The Forgiving Heart (The Heart of Minnesota Book 1) (5 page)

Karlijna sighed deeply, “We hid the Jews.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Nobody asked any more questions of Karlijna. She knew the family was aware of some of what she had gone through, but they must have realized how painful it was for her to talk of it. Whether they spoke of it behind her back, Karlijna never knew.

Julius was home infrequently.
Sometimes he would come home in the middle of the night, sleep all day and leave again as soon as dusk fell. Karlijna was never disappointed to avoid him. He seemed to be angry with her, just for the mere fact that she was a Gentile.

One morning, a month after her arrival, Karlijna awoke to the sound of angry whispers.

“I don’t care where she goes. That isn’t my concern,” Karlijna thought the voice belonged to Julius.

“Be reasonable.  You’re passing judgment on someone just because –
” Maurice didn’t have an opportunity to finish.

“If she doesn’t go, I will,” this time Karlijna was sure it was Julius.  “I’m not going to contribute money to a family who gives shelter to a Nazi.”

Karlijna sat up, trying to block out the rest of the argument. There could be no doubt they were talking about her. She had no desire to be a wedge between Julius and his family, but where could she go. 

Her options weren’t limited, they were non
existent. Pastor Neilson was already housing two refugee families. She didn’t know many other people in the area. Most people she was acquainted with were refugees like herself and Jewish besides. Even if they had the means to support her, they regarded her with suspicion. 

Karlijna rose and dressed.
As quietly as possible, she cleaned her face and teeth.  She was considering what things she had acquired over the past month were hers for the taking when Rachel stepped into the room.

“You’re up early, Karlijna,”
her cheery tone belied the angry discussion she had just had with her son.

Karlijna debated whether to tell the gracious lady she was going or to slip away later.

“I guess you heard Julius.”

Karlijna was glad the decision was taken from her, “Y
es. I will leave as soon as possible.”

Rachel grasped the young woman’s hands in h
er own, “Oh, no, Karlijna, no. Please do not leave on account of what he said.”

Karlijna was touched by the woman’s generosity, but knew what she must do, “Rachel, you have been kindness itself, but I cannot
create problems in your home.  I will not bear the guilt of dividing a family.”

Rachel began to respond, but Karlijna stopped her, “Please allow me to thank you for your generosity by sparing you the loss of a son.”

Rachel, tears of regret filling her eyes, nodded, “I understand you.”

Karlijna
picked up the dress and shawl Rachel had made for her, “May I take these with me?”

Rachel’s voice was thick, “You may take those clothes and the blankets you have been using,” she turned, “And I will gather some things. . .” she hurried from the room and Karlijna began to follow, but had to stop suddenly to avoid running into Rachel who had spun back around to face the young girl.

“Karlijna, I have an idea,” her eyes were bright again.  She crossed the room to the bedroom shared by the Stein family.

“Regina,” she knocked softly on the door, “are you up?  We have a big job to do.”

Karlijna soon found out what Rachel’s plans were, and, though the girl was overwhelmed and tried to stop them, they would do as they wished.

“It is too much,” Karlijna protested.

“Not at all,” Rachel’s fingers were busy with a needle and thread while Regina cut fabric.

Since Julius didn’t plan to be back for two days, Rachel and Regina insisted that Karlijna stay there while they made her some things.  Karlijna would not have so easily agreed if she had known the quantity of clothing the women planned to provide.

“Karlijna,” Regina explained, “you are probably going to have to find a job.  You do not know if you will have money enough to buy adequate clothes.”

“But the cost,” Karlijna
knew how expensive fabric was at this time.

Regina and Rachel looked at each other and laughed.

“Do not worry about the cost,” Rachel replied, “My son will worry about the cost.”

Karlijna was perplexed, “Julius?”

“Yes,” she nodded, “Julius.  He is the only son I have.  He will pay the cost of the clothes.

“Julius trades things,” Regina leaned toward Karlijna with a sly smile.

Karlijna nodded.  She knew this much.

Regina went on, “He gets things that most people can’t because he has made special friends.”

