was now the administrator. Clara’s mother Emma was of the Schwarz family so was distantly related to their Schwarz neighbours.                   

Children of the Hoffmann, Schwarz and Krause families had lived in their ancestral homes which had passed down from grandparents’ times when they’d been built. The houses had been built from lasting materials and had weathered years well but there’d been considerable rebuilds as children had been added to these homes over generations. During pioneering times houses had been constructed without much oversight from city authorities but any alterations now needed to be approved, and sometimes considerable expense had to be outlaid to bring current needs up to municipal code so the families tried to make do rather than approach government for permission to refurbish where they could. The suburb around Fraser Street was home to a large German population and they still met together as a German community to celebrate cultural events and were proud of their ancestry.  It was common for them to seek marriage relationships within their own German community.

The Hoffmann’s were better off financially than the Schwarz and Krause families so Hans had agreed to Emma’s wish for a large family.

There’d been ten siblings in Emma’s birth family, and she enjoyed having her own brood now. Emma was used to the normal rivalries between her own siblings as she grew up. These rivalries would play out when her father was not home, but their good-natured mother would tolerate it to the point where it could be getting out of hand and with hands on hips would suddenly appear with a rolling pin clutched in her right hand hanging down and her presence itself would quickly right the situation. In a calm measured voice, she’d inquire about the chores to be done as assigned, and they’d scurry off to attend to their duties. Emma missed her family but there were far away, and she hadn’t seen them in years.

Now Emma had children of her own Clara, Paul, Noah Henry Elke and Anna. She made sure there was plenty of time to play along with their work schedule and she’d watch the antics from their wide kitchen window with a smile on her face as she finished duties in the kitchen. The house was always spotlessly clean, and children lined up to receive their father in the evenings as he returned from work. Hans would quiz his children about their day’s activities before they sat down to supper together. Clara their firstborn loved her family and couldn’t have been happier as she grew from childhood to adulthood.

Her closest friend was Gisela Krause. They’d attended the same class in the same schools since childhood and now worked near each other in downtown Vancouver, so they met and ate lunch together each day before returning to their respective jobs.

But Gisela was not the only one in the Krause family who Clara had an interest in. Gisela’s brother Ben was one year older than Clara and as they’d matured in their friendship playing together as children and later teenagers their relationship turned into something much more. Nothing was said between them to express their feelings but a little gesture here and a touch there told everyone in their age group they were an item.

This was not noticed by the Hoffman and Krause Fathers, but their wives understood the signals and eventually Mia bought it all out in the open by casually mentioning how good the two looked together and got along well. Mia and Emma were cooking together as they often did while their children and husbands were at work or school and Emma seizing on the opportunity suggested perhaps the families should have a talk about their eldest children getting together as life partners. Mia did mention that her husband had been talking with his relatives about the future of his son and marriage in future. Some interest had been shown by distant Krause relatives in connection with matching Ben up with one of their daughters as was customary in the German community. However, Mia felt she could persuade her husband to look at Clara as a more worthy prospect.

Perhaps unwisely Mia spoke with her son Ben to find out if he’d be interested in marrying Clara Hoffmann and Ben exploded with joy much to his mother’s delight. Mia immediately communicated this to Emma and both women rejoiced at the prospect of having their two children united in marriage. When Mia left to return home Emma resolved to sound her daughter out before approaching her husband Hans that evening.

Hans usually arrived home from work after Clara had returned home from her work, and it was as Clara was turning into her home street with Gisela at her side this meeting with her mother was about to happen.

As soon as she reached home, she reported to her mother asking permission for her to go to Gisela’s place where she wanted to inspect Gisela’s latest sweater creation. Emma indicated to Gisela at the door she wanted to talk with Clara for a while so Gisela could return home, and Clara would join her after she was finished talking with her. Then she revealed she and her neighbour had observed the interaction between the two and wondered how Clara would feel about a proposal for them to become life partners. Clara blushed red and averted her eyes giggling nervously but she nodded her head in agreement with the idea. Then Emma suggested the mothers should talk with Hans and Otto to get their consent and would Clara be happy for them to do that. Clara nodded her head vigorously and smiled happily. Emma warned her not to share their conversation with anyone in the Krause family as the fathers would need be involved before they could bring this out in the open.

