A Partisan's Fight - COMPLETED!

Chapter Forty-Three

Mina had made it through her shift without any recurring incidences. She'd been questioned later on in the day regarding what had happened with Edith, but nothing further had happened. Their only requirement was for her to fill out an incident report. She had expected it.

"How was your day, Mina?" Werner Klein was a long-standing family friend. Mina had reconnected with him shortly before beginning her guard duties in hopes of having a ride every day. He had graciously agreed to it as long as she paid him for his time. He'd been injured when their town had been destroyed, and had been out of work since then. She was more than happy to be helping him and his wife out in whatever way possible. Of course, Werner was a proud man and wouldn't take charity so her little proposition had been more than generous.

"It was okay. You know, never the greatest." Mina shrugged, slowly peeling away her uniform jacket. She had a warm sweater on underneath to remain modest and comfortable. Werner always asked how her day was, but rarely did she tell him the truth regarding the terrible events that happened on a frequent basis. She assumed he at least had an idea, but she wasn't going to risk him ratting her out over some random comment she made that he didn't agree with. Some risks she was willing to take, others not so much.

"That kind of job, Mina, your parents would never have been alright with." His grim expression proved that he didn't agree with her career choice. If only he knew the real truth of why she was doing it. It wasn't like she agreed with what was happening to those people, not that she could tell him

"They are not around to tell me what they are alright with any more." She could feel the tears burning in the back of her eyes. She wasn't completely above crying, but the thought of why they died angered her more. That thought alone was enough to dissolve her tears and darken her tone.

"Your father did not have a choice. You should be proud of him." He wasn't stating it as an option. He glanced over at her like it should be her obvious feeling on the matter.

"But my mother did." She couldn't stop herself from allowing the hurt to overwhelm her. It could be seen in her eyes when she glared at him, heard in her voice as she tried to keep her emotion in check. "She had a choice, and she chose to leave me."

"Your mother was a troubled woman, Mina. She had lost a lot." The sternness had abated, turning into something along the lines of sympathy.

"She still had a lot. She had me. What kind of a mother leaves her own daughter to be alone? During a war no less?" The question had always lingered in her mind, but she hadn't ever been bold enough to ask it. Things would have been different if she were still alive. Maybe not for the better.

He seemed speechless for the moment. It was a rare occurrence. The man could talk the ear off a monkey if given the chance. "A foolish woman. That was what she was."

Mina didn't have anything to say to that. She simply nodded, staring at the road in front of them. It went by fast, an occasional rabbit jumping out of the way of the truck. Traffic was limited. It was late enough at night for there not to be many people out. The silence in the truck should have been eerie, but the topic had made it welcoming.

As they neared home, Mina gave Werner directions on where she wanted to be dropped off. She still had a little unfinished business to deal with. He wasn't thrilled about dropping her off alone near an area that he didn't know well, but after some encouraging words she got her way. He dropped her off, told her to be careful, and went on his way. Reminding her that he'd pick her up bright and early for her day's shift and that she should get some rest.

Mina stood in front of Armina's door. She held her uniform jacket in hand, but didn't dare put it on. It would only draw unwanted attention to her. She didn't know what all these people had been through in the area. For all she knew, she'd be marked a target the moment her uniform was recognized.