A Flicker of Light (21 page)

“Of course.
We will take three quarters
of the strawberries as well.”

Klaus nodded to the officer.  But that night when the cake
Siegland
had baked turned out not to be sweet enough due to a lack of sugar, Klaus had taken the entire plate and flung it at the wall
,
breaking
Sie
gland’s
favorite china platter. When he saw the glass splatter across the floor and the cream-colored icing as it stuck to the wall, he was immediately sorry. Then
,
the tears in his wife’s eyes made him sad that he had taken his unhappiness out on her. He went to her to hug her,
but
Siegland
turned away to get
a rag to clean up the mess.

Chapter 22

P

etra’s fever soared on one Friday night as Aaron tended to her, wiping the sweat from her brow as he gently smoothed the blonde curls away from her face. All night, he continued to change the water to keep her cool. Finally
,
the next morning, she
awak
ened feeling better;
she’d even regained her
appetite. 
Sie
gland
and Aaron watched Petra coming back to herself with a glimmer of hope.  Aaron recommended dry toast and weak tea.

He sat at her
bed
side as she nibbled the bread.

“Thank you for everything.  Ever
y time I awoke, I saw you there,
” Petra said.

“I’m happy to have helped you,
” Aaron answered.

She blushed as he opened her shirt to look at her chest and stomach. The rash had begun to fade. Instead of the vivid cherry color, it had turned a pale pink. “You are doing much better. This is a really good indication that you are through the worst of it.”

“Thank you again.” Hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Grateful for her life, but still missing her son, she looked at
this man who once was a stranger
,
and now was her friend.

With his thumb, he reached up wipe away her tears. Words eluded him. He smiled softly as his eyes filled with compassion.

“Forgive me. I know there are many people who have lost so much more than I, and I should not be so weak. But I m
iss my son,
” Petra said, her voice barely a whisper.

“I understand. It’s only human. Don’t blame yourself. You lost a child. That is a hard thing, perhaps the hardest thing for a parent to go through.”

Aaron’s kindness and the soft compassion in his eyes caused her to break down. She could take cruelty
,
and stand up to it with grace and courage, but the caring and genuine concern of this deep and mysterious m
an caused her to weep. She
collapsed
into his arms
with spasms of grief. With
out a thought, he
held her as she cried. A stirring began in his heart as he felt the delicate, slim girl heave with heart-wrenching sobs. He placed his hand on the back of her head as he patted her back, quietly whispering, “It’s all right, I’m here. Get it all out. Let go of the pain.”

When he felt tha
t she had stopped, he softly laid
her head back on the pillow.

“You should rest;
y
ou’ve
been through
quite an ordeal
,
” Aaron suggested.

She nodded. Her face was still blotchy and tear stained. Then Petra managed a smile as she looked into those deep, sea-green eyes that she had come to trust.

T

hat night Petra felt well enough to join the family at the table for dinner.
Siegland
insisted that Aaron eat with them. He protested, but she would not give in. So, to appease her, he sat down. Klaus nervously watched the windows and doors, afraid of spies. He could not remain seated throughout the meal, and continuously rose to peer outside.
Siegland’s
dominating attitude grated on Klaus’ nerves. How had he not noticed it before?

When he finished feeding the animals after dinner that night, Klaus kicked the barn door heatedly, injuring his ankle. He returned to the house dragging his right leg.

Aaron noticed Klaus’
limp,
“It looks like you’ve hurt your foot. Would you like me to take a look at it?”

“No I wouldn’t. What I would like is for you to get back into the cellar before someone come
s here and sees you,
” Klaus answered.

“Of course, I understand, and I would be happy to oblige.”

Siegland
spoke up, “No, you will stay here for de
s
sert. I made a strudel, and you will have some with my special coffee.”

“Look
Siegland
, you act as if everything is fine. As if there is no war on. We could have real trouble here. Do you understand what this man is?”
Klaus was shaking as he spoke.

“Yes, Klaus, better than you do.
I am ashamed of you, Klaus. Where is the man I married? Where
is
your courage and your sense of honor?”

I would rather take my leave now anyway. Quite frankly, I’m rather tired. But
thank you so much for the offer,
” Aaron said as he smiled at
Siegland
and went to the barn, then went down into the cellar to hide. When everyone had gone to bed, Petra cut an ample slice of strawberry strudel and poured a cup of the coffee, which had not yet cooled. Then she wrapped the pastry in a piece of brown paper and headed to the barn. The latch turned as sh
e stepped into the darkness, which was now illuminated by
the light of her single candle. Aaron sat in the corner listening to the radio, which was tuned to the BBC.

“Hello,
” Aaron said when he saw her, his face brightening.

“Hello. I brought you some strudel. You really must try it.
Siegland
is quite the baker.”

“Well, I must say that she is a very good cook.”

“Yes, she is,
” Pet
r
a
replied,
and laid the food down on top of a covered barrel.

Aaron opened the paper and took a bite.

“
Sorry, I forgot to bring a fork.”

“It’s fine. This is really so nice of you.”

“I can never thank you
enough for all that you’ve done,
” Petra said.

