Lewi's Legacy (15 page)

‘I wish I could come with you on your trip to Europe Louis, it sounds exciting please tell us more will you?’ she asked calmly.

He looked up at the ladies and immediately got their smiles of approval. He started describing some of the towns in France that he would be passing, Calais, Reims, Verdon, Metz and Saverne, finishing at the first of the destinations at Strasbourg. Then he told them that after dropping the car off with a customer, he had to make his way to Stuttgart to pick up another car and bring it home. He jumped off the couch, which startled the assembled women, and rushed into his bedroom.

In ten seconds he was brandishing a glossy sheet of paper. He sat down on the couch next to the beautiful dark seventeen year old and passed her the sheet.

‘This is what I’m picking up in Germany Esther and driving it all the way back to Southampton’.

She looked at the powerful sleek lines of the sports car and her eyes widened. Louis purposely leaned over to show her the writing of the car details especially the incredible top speed data. As he did, his thigh brushed against hers and he felt her soft warmth. He looked down as she pushed back with her thigh.

Esther then passed the sheet for the two ladies to see. ‘Look grandmamma, look what Louis will be driving.’ As the ladies looked she placed her hand on his thigh and sent an electric shock up his body.

‘Can I go with Louis tomorrow, please, I really want to, please?’ she pleaded with her grandmother.

‘How could you my dear girl? Firstly you don’t have a passport, and secondly you are only seventeen. No you can’t, but I’m sure that Louis will show you the real thing when he returns.’

Ethel looked sternly at the lovely young girl, who sat up straight on the couch and stuck her chest out in defiance. Louis couldn’t help but trace the line of her low cut bra through the thin silk blouse, and from the corner of Esther’s eye, she could see him looking at her. With a glimpse of a tiny smile she knew she had him just where she wanted him.

As the two guests left, Louis called to Ethel. ‘Maybe I could call on you when I return from Europe?’ he asked.

Ethel replied. ‘Yes of course, please bring your Aunt Ruth with you.’

Louis put his arm around his Aunt Ruth’s shoulders as together they waved Ethel and Esther off. ‘Well my little boychick do you like her or not?’ Ruth asked with a smile on her face.

As he lay in his bed that night trying to sleep, his mind was full of all sorts of thoughts. He tried to visualise the journey to Strasbourg as well as trying to consider how he was to get from Strasbourg to Stuttgart. He turned over in the bed, then his thoughts wandered to Esther and in particular he thought that how amazing it was that, in a matter of a few short hours, he had changed from his depressive state in the morning, to sheer pleasure at meeting a delectable seventeen year old in the afternoon. He thought of the wise old bird that has aunt was. She had probably planned that meeting with Ethel and Esther several weeks before and yet her timing was impeccable.

Nothing but positives flooded through his mind at that moment; in fact it was not now about getting there, but that fact that he couldn’t wait to get back.

The amazing thing about driving a Mercedes limousine is the engine, he just couldn’t hear it. An early start to get the Dover to Calais car ferry could have been difficult especially taking the coastal route, but with a car with so much power and an automatic gearbox, there was no obstacle that could stand in his way. In fact as he pulled onto the ferry, he felt no tiredness at all.

The road started to clear as he headed east from Calais and in no time he was in the historical city of Reims. Situated in the Champagne region the city boasted one of the most beautiful cathedrals, albeit largely rebuilt after the damage from the Great War. In its time the city had crowned thirty three kings of France, as well as housing some of the great leaders of the Catholic Church.

Just beyond the Cathedral, he was able to park the big car by a pleasant café where he sat outside to drink his coffee, and eat a warm traditional croissant. As he sat, he looked at the smooth lines of the black shiny leviathan car. He imagined that people in this area could buy a very nice villa in that city and even get some change, when compared to the value of that car standing there. And he was driving it.

