My New Family

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Prisoners

     After we've finished eating, Sister Joan Marie calls Evelyn and I aside and lectures us for half an hour on safety, respect for other's things (Sister Rachel Marie's veil, which we forgot to bring back), pride, and a whole bunch of other things. Stupid me. How could I have forgotten that! And she's right, I am feeling very prideful because all the kids are like, "Wow, Pauline and Evelyn got Daddy back!"

     We hear intense banging down the stairs. Stepfather mutters something and goes down again with Joseph, and this time, so does Mrs. Lory and I. We unblock the doorway and pull it open, Father, Joseph, and I holding guns in case they try something. "Now, what's the noise all about?" A very short soldier steps forward. Something's very, very strange about him, but I can't put my finger on it. He has a young voice, for one thing. And his cap is pulled way down over his face. "How long are we going to be in here?" he asks in French. Mrs. Lory gasps. So does the soldier-then I recognize someone else. It's François! And the soldier speaking is probably Roger! Mrs. Lory runs over and pulls the soldier's cap off. "Oh, Roger..." she murmurs, looking at his face. So it is Roger! François winks at me, as he makes to leave the room with Roger and Mrs. Lory. But Stepfather doesn't know that they aren't Germans, and he stops all three. "Madame Lory, are you sure it's your son?" he asks. "Oh, yes, I just wish I had Simone and François with me now." François gasps. "Mother, it's me, François!" Mrs. Lory is delighted, but Father still isn't convinced. Then François pulls something out of his coat pocket. It's my handkerchief! He hands it to Stepfather, but Stepfather doesn't see the letters on it. He lifts it up in disdain. "So, you think a scrap of cloth is going to make me believe you? Well, you're wrong." I lower my rifle and run to Stepfather. "Father! It's François DePainne Lory! Look!" I show him the letters. "I gave this to him when we left the German camp together." Father looks at me and him for a second, then consents. "Okay. But you had better keep an eye on them yourself." I nod and lead Roger up to Mrs. Lory's room with her. François stays behind for a few minutes to help Stepfather block up the door again.

     The next day, we escort all the Germans outside, since Stepfather's just been telegrammed that the German army has been completely removed from Amiens. The Sisters will be going to the Abbey next week, after the door is fixed and the place is generally cleaned up. I went over with Sister Rachelle Marie to see it, and it looks as if the Germans are actually pretty neat in their habits, except that one of the rooms has spilt tea on the floor and two other rooms have papers all over the place, and the chapel looks like the entire army slept in the pews, sadly I'm not joking. But at least they're not here anymore! And now Mama is calling us down to breakfast. She sounds very happy!