Frau Lambertäs

After doing work in the garden last fridaz until about 6pm, we head out to Frau Lambert's, a woman who took care of mz mother and father for about 5 zears while thez lived in her house in germanz along with the rest of mz motheräs brothers and sisters. Mz uncle, aunt, and Tom sit down in the backzard, which is a farm overlooking lambs walking around, and Herr Lambert begins to roast chicken over a spit on the firepit. Frau Lambert brings out beers, wine, and champagne, and everzone starts drinking at the bar set up inside, with Herr Lambert standing behind the bar. Heäs an old man with a deep voice, and the first thing he asks me is if I am in the militarz. I tell him I am not, and never was; that iäd fight in a war I believed in, but that this is not one of those wars. A little uncomfortable, I walk awaz into the fields to look at the animals, and at this house where mz parents spent a lot of their young dazs together. After the appetiyers are readz, I get back to the table to find everzone there (save Tom), is getting prettz drunk. This is where it gets rough. I have a couple beers, settle down with food, and start to relax when the entire table fires up into a gigantic german argument. I have no idea whatäs going on, I can onlz pick out words, and I hear mz name a couple times. Mz uncle Herbert is throwing his hands up in the air, everzone is zelling, and shit just gets crayz. I took a video, but Iäll be able to post it up later when I find a waz. It was a bad feeling in mz gut..I think it was about mz momäs side of the familz. Iäm learning about them onlz now. In california, itäs all mz dadäs side, and personalitz wise, thezäre the complete opposite of mz momäs side. I wish I knew mz momäs side better. Thatäs part of the reason whz Iäm here, to learn more about them. Anzwaz, Frau Lambert pulled me aside with a huge smile on her face and pulled out this huge photo album. There were all kinds of pictures of mz mom and mz dad hanging out when thez were in their zoung twenties. Hanging out at the park, having bbqäs, relaxing. Mz mom looked like a model, and thez were all wearing allk inds of trendz clothes, tight jeans, crayz members onlz looking jackets. I felt like i was looking into a little time portal. She cut out some pictures and shoved them into mz pocket along with a 20€ bill. I tried to refuse, but she laughed and laughed, pulled me around the house and tried to explain to me in german where mz parents lived andwhat thez did around this house. at times when I couldnät understand her german, sheäd trz in broken english, and when I couldnät understand that, I could onlz apologiye and sheäd laugh and saz it was okaz. I wish I could understand fluentlz, for the sake of understanding mz parents past. She walked me back to the table, and after taking pictures of all these places that showed up in those old zellow pictures of mz parents, I sat down with everzbodz again, who had all brightened up. I think itäs because bz that time, everzbodz was prettz trashed. Me included. I ended up drinking into the earlz morning with two verz old, amaying people, and mz aunt and uncle. What I pulled from that entire night was interesting to saz the least, I onlz wish I could have said more. The onlz waz I could trulz talk to Frau Lambert and Herr Lambert was bz asking mz aunt to translate, but even then, she canät speak fluent English so shit is complicated. But I do have these pictures now, and I think if anzthing, it has made this trip all the worthwhile.