The Heart Of A Gypsy (21 page)

Ion and all of the others were already outside. A pot of strong coffee was brewing over a fire that should not have been burning so close to the campsite. Slowly the partisans were forgetting the attack and slipping back to their old ways. Still, they kept the fires small and the smoke minimal. The large evening fire was still started far away from the campsite. Taking a cup of the steaming brew for himself and one for Nadya, Christian sat on the ground cross-legged in the snow. He wished Nadya had not awakened to witness what the Undergound had come to discuss. It would only upset her, and Christian would rather have spoken with her alone concerning his part. But she sat beside him, quietly sipping her drink and waiting to hear what the Resistance was planning to propose.

“We are all so glad to see that you made it back, our brothers,” the leader of the Resistance said as he ran his hand through his mop of unruly black curls. Then he looked thoughtfully at Christian and Ion. “We got news of what happened. I am sad to say that there were a few casualties, but the good news is that most of our men who were with you on this mission escaped into the forests of the Ukraine and found their way to the safe house. They have begun preparing to implement the next phase of the project. They have located the SS officer and have been observing his routine. From this they will decide when the best time will be to take him,” the large Pole said and he took a cigarette out of his breast pocket and lit it. A thin line of gray smoke snaked up into the winter air. “I just wanted to update you on the progress of your last job; however, this isn’t what I came here to discuss with you.”

“Go on,” Ion looked at Christian who sat silently waiting…listening.

“For now that project is in the works and there is nothing at this point in time that we need you to do, we’ll see if the men are able to kidnap the Nazi officer. Until we are sure that they have him in custody, that mission is on hold.  But we have something else that we think will be of interest to you.”

“No!” Nadya said. “There is nothing that my husband is interested in doing.”

“Shhh, darling, let’s listen to what the man has to say,” Christian said, and he patted her leg.

The Pole studied Christian and Ion as he spoke, “We have gotten word through our spies that there is a train that will be coming through Poland carrying over 300 prisoners. It is headed to Switzerland, where the prisoners will be put on work details until they are no longer needed, then they will be returned to the camps and executed.  From our inside informer, we have learned that most of these prisoners are Romany, and therefore we thought this might be of special importance to you.” The leader paused and tossed his cigarette to the ground. He wanted to give the group a moment to digest what he had just told them.  “This train is also filled with expensive stolen artwork. Our plan is to raid the train, free the prisoners and steal the goods. But in order to carry this out we will need all of you, every man here,” the Polish leader said, glancing at the faces that surrounded him.

“Do you have the time and date when this train is to come through Poland? And is it a reliable source that brings you this information?” Ion asked.

Still, Christian did not speak; he sat with his arm around Nadya, He was listening.

“We are very confident of the reliability of the source. The date that this particular train will come through is the twenty-second of April; we are hoping that the weather will have begun to warm up a little by them, but who can say for sure? It is to arrive at the Warsaw station at nine p.m. We plan to raid it just as it pulls in. It is a good idea to leave the women here at the camp when we go on this mission. They will only be in the way.” The leader lit another cigarette and waited for an answer.

“And you intend to take all of the men…and leave our women defenseless? I will not leave my wife alone here without protection. She is more important to me than any mission that you feel you must accomplish… You can count me out,” Christian’s voice was a threatening whisper. But when he spoke the entire group grew silent. With a dark stare, he studied the leader of the Resistance.

“I’m sorry, but your wife is just one person… Do you realize that the lives of several hundred people are involved?” the Polish leader explained.

“Don’t you ever speak of my wife in such a disrespectful manner; I will not have it. If you want my help, then you see to it that Nadya is never put in harm’s way. Do you understand me? I care for the movement as much as any man here, and as I have proven, I will work hard to see the Nazis defeated, but at no time will I sacrifice the woman I love for any cause.”

The leader rubbed the stubbly beard on his chin and considered Christian’s words.  He found himself in awe of Christian’s strength and fortitude, and he believed that without the blond, the Aryan-looking man, the mission would not go as well.  “Let me speak to my men.” The leader motioned all of the men of the Polish Underground to follow him to the other side of the camp. They were gone nearly fifteen minutes, but when they returned the leader made an offer. “I will leave some of your men and a band of partisans behind to protect the women. But Ion and Christian must come on this operation. They are the ones on whom we most depend. We will pay you well, and perhaps you will find some of your relatives and friends amongst the prisoners.”

Ion motioned to Christian, “Now we must talk alone.” He said to the leader of the underground.

“What do you think?” Christian asked.

“I don’t know; this last ordeal took its toll on us,” Ion said, his eyes grave.

“That it did…but what if your families are on that train? Of course, there is no guarantee, but we just may have the chance to free your parents. I have to do this…for you….for Nadya.”

Ion nodded in agreement, “So we begin again.”

“Yes,” Christian answered.

They walked back to the circle, “We agree to go on this mission,” Ion said. He turned to his own band of freedom fighters and looked into their faces. “Now, who will follow?”

Ion’s entire group stood up and offered their allegiance. They all had the same secret wish. Maybe, just maybe, someone they knew or loved was on that train.

Nadya glowered at Christian. He felt a pang of pain in his heart knowing he’d upset her, but he could not walk away from this mission.

C
hapter
47

“I don’t care that you’ve managed to secure protection for me, Christian. When is it enough? When will this be over? I can’t take it anymore. The worry when you are gone is driving me out of my head,” Nadya growled as she paced the floor of their wagon. Christian sat watching her…helpless.