Karlijna’s eyes widened, “Is this stolen fabric?”

Rachel shook her head vigo
rously, “Not stolen, Karlijna. Julius paid for it, but. . .”

Karlijna didn’t want to know anymore about it.
This was obviously what people were talking about when they spoke of the black market. Her brother, Benard, once told her a person could get anything they wanted if they knew people.

Karlijna waved a hand over
the yard goods, “So why did he buy all this fabric?  It was not for me.”

“No,” Rachel shook her head, “No it
was
not, but it
is
now.”

The wom
en worked long into the night. By the end of the first day the women had put together two winter dresses and another lightweight dress. They all had long sleeves.

Karlijna
had, in her early childhood, been accustomed to having fashionable and expensive clothes. These dresses were neither. Rather, they were sturdy and simple, and Karlijna had never seen any more beautiful to her.

“Thank you,” she fingered the fabric, unable to look her friends in the eye.

Regina gripped the slim shoulders and pulled the girl into her arms, “Karlijna, we are glad to do it.  You are as one of our own.”

By the next day, the women had added undergarments, a heavy sweater, and warm stockings to the pile.  They found a small case in which to transport it as well.  Karlijna did not protest again, but she was tempted.

Maurice took the day off of work himself to help Karlijna look for a job. By the afternoon, they were both weary, more from disappointment than the miles they had walked.

Their failure
should have been no surprise. Karlijna had few skills, and her Swedish was limited to the dozen or so phrases she had learned since her arrival. Added to that, she was certainly nothing to look at, with her emaciated frame and her ragged hair.  There was no reason to hire such a girl.

“I need to
get information about Julius,” Maurice explained as he led her near the docks.  “Perhaps he will not come back soon.”

Karlijna saw the man was trying to keep her from being disheartened
, and she appreciated the effort. Nonetheless, she knew Julius would eventually return, and she would need to move out. Putting it off for one day, or perhaps two, would not be of much consequence.

“Hello, Miss Bergstrom,” a voice from behind her called out.  Karlijna turned with a smile to the captain.

“Captain,” she greeted him, “it is good to see you.  Did you have a successful fishing trip yesterday?”

The man had spoken to her at church on Sunday and informed her that he would be going to pick up some people in the middle of the night.

“I did,” he nodded a greeting at Maurice, “they are now on their way to their family in Northern Sweden.”

Maurice went to speak to a man who might know of Julius’ whereabou
ts. The captain remained by Karlijna’s side.

“Wh
at brings you down here today? Are you looking for fish?”

“No,” Karlijna could not keep the sadness from her voice, “I am looking for a job.”

“A job?” he scowled, “Surely they are not asking you to pay for your keep? The Goldblooms have always been generous people.”

“No,” she waved her hands in defense of her friends, “they would not do such a thing.  It is time for me to move out and begin to do for myself.”

The captain eyed her a moment, “They have said this?”

“No.
The decision was mine.”

“Why?” the captain looked toward Maurice who was still in conversation with another man.

A slight tilt of her chin told him she was not going to answer the question.

Torkel Anderson was no fool.  He knew there was more to this situation than she would say and that her silence was intended to protect someone.  It was not reasonable to assume that one of the Goldblooms had created problems for her, but he needed some time to think before he could find out why.  He scratched his chin.

“I may know of someone who can use you for a few days. It will not be permanent, but perhaps it will lead to something.”

Karlijna brightened, “Whom shall I see about it?”

The captain almost laughed at her eagerness, “I shall see about it myself and come for you when I know.”

Maurice joined them, “I am ready, Karlijna.”

“Maurice,” she explained quickly, “the captain thinks he might know of some work for me.”

Maurice’s face was somber, “Very good.”

The captain smiled at the other man, “I will stop by your house when I know for sure.”

Karlijna walked
with Maurice toward the house. He seemed in no mood to talk and she obliged him, but once they arrived home, the family wanted to know how the search had gone.

“Did you find something?” Regina was first at the door.

