The Split

Chapter 46

Berlin, 1945

Raised to the rank of Sergeant, Gerhard was transferred to the SS Sonderkommandos. There he discovered the truth of Hitler's "Final Solution" after reading reports of what was going on in these supposed "Internment Camps".

Disillusioned and sickened by the actions of his government, Gerhard turned to the bottle. He spent his nights in bars and beer halls, always going out alone and never with his fellow Kommandos. It was in one of these bars where he met this Gisela. He remembered it perfectly, and thought about it nearly every day.

When he had first seen her across the bar his breath caught in his lungs and his heart began beating rapidly. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. A few seconds later, she looked over at him. Her friend had noticed him first and whispered to her giggling. She raised her head to see who her friend was talking about, and they locked eyes for the first time. She smiled and turned red, looking away and giggling nervously.

Gerhard finished his drink and found himself walking over to her. She was deep in huddled conversation with her friend when he came up behind her. His hand shaking slightly, he tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around to look up at him, he instantly fell for her. They talked for a few minutes and he pulled up a stool beside her.

Hours passed as they conversed about everything and nothing. Gerhard hung onto her every word fascinated, and when it was time for the bar to close, he asked if he could see her again. She told him where she stayed and that she would be free on Friday, and he walked home, floating on a cloud, his feet hardly seeming to touch the ground.

Their next meeting seemed to go even better than the first. They walked through the city, arm in arm, laughing and talking, kept warm in the cold winter air by the drinks they had at the bar earlier. Months passed, and he was seeing her nearly every day. They began to meet at his apartment to talk of things they couldn't in public. He thought she was brilliant. Gisela had been raised by a poor family in south Berlin. Despite her humble upbringing, she worked hard, studying the writings of great German philosophers and the latest in scientific study.

She shared his dislike for the policies of the National Socialist party. Gerhard felt invigorated to be able to talk to someone about the things he had kept silent about for such a long time. Countless hours would pass as they discussed the future of their country and the ideas they would need to implement to make it happen. She encouraged his thinking, telling him he should become a politician once the war was over.

Just several months later they were married. It was a rather Spartan affair, most of Germany's resources were tied up in the war effort. Despite this, it was the happiest day of Gerhard's life and he still remembered the joy of his mother upon seeing the ceremony. They moved into his apartment together, and Gisela quickly set to work making it a true home. In October of 1944, she told him that she was pregnant. Gerhard was ecstatic at the news and spent his nights kissing his small wife's pregnant belly and talking to his future child.

As I walked out of the run down house and into the alley outside, Gerhard's thoughts remained with his wife and unborn child. He tried to hide them from me at first, but I encouraged his tender and emotional thinking, showing him images and memories of my short time with Meela.

My brain was silent and still as I walked through the city. Both Gerhard and I, had plenty to think about on our own and I found no reason to engage in idle conversation. The sun had now fully risen, it's warm rays reaching between the buildings and heating up the streets. I knew I was walking to meet up with my commander, a commander Gerhard wasn't particularly fond of.

I had left the more industrial side of Berlin and now was in an affluent neighborhood. Nice houses with neatly trimmed lawns lined both sides of the street. There were still children playing outside, and the wealthier of the city's citizenry bustled about like they didn't have a care in the word. Surely they had heard the shelling? Surely they had been following the news from the front lines? Such a carefree attitude seemed like insanity.