“Three hundred lives are in my hands. They say that many of the people on that train are Romany. How can I turn away? They could be your parents,” Christian said.  She cast a long, angry glance at him. Then she sat down on the bed beside him; the fight drained out of her as the tears filled her eyes. “Oh, my sweet precious love, these are very hard times we live in. I would die for you, but would you love a man who was a coward? If I don’t take this job and later I find out that your parents were on that train, I would never forgive myself. And I don’t think you would feel the same about me,” he said as he put his arms around her.

“I would because you would be alive,” she said, but even as the words slipped from her lips she felt guilty, and she whispered under her breath, “Mama, papa, forgive me.”

“I know, I understand how you feel, but if someone doesn’t act against them, then the Nazis will go on forever. Every time we sabotage them, they grow a little weaker. I’m begging you to understand why I must do this,” Christian said as he kissed her hand and rubbed it softly with his thumb.

She looked away from him. Why must she decide between the people she loved the most? “It could be my parents on that train…you’re right. And what if it is?” Nadya said and her shoulders slumped.

“Yes…and perhaps they are praying for a miracle…for someone to come and to liberate them from this Nazi hell. I must help Ion…together we must do what we can,” Christian said.

Nadya took his hand and held it to her cheek. She felt how rough his skin had become from the freezing temperatures on his last mission.

Then he took his free hand and lifted her chin gently, holding her face as he gazed into her eyes. “I need you to forgive me for making you worry. I would never do it intentionally. And most importantly, Nadya,” his voice cracked. “Please…you must promise to never stop loving me,” he said. The sincerity she saw in his face unnerved her, and she felt her stomach drop.

“I could never stop loving you, Christian….never.”

He gently kissed her lips, still holding her face in his palm.

“Even if you do look like a German,” she said as she smiled through her tears.

They both laughed, but the laughter was not born of joy or mirth, but of sadness and undying love in the face of horrific circumstances.

With his hand cupping her hair, he laid her back on the bed and began kissing her. She reached up and pulled him down beside her.

“My beautiful wife,” he whispered as he stroked her face. “Sometimes I look at you and I cannot believe you are real and that you are really mine.

“I am yours…always and forever,” she said.

C
hapter
48

Later that evening an old gypsy woman arrived at Christian and Nadya’s wagon. Her wiry gray hair was pulled back into a long braid covered by a blue and green bandana. The wrinkles on her weather-worn skin seemed to tell the story of where she’d been and what she’d seen. She carried a black velvet bag.

“Come here,” she commanded Christian.

He walked over to her, shooting Nadya a furtive glance.

“You are wondering who I am?” the old woman said, and she smiled.

“Yes, actually I was,” Christian answered, as he could not recall ever seeing her before.

“I am the magical woman, and I have come to bless you before you go on this harrowing journey.”

From the bag she took a small vial. Then, sprinkling a liquid over Christian, she said a prayer for him to regain his strength quickly from his last mission and to return safely from the dangerous job he’d recently agreed to undertake.

“Thank you for your well wishes, Mother,” Nadya said. “May I give you some dried meat to take back to your
vurdun
?”

The woman nodded and waited silently while Nadya wrapped the food in a towel; then, tucking it under her coat, the old woman left without another word.

“We have strange customs, but she means well,” Nadya told Christian.

“I know. I love you and I love your people, and I am learning every day to understand them more.”

“I am so happy you’re safe; I cannot say it enough,” Nadya said. And she was, but she could not help but think that soon he would be off risking his life again.

“I know, my darling. I know.”

C
hapter
49

Dr. Melvin, as he had come to be referred to affectionately among the partisan group, examined Ion and Christian the day after their return. Although their appendages were swollen and bloody with peeling skin, they were fortunate to discover that neither would lose their fingers or toes. Dr. Melvin gave them both a good bill of health and told them to get as much rest as possible. Christian was worn thin; the responsibilities of his wife, the secret that constantly tapped at the back of his consciousness, combined with his weakened state had taken their toll. Soon, he knew he would be off on another mission, and the danger and tension would begin again.  It seemed as if he did nothing but eat and sleep, on and off, for an entire week. Even following his arrest and time served in the Nazi prison he could not remember being so tired. When he was awake he held his wife tightly and made love to her in a way he had never done before. This last mission had made him even more aware of his own mortality and had reminded him that she had been the only thing that had kept him alive. He was filled with tenderness, wanting, longing to hold on to, to treasure each moment she lay in his arms. And with each joining of their bodies, he felt the spiritual joining of their hearts and minds. Never would he allow a day to pass without telling her how much he loved her. For although he never told her , he understood that at any time he could be killed, and he wanted to be sure that she always knew how much he cared. Nadya had changed, too. His time away on the last mission had turned her from a young girl into a wizened woman. Coming so close to losing her husband and her brother had at once taken the frivolity out of her life and made her solemn. Where once she had allowed Hanzi to roam the forest alone as long as he stayed close to the camp, now she hovered over him constantly. Although she’d always been aware of the strength of her love and need for Christian, she found that the nights until he returned from this last mission had heightened her fears, causing her to become nervous and obsessive. She’d lain in her bed shivering, wondering, “What if? What if the unthinkable happened?” And now even though he’d returned she could not turn those thoughts off.

And then there was Ion. She’d always thought of Ion as invincible. Now she realized he was not.  Since the loss of their parents, Ion had been her rock; he’d been the oak tree she could always count on. Now she faced the fact that he may one day be gone. Nadya began to spend her days checking on those she loved, watching them constantly to be sure that they had not vanished. Sometimes she forgot to eat, and she began to grow thin. Christian knew that the upcoming job with the Polish Resistance plagued his wife’s mind. He saw the changes in Nadya, and he began contemplating whether he should retract his agreement to go.