Edda Pt. 01

One of our very favorite sessions took place when Henneke was two and she and Willem were with our parents. It was at the top of a mountain pass in the South island overlooking a glacial valley that contained a magnificent bush lined turquoise high country lake.

We had stayed one night in a mountain hut having climbed through the subalpine bush with its spider plants and broadleaf forest. Finally we reached the low stunted alpine shrub land that proved the margin to the grassy tussock above.

The hut was known as the hut of the angels as it looked directly out over a mountain range. After a heavy snow fall a series of spurs along the range give the appearance of a line of angels complete with wings. On the night we stayed we sat on the verandah with a group of other trampers and the volunteer who looked after the hut. There was enough snow to see the angels which were made even more ethereal by the rising moon. I sat with Edda, my arm around her in silence in awe of the majesty of the moon rise. Edda snuggled in to me. I just knew she was feeling what I was feeling. It didn't need words.

In the morning we were welcomed by a clear blue sky. Below us was a blanket of cloud covering the lake. We climbed for two hours in the morning from the hut below to reach Jaggers Pass.

The climb was steep, hand over hand in places, the rocks jagged, perhaps the origin of the name. When we reached the base of the pass we discovered a natural cirque. We dropped exhausted and lay in the tussock between a tarn and a steep precipice which allowed us a view down the valley to the lake below and the angels that framed it.

The tarn was typically a large mottled deep teal and bottle green pond. In some ancient time this had been a neve of a hanging glacier. Today, being windless, the pond was a huge perfect mirror reflecting the craggy snow covered peaks behind. There were still small drifts of snow around us intermingled with the Mount Cook Daisies that had come into bloom sending splashes of white through the tussock. The towering fragmented rocks above gave testament to the tectonic forces that had thrust this primeval landscape out of the sea.

Initially we were just tired from the climb. We lay on our backs cushioned in the tussock, our heads against some mint coloured vegetable sheep. I looked across at Edda, her face was red and fresh with the exertion. Her bust was rising and falling, puffed from the climb and altitude. We felt so alone there, as though we were the only ones on top of the world.

I leaned across and kissed Edda. We turned to face the view. It was a fine still morning for the altitude we were at and the air lacked a wind chill. Suddenly wordlessly Edda began peeling off layers of her merino mountain wear. Following her lead I did the same until we were both totally naked despite the mountain air. I entered her, her legs spread widely in the missionary way, head cushioned and braced against that vegetable sheep. She wrapped her legs around me and we sustained our warmth with our love making.

It was not frantic but it was intense and pushing myself up above Edda I looked down on a woman in pure ecstasy. We were totally natural. Edda's only perfume was the aroma of a woman in sexual excitement. We finally came almost simultaneously. For Edda and me, it could not have been a greater moment of togetherness.

We were Adam and eve perched on a precipice in a mountainous Garden of Eden. There was no snake but there were a couple of Keas, mountain parrots. A couple of feathered voyeurs who flew down, curious to study this couple so irrationally naked on a mountain top. Our vulnerability suddenly exposed to their sharp beaks we hurriedly covered. No longer curious and perhaps with nothing to feed on the dull green parrots suddenly dispersed displaying their gaudy undersides adding splendor to the already idyllic site of a perfect union.

I remembered those feelings I had on the first night we had made love. This had been gentler, more in keeping with the tranquil surrounds. All the same my feelings were intense for the love of this Woman. We did not speak much and I wondered if she felt the same as me. The look on her face remained one of pure bliss, she seemed entranced. We just lay there for an hour before a wisp of mist reminded us that the weather can change in an instant and we reluctantly left our perch and holding hands where we could, we made our way and stumbled down the jagged path back to the hut.

On reaching the old red corrugated hut of the angels we sat on the ancient wooden porch and took off our muddy boots and gaiters. Edda stood up in her woolly socks and baggy shorts. She took my hand and gestured me to stand and we stood in tight embrace. Edda whispered, "I think that was the most mystical experience of my life. Thank you for bringing me here. Never, ever believe anything but my absolute love for you."

