The Abbeville Boys
Chapter 35: The Future
The months passed as Gretchen was starting to show and everyone was excited. The movement between Switzerland and Germany was open if you stayed in the two western zones. Kurt and Gretchen made plans to go see their parents after the baby was born.
Finally, in August of 1947 young Rolf Reichard was born. He was named after Gretchen’s grandfather. Rolf is an old German name meaning “famous wolf.” That’s also what they called Kurt back in his old squadron, “Wolf”. Rolf was a strapping lad weighing in at nine pounds. The Reichard’s could hardly go anywhere because they were stopped every few feet while people fawned over the baby.
The Reichard's settled into a comfortable lifestyle. Gretchen hired a babysitter for Rolf during the day. She was a sweet older lady named Freida. She was maybe late fifties, short and full figured. She had gray hair and blue eyes. Gretchen and Freida became close friends. She would watch Rolf and take care of Zeus while Gretchen was at work and walk home in the evening. She lived a few blocks away, so it was convenient for everyone.
The shop was becoming busy, and Gretchen was getting overwhelmed with the work needing to be done. One day a young lady walked in and they talked awhile. At one point the young lady asked, "Do you need any help here. I just finished my schooling, and I need a job."
Gretchen smiled, "As a matter of fact I do. I can show you the jewelry business and the hours are good. My name is Gretchen." She stuck out her hand.
The young lady shook her hand, "Hi, I'm Maria, Maria Klein."
"Hi Maria. How about I pay you sixty francs a week to start. You'll work six hours a day for four days and five hours on Saturday."
Maria got a big smile on her face, "Yes, that sounds great. When can I start?"
"What's your schedule? You can start tomorrow, or wait a few days, whatever you want."
Maria didn't hesitate, "I'll start tomorrow."
"Good, I'll see you around ten."
Kurt was continuing to fly and the workload increased as Bachmeier was hoping to expanding.
Kurt and Gretchen were having a great life and Rolf was growing. In May of 1948 they decided to go visit their parents. Maria had turned out to be a great manager and Gretchen left her in charge of the shop. The family drove to Heidelberg and went straight to Kurt's parents' house. Gretchen's parents were also there. They walked in and were pounced on with hugs and kisses. Everyone was embracing and trying to talk all at once. The reunion lasted for less than a minute and then both pair of parents descended on Rolf. He was picked up and passed around with all kinds of baby noises being thrown at him. Rolf took it well. He smiled and cooed. When he did there was an eruption ohhhhhs and ahhhhhhs. Both moms had tears in their eyes. Kurt and Gretchen quickly figured out they had become after thoughts, but everyone was having a good time.
They spent the next few days being together. The families went out to eat and getting caught up on the things that went on during the war. The parents weren't on their large estates but the city and houses they were in gave them great comfort. It was a feeling everyone had not experienced in a long time.
After several days it was time to head home. Plans were made for another trip soon. They drove back to Zurich, and it felt good to get home.
As the years passed Rolf grew like a weed and a new baby girl was welcomed into the family, Klara. Rolf was the hovering older brother taking care of his sister. Albert decided to retire and left the store to Gretchen. The only stipulation was she gave him a percentage of the profits for his retirement. Gretchen hugged him and said, "Of course, anything you want. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."
The store continued to have great success. Gretchen ended up hiring more people and had an entire staff running the store for her. Maria was a life saver. She took care of Rolf, baby Klara, and Zeus.
Kurt continued to fly for Buchmeier and loved it. One day the Swiss air force came calling. They wanted him to fly for them. Kurt couldn't resist. The money was good, and he would be back in military planes. Kurt told Buchmeier he would come back and fly for him whenever he could.
The years went by as Kurt and Gretchen flourished in the life they wanted from the beginning.