Be Well, My Darling (Fruk)

Chapter 6: Fundamentals

"Do you understand what we are trying to tell you?"

"For sure! Germany wants to attack me, and Russia might join in! What's new!"

"Yeah...more or less...but you understand! that is good! Does that mean you have or will start preparations in defense?" I asked. Francis and I came to see Mr. Poland, but as usual, he was air-headed. "Yes! My preparations are amazing!" he cheered. However, I was getting the feeling he was not prepared. "You see, my secret weapon is great!" he cheered.

"Really?" Francis cheered. Poland nodded and pushed his hair behind his ear. "I plan to wait it out! I believe that Germany will get bored and leave! I want to guess a month at best!" he cheered. Both Francis and I were stunned. We both lost our ability to speak, and I saw Francis crying with his hands over his eyes.

"No way! He is screwed!"

"COME ON! DON'T GIVE UP! WE JUST NEED TO EXPLAIN IT BETTER!"

However, as I looked up, I could see that Mr. Poland did not seem to care one bit. "Ah! Don't worry! If the worst happens, I will just surrender! If this war is anything like the ones I have been in before, everything works out in the end. I don't get the sense of urgency; This war is phony! Trust me; everything will work out; besides, I doubt he would invade me."

I took a deep breath out and stood up. Francis followed beside me, and we stayed silent. "Where are the two of you going? You don't want to hang out longer?" He asked. Poland was naive as ever. Always think peace would work out when it never does. This invasion could be bad. Poland had a huge Jewish population, and he did not care what could possibly happen to them.

"No...we must go...however, I don't doubt that we will be seeing each other soon," Francis added. I nodded in agreement, and we kept walking toward the door. Once again, Poland did not seem to care. He was screwed if Germany decided to invade, which the chances were high considering his track record of ensuring treaties were not broken.

Francis and I left silently. We did not say anything to each other as we left his home. I am sure we both knew that if an invasion happened, we would be dragged in. There was no way around it. Germany breaks off a treaty with our ally, pulling us in. It is how the Great War happened.

Some Great War...

It was supposed to be the war to end all wars. It was terrible. Many people died, and everyone sunk into this depression. Now, everything was happing again. People across the globe would be pulled in like the last time. "I will begin making preparations. I will gather troops and have a small draft of volunteers. We can't let anything happen to him," I spoke. Francis looked at me sadly. We both knew the worst would come...it was only a matter of time, as usual.

"Hey, don't worry; we still have each other. We must agree that no matter how bad things get, we won't abandon each other!"

"I would not dream of doing something like that!"

Francis and I stopped walking and began to face each other. He grabbed my hands quickly, and I felt how cold and shaken he was. He was absolutely terrified, and I did not blame him. "I would rather die than leave you alone. Do you understand? If this war becomes a reality, I will not go down without a fight. Germany will have to capture me and send me far away from you. He would have to tie me up or cut off my legs to stay down. Even then...I will still fight for you. To ensure you are safe. You can always count on me to be there beside you," He smiled.

It was nice to be reassured that I could count on him. Many of our fellow nations would want to stay neutral unless they were to be dragged in. The leader in Germany wanted to create an empire. An empire made from the blood of innocents. He would drag all of Europe and all of the world to ensure he got what he wanted.

"And I promise I will not let anything bad happen to you. I understand you will be closer to the fighting than me, and I will ensure your safety. I promise," I spoke. Francis lifted my hand toward his lips, kissing the back gently. "I can always count on you," he smiled. I tilted my head, staring at him.

"Honestly, keep your hands to yourself," I laughed. I pulled my hand away and started to walk away. I could hear his giggle as he followed behind me. "Wait up!" he cried. I do admit I had started to jog away from him, but it was hilarious to hear him running to catch up with me.

~ September 1939~

The invasion of Poland by Germany starts at 4:45 a.m. when the Kriegsmarine's battleship Schleswig-Holstein opens fire on the Polish military transit depot at Westerplatte in the Free City of Danzig on the Baltic Sea, but the attack is repulsed. At the same time, the Luftwaffe attacked several targets in Poland, among them Wieluń, the first town in the war to be carpet-bombed by the Germans. Shortly before 6:00 a.m., the German Army passes the Polish border in great numbers from north and south, together with Slovak units.

Then...

Two days later, Francis and I officially declared war on Germany. Everyone in the world watched as Poland fell within thirty days. There was nothing to be done now. It was only Francis and I fighting against the Nazis...including some of the commonwealth I had. Matthew has told me he will be coming to my place along with some of my other commonwealth. However, I was worried for their safety. Europe was going to be a battleground. Francis was urged to return to France imminently, and I wondered how long it would be till I saw him again.