Part 7
Mileva awoke with a start to find the room dark and still. She arose from her warm bed to investigate what could have interrupted her sleep so suddenly. Had she heard a sound? Was Eduard having another attack? Her heart pounded at the thought. As she moved to the door, the apartment, and the world for that matter, was completely still. The only sounds she heard were her own breathing and footfalls on the wooden floor. The door creaked loudly as she moved into the hallway. Eduard’s door was closed. Not wanting to wake him, Mileva placed her ear gently to the door. Inside she could hear Eduard snoring loudly. Obviously Eduard had not been the cause for her inability to remain asleep. Could someone have knocked? Mileva investigated the rest of the small apartment but found nothing out of place. Given her still-racing heart, Mileva decided against trying to return to sleep. She looked at the clock on the mantel. It was nearly 4 a.m., only a few hours before she would be getting out of bed anyway.
Mileva plodded silently to the kitchen where she stoked the stove, placing a pot of water on it so she could make some coffee. As she waited for the water to boil, Mileva sat quietly in the dark at the table. Although she could not see it, Mileva could sense the presence of Albert’s angry letter, the words seared into her mind. The language of it recalled the first time she had received such harsh words from Albert. The couple had been married for several years when Albert finally got his big break. Papers he had published years before were finally recognized for the genius Mileva had seen in them immediately.
Mileva had always told Albert he was ahead of his time, and she had been proven correct when academia came calling several years later. Although their marriage had led to the birth of two more children—Hans Albert and Eduard—it had been devoid of the early passions. Mileva often wondered if her inability to complete her degree, their unexpected pregnancy, and the eventual death of Lieserl had changed her to such a degree she could not feel passion. Although she was proud of Albert for his successes, she was never again truly included in the discussions of his ideas. Perhaps he felt her inferior as she had not been able to complete her degree? Whatever the cause, Mileva knew Albert was not happy. Regardless, she loved him and did not want to lose him.
When Albert received an invitation to join the most esteemed physicists of the day in Berlin, Mileva was initially elated. Finally Albert was being recognized as the genius he truly was. At the same time, she was consumed with fear. Mileva had no desire to leave Switzerland, especially for Berlin. Several years before, the family had gone with Albert to a symposium there. It was then Albert met his cousin, Elsa. Mileva had sensed their mutual attraction immediately but said nothing, never imagining Albert would act on his feelings.
Over the next several months, Albert and Elsa wrote each other regularly. Mileva could not hide her jealousy. She began snipping at Albert, quarrelling over minor issues daily as she unsuccessfully tried to hide her frustrations and fears. Albert, for his part, appeared oblivious to her concerns, and she never voiced them directly, even as Albert began to talk of relocating to Berlin. Mileva initially refused, coming up with excuse after excuse. The children only knew Switzerland, the physicist in Berlin never respected Albert and never would, the problems in Berlin would make life impossible for a Jewish physicist and his family.
Albert simply brushed her concerns aside. He was obviously thrilled at the prospects, and Mileva had to reluctantly agree the facilities in Berlin were far and away the best in the world. When Albert inquired why she was so dead set against the move, stating her objections were simply trivialities, Mileva refused to explain her fear of him abandoning her for his cousin Elsa. Albert went to Berlin to begin work while Mileva and the boys stayed with a family friend for several months until Albert finally secured a home for the family. During this time Mileva heard from Albert only once before he finally sent for the children. Albert’s lack of involvement with Mileva and the boys was thought odd and off-putting by everyone aware of it. Several people expressed concerns to Albert regarding his lack of attention and moving the family to Berlin without support or others to help. Albert became defensive and explained he had simply been busy with his work and in establishing himself with his peers in Berlin.
Immediately upon arriving in Berlin, Mileva noted Albert worked extended hours, often being away from home until late in the evening and every weekend. She soon learned he was not always at work. Instead he was spending a great deal of time with Elsa. When Mileva finally confronted Albert about this, he simply deflected her accusations and left. Over the next several months, Mileva became increasingly oppositional and angry, confronting Albert over trivial matters and constantly questioning his whereabouts. One day Mileva came home and surprisingly found Albert there, sitting at the dining table with a pen in his hand, writing feverishly on a letter-size piece of paper in front of him. Mileva assumed he was working and moved past him, without saying a word, into the kitchen. Albert immediately followed her in, calling her name, “Mileva, we need to talk.”
“Of course we need to talk Albert. I’m glad you’re finally willing to do so,” Mileva replied quickly.
“Yes, well, I’ve had all I’m going to of your brusque behavior and lack of attentiveness to me and my needs,” Albert said matter of factly.
“Oh, is that correct?” Mileva asked, raising her eyebrows. “I’d like,” she continued, before Albert cut her off.
“No, no my dear, this is not about what you want. I am the man in this house. I provide for you and our children in a manner such that you want for nothing, yet I only receive coldness and hostility from my wife.”
Mileva was thrown back by the voracity of his statements.
“I work long hours and constantly try to improve my standing professionally so I can provide you with the things you have grown accustomed to, yet you act as though I am some drifter, some vagabond who troubles you to feed and provide comfort regularly to. When is the last time you have even presented a pleasant face in this house?”
Mileva had not expected this but quickly rose to the challenge.
“If the man of the house, as you call yourself, paid attention to his family instead of his mistress, he might be more apt to receive the adoration or respect he is now demanding,” she said defiantly.
“How dare you,” Albert fumed. “You have no right to talk to me this way. As a matter of fact, lower your gaze. I don’t want you to look upon my face today. I have written you a list of expectations, my expectations for you from this day forward. I expect you to comply with them regularly.”
