"Emmanuelle, are you sure about this? Is it really ok for me to live with the two of you?" Asked a young blonde woman as she nervously fiddled with the apron she was wearing. Céline had known Shoshanna before she came to Paris, their fathers having been friends as children and knew that not only was the young woman Jewish, but also dating Marcel, another thing that if the Nazis found out about would get them both killed. She was always careful of how she spoke and how she acted when she was around the pair as well, she didn't want know too much just in case she was ever questioned about the two of them.
"We are both sure Céline, you are like family to us and we won't have you living on the streets. Besides, if you really insist on paying for the room, you can just help out at the cinema." The other woman said with a soft smile on her face as she reached out and took hold of Céline's hands. "Now, no more worrying, you get your things after work and you come to the theater so we can set you up in your room." Shoshanna said as she got to her feet and gave her friend a hug.
Hugging her friend a bit tighter, Céline gave a nod of her head. "Thank you both so much, I don't know what I would have done it if you said no." She said before the two parted ways for the time being, Céline going back to work and Shoshana leaving to go home for the time being.
~~~~~~~~~
It was nearly the end of her shift when a German soldier sat down at one of her tables, she normally would have just let someone else take the table but she didn't want to make any of the other girls have to help a soldier. Walking over to the table with a smile on her face as she tried to remember any German that she knew. "Good evening, what can I do today?" She asked with a small tilt of her head, frowning slightly at the chuckle that she received.
"Perhaps French would be better?" He asked with a gentle smile on his face when he saw how surprised she looked. "Your German isn't bad, I could help you with it if you like." The blond man said as the smile on his face widened.
"Why would I want to get better at speaking German?" She replied automatically without thinking about who she was talking to, quickly trying to get back to what he wanted when she saw some of the looks she got from the other French speakers. "Now, what can I get you?" She asked as she took out her note pad so she could put in his order.
The young man was stunned by how bold this waitress was to say something like that in Nazi occupied France. Getting to his feet suddenly, the soldier took hold of the hand with the pen in it, causing the young woman to try and pull back, but he held tight knowing that she wouldn't try again and risk causing a scene. He was about to say something to her when someone entered the section they were in.
"Private Fredrick Zoller?" A voice called out, causing him to let go of Céline as he snapped to attention, but the older man waved off the proper greeting and instead started to speak to him excitedly. Céline watched the pair in confusion, what was so special about this man that this Captain seemed so taken with him? Unfortunately her German was nowhere near good enough to keep up with the two. When the older man left with a salute, the young woman looked at the man before her with a wary but curious look. "Just who are you?" She asked him as his grin widened.
"I'm just a soldier who wishes help you learn more German." He said simply, not telling her the full truth. He took her hand in his again, happy when she didn't try to pull away again and brought her hand up so he could kiss her knuckles, only to be interrupted once again by another soldier and the man's French girlfriend.
"Ahhh! It is really you! Fredrick Zoller, just wait till my friends hear about this!" The other man laughed in delight as he clapped Fredrick on shoulder, his companion looking over to Céline with a look of slight jealousy.
"Such a lucky girl you are to be dating a war hero." The woman said as she looked the waitress over.
"War hero...dating? No, I...." Céline was so lost that she didn't even know what to say, luckily for her, Fredrick saw how flustered she saw and spoke up for her.
"Actually we are just friends." He said with a smile on his face as he signed a couple of napkins for the two of them. "Ahh but if you don't mind, we were having a chat." He said, quietly urging them to leave, which they both did happily to find their friends.
Céline was staring at Fredrick as he watched the couple leave and waited for a moment before speaking. "You are a...war hero?" She asked with a tilt of her head. "Private Fredrick Zoller, war hero?"
Fredrick grinned and gave a nod of his head. "Ahhh, so suddenly, you are interested in me?" He asked with a chuckle, only to raise his hands to try and silently ask forgiveness when he saw the look of distaste on her face. "I'm joking, I was trapped for three days in a tower in Sicily, I held off allied forces the whole time. I was lucky that the tower was a perfect nest." He told her with his head held high.
"A nest?" She asked curiously, listening as he explained what a snipers nest was. "So...you killed people then?" She asked with a small frown, doing her best to hide her fear.
Fredrick shifted slightly now before nodding his head. "Yes, sixty-eight....the first day. A hundred and fifty the second day. Thirty-two on the third day. On the forth day they exited the city." He said, hoping that he was impressing her with his exploits.
Two hundred and fifty people, Céline felt her stomach turn and she gulped softly before she turned. "I have to leave, my shift is over." She said as she hurried away before he could catch her this time, leaving a disappointed and slightly lost Fredrick behind.
