The Heirloom

Texas, August 1890

 

Albrecht Loesing was nervous and excited. Finally he had achieved his goal: To gain the hand of beautiful Genevieve Dominique.

 

He had spied her at a chili festival.

 

Now exactly two years and a month later he was waiting at the altar to be wed.

 

Genevieve's parents had chosen their own parish church. It was simple with a large glass stained window, depicting the sun. The interior was flood lit. Outside it was hot.

 

Genevieve entered with her father Jean-Rene. She was tall, thin and stood erect. Her light blond hair was hidden beneath a white hat and veil. Genevieve wore a white silk dress with flower prints. The top was tight fitting with puffy sleeves. The skirt was ruffled and bustled at the back. Genevieve's gloves were made of lace, and she held a bouquet of white roses, red carnation and lilies. Albrecht knew the symbolism of each. Red carnation stood for love, the roses for joy and beauty and the lilies for majesty, truth and honor.

Before Albrecht knew Genevieve was standing at his side. She seemed to have glided to the front accompanied by the Wedding March. They exchanged vows and a kiss. The ceremony passed in a blur.

 

Genevieve was happy with the match. She was eighteen and her new husband looked strapping. At least in her opinion. Albrecht was around 5 ft 9 in tall, had blue eyes and was dark blond. He was a German immigrant from a small town near Regensburg in Bavaria , but Genevieve's father believed Albrecht was a suitor and Genevieve was glad about it. He was only five years older than her. There had been other parties interested in Genevieve, because she was not only beautiful, but also a good catch. Her father owned one of the largest cattle farms in the area. Jean-Rene had been considerate, because he could have easily agreed to Rafael Cornejo's proposal. Rafael was a neighbor and had an equally large farm. He was fifty seven and recently widowed. Rafael needed a wife, who could take care of the household and maybe give him finally an heir. Knowing both well, Jean-Rene didn't think Rafael and Genevieve were suitable as a couple. Genevieve was very sensitive and cried easy. Sometimes she could be high strung. Rafael was a hard man and might not react sensible to Genevieve's feelings and needs.

Having heard only positive things about Albrecht, Jean-Rene considered agreeing to a betrothal between his daughter and the nephew of the town's banker. What swayed Jean-Rene was the kindness Albrecht showed towards Genevieve and that the young man was ambitious. When asking for Genevieve's hand, Albrecht had promised to take care of Genevieve and to provide her with everything she ever needed.

Having worked that out, Jean-Rene offered Rafael instead his younger daughter Sylvie, who was sixteen and much better suited. She loved the country life and had shown talent managing a large household by helping her mother. Sylvie was also stable and easygoing. Rafael was pleased enough and as soon as Sylvie was turning seventeen they were going to be married.

Albrecht and Genevieve were delighted with the outcome too.

 

The newly weds and their guests made their way to Albrecht's house, where the Groom Cake had been already baked, cut into pieces and packaged for the guests to take home as a memento. Some also believed that a maid sleeping with the cake under her pillow would dream about the man she was going to marry.

Lunch was served after everyone had settled down. It consisted of wedding soup, roasted suckling pig with sauerkraut and potato dumplings and Charlotte Royale. There was dancing afterwards, followed by coffee and a two tiered cake with chocolate at the bottom and white cake filled with cherry jam on top. Both were sugar frosted. The frosting was very white, showing off the family's status. Sugar was expensive, so the whiter the icing the better off the family was.

The festivities continued with alcohol. Genevieve and Albrecht were a bit tipsy, when they retired to their bedroom.

Albrecht threw his top head away and loosened his cravat. It was red with golden dots, perfectly matching his new vest. His white dress shirt had a high stand collar and a bib front. It was tight fitting. Genevieve was a bit nervous. Her mother Candice hadn't told her a lot what was going to happen between husband and wife or how babies were made. Candice had simply said the woman had to bear the attention her husband was paying her.