“I perhaps did,” Karlijna said and then explained what had transpired.

“This is good, is it not Maurice?” Rachel evidently noticed her husband’s attitude.

“Yes, good.”

“This is the same man who brought you to us, Regina?” Rachel continued.

“Yes, he is kind,” Regina frowned at her brother.  “Have you a reason to distrust Captain Anderson?”

“No,” the man sat down and spread his palms out on the table, “but he is not a Jew.”

This statement was met with dead silence. The women looked from one to the other. 

It was Karlijna who
disturbed the quiet, “Maurice. I am not a Jew. I am a Gentile, yet you fed, housed, and even clothed me.”

Maurice looked up at the girl.
She could read the apology in his eyes, “I forget you are not a Jew,” he laughed a little. “If you were, I would be preparing you to marry my son. You are a good girl.”

Karlijna smiled at this, but she found herself grateful there would be no chance of that happening.  Young as she was, her eyes had seen too much for her tender heart to ever love a man who could judge  an
other person based on their lineage.  Julius Goldbloom was safe from her affections.

Shortly after the family had taken their evening meal, a knock came on the door.  Erich answered it.

“Hello, Captain Anderson. It is good to see you.”

“I have come to offer a job to our young friend, Karlijna.”

CHAPTER SIX

The work at
Leif Anderson’s store was not difficult, but it was many hours every day. Karlijna got up every morning before the sun rose and collapsed into her bed in the back room, late at night. 

Torkel had said the job would only last for three days, while
Leif’s wife was overcoming a sprained ankle. However, the ankle did not heal as quickly as they hoped, and Karlijna had a job for two weeks. The young woman was not glad for the other lady's misfortune, but she was grateful for a place to stay, food to eat, and the income that the job provided. 

The best part of the job was that she spent the meals wi
th Leif and his wife, Inger. The couple both spoke a bit of German, and she was able to converse with them, but they urged her to learn Swedish.   She was an eager pupil and learned much during her stay there.

This
benefited her most on Sundays. She could now understand some of the sermon and Scripture. What a blessing it was to hear the Word of God after such a time.

On two occasions Karlijna visi
ted the Goldblooms and Steins. The first time Julius had been home, so she stayed just moments. The second opportunity she had was more rewarding as only the women and children were home. She would have like to see Maurice and Erich, but Julius’ absence was not mourned.

“How are they treating you?” Rachel looked keenly at her.

“Very well,” Karlijna assured her, “I work hard, but they are kind and fair.”

The older woman nodded, “This is good for you.”

“Do they know how long they will need you?” Regina was trying to get the baby to eat some cereal so her attention was divided.

“They only need me for two more days,” Karlijna was telling herself not to worry, but it was not easy.

Rachel was watching for, and saw, the concern on the child’s face, “You will come back if you need to, won’t you?”

Karlijna smiled, “I will only come if your entire family agrees.”

Regina frowned and looked away from the baby who took the opportunity to spit all the food from her mouth, “You would let the narrow mind of my nephew keep you from a place to sleep?”

“I will not divi
de a family,” Karlijna stated. “If you speak to Julius and he says it is good for me to stay temporarily, I will come. If he says it is bad, I will not come.”

The women tried to persuade her to a
gree to come, but she refused. She left after a short visit.  Sunday was her day to catch up on all the sleep she missed during the week, and she knew she was going to need extra strength if she was to find a new job.

Monday morning, K
arlijna was up early as usual. She was sorting inventory in the back when she heard loud voices coming from the front of the store.

H
er first instinct was to hide. Based on past experiences, Karlijna knew that it was not wise to enter a room where people were angry. After listening for a few moments, though, the girl realized one of the voices belonged to Leif  and the other was shouting in French.

Cu
riosity drove her to the door. Standing near the counter was a young man, not much older than Karlijna, yelling at Leif.  Leif was responding in Swedish too quickly for Karlijna to be sure, but she thought he was telling the boy to go to a shop two doors down where someone spoke French.

“Leif
,” she dared to interrupt, “I don’t think he understands you.”