After a few years of the ups and downs of marriage, the stresses of a couple of children, it was so reassuring to hear those words. Up until then Edda was never big on endearments and the words 'I love you' just did not appear in her lexicon. She expressed her love in other ways usually tactile, often in little presents, a surprise of chocolate or a little bunch of wild flowers. Today was a special day and hearing those words of absolute love would not have been said lightly.

Or so I thought.

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Back in reality I noticed the increasing frustration of Edda in her work. I felt she had become directionless. We talked about her going back to University. She even talked about architecture as an option which I guess did not surprise me. I don't know why, but at the time I was not encouraging. She attended courses to expand her artistic repertoire and technique. By chance one day I met her boss Colin Broughton on the street. The PR Company was quite large by New Zealand standards. Its name was 'Patterson Patterson.' It had branches in Wellington as well as Auckland. We ducked into a café for coffee as he seemed to want to discuss Edda with me. He asked me if she was thinking of leaving. I indicated it was news to me but we agreed on her potential but Colin thought that their firm may not offer enough for her.

It was just after this when Edda's parents returned with Fenna and her husband to the Netherlands.

Edda made the decision to accompany them and took leave from her work. It was to be a month's vacation to catch up with friends and family. Edda took Willem and Henneke with her.

Without child duties I used the opportunity of some spare time to develop my theoretical ideas. I was developing these as quasi artworks. Being pre-computer visualization, there was a trend for paper architecture and architectural illustration as art. I was searching for ideas expressing landscape and culture in a new way but trying to avoid post-modern pastiche and classicism. This was the way of our practice, and we set up a studio gallery where my colleagues and I could display and critique each other's work.

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands Edda met up with her Architect Uncle Pieter. He, at the time was inspired by an up and coming German artist and theorist named Karl Weber. Karl Weber was actually an Architect. He and Pieter had a practice for a short time together but Weber had left to pursue a love of sculpture and art. Karl Weber was an intellectual 'flavor of the month' and was receiving a fair amount of publicity. He had strong opinions about green architecture and culture and was using his artwork as a medium for communicating his ideas. He had a small travelling exhibition which was opening in a shop front gallery in Amsterdam. As a collaborator, Pieter was invited to the exhibition and took Edda as his partner. Pieter explained that it was rumored that Weber was preparing an international exhibition which would be ground breaking.

At the time Edda, the family and I were regularly phoning and writing but pre internet communication was still limited and delayed. Edda did indicate that Pieter had introduced her to an opportunity that she could use in New Zealand. Knowing her frustrations back home I was excited at what this could mean to our lives.

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Chapter Two: Karl Weber

Karl Weber stood with a glass of wine in his hand as he watched the guests filing in and mingling. Weber lived a double life. He kept his private life, very much, close to his chest. At this time he was married with five children. His wife was a strict catholic. Weber did a fair bit of travelling and lecturing at art schools and public events when he was not home at work in his studio. On the road he had a bit of a reputation with the young students but he was very careful, especially when back in Germany, to keep such dalliances discrete.

As he watched he noticed one guest in particular, a tall Dutch woman. Tall Dutch women are not rare but this one was striking. Edda also noted Weber watching her and he was not so subtle about it. It was quite early at the opening and there were only a few there when a colleague of his, an Architect approached with the woman. The architect Pieter Oostendorp introduced the woman as his niece and that she lived in New Zealand.

The location, New Zealand, seemed to interest Weber as much as Edda's braless blouse and they chatted about the art scene in the antipodes. Weber also mentioned his looming exhibition and whether it may be of interest in Australasia. This gave Edda and idea. It was clear Weber was going to be busy at the exhibition opening so Edda wrapped up the conversation and asked if she could meet with Weber alone at the end of the evening as she had a business proposition. This intrigued Weber and he agreed. Edda arranged with Pieter that she would catch a tram home by herself later.