Genevieve swallowed hard, when Albrecht began to open his shoe laces. "Could you help me with my boots, please?" Albrecht asked. She knelt down and pulled hard on the calf leather ankle boots. The leather felt soft. Finally Genevieve managed to get them off. She placed them neatly beside the large commode with a marble top. The room was furnished in Biedermeier and Victorian Renaissance style. The furniture was made from walnut wood. The headboard of the four poster bed was intricately carved, depicting a hunting scene. On one of the walls hung a painting of St. Mary. There were two night stands, too. Genevieve's eyes returned to the bed, where she was going to end up sooner or later. She was suddenly frightened. Albrecht read her mind. "Come here." He motioned her to sit on his lap. Genevieve was shy. After hesitating shortly, she took a seat. It was slightly uncomfortable with the whalebone hoop skirt she was wearing. Albrecht hugged her and drew nearer. His lips closing on hers. He smelled of onions, sauerkraut and beer. She liked being kissed. It caused Genevieve to feel a light flutter in her stomach. Albrecht withdrew for a moment. Genevieve moaned, disappointed the kiss ended already. Albrecht smiled and dipped down again. His hands started wandering along Genevieve's hips. That was nice too. "I'd love to see your body." Albrecht whispered into Genevieve's ear. Genevieve blushed. She had been brought up not to show off, so was a bit uncomfortable. Albrecht kissed her some more. It relaxed Genevieve. She snuggled closer to him, putting her arms around his neck. In the end Genevieve felt giddy and was ready to get rid of her garments. Albrecht started to unbutton her dress, followed by her leather and lace boots with five inch heels and helping Genevieve out of them. In turn Genevieve helped Albrecht with his vest and shirt. He was sitting bare chested on the bench. For someone who was working behind a desk, he was fairly muscular. Brown hair covered Albrecht's chest. Genevieve was surprised and liked playing with it. The hair continued in a thin line down to Albrecht's navel, below it was hidden by the trouser. Genevieve still wore her camisole, corset, hoopskirt and bloomer, so she wasn't too conscious of her state of undress yet. Albrecht removed only his stockings, because he didn't wear any underwear and was worried Genevieve would be scared if she saw his manhood. Careful Albrecht pulled the camisole over Genevieve’s head, revealing high breasts underneath the corset. Albrecht was happy with what he saw. Checking if his new wife was alright, he touched them, lightly. Genevieve had overcome her shyness and removed her skirt from alone. "Now you." She said. When Albrecht didn't move, Genevieve got hands on. Her small fingers struggled with the top button. Albrecht leaned back a bit to make it easier for Genevieve. Her fingers were hooked between his skin and trousers, making Albrecht shudder. Button after button opened up. Albrecht was afraid how Genevieve would react. Genevieve knew what a manhood looked like, having seen the farm animals sometimes in action and taking care of her younger brother Jules, when he was small. Jules was fourteen now, so nearly a man.

Genevieve was happy about her husband's size.

Finally both were undressed. Genevieve expected to go to bed immediately to consume the marriage and make it official. Instead Albrecht looked at her, admiring Genevieve's beauty. "Wait a second! I have a gift for you." Albrecht went to the commode and withdrew a black velvet box. He opened it and removed a fragile 24 karat gold chain with a 3 in pendant. It was shaped like a chili pepper and also made from gold. The pendant was decorated with flowers. The stems were made from white gold, the center of the flowers were colored diamonds and the petals rubies and sapphires. "I love you very much, Genevieve. I loved you from the first moment I saw you... I hope you wear it to remember..." Albrecht stepped behind Genevieve, putting the chain around her neck, touching the soft skin, when he closed the clasp. His touch set Genevieve's skin on fire. She admired the jewelry. It was really beautiful.

Hand in hand they went to bed. Albrecht taking his leisure making love and after the first few times sex was enjoyable for Genevieve.

 

 

Dallas, Texas, 1903

 

Wallenstein Loesing was ten. He watched in fascination how his mother Genevieve got dressed for a ball she and Albrecht, his father, were attending. "Wally, please do me a favor and get the black box from the top drawer of the commode." Wallenstein obeyed. He enjoyed spending time alone with his Mom.

