A Page from History

The piece of paper I found near my car read: Freitag, den 22 April, 1966.

At the top, a logo and listing of the Kunstlerhaus Restaurant in Munchen (Munich), Germany.

It wasn't so much a menu as an agenda for dinner:

Consomme Celestine followed with Rumpsteak mit Krauterbutter (herb butter), Pommes frites (we'd call them French Fries), and gemischter Salat.  For dessert:  Wiener Krafen mit Vanillesauce.

The paper has folded carefully in half and preserved.  It's printed on a very heavy stock of paper.  It's a clue, an actual page from history - of what must have been for someone (maybe two someones) a most special night.

One can only imagine:

The couple arrives at 7pm at the Kunstlerhaus, the young man slightly uncomfortable in a too-tight shirt and tie while wearing the suit his mom told him he should wear for special nights.

The Fraulein is dressed up too, wearing her newest and prettiest lavender dress.  She has butterflies doing aerobatics wondering what in the world is going on - he's never suggested a place like this for dinner before.

The host greets the young man by name (it's amazing what a little tip beforehand can do to make a guy look good) and immediately escorts them to their table near the fireplace along the back wall.



He wasn't sure what to order so when his buddy offered to help design the perfect menu - he went along with what the chef recommended as something elegant and affordable for a guy working in the college library and busing tables in the dormitory at school.

The Consomme Celestine was the first course.

His date gazed into the china bowl in front of her wondering if her nerves might settle down enough so she wouldn't spill.  She looked around the room, it was a most distinguished place with middle-aged couples and others just a little older than them enjoying their wine before dinner.  Candle light reflected off the crystal sending bright dots around the room.

The rump steak and herb butter with the pommes frites came next.  She could tell he was nervous - he seemed to be sweating right through his suit... what was going on with him?

The two sat quietly, occasionally looking at each other and smiling.

The waiter cleared the table, delivered coffee and vanished.

Herr Williams patted his suit pocket, assuring himself that the small box was still there.  He's practiced this next part for days - slowly he bent over to pick up the fork he accidentally dropped to the floor.  As his knee touched the lacquered floorboard he pulled the box from his pocket, grabbed his girl's hand and asked her to marry him.

It wasn't as smooth as he hoped, but she was looking at him... staring really... and she seemed astonished.

She wasn't really surprised, after all she had been waiting for this moment for months.  But, she had to admit, she didn't expect it on this rainy Friday April night.

She sat a moment... a fry in one hand while his hand held her left.  She gazed into the air above her boyfriend's head.  What should she say?  Of course she loved him, but this was it, the beginning of the rest of their lives.

"Yes, I'll marry you," she said.   Applause came from the nearby tables and the waiter magically reappeared with a bottle of champagne and a plate for two with the house specialty - the donut with vanilla sauce.

His smile ran from one ear to the other as he talked about what they would do once he graduated university and he took that job in the United States.

She was excited.  So many people to call!  It's a good thing her parents liked this boy, she thought.  And, which sister would stand up with her at the wedding?  And... and... I'm doing what??!!!

The evening; the next three months; the wedding; and the long ride across the Atlantic felt like a blur.

Soon, they settled into married housing in Madison and he started his studies in the Chemistry Department - working for a professor to earn some extra money for tuition.

She took a job at the school working as a clerk in the Registrar's Office.  

There were promotions for both - then a little girl three years later (they named her Nell in honor of Neil Armstrong the first man on the moon). A little boy followed two years later.

Life was good - a series of days, weeks, months, and years - few of them spectacular enough to make into a movie, but a very good life.

That's why she saved this little card - this menu - from the night that changed their lives and brought them to America and this little town of Madison.

It's been a good life, she thought the day they buried her life's love.  Her mind still worked and she had her memories, her kids, and grandchildren.  

It was her idea to have the donuts with vanilla sauce at the funeral lunch.  Everyone was asking why that was on the menu, but she didn't say... it was her choice and her memory... a sweet-tasting one that would always make her smile.