As the last guest left through the street door there was just Edda and Weber alone. Edda knew of Weber's reputation through Pieter and she had a plan. Initially they began a conversation in German but for Edda her German was a little rusty and they agreed to speak English.

"So you have a proposition for me," began Weber slightly slurring from the amount of wine he had consumed; Edda noticed him looking her up and down. Aware of the view from the street Edda continued. "I do," spying a suitable office to the rear, "why don't we go there to discuss."

Edda went first and she felt Weber lightly touch her bottom as he followed her. Not wanting to beat about the bush Edda moved up to a desk in the centre of the room. She quickly lifted her skirt then pushing her panties down half-mast flipped her skirt up her back leant onto the desk and pushed out her naked arse; "now fuck me."

She reached back; pulled her buttocks apart.

Weber stared at her brown puckered anus and down to the glistening hair on her hanging labia.

Edda knew Weber preferred the young girls but she figured right that he could not resist an arse handed to him on a plate.

Weber's fly was down in a flash and despite the alcohol he was fully erect as he directed his rigid cock to its target. Edda was characteristically juicy and penetration was swift with no resistance although she was not expecting the size and she winced as he unceremoniously jammed it straight in. "Make it quick," Edda ordered. And it was, as Weber gushed, in premature ejaculation. Edda took a handkerchief from her sleeve then cleaned up her combined juice and Weber cum from her leaking vagina and now oozing down her inner thighs. She then squeezed the wet hanky back from whence it came.

Pulling up her panties, she straightened her skirt then turned around and began the conversation with, "now that I have your full attention...."

Edda's plan was for Weber to open his internal exhibition in New Zealand and Australia before going to Europe and the states. The idea was to test the waters down under before committing to the main world centres. Fucking him straight off was the bait. She was letting him know what he could expect and how far she was prepared to go if he would go with her plan.

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That month Edda was away was the loneliest month of my life. We had never been apart for that length of time and I missed Edda and the children terribly. Meeting them at the airport was a fantastic occasion with Willem rushing me and Henneke hanging on to me, giving little opportunity to hug and kiss Edda.

If anything Edda was as close and attentive as ever. Just having meals together again seemed like celebrations. Our love making resumed an intensity of when we were freshly married and it was difficult keeping hands off one another in front of our children. Fortunately my parents were able to give us time out and this was a period I thought of as pure bliss.

Edda loved some of the work I had been doing while she was away and she excitedly announced that she had a real chance in securing Weber's exhibition for Australasia. She effectively brought this project in to Patterson Patterson. In this period we became very friendly with her Boss Colin and his family.

Our period of togetherness turned out to be brief however when the reality of organizing such a travelling exhibition began to bite into Edda's time. I found myself having to compromise my own work time to take on a greater share of family responsibilities. There became a period where it involved travel to Australia that I felt like a single parent. We both understood this to be temporary and I was just pleased that Edda had something to overcome her intellectual frustrations.

Added to this, Edda found herself pregnant with Lotte. This doubled the stress; however Edda's pregnancy was relatively easy this time around. All the same I was in awe at her ability to handle both and the tour organization. My parents were a god send at the time and we were lucky that although my father was semi -retired was able to assist with the children and Edda when my work commitments prevented my fatherly duties.

The first exhibition was set to take place one year after the birth of Lotte. There would be a red carpet grand opening in Wellington, then after three months it would move to Auckland, on to Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia before making its debut in New York. Using the public reaction Weber would then adjust the exhibition for its showing in the US and Europe.

As for the opening, I must say I did not enjoy the red carpet affair. Edda and I were supposed to be partners but she was so frantic, I hardly saw her, apart for a brief photographic call on the red carpet. I did not even get to meet Weber and when the speeches were made I was shoved off to one side. Edda had only just ceased breast feeding and although her figure was a little full, she had returned to her relatively slender self. She looked absolutely radiant that night in a black evening dress and her blonde hair pulled and pinned tightly back. But for me it was 'don't touch.' Gone was the Edda that would cling tightly to my arm. Was she avoiding me? Or was she asserting her new independence and power. I didn't know.

