A Flicker of Light (13 page)

“Dirty pig of
a Jew,
”
t
he boy said as he spit in Aaron’s face.

The blow caused Aaron to lose
his
balance a
nd he fell against the building.
H
is shoulder made contact wit
h the brick and he felt a sharp pain
. Crazed with anger, he turned to the boys and punched one in the face. Then before the others even saw it coming, he picked up a huge tree limb that lay on the side of the street and began swinging it at the four. They backed off and began to move away, but Aaron would not let them depart easily. He pursued them with his weapon until they ran. Alone again, he tossed the branch away and walked back home.

The following morning, his shoulder had exploded into various shades of black and purple. The excruciating pa
in grew
ever stronger. Unable to lift his arm, Aaron finally gave in and went to see a doctor. As he filled out the paperwork, he wondered if he would have enough money to pay for the
doctor’s
services. He would have walked out had his shoulder not hurt so f
ierce
ly. After an hour in the waiting room, a nurse wearing a white starched dress and a proper white hat called him into the doctor’s office. The nurse told him to remove his shirt and to have a seat on the examining table. Aaron did as she asked and waited. Dr.
Blumgarten
entered with a chart in his manicured
hand. A tall, slender man with dark h
air sprinkled lightly
with silver, the doctor exuded compassion and refinement.

“What can I help you with today?”

“My shoulder - I hurt it. I should ask you before you look at it how much it’s going to cost.”

“Let’s have a look. I’m afraid I can’t give you a price until I see what’s wrong.”

The doctor observed the injury
,
studying the depth of the bruising. Then, gently moving the arm up and down, he watched as the boy stifled cries of pain.

“Is it broken?”

“I don’t think so, just badly bruised. We’ll fix you right up and give you some paink
illers to take until it heals.”

“So, now, how much do I owe you?”

The doctor looked at Aaron’s tattered clothing and decided
that the boy
had very limited finances. He and his wife had lost their two-day-old son only six months earlier, and somehow that made him feel close to this disheveled child wavering on the brink of manhood.

“Would you like to work here?
To help me?”
Dr.
Blumgarten
asked.

“I don’t know much about medicine. I don’t really know if I would be much help.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? I could pay you a small salary, and of course, there would be no charge for today.”

The idea of making some money appealed to Aaron. He’d never had a job or any funds he could rely on. It would be nice to leave the worries of a life of thievery behind him. He’d gro
wn tired of finding victims who
had enough money on them to make the crime worth his while. And as the economy sank further, he’d had more trouble doing so. He looked around the office and saw the cleanliness and organization. This might be interesting, he thought. If not, he could always walk out. At least his fee today would be waived. His eyes locked with Dr.
Blumgarten’s
, and he agreed to take the job.

Strangely, he saw something in the doctor’s face that made him want to stay. His longing for a real father when he was very young - someone he could rely on and talk to - had become nothing but a memory buried deep within his heart. Now, Dr.
Blumgarten
brought it back to the surface. It would be on this ordinary day, a day that began like so many others, that Aaron Gold’s life took an unexpected turn. Until now, Aaron had not really attended school
regularly. Instead, he spent his time sleeping off nights of drunken depravity and waking up late, with the taste of cotton in his mouth, and
the sound of
drums and cymbals pounding in his head. But as he worked beside the doctor and watched as the older man saved the lives of those who came to him for help, Aaron decided that he would like to be like Dr
.
Blumgarten
. As they came to know each other
,
the doctor proved to be a good listener and an exceptional friend.
While they
w
orked
quietly together on
e
late afternoon,
Aaron was stitching a deep cut.
T
he doctor smiled at him with pride. Aaron helped clean wounds and had learned to stitch with precision.

“You could be a surgeon. Your hands are so strong a
nd steady. Mine always trembled,
” Dr.
Blumgarten
said.

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes, I know so. I can see how perfectly you stitch a wound.”

“I learned from you,
” Aaron smiled.

The doctor
patted Aaron’s back. A newly-
acquired i
nterest in school had taken root
, and Aaron discovered that he had a high capacity for learning. With the help of Morris
Blumgarten
, the boy excelled in his lessons. The doctor taught him Latin and how it related to medical
terminology. Together they studied mathematics, languages, and the arts.

On the day of Aaron’s graduation, Dr
.
Blumgarten
sat al
one in the audience as
he watched Aaron receive his diploma with honors. When the letter arrived at Aaron’s home
saying he was accepted to the University of
Berlin, he dashed to the medical office to share the good news with his best friend.