Normally he and his younger siblings were banned to the play room, their bedrooms or the kitchen, where they took their meals, but once a week their mother spent an hour with each child alone. Today was his. Wallenstein liked being in his mother's dressing room. It was small, but bright with high ceilings.

He loved it when Mom told him the story behind the jewelry piece kept in the black velvet box he was carrying to her.

"Please tell me again how you met Dad." Wallenstein begged. "... and so he gave me the pendant as sign of his love. The End!" His mother smiled, remembering being a young bride. She turned serious. It had taken her ages to get pregnant. In fact Albrecht and Genevieve had given up hope they would ever have children. Genevieve had received advice, if she liked it or not - for example drinking a potion containing powdered wolf's penis, to carry a charm made from a quail's heart with her or not to sweep under the bed.

Albrecht's and her relationship had gotten strained with the pressure, sex became mechanical. Then they moved to Dallas , where Albrecht opened a new branch of the bank he had inherited. It changed everything. Within a month she was pregnant, Wallenstein was the result, followed by Albert two years later, then Ashley and Tianna and three years ago John.

Thank goodness the bad times were behind Albrecht and Genevieve.

"When you are getting married you can give the pendant to your bride." Genevieve said.

 

 

Dallas, Texas, 1915

 

Wallenstein Loesing didn't believe his eyes. Barbara Vanger was walking down the aisle to marry his brother Albert. She was wearing the chili pepper pendant he wanted to give to his fiancée Melva Detreille. He had been more than once promised by his parents he would receive it, when he married and now this!

 

At a suitable moment Wallenstein approached Albert, asking him to return the jewelry. Albert laughed at him and said: "No, Mom has given it to me, and Barbara is going to wear it, so bugger off!" Wallenstein was hurt and felt betrayed. It was senseless talking to Albert.

 

Genevieve Loesing had decided to hand down the heirloom to a son or a daughter, who was in love with their partner and would appreciate the heritage and meaning of the pendant.

When Wallenstein confronted her, she explained Melva's and his marriage was out of convenience and not based on love, so his newly wed wife might appreciate the beauty of the chili pepper, but not the story behind it.

He had a chat with Barbara and tried to convince her she needed to give the pendant to him. She refused.

It left Wallenstein bitter.

 

 

Dallas, Texas, February 1939

 

Patsy McKeever looked up to Baxter Loesing, very much in love. Baxter had light brown hair and blue eyes.

He had just proposed to her. 

Instead of slipping a diamond ring on her finger, he gave her a gold pendant in the shape of a chili. "It has belonged to my grandmother Genevieve. It was a wedding gift from my grandfather." "It's beautiful."

Baxter had received it from his mother Barbara as a sign she approved the wedding between Patsy and him. She also told him the story. Baxter wasn't very romantic, but thought his future bride would love to hear the story. He was right. Miss McKeever was only 5 ft tall and had dark brown hair, fair skin and an uncountable number of freckles. She was a good dancer, despite tending to be a bit on the plump side. Both enjoyed dancing and soon realized they had much more in common. They both loved music and had an interest in politics. Baxter liked Patsy's boldness. She was outspoken, honest and energetic.

The wedding date was set for summer.

 

 

Dallas, Texas, June 1939

 

Finally it was Patsy's time to walk down the aisle. She was nervous. Her father Signy squeezed her arm re-assuring. Signy McKeever couldn't believe his daughter had grown up. It seemed like only a blink of the eye ago, when Patsy was still little and came rushing towards him when he returned home from work to get a hug.

Today she wore an ivory satin dress with a train. The train had a mini bustle at the top. The skirt was scalloped in the front and had a nice cut. Patsy wore the pendant Baxter had given her at their engagement clearly visible.

"Ready?" Signy asked. Patsy nodded.

Patsy was concentrating on walking in her high heels. She didn't want to remember her wedding, because she fell on her nose.

