Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

Konrad discovered several other khevisberi hiding behind the church; one, standing in a puddle of blood, wasconsecrating roosters by cutting off their heads with one stroke of a sword, another was blessing and breaking rounds offlat bread. He kept a quarter of every third loaf for himself as payment.Alexandra took him into the church. People crowded its soaring, Romanesque nave, quietly walking around, meetingfriends, talking in a low voice. A few women were kneeling and praying in front of the iconostasis. All around the navehundreds of lighted beeswax tapers stuck to the bare walls at eye level. There was no priest, no music, no singing, noloud praying. The people had their very own gathering in God’s house.Konrad was deeply moved by this communal atmosphere, by the light of the hundreds of candles, and by the friendlinessof the people who unquestioningly accepted the stranger in their middle."Here," whispered Konrad with a choking voice, "I could find the presence of God again."Late in the afternoon on their ride back to Tiflis, it was already getting dark and an early moon was rising over the hills,his mare lost an iron. She limped along at a snail’s pace.After a while they decided to unburden the lame animal. They tied the mare to Alexandra's horse and Konrad climbedinto her saddle and held her tightly.Her warm body and the slow gait of the animal soon aroused him. After a time, Alexandra struggled out of herunderwear, and with a laugh and a pat to the horse’s neck, pulled her underpants over its pricked up ears and turnedaround to embrace Konrad.Under the sickle of the waxing moon, driven on by the rocking of her faithful horse, she slowly, gently lost her virginity, inthe most loving way the Old Orient knows.6.The Engagement1898Konrad and Alexandra surprised her father at work in his study. Dadiani took off his reading glasses and slowly rose.With uncommon seriousness he embraced and kissed Alexandra and shook Konrad’s hand."Yes, dear children, God walked in the garden and Adam and Eve hid in the bushes. You don’t have to be embarrassedbefore me, I am not God. Besides, different from God, I took a wife at a similar time in my life as you, Konrad, and havenever regretted that day."He smiled briefly. Clasping his hands behind his back, he walked back and forth. "I have thought about you and havecome to the conclusion that you might be good for each other. Konrad, you are a quiet and considerate man. You canlisten and you complement Alexandra’s often unruly, tempestuous nature."He stopped and contemplated them with his clear, blue eyes. "Because your temperaments are so different, life will notbring you only bliss. But if you use your differences to support each other’s strengths and weaknesses mutually andhonestly, they will be the best guarantee for a stable and fruitful marriage in these rapidly changing times."He folded his hands, touched his lips briefly, and then faced them squarely. "I have convinced Tamara to accept yourwish to get married. Alexandra, please go and find your mother, she knows what decision we four have to make."Alexandra left the room.Dadiani took up his walk again, absentmindedly twirling his mustache in deep concentration. "Konrad, I am trying to helpyou to get this drama over with as painlessly as possible, but you do have to ask Tamara formally for the hand of herdaughter. It is hard on her to see her daughter leave and follow you into an unknown future."Konrad had tried to anticipate various versions of this scene, but in none of them had he seen himself asking Alexandra’smother for her daughter. He had assumed that this charade would be played out between him and his future father-in-lawin his wife’s, and especially Alexandra’s, absence.A proudly poised Tamara followed by an anxious Alexandra walked in. And Konrad, before the tableau could composeitself or anybody could stop him, in unaccustomed spontaneity, went down on one knee and kissed Tamara’s hand."I have come to ask you and your husband for the hand of your daughter Alexandra. I promise to love her above anythingelse and to care for her to the end of my days, whatever fate may befall us." He recited the Georgian version Alexandrahad taught him.Silence befell on the room. Konrad remained on his knee. Tamara, taken by complete surprise, wiped a tear from hereyes and then did what nobody had expected. She extended her hand, raised Konrad, and embraced him."Konrad, I welcome you into our family as my son."26