You Are My Sunshine: A Novel Of The Holocaust (All My Love Detrick Companion Novel) (43 page)

Manfred felt clammy as he watched the Jewess prepare the evening meal.
She stood in the kitchen across the hall from Christa’s room. He had no desire for her. She was not as pretty as the one they had working for them at Treblinka, Zofia. Now that one was very attractive, in that Jewish, evil sort of way.  But he had no desire for any woman right now. In fact, he doubted that his male apparatus would work properly. The smell of the food wafting through the air sickened him. Soon, he must talk to Christa explain everything. He glanced back at her lying asleep on the bed. If they were both to die, who would take the child? Did it matter? Did he even care for the little girl? Not really, that had never turned out the way that he thought it might. Once things went bad, it had never been the same as having his own flesh and blood. The child was just a child living in his home; he could not find it in his heart to love her.

Christa stirred under his stare. Her eyes opened slowly. He was stunned even now, by her delicate beauty.

“Manfred, what is it?”

“I must speak with you.”

“Of course, sit down.” She said as she moved her feet making room at the end of the bed. The soft in and out of the child’s breathing lent a quiet rhythm to the semi-darkened room as Manfred explained Hitler’s plan.

Chapter
66

Zofia had not seen her menstrual blood for two months. She had been pregnant before, and she recognized the symptoms. It was hard to be unhappy, even though she knew that she should. Without a home to bring the child to, without any guarantee of a future, she should be miserable, but instead she was filled with purpose, light, and joy. A new life had formed within her. It was tiny right now, her tiny secret. A part of her and Isaac, a reflection of the love they shared. A gift from God even in the darkest hour, here in the middle of the forest with the Allies coming from both sides a small flicker of light had been ignited in her womb a child, a dear life. As Isaac slept on the floor in the cabin, she gazed at him and smiled. For the first time in her life, she knew what it meant to love another human being. It was the most rewarding wonderful feeling imaginable. Nothing she’d ever known before could compare to the sheer bliss of it.  When the war ended, they would be married. The child that grew within her body would be a brother or sister to her precious Eidel. Even though she’d been through hell, she’d found heaven and Zofia felt truly blessed. Her only concern was food, having enough food to ensure the baby would be healthy. This worried her. When she was pregnant with Eidel, she’d had meat and milk, not a lot, but enough, now she could never be sure of the food supply.  Still, even with all the challenges, she could not help but smile. She carried, Isaac’s child. The seed of the man she loved. Her hand caressed her belly.

“Oh, little one, with God’s help you will be born into a world without Nazi’s. Your father and I will take you to
Palestine, a land of our own, a land where you can be proud to be a Jew.”

Isaac walked over and leaned down to kiss the top
of Zofia’s head.

“Who are you talking to?” He asked

“No one, just myself.”

“So, this living in the forest
has finally driven you mad?”

She laughed.

“Isaac?”

“Yes, love?”

“I’m going to have a baby.”

He gasped. Then a big smile came over his face, and even though his eyes were filled with worry, he couldn’t help but smile with joy.

“Zofia…” He was choked with emotion

His hand caressed her face. “I wish we could marry, here now, under the sky.”

“Me too, But we are married Isaac. We’re married in the eyes of God. God knows how much we love each other.”

“Yes, I believe he does.”

She saw tears run down his cheeks and she was moved by the sight of this strong man who she’d come to love, made soft by his emotions.

“My wife
,” He whispered then caressed her belly “My child. I will do whatever must be done to protect you both. I will make sure you are taken care of, no matter what it takes…”

“I know that Isaac. I’ve always known it.” Z
ofia said.

Chapter
67

Ben and Moishe had gone out to gather un-ripened fruit that had just blossomed on the nearby farmer’s apple tree.  They returned in less than an hour with a man. Beaten and bleeding he still wore the stripped uniform of the concentration camp. They brought him back to the cabin. The yellow star on his armband told them that he was a Jew.