I reflected on how we had seemed to evolve recently from a constantly chatty couple into strangers. We didn't argue or snipe at one another. Edda was a bit snappy in the morning but her morning temper had never been that great, we just did not seem to have time for each other.

I knew few people there as the celebrities were from a community I was not familiar with, so I socialized with Edda's work colleagues and management. Colin expressed his admiration for her. In fact he was in awe of her and could not believe how she pulled it off. Nobody mentioned why we were not together. I just watched as Edda moved easily from guest to guest. She never seemed far from Weber but I did not detect any special chemistry between them so at that stage and there were no jealous alarm bells.

I went home by myself and was asleep when Edda came home.

The morning's breakfast was a very subdued affair. I brought Edda a cup of tea in bed. I did not wish to rain on her parade and did not mention how unhappy I was. Edda did not seem to want to talk about it although she had really been the centre of attention alongside Weber. The children came rushing in but she appeared hung over and asked if they could go out and play. But she did ask for Lotte.

She had become especially attentive of Lotte to the expense of Willem and Henneke. This seemed to affect Willem who I thought was being rejected by Edda. As he was a boy I was not too concerned. I enjoyed his attention and as a result we were very close in those early years.

In the following days Edda perked up with the reviews of the exhibition but I really could not gauge her demeanor. She seemed almost like she was depressed. I of course was trying to maintain both practice and child minding at this time. So I was not really conscious of Edda's movements but a couple of days after the exhibition opening, Edda and Weber turned up at my office.

I was surprised because I thought Edda was with the kids but obviously she was not and they weren't with my parents. They were with friends as I was to find out later. This was highly unusual, in fact unique, as Edda normally did not trust the children with anyone outside family. This had made it difficult for baby sitters when our parents were not available.

The astounding thing was the way Weber and Edda arrived. It was early evening and my colleagues at the office had gone home. We had a kind of shop front to our office and there was a reception area with our studio exhibition space to one side.

Edda banged on the glass door. I slid it open and Edda and Weber were standing there. I did not feel good about this mysterious person taking up so much of Edda's time and until then I had never been introduced to him but suddenly out of the blue, here he was.

There were no real smiles in fact not much was said and Edda gestured to Weber who just sort of muttered, "Good evening I believe you are Edda's husband."

I remember not replying and just thinking 'what the fuck;' I took an instant dislike to him.

Edda did not kiss me; she hardly greeted me, would not really look at me and just stayed close to the door saying Karl was really interested in seeing some of my work she had been telling him about.

Weber meanwhile was ranging around the office and into the studio peering at the sketches saying very little. It was weird, it felt like we were two alpha males quietly sizing each other up, posturing our manliness in front of the female.

Finally Weber made a statement that totally pissed me off. "I suppose the small scale work you architects do in New Zealand drive you to fantasize with paper architecture." As he was saying that he was staring at an early sketch perspective that was eventually to lead into our first competition win. He was looking at a shortlisted entry and he was telling me it was fantasy.

I just thought he was an arrogant condescending prick. I glared at Edda who remained at the door refusing to look at me. This was totally un-Edda. Not the woman who constantly had to claim me in public. She was near ignoring me. I felt awkward and embarrassed and wanted them both to leave. I then thought If they can be rude I can be as well saying, "look, I am very busy, once you have finished please make your way out," and disappeared into an office to fire up the new Mackintosh computer we had just purchased.

I did not look at Edda when I said that and just heard them leave a while later.

Once gone I suddenly felt sick. We had been totally tied up with the lead up to the exhibition and now I suddenly felt I had lost Edda in the confusion. I had a sudden a wave of insecurity and the old demons of suspicion and jealousy were resurrected. It dawned on me that I did not know where the children were and a quiet panic set in that our family had not existed while Weber was present.