With that, Albert placed the paper in Mileva’s hand and strode out of the kitchen. Within moments, Mileva heard the front door slam shut as Albert left. Mileva placed the paper on the counter without looking at it. She went to the wash-basin and splashed water on her face, refusing to allow herself to cry. She knew this day would eventually come, but she imagined it much differently. In her mind, Albert was always the reasonable and charming man she had fallen in love with, but today he was someone completely different.
After several minutes, Mileva’s curiosity got the best of her, and she returned to the counter, picked up the paper and began to read. Her heart sank as her eyes alighted on the first sentence.
“From this day forward, I, Albert Einstein, expect you, my wife Mileva, to show appropriate respect for me by deflecting your gaze when in my company. You are not to look in my face unless I give expressed permission for you to do so.”
Mileva immediately knew her marriage was over. She could not, would not, bend to his will and allow him to control her as though she were his property. Once they had been equals, students alive with their quest for knowledge and passion for learning and for each other. Somewhere along the way these things had died, and now, their relationship was dead as well.
Within a year Mileva and the boys returned to Switzerland while Albert remained in Berlin, with Elsa no doubt. O
ver the next several years, Albert repeatedly asked Mileva for a divorce, but she refused to give in, fearful she and her boys would be forgotten and force to fend for themselves. This fear was so overwhelming Mileva found herself in an insane asylum for several months as the pressure was just too much for her to bear. Her sister Zorka came to Switzerland to care for the boys, but she too had a breakdown soon after.
Mileva returned home to care for her boys while her sister returned to Serbia to be cared for by their parents. Within a few weeks it became obvious this was not going to work as her sister’s needs were beyond her parents’ capability to care for her as they too were elderly and infirm. Mileva spent a few years in Serbia caring for her parents and sister before they all passed away. She also struggled for several years caring for Eduard with little or no support from Albert. But he did provide the funds necessary for their survival as his fame grew steadily during this time. After nearly 10 years of this arrangement, Albert promised to give her any future Nobel Prize money for a divorce. Then Albert would be free to marry Elsa. While Mileva had no guarantee Albert would ever win the Nobel Prize, she knew it would happen and so agreed to the divorce. These winnings would be enough to provide for her and her boys the rest of their lives, or so she thought.
When Albert finally won, he was out of the country and did not receive the money for nearly two years. However, upon his return, he promptly sent Mileva all the money. Mileva invested it by purchasing a home for herself and the boys along with two rental properties. She was hopeful she would receive rental income sufficient to meet her needs. She underestimated the cost of Eduard’s care and had not foreseen the financial crash of 1929, leaving her once again destitute. Although Albert had little involvement with his sons, he agreed to purchase the house and allow Mileva to remain as long as necessary when her landlord threatened to evict her and Eduard.
It was only a few months ago that Albert had finally sold the other properties. This was the reason he had written her such an angry letter, the letter that now sat on the table in front of her. Mileva opened the letter and read it again. Following the sale of the last rental property, the money had been mistakenly sent to Mileva instead of Albert.
Mileva had yet to return the money, and the letter contained Albert’s demands that she do so immediately. Initially Mileva planned to do just that. She could not, in good conscience, keep his money. However, the angry name-calling and threats had only set Mileva in mind of keeping the money. It was the last sentence that convinced her completely.
“If you do not return my money immediately, I will ensure that Eduard is removed from my will. He will receive nothing from me.”
The audacity of this man, this father, to threaten his son, not only now but in the future, was infuriating. Not only had Albert never cared for Eduard, nor ever seen him have one of his fits, he barely maintained contact with him. Mileva decided she would not be bullied, not now.
So she slowly arose from the table, carefully replaced the letter in its envelope, and then threw it in the fire, a smile spreading across her face as she watched it erupt in flames.
Epilogue
Eduard had no idea what to do now. In a flash, his life was completely upended. His guilt all-consuming as his caregiver was no longer with him. The winter had passed uneventful, if cold. He and Mama had done well. He had not had any more fits, and both thought he must be improving, but this was sadly not the case. In early spring Eduard had one of his most violent outbursts and Mileva collapsed. She spent the next several months in the hospital before passing in her sleep two days ago.
Eduard wrote his brother, Hans Albert, who had relocated several years ago to the United States with his family, but he was certain he would not receive word for several weeks and thus would not attend the funeral.
Eduard did not write his father.
Hans Albert could do that if he wanted.
Eduard ensured his mother was buried in Zurich, her beloved adopted homeland, at Nordham Cemetery. He also wrote a long and thoughtful obituary for the newspapers. In it, he did not mention his father, her husband, Albert Einstein.
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Thank you for taking the time to read my short story. Although the basic tenants of the story are true, this is a fictionalized account. Many of the details were created in my mind. I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to sharing additional works with you in the future.
About the author:
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified School Psychologist in private practice. In my personal life, I have been married since 1995 and have 8-year-old twins (a boy and a girl). We are all very active having completed our first marathons in 2010 at the North Olympic Discovery Marathon in Port Angeles, WA. We love to travel, visit with friends, and sometimes just lay around being lazy.
As long as I can remember, I've had ideas for books. I wrote my first book several years ago, but never finished editing it. I wrote it for me and still have little desire to share it. Last year, however, I was struck with an idea for a book dealing with Sigmund Freud and one of his first patients, Ida Bauer. I was able to convince my wife to travel with me to Vienna November 2009, and the journey began. I recently completed the book and have begun the editing process. It has been such an interesting and rewarding journey, I am now beginning to research and outline my next two novels.
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