The man’s
baldhead was covered in bloody bruises. The bones jutted out of his face, and his eyes were clearly frightened. His body shivered, although the weather was warm.

“He’s lost a lot
of blood.” Moishe said.

Z
ofia looked at the hole torn into the man’s shirt.

“He’s been shot.” Isaac said and rushed over to help.

The man trembled and pulled away.

“It’s alright.” Isaac
whispered his voice soft, gentle, kind. “We are Jews, too. I am not going to hurt you.”

The man’s eyes were black pools
of fear and pain. He stared at Isaac but he didn’t move. He allowed Isaac to open his shirt.

“It’s not a gunshot.
I was wrong. He’s been stabbed.” Isaac said his mouth twisted. “Zofia, can you please get me some water? I’ll also need some rags.”

Z
ofia got up and without speaking; she took the bucket to the pond and filled it. When she returned Isaac began cleaning the wound. From where Zofia stood across the room, she could see that thick dark blood still oozed from the opening.

“They will be looking for me.” The man said
his eyes wild scanning the room. “I should leave here. I will put all of you in danger.”

“Isaac, maybe he’s right. Maybe he should leave.” Sarah said.

“We can’t send him out of here in this condition. He will die.”

“But if he
stays we will all die.” Sarah answered.

“Sarah’s right.” Shlomie said.

“Yes, she very well may be right. But we cannot just throw him out.” Isaac said. Then he looked over at Zofia and remembered the baby.  Zofia knew him well enough to understand the dilemma that he faced; she saw the concern as it crossed his face.

“Isaac, I wouldn’t hear
of putting him out. We are all running away from the Nazis, we are all in the same position. He must stay. There is no other humane choice.” Zofia said.

“If it were just me, I would have no qualms about you staying here. But, I cannot put these others at risk.” Isaac said, hanging his head.

The man nodded. “I understand.”

“He’ll die, Isaac.” Z
ofia said. “If they don’t find him and kill him, he’ll bleed or starve to death.”

Isaac continued to clean the man’s wound. “I think the
fairest thing to do would be to take a vote.” Isaac took a deep breath. Then he continued, “Does everyone agree?”

The all nodded.

“All in favor that he stays raise your hands.” Everyone except Sarah and Isaac raised their hands. Even Shlomie didn’t have the heart to put him out.

“It looks like you will be staying with us.”  Isaac said. “What is your name?”

“Seff.”

Isaac introduced the others as he continued to bandage Seff’s chest.

“It looked worse than I thought. If we can avoid infection, you’ll be alright.”

“I thank you.” Seff said. “
I feel terrible about putting all of you in danger. But this might help…I have news. I was staying with a friend in the neighboring village for a while. She had a radio. At night, we tuned it to the BBC. Listen to this… Last month, the Allies landed at Normandy. From what I understand, it was a bloody battle. But they are here, the American’s the Canadians, the British, they are here..God be with them! And praise God, Germany is losing the war against Russia as well. So the Russians are marching towards Berlin. Any day now, if we can just hold out, this will all be over.”

“From your mouth to God’s ears,
” Shlomie said taking a deep breath.

“Well, Germany is on the defensive. They are in bad shape.  Hitler sent his men ill equipped t
o face a winter in Russia and Stalin beat the hell out of him.” Seff smiled even though the pain of his injuries still shown on his face.

“
Yes and the Russian’s are as cruel as the Germans.” Ben said. “Maybe the Nazi’s are finally going to get a dose of their own medicine.”

“So, as far as we are concerned we
can only hope that the Western side gets to us first, the British and the Americans. You know the Brits have been bombing Berlin like crazy.”

Isaac had finished his work
on Seff’s wounds. He took the bucket of water and emptied it outside the cabin door, and then he came to sit beside Zofia. He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips kissing it gently.

“I know you don’t want me here.” Seff said to Isaac
.

“It’s not that I don’t want you here. For myself, I would gladly keep you here face the consequences. But, this is Z
ofia, my wife. I cannot, I will not put her in danger.”