Leif
turned frustrated eyes to her, “I can see that, but I don’t understand him either.”

She turned to the boy and spoke in French, “May I help you?”

The boy blew out a breath of frustration, “Why can’t he understand I don’t speak Swedish or whatever gibberish that is he’s saying?”

Karlijna wondered why the boy thought
Leif  should know French, but didn’t bother asking.

“Is there something you needed, sir?”
she spoke as sweetly as possible, not noticing the look of surprise plastered on Leif ’s face.

The boy told her and she interpreted for
Leif who, dumbfounded, was scarcely able to complete the task. Once the transaction was finished and the boy on his way, Karlijna turned to go back into the storeroom. Leif followed her.

“I thought you said you had no skills.  That is what we have been seeking for you, a job for a girl with no skills.”

Karlijna looked to the man and shook her head, “I have no trade skills. I am able to do needlepoint, play music– not well, I’m afraid. My tutors were ever despairing of my learning anything at all.”  She returned to her work, “I have no skills to help people. I was trained to be a wife,” she sighed softly, “not a worker.”

Leif
laughed heartily, “My wife would take offense to that.”

“What?” Karlijna was confused.

“That a wife does not work. I think I will not repeat it.”

Karlijna agreed t
hat he had made a wise choice. She thought the conversation was over, but her employer did not leave.

“I may know of a job for you.”

Karlijna looked up, “Yes?”

Before he could answer, a voice came from the front.

“I’m looking for Leif Anderson,” she heard a man say in Swedish that was probably worse than her own.

“I am
Leif Anderson.”

“My name is Michael Gunderson.
My mother is Sigrid Gunderson.”

There was a brief moment of silence before
Leif erupted, “Ingrid,” he hollered for his wife, “my nephew is here from America!”

Leif
sent one of his children for Torkel and their cousins.

“Karlijna,”
Leif called out, “Come and meet my sister’s boy, Michael.”

The girl emerged from the room and saw a young man in a uniform.  Whether he was young or old, handso
me or ugly, she could not say. All the young woman saw was the green uniform.

On legs that felt near to giving way, she forced herse
lf to move toward the counter. Karlijna swallowed and desperately fought the urge to run and hide. That, of course, would be an indicator of guilt.

If there was one thing Karlijna had learned in the past year, it was to
avoid the appearance of guilt. Could this man tell she had escaped the camp? Her hair was still very short and uneven, but it was all covered with her scarf. She glanced down at her wrist and saw that the sleeve had slid a bit.  She tugged the fabric over the offending marks.

How
had he found her? Was he here to return her or to kill her? Why hadn’t she stayed in hiding a little longer?

Karlijn
a remained rooted to the spot. It took all the strength she had. She stared with large dark eyes at the man’s outstretched hand, but could not will herself to grasp it.

A Nazi wanting to shake hands with her?  What kind of strangeness was this?

“Karlijna?” Leif’s voice was kind.  He placed and steadying hand on her shoulder and felt the shudder that radiated through her frame, “You may go back to your job.”

Karlijna nodded
but could not take her eyes from the hand in front of her, nor could she move from the spot now that she had permission to go.

She turned h
er young face to look at Leif. His expression seemed a mixture of concern and curiosity. It was more than she could bear. Hot tears began coursing down her cheeks. She made no sound, but could not stop the flow.

Leif
gently took her arm and propelled her toward the living quarters of the building. She didn’t notice at first where they were going, and, once she did, she began to resist.

“No, Leif
,” she pulled against him, “he’ll see that I’m not working. I must go to work.”

“Karlijna,” he led her to a couch, and sat her down, “Michael doesn’t care if you’re working.”

She heard the words, but they didn’t truly register, “How did he find me?  They’ll take me back and. . .and,” she turned half-wild toward Leif’s wife, Ingrid, “Don’t hide me, Ingrid. You can’t hide me because they’ll take you then.”

Ingrid looked toward her husband for an explanation, but he only shrugged.

“Can I take a piece of bread with me?” she started toward the door.

