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- 9 - |
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Farewell and oddly thoughts
"Wonderfully tender lamb. How lucky we are today!", Simon Hill chatters to everyone present. "Balthasar is back in London, the whole family is eating dinner together and we have such a great roast on the table."
„Grandpa, could you please pass me the bowl of vegetables once more?“, asks Janet.
"Here you go, Janet, which I can also give you!" Simon passes the steaming dish over to her.
"Balthasar, it's good to hear that your wine sales went so well," continues Grandpa Simon.
"Yes, the trip was really worth it. German Riesling is in great demand here in England. Our customers were very happy to see me and I was welcomed with open arms everywhere I went."
"It just goes to show once again, that quality prevails. A well-made Riesling is plainly one of the best white wines in the world. It has such a fresh, invigorating character and unmistakably clear aroma. And then there's the light, tangy impression in leaves on the palate … simply unbeatable!", gushes Simon Hill.
"Father, you really should sell my Riesling all over England and not just here in London!"
There are smiles and smirks all round. "That's all I need - old Simon Hill traipsing around the entire island …," grumbles Grandma Mary.
"Daddy - Grandpa and I spent a few days in his cellar tasting all sorts of wines - and whisky, cognac and rum, too. It was all very exciting!", relates Simon, glowing with enthusiasm.
"Did the alcohol go to your head?"
"Oh no! I think I must be a champion spitter by now. We always spat everything out again … at least I always did and Grandpa did so most of the time!" Simon grins at his grandfather.
"Simon, never reveal any secrets!" Everyone has to laugh as Simon Hill is found out.
"And then there was the day spent with Mr. Morrison at Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly," continues Simon impatiently. "The whole day revolved around tea."
Grandpa Simon nods. "Balthasar, I think Simon will also become a tea connoisseur. But the day only began getting exciting once my watch was stolen …"
"And how did you finally get it back, Simon?", Balthasar asks his son.
"Well …" Simon yawns ostensibly with his hand in front of his mouth. "I'm suddenly very tired!" He gets up to say goodnight. "Dad, I really must introduce you to Marala and her parents tomorrow!" Simon exits the dining room with astounding speed.
"I knew that would make him leave," says Grandpa Simon. "I get the impression that in the past few days, this city has become 'Simons London' more and more."
"Well, I can tell you, Balthasar, we were so worried when Simon didn't come home one night! The suspense of not knowing what could have happened to him!" Betty is beside herself at the memory of it. From beginning to end, she retells what Simon and Marala, the little Indian girl, told them and adds that Simon couldn't be dissuaded from allowing Marala to join him in the drawing room - an affront in Betty's view.
"I can very well imagine that," answers Balthasar without a hint of reproach in his voice. "If Simon weren't involved, I would tell you the story is unbelievable."
Grandpa Simon nods. "Over the days I spent with Simon, one thing has become clear: the boy is incredibly strong-willed and has boundless energy."
"True. Josephine and I have always puzzled over how we should treat him. He doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word 'fear'. On the other hand, we also couldn't say that he blindly acts without thinking. We get the feeling that he thinks long and hard about what he does."
"In any case, you can't keep the boy at home forever," offers Grandpa Simon. "He wants to take over the world!"
"You're right about that, Father! Now I'll just have to wait and see what Simon has to show me tomorrow!"
Two days later, the 'Lone Star' leaves its berth at London's Surrey Docks. The ship that will make the first leg of Simon and his father's journey home is older than the 'Repatriate', which was under Captain Thomson's command. The two of them stand at the stern, waving at Grandpa Simon, Grandma Mary and cousins Elisabeth and Janet. Gradually, their figures become smaller and smaller. Tears are already pouring down Simon's cheeks and his father puts an arm around his shoulders. "Saying goodbye is always difficult, and will stay that way for the rest of your life! If you want to travel a lot, you will often have to say farewell. But you'll get used to it."
"Yesterday we met Marala on the bridge over the Thames. Do you remember, Daddy …?"
“Hello Marala, how are you?”
"Hey, Simon!" The girl embraces Simon warmly, pressing him against her.
"This is my father."
Balthasar looks at Marala and smiles. He is struck by her big, dark-brown eyes, which give her tender face a decidedly friendly character. He stretches his right hand out toward Marala. "Good morning, Marala."
A little cautiously, Marala shakes his hand. "Good morning Mr. Braun."
"Yesterday, Simon told me quite a lot about what the two of you have done and discovered together. It sounds very fascinating."
"Yes, we've really been through a lot," beams Marala. But her face turns sad as she asks, "Do you have to return home now?"
Simon looks at Marala wistfully. "Yes. Tomorrow. On the one hand, I'm looking forward to seeing my family - my mum, Christoph, Josephine and all the others, but on the other, I would love to stay here in London." He turns to his father. "Strange, isn't it, Dad?"
"That's completely normal, Simon. At home, everything is familiar, and here you get to see something new and unknown. It's typical of you, Simon Balthasar Braun, that you love both!"
All three of them break into laughter - but in Marala's case there are also a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks.
"You know, Dad, I already miss Marala. I have a very strange feeling in my stomach. When Marala hugged me as we were standing in front of their house with Harsha, I could have cried!"
"I understand," answers Balthasar. "But yesterday evening was nice, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was great that so many friends and associates were there to say goodbye to us."
Nothing worth mentioning happens during the passage to Oostende. To be honest it's downright boring. But that makes no difference to Simon. Although its bright and sunny, he spends a large part of his days at sea sitting on a teak chest on deck, watching the goings-on while contemplating his experiences in London and thinking about Marala and his feelings. His longing for home but also his desire to go out into the big, wide world. But also, the apprehension of having to say goodbye to someone you feel like you know very well, even though you only met her a few days ago …
Then on Sunday 18th July, 1824, it's lately over: They stop in front of the Mainz coach station. And Simon is just happy to finally be able to see everyone again. Christoph will be happy to finally have a brother to tease and squabble with once more …
That was my first long journey and I solemnly promised myself that it wouldn't be the last. At the time, I didn't have the slightest notion of all the things that were yet to happen to me. When I look back, I'm amazed at everything I was given the chance to learn and experience. And at the adventurous situations I was able to handle.
That strange feeling in my stomach mixed with the muddle in my head, which I first experienced when I farewelled Marala, is something I have since come to understand better. I now know that it had less to do with travelling and much more to do with the opposite sex …
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