Peter’s Daring Request and a Chinese Love Poem
Calgary Pallister Hotel in the 1960’s
Still dwelling on my romantic sentiments fuelled by my recent fishing trip into the Canadian Rockies and riding now on wave of euphoria brought on by my apparent success at the registrar’s office of the University, I sat down to finally write the letter to Biene, which she had been yearning to receive for such a long time.
August 2nd 1965 Calgary
My dear Biene, …And now I come to the most important part of my letter. Next April my first year will be over, and I will do everything in my power to pass all my exams. Then I will be at the halfway mark of my teachers’ training program, and the most difficult period of my studies will be behind me. However, a very busy summer will be waiting for me, because I will have to earn enough money to pay for tuition and living expenses for the second year. Since the direction, which I have chosen for my profession, will have been secured, I think that it will now make sense for you to come to me so that we two can take on the challenges of the last year together. That way we both will have worked our way up, and it will give us later the feeling of having reached our goal together. But above all remains the fact that I love you, and it seems to me now that two years of waiting will be unthinkable and unbearable. This summer has brought me so many wonderful experiences that I am hurting just to think that you could not share them with me. After your reply I will find out what to do next. I love you. Your Peter
The House on the Fyffe Road
Four days later I received the devastating news from another department of the university administration that they had reviewed my high school certificate and determined that I would have to take a written English proficiency exam on September 10th. Only if I passed that test would I be admitted as student in the Faculty of Education. I was deeply worried, since I had only a month to prepare myself for this decisive moment in my life. Every day I wrote for practice a paragraph, sometimes even an entire essay on the topics I had gleaned from my brother’s old high school English text. I was afraid that if the standards were nearly as high as they were for essay writing in German at my high school, I would most certainly fail. I was clearly standing at the crossroads. The thought repeatedly crossed my mind to return to Germany and enrol at the University in Erlangen near Nuremberg, Bavaria, for the beginning of the fall and winter semester. Proud as I was, I rejected what was to me like an open admission of surrender of all the plans that Biene and I had made for our future in Canada. Going back to Germany would entail six long years of postsecondary education and an equally long waiting period, before I would reach financial independence. By comparison even one year’s delay here in Canada seemed preferable to me. So I boldly stuck my neck out and asked Biene to come as early as the following spring regardless of the outcome of the test on September 10th. In case I did not succeed in passing it, I would take night classes in English 30 and work during the day to earn more money for my studies in the following year. No matter what was going to happen, I thought, I would be teaching within three years. Biene and I would be navigating through the uncharted sea of an unknown future with the unshakeable trust of reaching eventually the island of a secure and happy life. The dreamer in me was temporarily getting the upper hand. Perhaps it is a good thing to lose oneself in one’s dreams every once in a while. As it turned out, there was no need to ask, to beg, or to entice Biene to come. Her reply was swift and passionately written.
Brothers Adolf (on the right) and Gerry, his Wife Martha and Son Wayne
August 7th Velbert
My dear Peter, How auspicious your letter already looked from the outside! When I opened it full of expectation and the color photos and the little mountain flower fell into my lap, I already felt that it would contain only good news. And really, from one line to the next I felt warm and happy all over. But when I came to the ‘most important part’, I lost all my composure. My heart leapt for joy and in my excitement I had to read twice before I could comprehend that you meant next spring.
O Peter, you don’t know, how much in the last little while my heart was sinking! I could not and did not want to tell you, because uncertainty lay heavily on your shoulders. You know, Peter, my thoughts about you and our future did not offer any calm. How often did I lie awake at night searching desperately for a solution! And always at the end I came to the same conclusion that if you stayed in Canada, I should come to you as quickly as possible. I wanted to write you this only when a decision had been made. Dear Peter, can you now feel what your question means to me? It feels like being liberated. To me it is as if you read my most secret thoughts, and I always have to think of the lines in the Chinese poem, which a poet had written to his wife over a thousand years ago.
‘I have read your silky characters
and distinctly saw the letters cry.
Hundreds of rivers and mountains block your path.
Yet in thought and desire we are one.’
…Over and over again, since you were gone, I had to think, how much better it would be to bear right from the start all our initial hardships together. When we are so far apart for such a long time, even the beautiful things we experience make us feel sad, because we cannot share them with each other. Isn’t that so?
See, dear Peter, I lived through some bad times after our flight as refugees from East Germany, and so I know that one doesn’t have to be unhappy in times of need. One just has to have confidence. Imagine, like you I thought of renting a room at the beginning. How more easily will we be able to work and learn, when the constant yearning is no longer eating away at our hearts!
Dear Peter, the main thing now for you to do is to write my parents and tell them what your thoughts are on all this so they can put their trust into our plans. When they notice that we thought this through maturely and prudently, they will find it easier to let me go …”
My Brother Adolf 1965
I was delighted, no, more accurately put, I was absolutely ecstatic about Biene’s affirmative response. We two were one heart and one soul with the same sweet wish to join forces to embark on life’s journey as one. However, I was realistic enough to realize that writing her parents at this time would do nothing to convince them of a stable, happy and secure life for their daughter in the light of the current uncertainty over my academic endeavours.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 
Can’t wait for the next chapter, Peter.
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The focus will be on Biene again. We follow her to Manchester, England, where she is working in a household as au-pair girl.
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Ah good, can’t wait. Thank you for responding, Peter.
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Peter, you write so well and the tension builds. Waiting for your next chapter, with anticipation.