The attack came out of the blue. Patsy found herself sprawled on the floor half way before the altar, where Baxter was already waiting in his best tuxedo.

A relative of Baxter's was sitting on top of her, trying to snatch the chili pendant. Patsy wasn't the tallest or the strongest, but she wasn't willing to give up the gift, though, and struggled with Wallenstein Loesing. Signy grabbed the man. He wasn't strong enough, so the groom got hands on. Baxter pulled his uncle up and punched him once. He then shoved Wallenstein out of the church door and shouted: "Don't ever dare to return! You aren't welcome." That issue solved he was ready to get married.

Patsy was shaken and close to tears. She pulled herself together. In the end Wallenstein hadn't been successful in his attempt to steal the pendant.

The wedding went ahead and was remembered long afterwards - not necessary for the right reasons.

Since the incident Wallenstein's and Albert's families were on the war path. They hated each other with gusto.

Albert and Wallenstein believed their descendants had the right to the pendant and no one was willing to give in.

 

 

Dallas, Texas, 17.04.1992

 

Wallenstein Loesing was still alive. His burning desire to get his hands on the heirloom hadn't burned out. In fact it burned even stronger.

Since he was nearly 100, he believed his days were numbered and he wouldn't see any results. Wallenstein would have loved to hand over the chili to Shana, his great-great-granddaughter, so she could wear what belonged to her on the day of her wedding.

Wallenstein was sure he wouldn't see her grow up.

All pleas to Baxter, Patsy and their son Kenneth had fallen on deaf ears.

 

 

Wisconsin, 10.07.2001

 

Averell Loesing and his great grandfather Wallenstein had been scheming. If their relations didn't want to give them the pendant - which belonged rightly to the Wallenstein branch of the family - Averell and Wallenstein had to find a different solution and if necessary they would use illegal means.

Wallenstein was not even a month away from his 108th birthday and bed ridden by now. Wallenstein wished his mind would have gone with his body, but that wasn't the case. In this regard he was as fit as a man half his age or even younger.

Wallenstein was glad to see Shana growing up. She was now twenty two and in a stable relationship. Her partner and Shana were talking about marriage.

Wallenstein had to get the pendant before he died and before Shana's wedding, so he had sent Averell to meet with somebody in Wisconsin , who knew someone who would be able to get the jewelry piece.

 

Averell was not sure, if he was at the right place. He was waiting at an abandoned farm house. The contact hadn't arrived yet.

Averell was about to leave, when he heard a car approaching. Soon it came into sight. It was a SUV. The man was in his forties, like Averell, tall, lanky and dark haired.

"Are you looking for Damien?" The man asked. Damien was the code to identify them. Averell nodded, suddenly feeling nervous. What if it was a trap?

"Come on in." The man said. He held two cans of coca cola in his hands and went into the house.

"Okay, so you are looking for a master burglar, who can organize something for you?" "Yes." Averell nodded.

"Okay, let's look... There is Christopher Crison. He's from Arizona , at the very beginning of his carrier and twenty.

Anita Nadler, aged thirty, fairly good burglar from Washington State .

Dasianae Coffin has a lot of experience and I'd say her place in the top one hundred is nine. She's from Colorado and forty nine.

Jory Benjaminsson from Delaware is twenty eight. He's quite famous in certain circles and can get you what you need.

Teresa Maartkamp is nearly forty. I think her best time is over, but she knows what she does and still ranks in the top twenty.

Charles Fox, originally from West Virginia is in the top five, but more famous for museum burglaries. He's thirty three.

The last candidate is Coldham Noose III. He's a Floridian, aged twenty three. He is also in the top 5, I'd say. He's versatile and gets the job done."

Averell dismissed Christopher Crison, Anita Nadler and Charles Fox. Christopher was too inexperienced; Anita not good enough and Charles might not be able to pull it off, because his job was specialized.