Although
Dr.
Blumgarten
willingly paid for
part of
his
education;
Aaron could not expect the doctor to support him entirely. Upon his arrival at university, Aaron knew that, unlike many of the other students, he would need a job to support himself. After unpacking his small bag of personal possessions he went into town to find work. Indian summer had brought a hot
,
smoldering sun that year. The trees had begun to shed their colorful leaves
,
and the ground looked like an oil painting as he walked the irregular cobblestone streets in search of employment. In a depressed economy, most people restricted their business help to family members. So Aaron walked from the restaurants to the cobbler, to the sewing machine repair shop, without success. His stomach grumbled with hunger. At the end of the street, he saw a bakery
,
and decided to go in and have a strudel and coffee.
Anke
and
Ludwig
Fassbinder,
owned the establishment. A young couple, they struggled to work while caring for their two-year-old twin boys. It had become difficult for
Anke
to watch the front of the shop while Ludwig did the baking with the babies crying and in need of constant attention. While Aaron enjoyed his afternoon pastry, he watched as the woman made a gallant effort to keep pace with the demands put upon her.

“Ma’am, may
I help you? I am pretty good with children. I’m attending the university, studying medicine, and hav
e worked a lot with little ones,
” Aaron offered.

“Yes, thank you. I would love the help.”

While Aaron entertained the boys, he talked with their mother about
how he needed
work. She told him that she would discuss the
matter with her husband,
and let him know if they would have a position for him if he came back the next morning.

At eight o’clock
in the morning
,
Aaron arrived at the Fassbinder bakery
,
and
Anke
greeted him warmly.

“Would you like to help out in the bakery, serving customers, stocking the shelves and with the children when needed, as well?”

“Yes, of course.”

“It’s settled, then; you’re hired.”

Aaron flashed a white smile at
Anke
, and for a moment she wished a fairy could throw dust on her, making her a single woman again, if just for a night.

In his second year attending the University of Berl
in, Aaron met a girl. Greta
Ziet
lman
was petite, with dark, wavy hair and light brown eyes. She had attracted him from the first moment he saw her. He sat eating his lunch under the shade of a weeping willow tree when she walked out of the red brick
science
building. A breeze passed through the courtyard on that spring afternoon, and the wind caught her hair, forcing it back from her face like a wild caress. Watching as she and her girlfriend sat on the grass beneath a statue and unpacked their lunch, Aaron decided that he must meet her. His attraction made him shy, and he racked his brain for something clever to say as he sat staring across th
e field. This was so unlike him.
I
n the past, Aaron could turn on th
e charm in seconds, but not now;
not with her.  His mind
fo
gged up, leaving him at a loss, as he sat and stared, enraptured. While he tried desperately to think of a clever opening line, the girls stood to leave. Before he could follow them, her maple-syrup-colored hair disapp
eared into a crowd of students.

For weeks he continued to show up at the same place, with the hope that she too would return, but she didn’t. He finally gave up hope of ever seeing her again, and just then she materialized. As he walked up the stairs into the science building, she walked out the door. They met face-to-face at the top of the steps. His clever wit deserted him. He had nothing to say. Yet he could not let her get away again. This could very well be his only chance.

“Excuse me.
Is this the science building?” h
e asked. It was a foolish question. A large sign above the door right in front of them said: College of Science. Still he could think of nothing else.

‘Yes, it is.”

“Oh. I’m afraid I am a little lost can you help me find a classroom please?” Aaron asked
,
feeling ridiculous.

“
I’m sorry. I must go to my class
.
I am sure someone
in
there can help you.”

“Wait
,
please. That was a rather lame way of saying hello. I feel like a fool, but I have seen you around campus, and, well, you’re so pretty that I wanted to meet you.”

Flattered by the genuine nature of the compliment from this man with his good looks and haunting sexuality, she smirked, “You are certainly bold aren’t you?”

“I don’t mean to be. I just couldn’t be sure I would ever see you again
,
” Aaron stammered.

“Hmm
m
, very interesting, indeed.
So what’s your name?’

“Aaron Gold.
A
nd may I ask yours?”

“You may, but I may or may not tell you.”

But as she watched his bright smile and looked into his powerful green eyes, she couldn’t help but be attracted to him. “Greta
Zietlman
.”

“I am very pleased to meet you, Greta
Zietlman
.”

“Well, thank you, Aaron Gold.”

“I would love to buy you lunch, perhaps at
a little restaurant near campus?
”Aaron asked.

“Well,
I do have a class, but if you’re willing to wait until afterwards, then perhaps.”

“I’ll wait. Where can I find you?”

“How about right here?”
Greta said.

“Yes, that would be fine. I’ll wait for you here.”

He did not attend his class. He had a lab that made for a longer period, and he was afraid that he would not be back in time. If he missed her he was sure that he would not have another chance. So he sat for two hours on the stairs of the science building.  When she did not return after so long, though, he began to feel like a fool. Looking around
,
he did not see her
,
so he gathered his books to head home. He descended the stairs and then began to walk away from the science building.

“Aaron
Gold!” t
he voice rang like church bells from across the field. “I thought you said you would wait.” With a dazzling smile
,
she approached him and handed him her books, which he gladly carried.

“I’m sorry. I tho
ught I might have been stood up,
” Aaron said.