He could think of nothing to say. They had provided him with a safe place, food and security; he wished he could offer more.

“You have all been very helpful to me too,
” Aaron said.

“You understand English? We try here; Klaus knows a little, but when we listen to the radio we can only make out some of what we are hearing.”

“Yes, I learned it in school. I understand very well. If you want to know anything, I would be happy to tell you.”

“Is it true that Germany is losing the war?” Petra asked.

“Yes, it is. Hitler has divided his troops and is fighting on two fronts. That
has
weakened the German position. Once America and Russia banded together with Great Brittan, they began to defeat the Nazis.”

“They call themselves the Allies?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I am glad they are winning. When I met Hans, I knew nothing of the Third Reich or Hitler or concentration camps. If I had known, I would have been appalled by the Nazis then. But you must understand, I was just a young girl at the time
,
and I saw Hans as nothing more than a handsome soldier.”

“I understand.”

“Please don’t hold it against me.”

“I could never hold anything against you. You have been nothing but kind. I realize the risk
you’ve taken by keeping me here,
” Aaron looked into her eyes.

In the candle light, her eyes lit up and her skin appeared luminous. He looked at her and once again her beauty overwhelmed him.

“Either way, I’m glad that you’re here,” she said, suddenly feeling shy and self conscious. She wondered
how she could feel this way when just a day before this man had held her hair as she vomited into a bucket. In her youth
,
she would have been embarrassed to face someone who had seen her do something so vile, but she did not feel that way with Aaron. He looked rugged and strong, but inside he concealed a gentle and kind heart. She felt as if she knew him in so many ways. She had seen his capable hands as they fed little Hans; his large and muscular arms had cradled the infant with tender care.

Aaron could se
e in her eyes
that she felt the same way that he did. Passion for each other had ignited in both of them, and the flame that burned appeared strong and true. For a moment it scared him. The heartbreak he’d experienced came to the forefront of his mind in a torrent of emotion. He would rather die than go through a betrayal like that again.

“Petra, I must tell you something. I lied to you.”

“About what?”
Her head tilted to the side; she had thought him so sincere. For a moment she wondered if she knew him at all.

“Do you remember when I said my girlfriend had died on the voyage to America? I said that because to me, she did, but the truth is that when she got to America, she would
not wait for me. She found someone else and married him. It hurt me too much at the time to talk about it. So, in my mind I made believe that she was dead.  But I can’t be dishonest with you.”

“
Are you still in love with her?”
Petra breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the lie he’d told h
er had only been to save him
this painful conversation.

“No I am
not still in love with her, and
I never thought the day would come when I would be able to say that, but it has. She is nothing more than a memory now.”

Petra swallowed and nodded her head. “I understand pain. I thought I would never get over Hans. When he died, I felt like a part of me died with him. I did not think I could ever care for another man. Then I met you. You are such a good man, and you have helped me bear the terrible pain of losing my son.”

“Petra…
”
H
is eyes met hers. “I love you. With my whole heart and soul, I think I love you.”

“I love you too. I believed I would never again say those words to anyone, but I do.”

She trembled as she reached out and took his hand, and brought it to her lips. She placed a single kiss on his open palm, and he reached out for her, stroking her cheek with
tender affection. His eyes never left hers as he placed his hand on the back of her he
ad and gently pulled her toward
him until their lips met. Their first kiss was soft, tenderly brushing the flesh of their mouths together, gently exploring each other, with his eyes on hers. Then Aaron reached up to caress her face. His lips parted hers, and their tongues touched as he carefully laid her back on the hay.

He lay above her, his heart beating in rhythm with hers. As they were drawn into a heated fervor, their kisses grew stronger and they smoldered with desire. His experienced hands caressed her neck, kissing and worshiping her silky skin. Their eyes remained locked as he removed her blouse and then her brassiere. His lips softly brushed her nipples as she gave a breathy sigh of passion. Then, taking her in his arms, he kissed her deeply, nearly bruising her lips as his need for her grew stronger. With his other hand, he lifted her skirt and removed her panties. She had never wanted a man more. Her passion had never been this powerful with Hans. He touched her womanhood and a tiny cry of desire escaped from her. Then he moved down her body with his lips and tongue, taking his time to kiss and caress every inch of her. He kissed the soft flesh of her inner thighs. Parting her legs, he moved between them and
kissed her most private place, opening her to reveal all of her secrets. He found her tender, sensitive nub and sucked gently as she purred. As Petra lost control, her body responded with wild abandon.

She felt a rush of powerful energy course through her as she gave herself up to his loving mouth. He made sure her body had grown moist before he attempted to enter her. Their bodies j
oined, and for both
of them, it felt as if they had found their twin soul. Two halves became a whole. Two lovers became one. Careful to pleasure her first, he moved slowly, taking his time as he gazed transfixed into her eyes. When his climax shook him, he knew that no love from the past would ever be as deep or as real as this one. The feelings he felt for her could not be matched by any he had ever known before. When their passion was finally spent, she laid her head on his chest and ran her fingers down his stomach.