"Whom would you recommend?" Averell asked about the remaining candidates. "Well, it's depending how much you want to spend. You shouldn't forget that most of them are busy, so it might take a while until they can accommodate you. So maybe start with Jory or Teresa." "Can I meet any of them?" "Jory's very shy, so he won't do it. The rest isn't going to be a problem." Averell was sure Wallenstein would want to meet them, so he could make himself a picture of the person, who was going to take care of their issue. Jory was out of the window.

"Could you please contact Dasianae, Teresa and Coldham?" "Sure." "How will I know?" "Either I or they are going to be in touch. Don't worry."

Naturally Averell worried.

 

 

Vientiane, Laos , 17.08.2001

 

The heat and humidity was unbelievable.

Averell and his wife Petra didn't like the dirt, cuisine and the obvious poverty. Their daughter Shana was in her element.

Of course Averell and Petra were well travelled, but their favorite destinations were Switzerland and Italy .

Shana didn't know why she and her parents made this trip so suddenly and out of the blue.

They were staying at the best hotel in town. While Shana thought it was great, Averell and Petra believed it wasn't as good as a luxury hotel in the US .

The Loesings and Coldham Noose III had agreed to meet. The only condition was that they came to him, because he was working on another case in Asia and couldn't leave his position for too long.

Of course Wallenstein didn't like the idea. He couldn't travel around the world in his condition. Wallenstein said to forget about Coldham. "What is going to happen, if Dasianae isn't what we want? Teresa has already refused. We should leave all our options open." Averell suggested. "Alright, you and Petra go." Wallenstein sighed. He still didn't like it.

 

Mr. Noose had told Petra and Averell he would meet them at a certain hawker stall. They left Shana at the pool of the hotel.

 

A black haired man was sitting on a rickety chair, nursing a Lao beer. He wore dark sunglasses and was completely dressed in black. He looked a bit out of place with his designer clothing. Averell estimated the man was in his twenties. Previous to the meeting they had agreed on a sign, that they had the right person. The man was reading the bible, so he was the one they were looking for.

When they approached he got up and introduced himself.

Mr. Noose removed his glasses and revealed blue grey eyes. He gave his potential clients a once over glance. He was evaluating them as they were him. Normally Mr. Noose was light ash blond, but having been previously in Asia , he knew he caught too much attention with his fair hair - not good, when he wanted to be inconspicuous - so he had changed his appearance.

Mr. Noose guessed Averell was in his early forties and his wife slightly older. They looked typical American with their same outfits. Both were wearing white t-shirts, blue jeans, white sneakers and Texas Rangers caps. It was very obvious where they were from. They were also loud and brash. The Loesings didn't make the impression they would appreciate Lao cuisine.

"I'll order lunch for you, while you make yourself comfortable." Mr. Noose said. "But..." Petra protested. "Don't worry, I'll pay. Would you prefer a beer, juice or water? The coffee's pretty good too or maybe some tea?" "Is there any Coke available?" Averell asked. Mr. Noose frowned, but nodded.

He came back with two cans of cola and two baguettes. They looked delicious, but since they contained raw vegetables the Loesings weren't too sure, if they could eat it. Averell and Petra realized they would offend Mr. Noose, if they wouldn't at least try.

"I'll be back in a sec." Mr. Noose said.

He went to the neighbor stall and ordered for himself. The Loesing's were impressed. They thought he spoke Lao, but it was Mandarin.

Mr. Noose returned. He inquired how their journey had been, if they liked Laos and what they had seen so far.

"Well, the flight was long, but we like that." Petra replied, sipping from her coke. "We're only here since the day before yesterday, so we haven't seen too much. The heat is hard to get used to. The people are friendly..." said Averell.

While they were describing their experiences Mr. Noose's lunch arrived. It was a little feast of rice vermicelli soup, Lao pork sausage, some kind of deep fried algae snack, tam mak hoong (papaya salad), grilled fish, diverse dips and sticky rice. There was only a spoon, so the Loesing's were trying to figure out how Mr. Noose was going to eat. To their disgust he was using his right hand after using disinfectant.