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Thank you for your kind comment! We will be with Biene in England starting with the next chapter.
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Great! I so enjoy your story.
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Its refraishing to read your wonderful english stories. Next chapter please.
Niedlich ich hab gedacht ich denke english und dachte: “Varifran kommer du?” (Where are you from) .. war aber Schwedisch 😀 😀 .. Nun toll jedenfalls deine Geschichten zu lesen.
Liebe Grüße/ Hälsningar/ Greetings out of Swedens green WoodlandWilderness with small red cottage 🙂 and have a nice day all together
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Liebe Lovisa, da habt ihr ja in Schweden euer großes Glück gefunden. Wir gratulieren. Schön, dass dir mein Blog so gut gefällt. Wie du siehst, bin ich mehrsprachig. Wie du bei meinem Blog lesen kannst habe ich mich in Calgary als Lehrer ausbilden lassen. Hab noch ein schönes Wochenende, Lovisa!
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Und von der Ausbildung kommt so ein perfektes Deutsch ! Toll. ICh liebe es, dass man mit einem Blog irgendwie die ganze Welt erreichen undentdecken kann 😀 Herzliche Grüße
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I love following this story, and especially like this part where the two of you are finally planning to be together and to plan your future as a couple!
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I am glad that you like our story, Without giving away any details there are still some major hurdles unexpected and unforeseen ahead of us. Have a wonderful weekend, dear Ann!
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It’s nice to hear about your positive motivation. Your brother’s picture shows strong contrast between high waisted trousers of yesteryears with low waist trousers in fashion now
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I am impressed by your observational skills and knowledge of the fashion of yesteryear and today. Thank you for your continued interest, arv!
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You are welcome 🙂
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Hallo, Peter!
Und wieder hab ich gespannt und auch gerührt die Fortsetzung Eurer Love Story
gelesen. Ich kann auch heute dazu nur sagen,das ist so richtig eine Geschichte, die das Leben schrieb! Ihr beide seid mit einem Mut und einer Ausdauer an die gemeinsame Verwirklichung Euer Träume und Vorstellungen gegangen, die ich nur immer wieder bewundern kann..Und trotz Eurer Ängste und der weiten räumlichen Trennung ward Ihr immer auf einer Wellenlänge, das kann man aus Euren Briefen erfahren. Wie Biene ganz erlöst auf Deine Bitte, schon bald zu Dir zu kommen, reagiert hat, ist zu schön zu lesen!
Was Du wohl ihren Eltern geschrieben hast?
Es wird sicher weiter sehr interessant..
Liebe Grüße an Euch beide!
Edda
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Liebe Edda, du hast mir mit deinem Kommentar wieder viel Freude gebracht. Wie viel deine lieben Zeilen gerade jetzt mir bedeuten, weisst du ja. Soweit waren Biene und ich auf derselben Wellenlänge, wie du das so schön ausgedrückt hast. Mit deiner Frage, was ich wohl den Eltern geschrieben haben könnte, hast du vielleicht schon ein Problem für unsere Zukunft erahnt. Aber wollen wir erst mal Biene nach England reisen lassen. Vielen Dank, liebe Edda, für deinen allerliebsten Kommentar!
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Wir denken viel an Euch, das weißt Du ja!
Ihr habt schon immer gemeinsam alle schönen und weniger schönen Zeiten in Angriff genommen, wenn jemand ganz stark ist, dann Ihr!👍👍👍
Jeder Deiner Blogs zeigt das..
Daß Ihr mit Bienes Eltern damals nicht auf einer Wellenlänge gewesen sein werdet, ahne ich jetzt schon! Aber ich folge Biene wie gewünscht erstmal nach England! 😉
Herzliche Grüße an Euch!
Edda
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Manchmal denke ich, dass unsere Liebesgeschichte auf deutsch viel besser wäre. Beruhen doch alle Episoden auf dem Inhalt unserer Briefen. Aber ich muss doch auch auf unsere Verwandte und Freunde in Amerika Rücksicht nehmen.
Ja, du ahnst schon richtig, dass noch so allerlei auf uns zukommt. Doch will ich der Geschichte nichts vorwegnehmen. Die Zeit in England gab Biene Gelegenheit zur inneren Stärkung. Vielen Dank für alle deine lieben Worte, Edda!
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The idea and feel of letters is so romantic 💛 As I read your story I was absorbed by the time around 15 years back when Ashish and I started dating and finally decided to get married☺️
Looking forward to reading the next chapter.
Cheers, Charu
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Thank you for your kind words, Charu! When you are ready to tell your story, I would be the first one to read it.
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I know it’s been commented on in your blog many times, but your beautiful, literate and heartfelt letters to one another are always immensely impressive. I don’t think I’m giving away any secrets when I say my wife and I seldom quoted ancient Chinese poetry in our pre-marriage correspondence, more’s the pity.
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I read your comment to Biene last night. We both had to smile at your sense of humour and irony, through which you described your pre-marriage correspondence. Biene has been a voracious reader all her life. As a child she read Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen, a novel, which she found in German translation in her mother’s private library. Any more explanations for Biene’s romantic vein in her writing? I think you get the picture, dear Bun.
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It makes sense that someone so good at writing letters should be a keen reader. I know Biene’s an artistic person too. I remember all the wonderful animal paintings that appeared on your blog some months back. Please pass on my best wishes to her.
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Thank you, Bun! I passed on you best wishes to Biene and hope she will take up her art again, since she is so good at it.
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