Storm Clouds Gathering over the Rocky Mountains
The Bombshell from Germany
Broken Road
It can be easy
to breeze through life
when you are cruising along
on the wide open, straight path of the highway.But often times
it is the bumps and dips and obstacles
on the broken roads
that lead to the best and most beautiful things in life.Quote by kind permission taken from the post “Broken Road” in Jodi’s blog
THE CREATIVE LIFE IN BETWEEN
Disquieting News for Peter
For three months from the time I had written my first letter to Biene’s parents to the moment she had returned to Germany, Biene and I were united by a common goal. We had mutually agreed on the details of a carefully laid out plan. It was simple and straightforward. Biene would come to Canada, marry me within a month or so and would take on together with me the challenging, but rewarding task of building our future together. We both received letters from Germany, which all expressed the same thought, total opposition to a foolish undertaking that would not only make us unhappy, but Biene’s parents as well.
Working together from a common base, even though thousands of miles apart, we fought off any attempt to make us give in to all kinds of threats, financial blackmail, or urgent pleas to come to our senses. The only person who showed some understanding to our plans and had struck a more conciliatory tone was Biene’s mother. But she would only go so far as to make a vague promise to let her daughter go one day. As long as Biene was in England, Biene and I were of one heart and one soul. We were both far removed from the place, where our controversial wedding plans were being challenged and hotly debated. Under the barrage of criticism we suffered together, we responded together and promised each other not to soften our resolve to get married. Above everything else stood out Biene’s urgent plea to set all the wheels in motion for her coming and to tell her what steps she needed to take in her dealings with the Canadian Embassy in Cologne. Then on the 23rd of December after a tearful parting from the Lande family, Biene finally flew home to join her family just in time for Christmas.
In spite of complete lack of communication from her for more than two weeks, I was still feeding on the strength and inspiration of Biene’s comforting last letter from England. However, in my worries about her impending troubles at home I also became increasingly more sensitive and vulnerable, feeling lonely and helpless in the drab and dreary basement room. Three days before New Year’s Eve I finally received her first letter since her arrival in Germany. When I had finished reading it, my hands were trembling, and my heart was pounding. I could not believe what I had just read. I was in such a shock that for the longest time I was unable to think clearly. In a state of utter despair about the events that threatened to derail all our plans I was pacing to and fro on the basement floor not knowing what to do. After I had sufficiently calmed down I reread the letter in search for some comforting clues I might have missed at the first perusal. Like a drowning person who clutches at straws trying to keep afloat I searched for a hint, a hidden meaning, or even the mere absence of an entire sentence that Biene in her own emotional turmoil may have intended to write, but had failed somehow to put it down in writing. But there was none. My devastation was complete.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 
Bienes so sehnsüchtig erwarteter Brief muß ja wirklich wie die sprichwörtliche Bombe bei Dir eingeschlagen haben, Peter.So wie Du Deine Reaktion darauf beschrieben hast, wurden sichtlich Deine schlimmsten Befürchtungen und Sorgen bestätigt..Sehr schlimm!!
Und auf die Fortsetzung muß man nun auch noch warten….
In einem Buch würde ich jetzt denken,daß die Spannung zwar steigt, aber sicher der Ausgang nicht gut werden wird… Zum Glück weiß man ja hier, daß alles doch noch sein happy end findet..
Wir grüßen Euch ganz herzlich aus Sottmar!!
Edda
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Keine Angst, liebe Edda! Bienes Brief war lieb geschrieben, aber er enthielt Änderungen unserer Pläne, die mir furchtbare Sorgen bereiteten. In der Tat die Spannung steigt und steigt noch weiter an mit jeder neuen Abweichung vom geplanten Kurs. Leider musst du dich bis nächste Woche gedulden, wenn du Bienes Brief zu lesen bekommst. Viele liebe Grüße aus Fauquier, BC!
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Leaving this narrative as a cliffhanger!
And a very dramatic, and excellent, photo to illustrate it.
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Thank you very much for your compliment!
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Oh, dear. I can only imagine what was in that letter. Are you not going to share it? Is it still too painful after all these many years? I hope it wasn’t too long before you received a more encouraging message from your beloved.
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Twenty years ago, I would still have been embarrassed to publish our story. But as time goes by, one begins to see that an important part of our life would be lost forever. No, Amy, after more than 50 years, there is no pain in telling the story. Yes, I will share Bienes letter on next week’s post. Have a great weekend, Amy!