Louis initially wanted to stop at any of the number of towns on the way, but the Limo seemed to know where it was going, so her just cruised past Verdun. At this place nearly three quarters of a million French and German soldiers were smashed to pieces in nine months of fighting in the 1916 battle where neither side would give way, so they fought to the death instead. Metz and Saverne passed by and soon he was on the last leg, to Strasbourg.

With the city boundary in view, he pulled over to the side of the road to get the full address of the new owner of the car, Ethan Khan. It looked like he did live in the city somewhere so as the day’s light began to recede and the city roads were reasonably lacking in traffic, so he decided to find the first traffic policeman and get some guidance. Standing on the corner of a city street crossroads was a man in uniform. He pulled up alongside him and passed him the paper with the address on it. The man obliged, and in broken English told him that he was quite close.

It was in fact at the next cross roads; sharp left, and then in a short distance, look out for some iron gates on the right. The street was empty, so he cruised down it looking for a gate. Initially he drove past his destination, and had to reverse back. He had in fact passed two huge gates, which he thought were to a municipal park, but when he got out of the car her saw woven into the wrought ironwork, the name ‘KHAN on both sides. A small aluminium box was situated to the left with a large red button which he pressed and waited. There was no answer, so he tried again, pressing harder and longer.

‘Bonjour’ emitted rather crackly from the box.

‘Monsieur Khan?’ Louis shouted into the little grille.

‘Is that you Louis?’

‘Yes I have your car Mr. Khan’ he shouted again.

Just as Louis spoke the two massive gates started to open soundlessly, so he jumped in the Limo’s driving seat and turned into the driveway. He had just cleared the gates, when looking into the rear view mirror he saw that the gates were already closing. The winding ornamental drive was flanked by tall palms with massive leaves and ferns that were twenty feet tall; it was as if he was driving into a jungle.

Sooner than he expected, the house appeared. He tried to imagine the size of it, but the palms and ferns had obliterated his view. From what he could see however, it was a large white villa of four floors in pure white, except for the roof area which was castellated and on the extreme top it was accentuated by a line of pink stone. To Louis it looked like a big square wedding cake with white and pink icing covering it.

He brought the Mercedes to a halt outside the huge front door, which was set behind a wide flight of marble steps flanked by white and pink marble pillars. As he looked upwards, the Corinthian decoration seemed to be holding up a massive triangular portico. As he stared upwards, he noticed that the massive double doors had opened, and he thought that at least two mahogany trees had been used to make them. He looked down again and was greeted by a short man in a fabulous dressing gown. His best feature though was his welcoming smile; it seemed to be from ear to ear.

‘Harold said you were young, but let me take a look at you, a mere boy.’ Ethan held out his arms and gave the young man a big hug. ‘Have you driven to here from Southampton today, Louis?’

‘I think the car wanted to get here, but I promise that I didn’t break any speed limits. I can honestly say to you, this is the best car in the world.’ Louis looked seriously at the new owner.

‘Roger!’ Ethan shouted, and a butler in full livery came dashing up to his master like a well trained dog. ‘Run this man a bath in the blue room and get his luggage from the boot of the car, and then take the car to the garage area, just give it a clean up before you put it to bed. OK?’ The butler bowed and ran up the huge staircase and disappeared.

Ethan put his arm around Louis and guided him to what could only be called a state room. He said that he had so much to ask him and hoped that he would stay there for a night or two as he had so much to talk about and had a ‘surprise or two’ for his young visitor.

As they sat on sumptuous chairs, a maid appeared from nowhere and brought in a tray of delicate sandwiches of salmon, tuna and salt beef which she laid on a pink marble table. She walked out of the room only to return with a large silver teapot and some exquisite English bone china.

‘I feel like I already know you Louis, Harold has told me so much already. You are a Levi, are you not?’ Louis nodded.’ Your ancestors come from Haguanau, am I right?’

