Speaking Rolf - LJ Idol Prompt 14

[erulissedances]

 

Speaking Rolf

 

A fluid spate of words came from the backyard workshop. Anna sighed and walked to the open doorway leading to the back yard. Her husband had been in there for several hours making a new piece of furniture for a commission he had accepted. A well-established carpenter, he had made a good living for her and their children through his skills with wood. However, the words he yelled in German when things were going badly were so florid; they almost colored the surrounding air.

 

Their two younger girls hid behind her long skirt, the youngest with her thumb in her mouth, as they stared wide-eyed towards the building. They had learned that staying away from Daddy was the wisest thing to do when he was working. Isaac, their older brother, was standing motionless in the garden area, the crops only half-harvested, while the curse words floated over all of them.

 

Rolf only cursed in German, his native tongue, and a language that the children had never learned. Anna was suddenly reminded once again of why she had insisted that the language of their new land be the only one used at home. She hadn't wanted to explain to her children the various acts her husband was mentioning, nor the Gods her husband was maligning whenever things were not going smoothly. His curse words would color the air each time a board was slightly short, a cut went badly, he hammered his finger instead of the nail, or if the wood that was going to be used for an item turned out to be something unsuitable for that task.

 

She sighed. “Isaac,” she called. “Get that harvesting finished so that you can help your father in the workshop.” She knew Rolf tended to watch his tongue more if their youngest was in the same room with him, and some jobs were easier with four hands to help hold.

 

Turning her attention to the two younger girls, she clucked. “Now girls, we’ve got two buckets of blueberries that need washing and boiling so’s to be made into jam. Go to the well and fetch some water and I’ll meet you in the kitchen. It will take several trips, so don't overfill the bucket.” She knelt looking at her youngest and held out her hand. “Give your doll to me, Mandy. I’ll take care of her and make sure she’s in the perfect place to watch us work while we’re in the kitchen this afternoon.” With that, things returned to normal in the Schmitt household.

 

Several years later, when Isaac was in his mid-teens, they had saved enough money to take a trip back to Germany. They wanted to visit Rolf’s elderly parents and introduce them to their grandchildren for the first time. It was an adventure – the first steamer trip for the children, and only the second time over the ocean for Anna and Rolf. When the hired car crested the hill near the farmstead, Rolf almost wept seeing familiar places and faces.

 

Rolf’s parents, although elderly, were able to keep the farm working with the aid of Rolf’s two older brothers. On Sunday, after church, Rolf’s brothers and sisters who were still in the area gathered at the farm for a family dinner. A large pack of children,, nieces and nephews mostly,  tumbled through the old farm house and then moved out into the rolling fields beyond, all playing together with their new cousins from America. Anna sighed as she relaxed in the large kitchen with a cup of tea, sharing the table with her sisters-in-law.

 

“Ach du lieber himmel!” she exclaimed as Isaac's voice rose above the rest of the children, in a beautiful and creative spate of curse words he had learned from listening to his father over the years. She shook her head and started to apologize to the women. Her companions, however, were laughing.

 

“Anna,” her mother-in-law said, “he might not speak German, but he’s learned to speak Rolf very well indeed.”

 

 

Comments

[adoptedwriter]

Lol. 😆. Funny!

[erulissedances]

Thank you, my dear.

- Erulisse (one L)

[tinnean]

No matter what the language, we do tend to learn the curse words easiest. :-)

[erulissedances]

Too true, that. Maybe it's as well that we don't completely understand what we're saying - LOL.

- Erulisse (one L)

[roina_arwen]

Very cute!

[erulissedances]

Thanks so much!

- Erulisse (one L)

[desdemonaspace]

This is wonderful.

[erulissedances]

Thanks! I've certainly met people who only knew the curse words in foreign languages but couldn't ask for an egg for breakfast - LOL.

- Erulisse (one L)

[desdemonaspace]

Ha! I just remembered "Ei mit Spinat" from Betsy and The Great World!

[erulissedances]

I have never heard of that series of books before. You've introduced me to something new, and something I probably would have been very interested in as a young reader.

- Erulisse (one L)

[desdemonaspace]

You know what? They're even a good read as an adult. I mean, starting at her freshman year: Betsy In Spite Of Herself through Betsy's Wedding. The little kid books, not so much. They parallel the author's life, and are based upon her diaries. It's a real snapshot of life before WW I.

[drippedonpaper]

It's the little things that connect us, the good and bad habits. All of what we do and say basically comes from somewhere. Unique take on the prompt. I like it :)

[erulissedances]

Thanks so much. It was a hard prompt for me this week, but I like the direction I ended up taking.

- Erulisse (one L)

[banana_galaxy]

LOL. Like father like son. I'm glad the family was amused.

[erulissedances]

I'm sure his parents were still mortified, despite the fact that the other family members seemed perfectly willing to laugh it off.

- Erulisse (one L)

[ofearthandstars]

LOL, this is honestly how it works with little ones! Very cute, especially the last line!

[erulissedances]

I don't have children - never wanted any. But I've certainly seen kids who just blurt out anything and parents who turn several shades of embarrass as a result. I know I learned German when I was VERY young - I didn't like my parents talking about things behind my back, so I learned what they were saying - LOL. I imaging Issac would operate on the same wavelength as I did - learning the choice words from his Father's curses.

- Erulisse (one L)

[bleodswean]

HAHAHAHA!!! How adorable is this?! You really told an entire tale neatly and entertainingly!

[erulissedances]

Thank you, my friend. I wasn't really sure how to approach this topic, but eventually it sorted itself out. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

- Erulisse (one L)

[mollywheezy]

This was great! I never met my great-grandmother but have been told she only cursed in German. ;) I'm so glad Anna and Rolf and their children were able to go back to visit family in Germany. That didn't happen for very many immigrants. LOL at the last line!

[erulissedances]

Thanks so much. I was born in Germany and I've never been back in more than 60 years. Dad went back in the 80's when he was researching one of his books, and I think Mom went back to Vienna at some point, but her favorite places to travel were the East Coast - New York and New Jersey, and Mexico.

- Erulisse (one L)

[mollywheezy]

Wow! Long time not to go back, but travel is expensive. I was in Germany on a tour with my family 40 years ago and it's a beautiful country. That's the only time I've been. MY husband and I had planned to go to Europe for our 25th wedding anniversary but pandemic so that didn't happen. Maybe for the 30th, but I think about the next decade's travel will be taken up with graduations of our nieces and nephews. ;)

[lokbiiviing]

They should have let the children become bilingual, since some things could not be stopped anyway. XD

[erulissedances]

I only became bilingual because I wanted to understand the secrets my folks were talking about - usually things like birthday or holiday gifts - LOL. I know a lot of immigrants, however, who try to minimize using their original languages because they're trying to become fluent and conversant in English.

- Erulisse (one L)

[d0gs.livejournal.com]

This was so cute and made me laugh so much! That last line is wonderful!

[erulissedances]

Thank you so VERY much. After I finally got an idea for how I wanted to write this, I had some fun with it. I'm delighted that you also had fun as a reader.

- Erulisse (one L)

[dadi]

LOOOOL this is too funny! To think that I never curse in German, none of the words seem really enough to let off steam! Italian and Romanian are so much more florid and colourful!

[erulissedances]

Thanks so much for reading and commenting. My parents never cursed, so I never learned the German curse words either - LOL. I admit that Italian cursing sounds so musical, it's hard to get angry when hearing yourself cursed because it's so beautiful.

- Erulisse (one L)

[alycewilson]

Oh, I love that ending! This is perfect.

[erulissedances]

Thank you so VERY much.

- Erulisse (one L)