“They are not really married. T
oday, out of the blue, from nowhere, they’ve just decided that they are married.” Sarah said.

“We are married in our hearts. And, Z
ofia is going to have a child. My child”

Sarah gasped. Shlomie turned pale.

“Isaac…” Zofia said.

“Every one might as well know. It’s just a matter
of time before they will be able to see what is happening. I want them to know that you come first to me, Zofia, before everything, before my own life. And that is why I am uncomfortable taking this poor man into our cabin. The Nazi’s are chasing him. We don’t know if he has been followed. We are taking a big risk.”

Shlomie cleared his
throat. “That changes things, greatly.” He glared at Isaac. “How could you be so thoughtless? She will be ready to give birth in the middle of the winter, no food…bitter cold? What were you thinking Isaac? She will surely die.” Shlomie got up and paced like a tiger in a cage. Then he slammed his fist into the wall.

“Yes, I know the baby will come in the winter. Believe me, I think about it constantly. But I won’t let her die. I will provide food and warmth. She will survive
and so will our child.”

“You are a selfish man.” Shlomie said
glaring at Isaac. Then Shlomie walked over to where Isaac sat and kicked his leg.

Isaac rose and punched Shlomie in the stomach. Shlomie fell backwards against the wall
of the cabin clutching his belly.

“Stop, stop this right now.” Z
ofia said getting up and standing between them. “This won’t solve a thing.” She glanced back and forth between the two men who were breathing heavily. “Seff will stay. He will heal and then decide if he wants to stay or move on. We will manage. If the Nazi’s are hunting him and they find us, then that is just our fate. But we cannot turn him away. He is Jew just like we are.”

Isaac nodded in agreem
ent.

Shlomie continued to glare at Isaac
. “You stupid selfish fool, how could you do this to Zofia? How?” he said under his breath and folded his arms across his chest. He fought to keep from crying.

Chapter
68

Despite their disagreement, Shlomie was the best friend Isaac had ever had and he regretted their fight. Isaac knew he was the stronger man, the more attractive man, the more capable man, and more importantly, the one Zofia had fallen in love with.  For this, he felt he must make some concessions. Later he would talk to Shlomie and he would apologize.  He took his bow and arrow and went outside to see if he might shoot a rabbit or a bird. Over the years he’d spent living in the forest he’d become a good shot. It was hard to imagine that the little boy with the double chins who sat on the wooden stool nibbling on cookies in the back of his parents bakery was the same man he’d become. Well, he’d done what must be done to survive.

Isaac walked through the woods. His clothes drenched with sweat in the heat
of summer. The smells of the flowering plants and the songs of the birds surrounded him. God had surely created a beautiful world for man to live in; it was too bad there were people filled with greed and hatred to spoil it.

Above
him, two bright red birds took flight following each other in the age-old mating dance. Isaac smiled. He couldn’t help but think of Zofia. Her lovely black sausage curls caressing her back, her smile that lit up his world, her eyes, those eyes.  When Isaac looked into Zofia’s eyes, he saw God, the beauty of true love, but when he looked deeper, he knew she hid the pain of the terrible things she’d seen. Every part of him wanted nothing more than to shelter her from ever knowing any more tragedy. But would he be able to do this?  He was a man, only one man, against an entire army of demons. How could he keep her safe? And, now, she was pregnant, and yes, it was a true blessing, but he also felt that Shlomie was right. It was his fault. The woman he loved would bring his child into the world in the dead of winter. Would she survive? Would the child survive? They must, he must be sure that they did. He saw a squirrel move up a tree and pulled the arrow back in his bow. Isaac sent the arrow flying through the air, but he missed. He was far too lost in thought to hunt. They needed the food, but he couldn’t seem to focus. Perhaps he would ask Shlomie to go fishing with him. That would be a good time to make peace, to apologize. Together they’d always been able to bring back something, even if it was only a few small fish. Yes, he would talk to Shlomie. Even the idea felt right.