Because of our constant preoccupation with Julia and the presence of the neighbor’s children, Chris and I never had the feeling that our marriage was childless.
That’s why I was shocked when Chris told me she was pregnant. Becoming a father again at age 54 was something I couldn’t imagine. I reminded Chris of our agreement: our marriage was to remain childless!
Her helplessness and sadness were clear, and she asked for time to think it over. My wife wanted the child, and I accepted her decision. Family, friends, and colleagues encouraged late fatherhood, and I regained my courage.
Chris blossomed, was happy, and we looked forward to our child together. In the summer of 1987, we planned a vacation trip to Hungary together with Christiane’s sister Sabine, her life companion Eckhard and Julia. There was no reason to call off the vacation.
Chris felt well and had no pregnancy complaints in the seventh month. Without a break, the trip to Lake Balaton was manageable in a tight day trip, even with a trailer. We didn’t have to carry too much extra luggage because it was easier to manage with five sets of foreign currency.
In addition, Hungary was almost a western country. The historically grown close economic relations to Austria made it possible. International visitors met at Lake Balaton.
With the favorable exchange rate of the Schilling, D-Mark and Franc against the Forint, Western tourists lived in Hungary like the proverbial Lord God in France.
Although we didn’t have ‘hard currency,’ we always felt a bit like we were in the West at Lake Balaton. Life was more colorful, more diverse, and it also smelled different than at home.
Julia had already found two girls and a boy to play together on the second day of our arrival at the campsite in Zamárdi near the ferry to Tihany.
We got acquainted with the parents of the children. The two couples came from Hesse and lived near Homburg. Together we spent carefree vacation days.
Our new friends knew about our tight budget and were very generous without humiliating us. The friendship lasted for several years after the vacation.
During their visit to the fair city, we had the opportunity to return the favor for their generosity. On the way home, the thermometer showed well over 30 degrees in the shade. In the car there was a monkey heat because the Lada had no air conditioning. The trip was torture for everyone.
I was worried about Chris and decided to spend the night to recover. In the cool of the next morning, we continued the journey. After a never-ending drive, we arrived home exhausted but happy.
Chris needed rest but had survived the stresses of travel well. A week later, it was still glorious summer weather. There was a fresh breeze, and it was no longer so hot.
With good sailing weather, I stowed the surfboard on the car roof and for Chris the camping table and a reasonably comfortable camping chair in the trunk. She should be able to watch me surfing sitting in the shade.
But life is full of surprises. My girlfriend suddenly went into labor and instead of going to the lake, we raced to the gynecological clinic with the surfboard on the car.
That same evening, the premature baby was brought into the known light of day by Caesarean section, separated from its mother and placed in a sterile incubator.
A weeks-long ordeal began. The boy weighed just under one and a half kilos but was only viable with medical help. After ten days, Chris was discharged from the hospital without having consciously seen her child.
For six long weeks, I drove to the children’s hospital every day with my mother’s milk pumped out. In the isolation ward, I was allowed to look at our wired child through a pane of glass and watched the twitching green curves on the monitor with anxious feelings.
After an extremely critical phase, Sascha finally made it, and we were allowed to bring the tiny human home. It took time for Chris to develop an intimate mother-child relationship. In early childhood, the boy was very susceptible to illness, but from year to year his health strengthened.
By preschool age he had already turned into an enthusiastic karate athlete, even though the smallest fighting suit was still a size too big for him. 𝓣𝓸 𝓑𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓭…
This is a supporter-funded publication. To receive new contributions and promote my work, become a subscriber: