The sun rose with a graceful pink silence over the ancient buildings of the world's most romantic city. Ivy marveled in its beauty, Paris, the place where her grandparents met and fell in love. Who wouldn't fall in love here? She thought, already falling in love with the little she had seen thus far. She awoke as they arrived at 6 in the morning, after a 10 hour drive from Berlin.
The driver pulled over at the address Ivy had directed, a beautiful five storey row house in the north side of the city, where her grandmother Gerda was staying. She knocked thrice on the heavy wooden door. A young maid answered.
"Bonjour," the maid said.
"Hello, is Gerda here?" Ivy said in German. The girl looked confused, she frowned.
Realizing the fact that she did not speak any French, Ivy simply stood there contemplating whether she should try to speak Spanish to her, but that probably wouldn't work.
"Gerda," she repeated, hoping the maid would recognize the name. The girl said something in French, made a wait sort of gesture, and closed the door. Ivy turned to the driver, Officer Jung. "Do you understand this?" "No, Fraulein Köhler." "I wonder if she's coming back or if she just told me to get lost," she mused.
The door opened again and this time it was Antoine who answered.
"Uncle! It's so great to see you," Ivy smiled.
"Oui, vous aussi. What brings you here?" his German had a very thick accent.
"Is Gerda here? I came to see her."
"Oui, come in. She is en haute... how do you say... upstairs."
"Thank you, and my driver, Herr Jung is with me too," Ivy noted.
"Come in," Antoine gestured to him.
Antoine said something in French to the young maid, who nodded and disappeared into a hallway. "Wait here, Gerda is coming," he gave Ivy a nod and left as well.
A few minutes later, Gerda appeared into the same hallway, wearing her nightgown and robe, arms wide open. "My beautiful Yvonne!" she exclaimed.
"Oma! I've missed you!" Ivy hugged her, never wanting to let go.
"My dear girl, you've grown since I last saw you. How is the family? Have you married Uli yet? When will I be a great-grandmother? Don't answer that yet, let's get you settled in. Would you like a cup of tea? Coffee?" she asked Ivy and the driver.
Gerda offered him a guest room to sleep in, since he had been driving all night.
Officer Jung gladly accepted.
"And thank you for bringing my granddaughter to me," Gerda smiled.
He nodded and headed for the stairs.
She turned to Ivy. "Let's go to the drawing room, leave your bag here, a maid will take care of it."
"Oma, I'm afraid I'm not staying here long. I came to bring you back with me, it isn't safe here," Ivy said.
"Nonsense, we're fine here," they sat down on the gold and white baroque furniture which matched the rest of the room. In the center of it lay a gorgeous black grand piano and the gold-framed, floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the room in sunlight.
"I think there is a German invasion coming, the Führer wants to spread Germany's success and wealth to those who aren't thriving as much, those who need proper leadership. I only hope France doesn't fight back."
"Is that what they tell you, Ivy, that we aren't thriving? That France needs the Führer as its leader?"
"But it's true... Look, Vati warned me, he told me to warn you that it's not safe here. Come back to Berlin with me, please. Uncle Antoine and his wife and children can come too," Ivy begged.
Thoughtful, Gerda sipped her tea. "I like it here, darling, I feel free. I don't feel the same freedom back home. It has become this... this prison, that if I were to publicly express my displeasure of Hitler, I would fear going to one of those imprisonment camps.
YOU ARE READING
Through Blood
Historical FictionA story of love in times of blood, of all kinds of love. This is the story of Ivy and her loved ones during the Second World War in Nazi Germany. They say history was written by the victors, but what about the history of the defeated? See the uns...
