Camp Majdanek

Chapter 12: After The Fact

   One night I woke up to Thomas getting up and walking away. I watched him as he pulled out what looked like a radio. He was speaking into it. After a couple of minutes, he came back. He noticed I was awake then he explained the situation.

"I thought my radio receiver didn't work but now we're finally in the range of a signal," he whispered. "I have contact with America and they've agreed to take us to the US and out of danger. The only thing is," he paused. "Well we were going to look for your father but I think it's best if we get you guys to safety first."

"I understand," I said. I kissed him on the cheek, hugged him tight, and we went back to bed.

(I will add filler content between now and them boarding the ship)

It was slim getting us out but Thomas managed to sneak the three of us back to America on one of the ships.

                                                                                        ***

Three years went by and America still waged war. They suffered greatly as well. It was nearing the summer of 1945 and we felt closer and closer to victory. Thomas assured us though that we were smart, dedicated, and had God on our side. God knows we are doing the right thing and we will bring justice to the people who suffered through this.

I was a grown woman by this time. Thomas and I were thinking of getting married as soon as the war got over. For so long we were yearning to get everything back to normal.

Just weeks later I was with Thomas and reading the daily paper. When it was said that the devil himself had taken his own life, we rejoiced knowing our troubles would finally be over. Within days everyone knew. Without their leader, Germany began to crumble. Just seven days after the death of Hitler the Germans surrendered. I ran to Thomas as he came home beaming that we had victory. We knew everything would be ok. Everything would be so much better than it was but nothing would ever completely go back to normal. It never would.

The death of Julia and Father will leave two holes in my heart that will never be filled again. And the suffering and deaths will be a memory engraved into my mind, haunting and burning; never letting me forget.

Something in me said that my father was still alive. I was sure of it. With the war now over it was safe to go back to Poland. But I wondered if I should go back or move on to a life in America with Thomas. Poland is in my heart and will always be my home but I know if I move on I will seldom remember the pain and suffering of those years.

My mother, brother, and I boarded a ship on the dock on Massachusetts bay. My mother and brother would live in Poland and I would return to America after a few weeks. As we docked I saw Thomas waving to us with his hat. I blew him a kiss, and off he went into the town.

There were various people on the ship. Some were Americans, others looked like Europeans returning like us.

I met a reporter coming from America to find out what happened about the war. She asked me a lot of questions, like what had happened and in every little detail. I was a little vague in my answers at first but something in me told me I should speak about it. It was my story and other people should know about it. I was a part of history.

The reporter was kind and told me about her passion for sharing people's stories and putting an end to unjust acts such as this.

After about five days of sailing, we arrived in France and from there we took a train to our hometown in Poland. Much was destroyed. Thankfully our house wasn't too badly damaged. We went in to retrieve valuables and things that were dear to us. We were anxious to start a new life but still wanted things to hold onto.