My Wife Zsuzsa - Part 2

At the end of October, about 3 weeks after meeting Zsuzsa, I got back to the US after having been in Germany for 3 months total. A few days after getting home, I pulled out the paper that had her phone number and email address on it, and I sent her an email (back then, calling Germany was very expensive). Over the next few months, we exchanged casual emails every few weeks and about 2 or 3 actual letters in the mail. One funny thing she said in one of the letters was that she loved children and that if she had the means to support them, she would love to have 20 children (be careful what you wish for! haha). I also mailed her a Bible for Christmas with her name imprinted on the cover in golden letters.

While I was in Germany the first time, my mom had become a flight attendant, so now as her son, I was able to fly to Germany for only $150 instead of the $1100 that I paid the first time. Also, I got to sit in first class for no extra charge. I decided to plan a second Germany trip for the following February, this time for 3 weeks instead of 3 months. On my first 3 month trip I stayed with about 6 different missionaries for a week or two each. I wasn't interested in going back to Munich because I didn't like the church or the pastor there at all, so I spent my entire second trip in Koblenz, staying with the missionary I liked the most, Thomas Hastings. I didn't tell Zsuzsa because I knew I wouldn't be able to see her anyway, and I didn't want to be rude.

When I got back, I decided that I would save up some money and take a third trip to Germany that summer. In the course of our emails, Zsuzsa mentioned that she was planning on taking an out-of-the-country vacation in the summertime, and that she would really like to visit an English-speaking country like the US or Australia. I told her that if she wanted to visit the US, there was no better place to go than California, and that if she came to visit, she could stay in the guest bedroom at our house (I still lived with my parents) on the one condition that she came to church with us Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I also told her that if she came, I would take a couple weeks off from work and show her all the sights of Northern California. Eventually she agreed to come, and I decided to spend the entire $1000 I had saved up for a third Germany trip on hanging out with her instead.

Only one problem...I hadn't asked my parents permission before inviting her to come!

I started by mentioning it to my dad (while he was busy and not paying attention, of course) in a hypothetical way. "You know, dad, it's really hard for me to practice my German without having anyone to speak it with. Wouldn't it be great if instead of having to go all the way to Germany, I had someone here to practice with? Maybe a traveling student or one of my friends that I met in Germany. Maybe one could even stay at our house for a little while and sleep in the guest room. Then I could practice every day. That would be cool, huh?"

Next I went through the exact same hypothetical conversation with mom (also when she was preoccupied and not paying close attention).

Then a week or two later when they were both together I said to them, "Now you remember about the girl from Germany who is coming to visit in a few weeks, right?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Remember, mom and dad? We talked about this! This is a friend from Germany to help me practice my German! You don't remember me telling you about it?"

"Well, I do remember something about that..."

"Yeah, exactly! Well she's coming on July 28 and staying in the guest room. Isn't that okay with you guys? I thought it would be fine."

"I guess," says dad.

Whew!

To be continued...