Clara rushed over to Gisela’s home to view her latest knitting creation, but her excitement was more than she could hide, and Gisela kept pressing her friend as to what her mother said that made her so happy. Hard as it was Clara tried to suppress her emotions and not show excitement and even tried to be non-committal about what has bought her so much joy. This just made Gisela more curious, and she kept pressing Clara to disclose the secret after all they’d been close friends for life and always shared secrets.

So, Clara alarmed she might be tempted to disclose why she was so happy to her close friend excused herself and said she’d been asked by her mother to return home immediately after viewing her friend’s new creation, so she had to leave early much to Gisela’s disappointment.

This was a secret Gisela just had to search out, so she went to her mother asking if something had happened in the Hoffmann home that day that made her friend so happy. Her mother pretended to be surprised and told Gisela she was not aware of anything unusual happening to their next-door neighbours. Her husband Otto would be furious if he found out the two wives had been plotting behind his back on such an important matter and while she dearly loved her husband, he could be alarming when angry.

Within a few hours Mia was to find her fears justified. On Otto’s return home that evening the usual happy greetings were given as Otto returned home from work. Over supper Otto inquired about his children’s day activities as usual, and they enjoyed a pleasant time discussing each of the family’s experiences for the day. After supper the girls helped their mother clean up in the kitchen then the children retreated to the recreation room to do their school homework play games or read before being instructed by their father it was time to head for bed. Otto was very strict about bedtime for his children regardless of whether they were of working age or not. It was when the children were in their rooms that he and his wife discussed personal matters or made plans for the household while Mia sewed or knitted. Mia decided this was the time to discuss Ben and Clara’s developing relationship. She revealed that both Emma Hoffmann and Mia had observed a blossoming relationship between Ben and Clara and had confronted their children to find out if this was a serious interest or not. The two young people had confirmed their interest in each other.

Otto spun around from reading the paper to stare at his wife.

“You and Emma have been discussing this between you without any input from your husbands? This is totally out of line Mia, and I certainly don’t approve of your actions. You will not bring this matter up again.”

He got up in a fit of anger and headed for Ben’s room while Mia looked on in horror. What was Otto going to do? He was a good husband and father but had a short fuse and had sometimes taken his belt to the children when they were small if they were being particularly difficult, but he hadn’t done that since they’d reached their teen years and Mia knew this could cause anger against their father if he tried harsh punishment at their age as they were approaching adulthood and were always well behaved.  

There was silence for about ten minutes and then raised voices. Mia learned later Otto had been calm as he inquired from Ben if there was a relationship developing with Clara Hoffmann and on leaning his son was in fact smitten with the girl next door and had been since childhood he explained to Ben it was his father’s traditional job to seek out a suitable marriage partner for his children and he’d already been negotiating with distant relatives for a girl of his pleasing so Ben should have no further contact with Clara.

Ben had been incensed at this revelation. He didn’t want to be married at this point of his life when he was just establishing in his job and when he did marry it would only be to Clara who he’d known from early school days. It was at that point voices were raised, and the rest of Ben’s siblings appeared to see what the commotion was all about. They appeared in Ben’s room just as he was declaring he’d never marry anyone but his true love Clara and his siblings who loved the Hoffmann children they’d known since they were small shouted their approval of their brother.

Otto removed his belt and waved it at his children and shouted they should return to their rooms, and they scattered in fear, but Ben stood his ground while his father used the belt on him with rapid blows. Ben took it silently but raged inside at this brutal treatment. Finally, Otto exhausted turned and went back to the living room to join his wife Mia who stood silently and gathered her sewing then headed to their bedroom leaving him alone. Otto took his belt and beat on the lounge chair he usually sat on of an evening then began to calm down.

As he regained his composure it suddenly became apparent to him his family would never forgive him for this outburst. He remembered how his children had chorused their support for their brother and reflected on his wife’s obvious displeasure. A sudden fear enveloped him as he thought of the probable loss of respect his actions could cause. He loved his family and would find that hard to bear but they must understand it was his duty as a father to steer his family in right ways and hoped they’d eventually see he was doing what a father should do.

He headed for his bedroom and was just about to enter when he heard a door open and Ben appeared with a few of his clothes tied in a bundle and headed for the front door. Otto was seized with a sudden fear but determined to maintain his authority.

“Where do you think you’re going young man. Get back to your room and tomorrow we’ll talk again when you’ve had a chance to reflect on your actions and see reason.”

To be continued.

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