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OK, I will prepare myself for this terrible letter! 🙂 Glad the good has far outweighed the bad in those memories.
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No need to prepare for a ‘terrible’ letter. You most likely will think that I was a bit oversensitive, which I was and that the letter was not all that bad at all. You will be the judge, Amy.
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How come?
Had she been forced to write this Kind of letter? I hardly can’t understand.
What happened?
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I wollte nur beschreiben, wie ich in der kleinsten Veränderung unserer Pläne Unheil witterte. Auf der Oberfläche wirkt Bienes Brief völlig harmlos und war auch im großen Ganzen liebevoll geschrieben. Ich werde ihn nächsten Freitag auszugsweise veröffentlichen. Hab noch ein frohes Osterfest! Peter
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Thinking I had missed something, I had to re-read this again too. I already know there’s eventually a happy ending, but just like Biene leaving you stewing in your drab apartment, you’ve left us hanging at our electronic devices! I must admit though, it makes it all the more interesting!
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There was rarely a dull moment in this roller coaster ride of our often times rocky relationship, Des. So mini climaxes and cliff hangers come naturally in this love story. Thank you for your insightful comment, Des!
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Ich bin gespannt wie es weitergeht…
herzlichst, Ulli
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Vielen Dank, Ulli, für dein Interesse an unserer Liebesgeschichte!
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Oh to leave us hanging like this!! Thank goodness we know there is a happy ending😉. I thought that beginning sounded familiar lol then I saw it was the quote you asked to share. I am so honored!! 😊
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Thank you again for letting me use your poem as an introduction to Chapter 36, Jodi! I felt it fitted perfectly to the story at that particular juncture in time.
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It really did. ☺️
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Peter, you are letting us readers experience your experience. No hope! I know it ends well but the twists and turns of your relationship with Biene is a cliff hanger. Looking forward to your next chapter.
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Yes, you assessed the situation correctly. Even though we know the outcome, it was important to describe accurately the way I felt at that particular point in time. Thank you very much for your kind comment!
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You are welcome!
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Peter, please share the letter to us. At least, give us some clues. I hope it’s not something bad…Looking forward to the next Chapter..
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Nurul, I can assure you that everything will work out in the end. I was very stressed by the changes to our original plans as suggested in Biene’s letter. Yes, I will share the letter with all of you on next Friday’s post.
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Peter, deine Geschichte ist spannender als wie ein Krimi, heart beating and exciting what comes next. If I wouldn’t know the happy end of the story, my heart would bleed.
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Cornelia, wir alle wissen, wie die Geschichte ausgegangen. Doch zu der Zeit konnte ich es nicht wissen. Ich wollte meine Gefühle so beschreiben, wie ich es damals erlebt habe, nicht was man nach 50 Jahren darüber denkt. Thank you, Cornelia! I was very touched by your comment.
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I admire your post because they always leave the readers yearning for more. Also, you have excellent skills to write emotions in paper
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Thank you for your words of appriciation, Arv! Your comment means a lot to me.
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You are welcome 😃
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Gosh, if you only had written the letter in your post, dear Peter, now I have to wait one week to know how it’s going on;))
How’s your Easter weather? We have snow here!! Happy Easter to you, kind regards Mitza
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Heavy snow is falling on this cold Easter morning here in Fauquier. But let the warmth of our hearts be a source of joy. Happy Easter, Mitza! Kindest regards. Peter
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Thanks a lot, Peter, same to you. I hope my heart is warm enough for this cold weather:)
kind regards Mitza
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I can’t imagine how hard that must have been on you! And I am really, really glad to know that this ends well and the two of you did get together in the end!
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I guess Jodi’s poem at the beginning of the chapter says it all. Going over a bumpy road can lead to greater things in life than easy traveling on a super smooth highway. Happy Easter, Ann!
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If you wanna make godesses laughing – you just need to inform them about your plans 😉
Great telling of a story.
Many greetings from the german fairy✨🧚♀️🌀
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Thank you for the kind compliment! “Doch mit des Geschickes Mächten
Ist kein ewger Bund zu flechten,
Und das Unglück schreitet schnell.” Greetings to the German fairy!
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Uh-oh! I feltw something as wrong when Biene was so quiet in your last post. Now I’m positively worried. I’ll read on…
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Yes, silence had never been a good omen. It leaves too much room for speculation and false conclusions.
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