A Flicker of Light (16 page)

Aaron turned chalky white. He would not leave Greta behind. His mind whirled as he tried to comprehend the great danger that confronted them. He turned from the doctor, his hand on his head, and walked to the window, taking a moment to think. Rumors had spread and he’d heard them, of Jews being arrested and being sent to concentration camps, where the Nazis systematically murdered them. They faced grave danger. He had no doubt. Still he could not think of leaving her and saving
himself. He stared blankly out the window at the heavy oak tree, its bare branches reaching up in desperation. If he left, what would become of Greta? She had no one, and he knew she’d never survive on her own. He’d been raised to fight, to survive. He knew what he must do.

“Dr.
Blumgarten
, please take Greta in my place. I will find the money and join you in America later.”

“Do you realize the risk you’re taking? You might not be able to get out later.” The doctor had aged since Aaron had last seen him; his hair had thinned and turned all silver. As he spoke, his hands trembled and the lines in his forehead deepened. “You must come with us now. I understand that you have a girlfriend you care very much about; however, Aaron, listen to me, your life is at stake here. You must come. Besides we have papers for you, not for a girl. There is no time for us to exchange your papers for hers now.”

“Dr.
Blumgarten
, you know how much I admire you, but I must now ask you to respect my wishes. Please sell these papers and have some made for her. It is my greatest wish, the only thing I have ever asked of you, sir. Take Greta; treat her like your own daughter. I will come as soon as I can. Please do this for me. You taught me the importance of a man’s character. I could not live, could not go on with
my life, knowing I had left her behind in this dangerous place.”

The doctor looked at his young friend, the boy whom he had considered a son for so many years, and he realized that he could not convince Aaron to change his mind. In a way, although he wished Aaron would join them, he found he could not help but be proud of him. Aaron had made up his mind, and would not change it.

“If this is your wish, then so be it, Aaron. I just think that you should take the night and reconsider.”

“I’m sorry sir, but I will not change my mind. Please, take Greta and see to it that she is safe. I will go to my father’s home. You can reach me there by mail. Please keep in touch, let me know how all of you are doing. I will go and do whatever needs to be done with the papers if that makes it easier f
or you. Just tell me who to see,” Aaron offered
.

“If you are sure this is what you want, I must take care of it. My contact would not see you. I will go now. Aaron,
are you certain
?”

“I have never been more certain
of anything.”

Dr.
Blumgarten’s
shoulders hunched and his head hung low. Suddenly he looked like a very old man, haggard and tormented in body and soul.

Smiling wryly, Aaron turned to Greta, “I would trust these people with my life. They have been a family to me. I now trust them with you, my precious love. Go with them to America. You will be safe there. I will come to you soon.” He touched her cheek, wiping a tear that had fallen beneath her eye. “Smile,
S
weetheart, please, and stop crying. Trust me. It is important. Will you do as I ask?”

She nodded, with tears running down her face as she put her arms around him, and he held her fast.

They had three nights together. On their last night before Greta and the
Blumgartens
departed for the long voyage to the United States, Aaron made tender love to Greta. He held her as she slept, and although he had never been a religious man, he said a prayer asking God to keep her safe. He did not know if he would ever see her again, but he knew he would move mountains if that was what it took to get to America and back to his love. Late that night, Dr.
Blumgarten
knocked on the door to the bedroom where Greta and Aaron slept. She lay with her hair splayed across the pillow as her breath came softly. The doctor tapped lightly. Greta did not awaken. But Aaron had never
fallen asleep. He’d spent the entire night lost in thought. So when the Doctor came to the door, he heard the knock immediately and stepped out into the hall to speak with him.

“I have the papers for Greta. Once again, are you sure? I will gladly go back and exchange them for yours if you have changed your mind. It is no shame to want to live. You understand clearly, son, that you could be putting your life at stake?” The single lamp cast an eerie shadow across his face.

“I know, and I understand the danger, but I must do this. She must be the one to go with you.”

Nodding, the doctor hugged Aaron, and then, without a word, he turned, his head hanging low, and went to his room.

T

he following morning came all too soon. But instead of the sun introducing the new day, the skies appeared to be painted a dismal gray with scattered, angry charcoal-colored clouds. Waving as he stood on the shore, Aaron watched as the
Blumgartens
and Greta sailed off on a massive vessel headed for New York. He felt both miserable and relieved. He knew that he faced a daunting task - attempting to earn enough the money to leave - but he also knew that he could not go on living if he done anything less than to save Greta. The rain began at first as a drizzle
,
and then exploded into torrents, soaking Aaron from head to toe as he walked back to town.

After spending the night in the abandoned
Blumgarten
home, Aaron headed back to the flat where he’d grown up. He found it unchanged. His father, drunk as usual, still showed indifference toward him. The rations allotted hardly fed the old man, or so he said, and he had grown brittle and thin. But he still managed to find the strength to complain constantly. Aaron wondered how many of his ration cards he’d traded for whiskey.

Regardless of his exten
si
ve experience, without a medical degree, Aaron found himself denied work at a hospital. Still, he loved to help the sick, so he made himself available to the needy. When they could, they paid him. When they lacked the funds, Aaron waived his fees. He saved everything he earned for his departure to America. Several months went by without a letter from the doctor or from Greta. He prayed that they had made the journey to America safely. Perhaps, he hoped, only a delay in the mail delivery held up the communication.

One night a neighbor knocked frantically on his door at a little after one in the morning. “Please come quick. We hear you are a doctor. Is that right?”

