The Lion of Dusseldorf (COMPLETED)

Prologue

August 1929

Düsseldorf, Germany

Walking in the streets of Düsseldorf was a man of thirty years. He wore a brown suit and vest paired with brown slacks and shoes. His hair was combed as neat as a politician's portrait. His eyes flaunted their icy blue color, plus he was fully bearded. Some bystanders greeted him as he walked the streets – women, children playing in the streets, and the laborers taking a cigarette break. He greeted them all as he passed by. He was used to that. He knew he got the charm. The man looked at his wristwatch. It was already 30 minutes past five in the afternoon. He needed to go faster as he would be late at 6 pm for the prayer time. The man walked faster.

As he walked, he looked around the beautiful city of Düsseldorf, the buildings built by laborers, the residential houses, and the apartments. The town was flourishing, and Germany was too. It all came in a blur as he was now running. He felt the last prickling heat of August summer as he ran. He ran, and he ran until...

...he saw the glimmering blue river of the Rhine. He stopped. His knees were sore, and he was catching his breath. Thanks to his three-layered clothing, His sweat was running down his body. He looked at the Rhine River. It was beautiful, calm, and peaceful. He saw some small boats on the river—small commercial boats. Traders had flocked to Düsseldorf as Germany recovered after it lost the Great War.

The Great War.

Marcus remembered that the French and Belgian military forces once controlled the city, thanks to the conditions set by the Treaty of Versailles. The occupation of the French and Belgian military forces of Düsseldorf ended in January 1926. However, Koblenz and Maenz were still under French control, with Saarland under League of Nation control under the trusteeship of the French government.

Marcus decided to look around his surroundings: businesses and houses, rivers and boats, and people. The people he saw on this side of the city were walking to their homes. He started to walk to his right. He walked a bit until he saw his wife's business signage, "Anna's Pies." He saw his wife's assistant closing the store already. She saw him and greeted him.

"Herr Marcus! Guten... Ah, never mind. Frau Anna is waiting for you! It is already time for your dinner," she explained.

Marcus nodded. "Did you make any sales today, Angela?"

The assistant nodded. Marcus also nodded in response. Angela removed the gloves from her hand. She waved at him and said her goodbyes. Marcus waved back. He walked again. He was now in front of his home. He was proud that he already owned a house and a business. Thanks to his determination, he could not have done it without his wife's support. He reached out his hand to the door knob, but the door opened instantly. It popped out his beautiful wife, Anna. Anna was in her late 20s. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, a pointed nose, and pinkish lips. Her collarbones showed as she wore a thin blue blouse and a black skirt.

"You made it! I thought you were going to be late," she shrieked. Marcus bent down a bit to kiss his wife. Her lips touched against his. Anna stepped back a bit, and she smiled. Anna helped him remove his coat.

"Ugh, you smell of sweat again, love! Did you run again?" she asked. They both entered the house. Anna put his coat on the long rack near the door. The pathway in their home was short, but it led through their living room. The living room had two chairs with a wooden center table. On the center table were books and newspapers. Across the center table was the divider. On the divider was the radio. It was placed between two vases Marcus inherited from his mother. The ceiling of their home was made of wood.

Marcus nodded. "Yes, I ran so I could not miss our 6pm prayer routine,"

Anna put her hands to her mouth in shock. "Oh shit, I almost forgot!" Anna ran towards the prie-dieu. Marcus laughed and shook his head. He loosened his tie. He observed his wife lighting the candle before the altar of a crucifix. Anna looked back at him. She stretched her hand out – bidding him to come to her side at the prie-dieu. He grabbed her smooth hand. She let him kneel beside her. They started the prayer with the sign of the cross. Since they wanted to eat dinner after the prayer, they decided to pray with 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, and 1 Glory Be, supplemented with the Fatima Prayer. They ended their prayer with the sign of the cross.

The couple smiled, and they shared another kiss. They stood up, and Anna led her husband to their dining room. The dining room was located beside the living room. The dining table and the five chairs were made of wood. However, this table's surface was shiny and can be cleaned. The image of The Last Supper hung on the wall. The aroma of the food greeted Marcus. He felt hungry. Their dinner was Himmel under Erde. It is a light dinner with caramelized thin apple slices and sour cream. The dinner was served with sausages.

Marcus saw his toddler son near the dining table. The toddler sat on the high wooden chair. The couple took their usual places, and they started eating. It was Anna who broke the silence first.

"How's your work?"

"Tiring. The grand coalition government started to enact counter-propaganda against Hugenberg's Reich Committee against the Young Plan. As you already know, the grand coalition included Zentrum, our party, so Alfons tasked me to disseminate posters around the city,"

Marcus explained. Anna only nodded.

Marcus knew that Anna was smart and opinionated but took the role of a doting wife in an everchanging Catholic city in Germany. Anna nodded and took a bite of her food. Marcus noticed that Anna cooked a mashed potato for their son Paul. Anna grabbed a separate spoon on the table and fed the mashed potato to their son. Their son ate the food, chewed on it, and he smiled. Anna and Marcus smiled at their child. Anna fed another bite to Paul. Paul ate the food and continued playing with his wooden horse and car.

"How's Alfons?" Anna asked.

"Good. Alfons was in a good mood earlier. He told me that his wife's sister will get married, and he asked us both to attend,"

"Oh my God? Oh! I need to pick a dress for it. When is it?" she asked.

"Next month, so you have time to pick and decide on the dress you want to wear," Marcus smiled. Anna stood up smiling, and she pecked him on the cheek.

"I love you,"

"I love you too," Marcus replied. He gave a short kiss to his wife.

***

Anna was doing her household chores. Marcus played with Paul in the living room while the radio was turned on. They were on the floor playing with wooden toys. The news on the radio grabbed Marcus' attention.

"The Reichkabinett has enacted the plan to fight propaganda against Hugenberg's Reich Committee against the Young Plan which would diminish our reparations and quicken the end of occupation in the southern parts of the Rhineland. The governing parties, namely the Social Democrats, Catholic Center Party, liberal German Democratic Party, conservative German People's Party, and regional Bavarian People's Party, had ramped up their efforts to fight the dangerous propaganda that threatened our Republic," the announcer said on the radio.

Marcus kissed his son's head. Paul did not seek attention as he was playing with his toys. Marcus' attention was now on the radio. He noticed that Anna approached Paul and carried her to his bedroom. It was now the kid's sleep time.

"—The Reich Committee against the Young Plan headed by the German National People's Party is currently considering the War Guilt clause proposed by the National Socialist German Workers' Party that would render all ministers who signed the Treaty of Versailles and ministers who will sign future reparations will be charged with treason. The clause was presented by Bavarian Fascisti.

Adolf Hitler..."