Sincerely, Marketa - A Story of the Holocaust

Chapter Two: Toronto-Vienna - Summer, 1975

To say that the news of the move caused a rift in the family would be an understatement. It was now full-on Parents vs. Children.

"You didn't even talk to us about it!" Jenn.

"You're only doing this for your job! This is all about you!" Heather.

"Mom, why are you just following what Dad wants?!" Jenn again.

"We are Three vs. Two — majority rules!" This was Ricky.

"We are also two adults vs. three minors," Mom reminded them.

"Yeah, minors, not children though. Can't we just stay behind while you go?"

"Absolutely not! This is an incredible opportunity, you realize. We're moving to Europe for a whole year! You should count yourselves lucky."

"She does have a point..." Jenn mumbled. Heather felt certain the shock of the big news was wearing off for her sister, who, being the big history nerd she was, was more excited than she let on, or tried to let on, for her siblings' sake.

"Traitor," Ricky mumbled, and Heather knew he was thinking the same thing. It was their Twin Connection.

Ricky was determined to remain firm. "Fine, you three go, and Heather and I'll stay here."

"Are you kidding?" Heather cried. "I'd rather move to a foreign country for a year than be stuck with just you!"

"Yeah, you two would murder each other as soon as we were gone," Jenn agreed.

"Yeah, okay, that's a good point," Ricky relented.

"Besides, are you and Heather going to go to school and take care of yourselves and the house and find jobs in order to pay all the bills for a whole year?" Mom said.

Ricky sighed. "Yeah, yeah that's a good point too..."

And that pretty much settled it: they were leaving whether they liked it or not, end of story. They were moving to Austria.

Didn't mean everyone was happy about it, though.

__________

"July tenth, 1975. Today we said goodbye to Toronto and Canada and boarded our flight to Austria. Up, up, and far, far away we go..."

The buzz and warble of the tape rewinding filled Heather's ears, followed by her own voice as the recording repeated itself. She had been twelve when she had saved up enough allowance to purchase a tape recorder, and since then she had made cassette tape recordings of various events including Christmases, birthdays, and summer break. She figured that she might as well start her recording for this summer now with their 'Big Adventure' ahead of them, as their mother was calling it. She and her siblings had affectionately labeled it the 'Big Move'.

Whether you preferred the 'Big Adventure' or the 'Big Move', whatever it was, it had officially begun. There was no looking or turning back now.

Heather sat on the plane in the window seat next to her sister, Ricky sitting on the aisle across from them with their parents in the row behind. Heather glanced at her watch. It was 5:00 p.m. now Toronto-time, which meant that it was 11:00 p.m. in Austria, six hours ahead. Rather 23:00 as they used the 24-hour clock in Europe. If the flight was roughly eight hours that would mean it would be 7:00 a.m. Austrian time when they arrived, 1:00 a.m. in Toronto. This was very confusing. She thought she was done with math for the summer.

"Aren't they communist over there or something?" The sudden question tumbled from Ricky's mouth loudly and not-so-lightly.

"That's Russia, genius," grumbled Jennifer. "Or, to get really technical, the Soviet Union."