My Aunt Ruth tells me that that is so. I live with her and she is the most wonderful person, I really love her you know, her dead husband is…’

Ethan lifted his hand to stop Louis saying anymore and he laughed loudly. Enough my boy, drink your tea and eat, then go and get clean. You need some sleep, then we will talk tomorrow, you great grandson of Lewi Levi!’

Breakfast at the Kahn’s was out of this world, and he had the pleasure of meeting Ethan’s wife Leah, much younger that him, but her devotion could not be ignored. They even had breakfast holding hands. That was new to Louis but then on reflection, it seemed so natural. Much to his surprise, the atmosphere was homely in a room that looked so formal. He attributed all that to the presence of Leah.

After breakfast Ethan asked Louis if he was ready to hear a story, and the young man sat up straight, all ears. The first shock was immediate. He was told that his great grandfather did not die at the hands of the Nazis, although his business of course did.

‘As you already know, all the rest of his family had escaped to England and were saved. Lewi did the opposite; he made his way eastwards towards Germany. Only a few months before setting out on the perilous journey his dear wife Hannah had died from cholera.’ Ethan explained.

After great hardship he arrived at to the outskirts of Saverne in his beloved Alsace, at a small farm. The remote farm was inhabited by a young mother and her very young son who were desperate for help to run it. The mother told Lewi that some months before, her husband stood up to a German officer about the inhuman treatment that they and the other villagers were receiving. The farmer was made an example of, as many were, and was summarily shot in front of all the inhabitants who were forced to watch, including his young wife and their son. In repayment for Lewi helping them survive, she promised to hide him, and he of course readily agreed to help them.

As many different people were thrown together in those desperate times, so it was for them. She, in her late twenties, he in his late sixties, had grown to love each other, and in a matter of a couple of years they had a baby girl together. One day at the closing of the conflict, when the western alliance were changing the balance of power, Lewi was in the fields with his baby daughter pointing out all the different flowers that were growing, when he noticed on the brow of the hill, that a bedraggled company of German soldiers were heading their way. Quickly he lay still on the ground with his child close to him, hoping that they would pass by.

The once proud German army was on the run, and they were hungry and lacking in any discipline as they ran down the hill towards the farmhouse. In a few moments Lewi could hear screaming and gunshots but daren’t look up in fear of discovery. The screaming suddenly stopped, and after half an hour he plucked up the courage to lift his head and look. The roof of the farmhouse was on fire and it was looking like an inferno. He put the baby down carefully and ran to the house. By the time he was there the fire was just smouldering, and inside the room at the far side were two charred bodies crouched in the corner. He didn’t need any identification, and he was filled with disgust and helplessness at the same time.

It was some time after the war that Lewi returned to the place of his birth Hagenau, with his baby daughter Leah. It was very hard for a seventy year old to take care of a two year old so the local synagogue helped him re-home her in Strasbourg, and when he could, he would visit her making sure that her father was not forgotten.

‘And this, my dear boy is Leah, the daughter of your great grandfather Lewi. Although she is not much older than you, she is in fact your Great Aunt.’ Ethan put his arm around the boy.

Leah came over to him and quietly hugged him too, he sat back down at the table and laid his head on his arms. It was all too much for him to take in, so Ethan and Leah sat alongside him and comforted him as he wept.

Leah gently slipped a white envelope towards Louis and asked him to open it. The thick white paper was folded into three and he tried to read it but it was in Hebrew, so he asked Leah to read it to him.

‘To those that follow on from me’, it was headed. ‘Now the war is over and the many thousands of our race who have perished at the hands of the Nazis, I look forward to the day when I join them. But first I must write to those that follow me in the Tribe of Levi. You all know that the Germans have plundered not only our people, but also our belongings. And where has it got them? They had surely taken the small collection that I had in my shop in Paris. But I had a favourite work of art that I hid inside one of the items that I had to leave in the shop. I was told that they hid many of the stolen belongings of our people, in caves in Germany. Perhaps one day they will be recovered.