Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart

Chapter 1

Feliciano did not know what else to do. Couldn't this shouting officer see that he obviously didn't speak German? Feliciano tried again, waving his little white flag even faster. He always carried it for these sorts of situations, but today it did not seem to be working.

"I don't understand you! Kein Deutsch! I really would like to answer you but I have no idea what you're saying! Sprechen sie Italienisch? Englisch?"

This did not work either. The German just yelled louder. Feliciano cringed under the verbal assault and tried to shrink even smaller. This was completely unfair! All he'd wanted to do was walk to the village market to buy flour, and he'd been stopped on the road by this loud German soldier who seemed incredibly angry about something and wouldn't stop yelling at him in the unfamiliar language. Feliciano was used to seeing the Germans in and around the village by now, but he had never had to deal with something like this before. He was terrified.

"I'm sorry!" cried Feliciano as the German grew even angrier, his voice rising to a deafening volume. "I don't know what you..." Feliciano's heart stopped in his chest when the German pulled his gun from its holster. The entire street and surrounding fields seemed to turn on their side. But the soldier didn't point the weapon – instead he lifted it above his head and Feliciano watched as the butt of the gun moved swiftly towards him. He closed his eyes and braced for the impact. It didn't come. Instead, the sound of anotherGerman speaking reached his ears and Feliciano risked opening an eye and peeking upwards.

This new German was tall, big, blond, and spoke angrily to the soldier, whose arm he held in a firm grip. He seemed to have come from nowhere. Feliciano watched, wide-eyed, as the blond officer spoke a few more angry words before releasing the soldier and dismissing him curtly. The soldier saluted hastily and hurried away. Feliciano grasped his white flag, took a deep breath, and waited edgily to see what would happen next. The officer looked down at him and started to speak in German, but broke off. After a few tense moments, he asked, "I don't suppose you speak English?"

Feliciano breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness! Yes, I speak English! That soldier, he kept yelling at me, and I didn't know what he wanted, and he was really loud and angry and scary and thank you so much for stopping him from hitting me, and are you going to arrest me?"

The German looked a little dazed. "You're welcome. No, I am not going to arrest you."

"Oh, good!" Feliciano smiled and the officer paused before continuing.

"I am sorry about him. He wanted to see your identification papers."

"Oh," said Feliciano, scrambling to retrieve the papers from his back pocket. "I have them here, I..."

"No..." The German held up his hands, palms outward. "It is fine, really. Are you... are you all right?"

Feliciano smiled again. This was the nicest German soldier he had ever encountered, even if he was very stern looking and he didn't smile. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

The German nodded perfunctorily. "You're welcome," he said again. Feliciano waited but the German didn't continue and just looked down at him intently. Feliciano felt his breath come faster as he stared back. It almost felt like the German was looking right through him. His eyes were the bluest thing Feliciano had ever seen.

"So..." said Feliciano finally, feeling like he was breaking a spell in speaking. "Can I keep going to the market now? Because I am supposed to buy flour and I'm already late and I don't want my Grandpa to get worried."

The German blinked a few times and his eyes finally flicked up to look past Feliciano. "Please." He gestured for Feliciano to walk past.

"Thank you, nice German soldier man!" Feliciano ran past, continuing down the narrow country road towards the village. After a few steps, unsure why, he turned to look back. The German was watching after him, but he quickly turned away.