Continued from After the War: Darmstadt to Mainz
The Treaty of Versailles obligated Germany to pay reparations to the Allied countries for material damage and loss resulting from the war. These hefty payments decimated the economy and caused rocketing inflation. In urban areas, food supplies were spotty and unreliable. Fresh vegetables and dairy products were dearest of all. Though she was a spirited child with a curious and quick mind, Yry was a thin and pale ten-year-old. It was difficult to get good, healthy food. A week’s worth of earnings barely covered a quart of buttermilk, a rare commodity which Herman hoped would plump up his puny little girl. His sacrifice was met by a long nose and wrinkled lips as she struggled to choke down the detested sour concoction.
Schools were also in disarray. Herman was convinced that no German school could provide an adequate education for his little Girlie, as he’d taken to calling her. He’d hired a few private tutors to supplement the lessons that he and Norah pressed upon her, but he could no longer put off her formal education. The French Occupation of Germany had resulted in an influx of French civilians, along with their families. Elite French schools bloomed to educate the children of the occupation. Ever resourceful, Herman finagled to enroll Yry in one of these highly recommended French schools.
During this period, Herman was employed by a German businessman. He and his wife, Elise, were frequent dinner guests at the house on Ritterstrasse. They had no children of their own. Elise adored Yry. Although she was not that much younger than Norah, Elise delighted in getting down on the floor to play games with Yry. She sensed that in that house filled with preoccupied and stern parents, the child was lonely.
Yry’s mother was mentally and emotionally exhausted. The war had taken its toll. And she felt the ever-present burden of trying to maintain a household as she felt it should be kept, despite the financial strain. And, like Yry, she dealt with the isolation that comes with immersion in customs and expectations that differed from her own—something that can be exciting—until the longing for family and the familiar sets in. Aside from overseeing her daughter’s lessons Norah spent little with her child. So when Elise offered to take Yry on outings to the park or for walks in the woods, Norah practically sighed with relief. Yry returned Elise’s admiration with unabashed joy. She loved this beautiful, fun-loving woman with her abundance of energy and kindness.
Another wonderful episode!
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Thanks, Lyn!
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I love this story so much! It is a step back in time and lovely history
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I’m so glad I at least have one fan! The silence is deadening. lol Thanks so much for cheerleading!
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I think that people are busy you know maybe Spring! I want to feature you so I can feature your story this Friday and you??? Let me know if that works for you. your story is very interesting and exciting!! Keep it coming xx
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Lyn, that is very generous of you! I think my story loses readers because the segments are long and require connected reading to make sense. I am discovering this is perhaps the failing of serialized writing. I don’t have Mark Twain’s skill at the short story! lol I would be honored to be featured in your blog. You have a strong and serious following and your talents extend to all points on the artistic snowflake. Thank you for your support!
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I haven’t forgotten you – been working on a remodel that seems to never end.
Honest reflection here. The German people were not to blame for the politics but they were punished.
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Argh. Good luck with the remodel.
Your reflection is a good one. The German people were punished for both World Wars. I think the citizens of a nation usually end up take the rap for the poor political choices of their leaders. (Which makes me really worry about my own country right now.)
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to read and respond. I love you for it.
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I do hope you can put this wonderful sympathetically told story into a book. I seem to have missed an instalment, having been away from blogs for a while. Is there a list of links to previous segments?
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Thanks, Catherine. This is about my 4th attempt at putting this down as a book. I got all the way to the end the last time, but I had fictionalized it to try to deal with some personal issues. Then as I began polishing that draft, I realized the story was no longer the story I’d set out to write. Back to the drawing board. Sigh.
You should be able to click the link at the top of the page that says, “My Life With an Enigma.” All the segments are there. The first few are slightly out of order. You can also click the link at the top of the page (Continued from) to catch the last segment.
Thanks very much for your interest and encouragement!
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A touching story—or episode, with both sadness and hope. The Treaty of Versailles turned out to be a disaster, not only for Germany and people suffering through the next years, but was a setup for to trigger WWII.
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Thanks again, for taking the time to read my long posts, Otto. Yes, it was a terrible ending to a terrible war. What dismays me is that I think America, and the world in general, learned from that mistake and handled things much better after WWII. However, the current state of mind in America right now is as short-sighted and self-righteous and stingy as were the framers of the T of V. We regress.
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Unfortunately I think you are right, but it’s not only happening in the States, but too many places in the world. Sadly enough.
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We need, like Facebook, a “don’t like” button to click. 😦
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