From Darkness

Chapter 23: Sorry

"But sir, I am German. I was born in Germany, and so was my family, I'm a German too!" Sara protested.
"Miss, I already told you I cannot let you and those other Jews in, I'm not allowed to do that!" the heavily-armed guard replied.
"Where am I to go, then? I have nowhere to go, I need to get back into my country!" she said to him.
"You should have thought about that before you left for France," he told her.
"Sir, please, I have nowhere to go out here, it's the middle of the night, please..." Sara begged.
"I'm sorry. Look, girl, it's not up to me. I do feel sorry for you, and if I could I would let you in. But I have four mouths to feed and I cannot lose my job. I am sorry," he seemed sincerely apologetic.

Sara was in no man's land, literally. She stood at the French-German border, where border patrol was refusing Jews entry to the country on the German side and on the French side. She had left Germany to find her French aunt in Mulhouse, but she discovered that her aunt had moved to Paris and she was out of money to travel that far. People in vehicles weren't being checked as much, but anyone on foot had to show their identification card. Her card had a large star of David on it, even though she had never even practiced Judaism in her life, even though it was only because her grandfather had been born Jewish. None of that mattered now, because neither France or her birth country would let her in. She knew it was the same everywhere else, and that she would have to end up living somewhere illegally, like a dirty rat nobody liked.

Except there had been somebody who had liked her. He had loved her. She threw her bag on the ground and collapsed on the soft, green grass. It was a warm summer night, yet in the middle of that field there was a wonderful breeze. She would just have to sleep there, under the moon and stars, and hope for a plan in the morning. Her stomach growled fiercely. The French and German guards in the distance were rejecting more Jews. They belonged nowhere.

When the sun began to rise, she was awakened by the same guard who had rejected her. "Hey, Miss, I can't let you in but I can try to help you. Travel south to Bern, the Swiss aren't patrolling their border. If you don't want to stay in Switzerland, there's a train in Bern that will take you through Germany into Poland. Poland is probably the safest place for you at this moment. Don't get off the train in Germany, you will get in trouble," he said and as he walked away, something dropped from his hand. Money. "Thank you," Sara managed to say, but he was already gone.

                                                                        ~

Grandmother Gerda was preparing her specialty Schnitzeln. Ivy had been observing and helping her. Ivy could see how worried her Oma was whenever she looked at her. Her grandfather had been having chest pains following a recent heart attack. His doctor had said that he would recover well, and while Ivy felt positive and confident in the doctor's words, Gerda did not. Ivy attempted to take her mind off her preoccupation, "Oma, why don't you like my Vati? I've asked Mother but she never tells me."

"What? Who says I don't like your father?"

"It's really obvious, Oma."

"Oh darling, I suppose you're old enough to understand. You see, I am a stubborn old woman. I refuse to admit it when I am wrong. When I first met your father, when he was asking Antoine for permission to date your mother, I didn't like him at first sight. His skin was so dark he might as well have been African! He would spend his days out in the ocean, fishing, and I just did not want that dark-skinned fisher-boy dating my Simone. Not only because his tan was so dark, but also because I didn't consider his job a proper one, not decent enough for my daughter. I wanted your mother to marry another man, an Austrian heir, no less. Still, your mother fell in love with your father, and there was nothing I could do," Gerda told her.