“Well, I am a medical student, but I guess I’ve had enough training to be considered a doctor. Why, what is it?’

“My wife, please -
she has gone into labor, and we fear something is wrong. This is not the first time, but this time is different. She needs a doctor. She is bleeding very badly, and the baby doesn’t come. She has been laboring for two days now.”

The man appeared to be in his mid-twenties, lean and pockmarked. Quickly gathering his equipment, Aaron
dressed and went to the man’s home. He saw instantly that the baby had not turned and the delivery would be breech. The mother had struggled, and Aaron worked for hours to bring the baby into the world. In the end, both survived.

He returned to the flat late the following day, exhausted from the ordeal, to find an envelope on the kitchen table. Addressed in Dr.
Blumgarten’s
handwriting
,
and covered by unusual stamps, he knew it had come from America. Relieved to receive word, Aaron ripped it open and began to read:

Dear Aaron, my friend and my son,

It is with great pain that I write this letter to you. The voyage proved to be rough, but we have all made it here to New York safely. It is a wonderful place, so full of people, life and opportunity. Every day I wish that you had come with us. It grieves me to tell you this, but something has happened. When we first arrived, all seemed well, but then Greta became bored and despondent. She showed an ill temper and refused to speak to anyone. We promised
her that you would come soon. I told her I knew how hard you would work to earn the money, but she did not seem to believe it. She sent you a letter
,
and when you did not answer she assumed that you did not care anymore. One day she informed us that she met someone else. I am so sorry to tell you this, but she has married a man here in New York. I don’t know how she could have given up so easily. I told her that she must wait and give the mail a chance to arrive, but she is a spoiled girl and has no patience. Please, don’t let this stop you from coming to America. You are still young; you will love again. I know that this sounds harsh, but it is war time
;
things happen, and you must understand that your life is still of great value. In the short time that Greta stayed with us we came to care for her. Now she is lost to all of us, but we do not want to lose you as well. Here in New York
,
you can finish your studies and then go on to be a well-respected
doctor. The anti-Semitism so prevalent in Europe does not seem as strong here. Please write; let us know when you are coming. I will try to send as much money as I can to help you pay for papers and passage out. I have gone to various organizations here and am trying to make a connection to an underground organization that will help you. Please let me know where you stand with your finances. The price now is 10,000
reichsmarks
. I have acquired 3,000 American dollars, so we ar
e on the way. Write soon, Aaron.
W
e miss you.

Your family always,

The
Blumgartens

Aaron sunk into the chair beside the table. His breath was ragged as he held the letter in both hands. The pain swallowed his heart. It engulfed him, but he could not cry. Greta had betrayed him. He loved her, had sacrificed his own safety for her, and she had forgotten him without a thought. All of the work and saving had proved to be for naught. His head in his hands, he sat staring at the wall.
Then he got up and poured himself a drink from his father’s whiskey bottle. To Aaron, Greta died that day. When he spoke of her, he would refer to her as dead, and he would think twice before he ever gave his heart again.

Each day Aaron saw or heard about another arrest taking place. Friends told him of those sent to the ghetto in Warsaw. One afternoon while he tended to a sick child, the Gestapo came and took his father. When Aaron returned to the apartment and found him gone, he felt a wave of nausea. The
gentile
neighbors from upstairs sneaked down, careful not to be seen,
later
that afternoon to tell Aaron what
happened. But they needn’t have;
he already knew.

“The
Gestapo came in a big black car;
they took your father yesterday. I’m sorry Aaron. You h
ave always been such a good boy,
” The old lady with skin like parchment said as she stood trembling. She could be killed for being a Jewish sympathizer, and he knew that she knew it. But still she came.

“Thank you for comi
ng and telling me what happened,
” Aaron said.

“Oh, I remember when my husband, my Earl, had that stomach problem and lost so much weight. We were so
worried. Then you came, and you helped him and didn’t take any money from us because you said that you knew we didn’t have it.”

“Yes, I remember, but still you should be careful. It is probably unwise to talk to Jews. It is best you don’t put yourself at risk. You and your husband are getting on in years. It would be wise to take care
,
” Aaron said.

“I talked about this to Earl, and we would like to offer you a place to hide in our apartment. We are old and poor. The Nazis would never think to look for you there.”

“I am touched, truly. But I would not feel right about putting you in danger. I have places I must go. I’m sure you understand,” Aaron lied. He had nowhere to go, no one to turn to.

“Yes of course, but if you ever need us you will come to us, please?”

Aaron smiled and nodded as the old woman closed the door behind her. He thought about letting himself be caught and ending the whole thing. His will to live had slipped away with the letter from America. However, he could not bear the idea of being controlled by Nazi thugs. There was no doubt in his mind that he would fight back, and it might cost others their lives. Many times when one
person acted out against the Gestapo they would shoot several other people to set an example. Instead of subjecting a whole group to his punishment, he decided to leave. He would venture out into the forests of Germany until the war ended, killing as many Nazis as he could to pay them back for the loss of his Greta.

Aaron had lived most of his life with few material possessions, so packing a small knapsack did not pose much difficulty. He knew he would no longer come into town to use his ration card, so he ripped the yellow star from his armband and threw it in the trash with the card. From now on he would survive on his wits. He would not go to the camp where he’d heard that they tattooed numbers the arms of Jews. Aaron would not allow them to brand him like property. He took the pistol and the bullets he kept in his nightstand drawer for an emergency, and the knife that he had owned since boyhood. Then, including a change of clothes, he flipped the pack over his back and left without even bothering to close the door.