M I D D L E of Enemy Lines

Chapter Zwei

I crack. " Well..." I start off not knowing how to explain. " The flags! The ones in front of the house hanging their, the fact that Uncle John is wearing a Nazi uniform! A Nazi uniform!" My voice betraying me as it sounded weary and frightened. " Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" I shout at the two of them.
" W- were so sorry Mir-"
I cut Liesel off. " No. Don't Mir me." My tone pissed.
" We didn't know how to break the news to you." Liesel pleads to me. Her green orbs big and sorry.
" That's why you were silent in the car! Wasn't that the reason Nico?"
He looks down towards the hardwood floor.
" I am sorry. We should have just told you sooner. We don't like it either... it is just how things happen."
" You think, you dummkopf! It would have been a nice heads up! All you had to do was send a letter saying: ' Hey, by the way your Uncle, our father is a freaking Nazi Officer! Surprise!': I shout at the top of my lungs to the both of them.
The office door swings open and a German Officer appears stepping out into the foyer. He closed both the large office doors before he cleared his throat to speak.
" Shut the heck up!" He screams at us.
I let out a sharp, unamused laugh.
" You can't tell me what to do." I say scornfully as I flashing a sweet, innocent smile. I quickly pick up my bags and start walking up the stairs.
" I will show you to your room Miriam." Liesel tells me as she goes past me so she could lead me to the bedroom I'd call my own for who knew how many months... or even years.
" Halt!" Liesel and I hear another thick, pure German voice. When we turn around I recognize that it was the same (dashing looking) German officer who I met when I got out of the car. He couldn't have been more than a few years older than myself and Liesel. He was shouting at the poor old man who was down the hallway.
" Get over here you Swine! Take her bags up to her room! Now Swine!" He shouts loudly at the elderly man who only limped over.
The young officer's face was all scrunched up and red. A few veins on the side of his face popping out. His skin tightening around to hold everything inside his body. I try to protest telling him that I can- like before. I kept on pointing out that the frail old man was hurt. Liesel gently placed a hand on my arm. Her expression telling me to let it go and give up the argument.
" Just let him carry them. He will show you your room. I'll meet you later." Liesel whispered to me and quickly disappeared once she got to the top of the stairs. I waited for the limping old man reluctantly. The soldier shakes his head mumbling a string of curse words as he walked back into my uncle's office.
" Hey-" I say softly as I place one of my small hands on the frail, already thin skeleton like shoulder. " I really can carry my own bags. It really is no problem. I know you're a gentleman, but their is no need to right now. You need to let your leg heal before you go around helping others." My voice quiet and gentle, yet it held much respect for the frail man.
" Nein. Nein, I must take them." He spoke barely audible. Almost a ghastly whisper that wasn't even there, but I knew he spoke.
" At least let me take one. Ease the load." I tell him giving him a small appreciative smile. The weary, frail man only nods his head in agreement after he thought about my offer. " What is your name?" I ask as we slowly climbed the stairs. Silence fills the air around us as we made it to the top. We turn left and continue to walk down the hallway.
" Shemuel." The weary old man spoke as he opened my bedroom door.
" What?" I ask him confused walking into the bedroom.
" My name is, Shemuel."
I nod my head understanding.
" My name is Miriam."
" You're American." His question sounded more like a statement, or the other way around.

" I am sorry." Shemuel breathes out.
" For what?" I ask looking at him.
" Everything. For you being forced to live in Nazi Germany. In the middle of this dang war. For you to be here during '44 and not before the war. Nein, you had to be here during the hype of it all."
Shemuel sets my luggage onto my bed.
" Danke." I say smiling to him as I sit down on the bed. " Do you have any children?" I ask looking up at him as he starts to unzip my bags and neatly unrolls my clothes to fold them.
" Drei kinder. The first two grown up. Had families of their own." Shemuel set my bags down onto the floor and piled my clothes according to the article they are.
" And the third?" I ask scared and unsure of the answer Shemuel would give. Noticing the past tense he uses talking about his family.
" Gone. Dead. He passed away with only four years of his life." Tears pricked the edge of Shemuel's eyes. Threatening to spill at any given moment. " It is better this way. Now he won't have to ever deal with trying to survive in the ugliness that is our world."
I get up and walk over to Shemuel. He sets down one of my shirts that he was currently folding. I slowly put one of my arms around him and soon my other arm follows. I held him tightly. Securely as if I was trying to protect him from this horrid world. We separate and Shemuel wipes his eyes. Ridding of the tears. For Juden, there was no use of tears. They only added to your dehydrated state. They only tired you more. A guarantee for a sooner death.
" Danke. Have a good day Fräulein Miriam." Shemuel spoke quietly and walks out of my room to leave me to my own thoughts. ' Everyone is losing someone they love, or knows someone who lost a loved one.' I thought. That was one of my conclusions to wars. ' People lose people they love, or know of someone losing a loved one... and for what? Hitler started a war because he was pissed about the ending of the first war. Now he decides to start up a second war involving the rest of the world... hmm.' I thought to myself as I put my clothes away. ' A second world war. Hopefully a war to end all wars.' I laughed aloud at the thought. " A freaking second world war after the first world war, The Great War. The war to end all wars! Ha! That is complete bull!" I tell myself aloud as I stare into the full length mirror that hung behind my door.

I look around my room. In one of the corners sat my queen sized bed. On the left side of the same wall by my bed stood a nice desk, and elegant vanity. A dresser right by my closet on the opposite side of the room. Straight across from the door was a large and beautiful window with a cozy window seat underneath.
A knock interrupts me.
" Hey, dinner is ready." My cousin Liesel tells me and I follow her down the stairs. We turn and walk to the edge of the foyer heading down the hallway. Another set of double doors were on the left wall.
" Miriam! Mir!" My two younger cousins shout grinning ear from ear. They both watched me eagerly as I walked to a chair.
" Sit by me! Please, come sit by me." Greta says still grinning as she patted the chair next to her. I oblige sitting down happily by her.
" How was the trip?" My Aunt Elsa asks me as she took a bite of her piece of meat.
" Fine. A little long, but not bad." I tell her and she nods her head smiling satisfied my trip was pleasant.
" Miriam, tomorrow Liesel and the little ones are going to the market with me. If you would like you are more then welcome to come. Gives you a chance to familiarize yourself with the area."
" That would be lovely. Danke, I most certainly will come and join you at the market." I smile down at Greta.