Konrad and Alexandra (pdf) - Rolf Gross

you have ever known me. Can’t you see? I have missed you badly. Since I saw you last in St.
Petersburg, you have become even more beautiful. And you are so slender after two children,
how do you do it? Papa retired from teaching and is devoting his whole time to the revised
edition of his anthology of Georgian poetry. He has become more tolerant. We are both very
well."
"How are Olga and Ilia, and how is Sophia taking the death of her husband?"
A cloud crossed Deda’s face. "Olga, as always, followed Ilia into exile. They live under
surveillance near Sevastopol, too close to Georgia. The house in Zaguramo stands empty."
She became animated. "You should soon go to Kaspi to visit Sophia. She has been
hiding in mourning out there for too long. Maybe you can lure her here for little Sophia’s
christening. Take Otto along. She has not stopped talking about Otto’s miraculous ‘Tibetan’
birth."
Alexandra laughed. "I saw those lights again when Sophia was born, it was very
enjoyable and not Tibetan at all."
They took the old phaeton to Kaspi. Otto was happy, he had rediscovered Tante Claudia
who spoiled him. Amazing, thought Alexandra, how easily children negotiate time and space.
Otto was neither surprised nor curious how Claudia had materialized suddenly so far from
Munich. Alexandra thought of their discussions in Fiesole. Children seemed to have neither a
time nor a space consciousness. What was Uncle Mouravi’s car going to look like? She had
never seen it, some primitive, early three-wheeler?
The Benz
She gasped when she saw the machine, a state-coach in immaculate condition, four
doors, a sofa in the rear, room for six people, a sliding-glass window behind the front seats,
eight cylinders, a pneumatic starter, at least one hundred horses! The beauty shimmered in the
sun. Niko and Konrad, excited like little boys, looked under the hood, fabulous workmanship
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