With trepidation Averell and Petra took a careful bite from the baguettes. To their surprise it was delicious, filled with cheese, pate, mayonnaise, pork, cucumber, daikon, cilantro, celery, carrots and chili sauce. "So, how can I help you?" Mr. Noose asked. His face was unreadable. Averell and Petra told and showed him photographs of the pendant. They didn't want that the burglary was immediately discovered.  Mr. Noose said: "I have other commitments, so it can take a year to a year and a half until I can work on your case." "What so long?!" Averell protested. "If that's too long, I can't unfortunately take on the job." Mr. Noose's eyes were cold. It seemed he didn't care. Petra tried to save the situation. "Mr. Noose, it's not because we don't want to give you the time... Averell's great grandfather is getting weaker by the minute. Because of his age we aren't sure if he won't die tomorrow." Mr. Noose looked Petra straight in the eyes and replied: "I can understand why you want the pendant as fast as possible, but as I said I've taken on other jobs. Those clients wouldn't be too pleased, if I would drop everything for you. They also had to wait and it's only fair." "Money is not an issue. Name your price and you'll get it, if you do it earlier." "Mr. Loesing, I'm not bribable. Either you agree on my terms or we won't have a deal." "We'll have to discuss this with my great grandfather." "Okay, that's fine with me." Petra asked: "If we would give you the job, how much is it going to be?" "500.000 USD." "What?!" Averell nearly had a heart attack. He had thought about spending a few thousand dollars. "Mr. Loesing, I'm not a small time criminal and if you really want that the break in goes unnoticed, I have to invest more time, energy and money. If you look for someone cheap, you are at the wrong address." "Mr. Noose, I don't doubt your skills. It's just a bit surprising how much you charge..." Averell said. "My grandmother was a wise woman. She always told me that you get what you pay for. I promise I'm going to deliver what you ask from me." The Loesings needed to discuss the details with Wallenstein Loesing and would let Mr. Noose know if he got the job.

 

 

Dallas, Texas, May 2002

 

Dasianae Coffin had to admit defeat. She had worked hard, but she hadn't been able to penetrate the building. Security was too high for her taste, so she had to tell her client she wasn't able to the job.

 

Averell Loesing was unhappy and sad, especially since they had lost so much time and Wallenstein was really sick. He was in hospital, because he was suffering from pneumonia. The doctors weren't sure, if Wallenstein was pulling through. Considering Averell's great grandfather's age it was amazing he was still alive anyway.

To make matters worse Shana and her partner Tor had announced they were going to get married the next year.

 

The Loesings hadn't contacted Mr. Noose, so he thought they had found somebody else and forgotten about it. He was surprised, when he received a call in Ireland , where he was working on his last job, before taking a longer break. Since Mr. Noose had promised them to deal with their case, he didn't refuse them.

Mr. Noose sighed. He wasn't looking forward to telling his fiancée Frieda about the job. She wasn't going to be happy to hear there was going to be a delay with their plans. Mr. Noose was glad Frieda understood his reasoning. Naturally she was disappointed.

 

 

Dallas, Texas, December 2002

 

Finally Wallenstein Loesing held the chili pepper pendant in hands. It looked as he had remembered it all those years. Wallenstein's eyes filled with tears. He hugged the blond stranger, who was a bit taken aback. "Thank you so much! You don't know what this means to me, Mr. Noose." The stranger shrugged. He replied gruff: "You are welcome." It was a bit embarrassing, because Mr. Noose hadn't done it from the goodness of his heart.

 

 

Dallas, Texas, February 2003

 

It was a happy and sad month for the Wallenstein branch of the Loesings. Shana married Tor as planned. She wore the beautiful pendant Albrecht had given to Genevieve nearly one hundred thirteen years earlier. Shana was very proud and touched her great great grandfather had given it to her.

He attended the wedding in a wheelchair.

Soon afterwards Wallenstein Loesing succumbed to an infection and died in his 110th year.


 

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