Ingrid cupped Karlijna’s face with a soft hand, “You’re not going anywhere.”

Karlijna couldn’t believe they were just going to turn her over to the German soldier. Her heart picked up its pace, “I will go without the bread,” she pleaded.

Leif
left the room.

Ingrid directed the girl back to a chair, “You are staying with us, Karlijna. Nobody is taking you away.”

Karlijna could hear Leif’s voice and that of the stranger in the next room. She could not make out what they were saying, but she assumed it was about her. The terror increased.

“’The Lord is my shepherd,” Ingrid’s soft voice broke through her panic, “I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures,’” the words were spoken in Swedish, but they were familiar, nonetheless.  Karlijna joined her in
German, “’He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake.’”

The women continued.  At, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” the younger one faltered, but a touch from Ingrid helped her to continue.

They were nearly to the end when Leif returned, this time with the younger man in tow.

Ingrid rose and went to them.
She embraced the stranger and then turned to Karlijna who, though no longer terrified, was viewing the scene suspiciously.

“Karlijna,” Ingrid spoke softly as she led the soldier toward the place where t
he girl sat, “this is Michael. He is not German. He is American.”

Karlijna rea
lized her mistake immediately. Shame washed over her and she rose, hands covering her mouth. Leif saw this and attempted to help.

“Do not worry yourself, Karlijna,” he spoke in German, “Michael does not mind.  He will understand when I tell him you thought he was German
soldier.”

“Oh, no,” she was horrified, “that will be a greater insult still.”

Leif and Ingrid laughed. Michael looked confused.

But when she turned and spoke to the young man, it was their turn to be surprised, “It is
vell to meet you, Mr. Michael. I am sorry for bad behaifyor,” she was speaking to their nephew in English.

The family stared at this young girl, most of them wondering what she said.

Michael, on the other hand, seemed pleased to hear English, “Do not worry about it. You have been through a lot.”

“I thank you, Mr. Michael.”

He laughed and said something she didn’t understand.  She frowned, “I am sorry. I just speak small English.”

He refrained from smiling, not wanting her to think he was making fun of her.  This time he spoke in halting Swedish, “I said my last name is Gunderson, not Michael.”

Karlijna looked at Leif who translated to German.

“Oh,” Karlijna nodded with a slight upturn of her lips, and spoke again in English, “Thank you Mr. Gunderson.”

“Michael, please,” he responded. “Please call me Michael.”

“Michael,” the girl nodded at him before turning to the concerned couple, “I am sorry to you
as well, for the disturbance. I am usually sensible.”

The pair assured her they were not off
ended, just concerned for her. As to her being sensible, they could certainly attest to that. The girl, who told them she had recently turned seventeen, was more steady and worked harder than most adults. They had taken to her and wished they had a permanent position to offer her.

There was no m
ore time for talking, however. The family began to descend upon Michael, and there were introductions to be made and questions to be answered. Karlijna managed to slip quietly away from the group and find refuge in her small room.

Because Karlijna frequently could not eat much at t
he evening meals, she woke on occasion, needing food. Consequently, she had some bread wrapped in a scrap of fabric as well as two carrots in a tin. Grateful she wouldn’t have to go hungry, Karlijna planned to make a small supper of them. Ingrid had other plans, however.

“There you are, Karlijna,” the woman ducked through the dividing curtain, “you went so softly away.”

Karlijna rose to stand in front of this kind woman, “I hope you did not think me rude for leaving without thanking you. I did not wish to intrude on your reunion.”

Ingr
id smiled brightly, “You could never be an intrusion. Please come join us for supper. We are going to Torkel and Kaaren’s house since they have more room. You are very welcome.”

Despite her most sincere urging, Ingrid could no
t persuade the girl to accept. She had to be satisfied with bringing her some apples and cold chicken left over from lunch.

Th
e next day, Leif took Karlijna to a part of the city she had never before seen. He led her to a large stone house and knocked on the door. She checked to ensure her scarf was tied firmly over her head. Now that she had some hair, the head covering had a tendency to slip.