Our Father's Generation

by F. M. Worden

  I was up at six a.m. and on the way to her house. She opened the door to my knock. “Let’s go,” she said. “We’re going to spend the day at the Eiffel Tower, mother has passes for us.”

  We walked for awhile, I wanted to get a taxi. She said, “No, I have a surprise for you.” She took me to a French bakery. We had the most delicious pastries I had ever eaten. The coffee was good, too. Afterwards, I did hail a taxi and we got to the Tower before the crowd got there.

  At the top, she pointed out so many things I couldn’t remember half of them. She told me Paris was eight miles long and six miles wide, you could see the Seine River cut right thru the middle of the city. “There are six million people living here,” Lily told me.

  We had lunch with her mother on the third floor at the café where she worked. After lunch, we went back to the top. It got breezy and cold, I had to put my jacket and arms around her that way I could hold her tight. She rubbed her face against mine and whispered, “I like you, Frank.” That made my day. We took a taxi home with her mother. She fixed supper again for us. Wow, that ended a perfect day for me.

  The next morning, I was knocking on their door early. Marie invited me in and announced we three were going to the International Exposition of 1937. It was over at the Palais de Chaillot. Lilly told me America had an exhibit there. “We may meet some of your countrymen. Almost all countries have an exhibit there.”

  We took a taxi to the Eiffel Tower, and then walked across the Seine River to the Exposition. We visited the American exhibit first. There were some American college students working there. We drew a crowd right away. All the guys, there were a half dozen, came over to meet my lady companions. The American girls wandered away. Several of the guys got me alone and wanted to know where they could meet French girls like the ones I was with. I turned them off and got Lilly and her mother out quickly and to other Exhibits.

  At noon, we had lunch and then visited Germany’s and Italy’s exhibits, it was a fun time. That evening, we had supper at Marie’s café in the Eiffel Tower. Lilly asked me why I never drank wine? I said I didn’t care for it. She and her mother laughed and Lilly said, “You will never make a Frenchman.”

  We took a taxi to their house again. There we had coffee and talked about America late into the night, I walked home. It was a cool evening. I was a very happy nineteen year old American boy, soon to be twenty.

  That night, I had a hard time getting to sleep. How very lucky I was to have met such wonderful people as Lilly and her mother. I lay awake that night feeling really proud of myself.

  I slept late, got up, dressed and was about to leave when my land lady stopped me and made me have some breakfast. She was so nice I couldn’t refuse her. Before I finished, Lilly came in and sat talking with me. The land lady knew Lilly and said she and her mother were lucky to have me as a friend, my day was made. Lilly took my hand as we walked down the street the morning air was crisp and clean. It was good to be in Paris.

  She wanted to take me to the Arc de Triomphe. We hailed a taxi and he dropped us off on the Avenue des Champs Elysees, within a short walk to the Arc. We walked all around the Arc several times. What a sight it is, she told me that the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior was under the Arc and that Napoleon had the Arc built. We walked back down the Avenue des Champs Elysees and had lunch at a sidewalk café. There are many cafes on this street. Lilly was a joy to be with, she talked about her growing up in Paris.

  After lunch, we walked to the Place de la Concorde. She said we were standing in the heart of Paris. I told her she should be a tour guide. “You are so great, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your company.”

  She just smiled, took my hand and said, “Let’s walk.” We walked to a street along the Seine River where artists painted and sold their work. We visited with several and watched them while they worked. At a footbridge, the Pont des Arts, we strolled over and stopped in the middle. She leaned over the railing, I was behind her, and a sightseeing boat was passing below. I couldn’t control myself, I spun her around, took her in my arms and kissed her ruby red lips, she kissed me back. The people on the boat gave us a big hand. We both waved to them and they all waved back and gave us a big cheer. One of the men on the bridge said rather loudly, “Paris is full of lovers.” I waved to him.

  Lilly said we should take a boat the next day, I agreed. We spent the afternoon walking and talking. We had supper at the Eiffel Tower with her mother again. During supper, Marie asked how we two were getting along. We both told her “Just fine.” She shook her finger under my nose and said, “Frank, I want no monkey business with my Lilly.”

  I told her I was getting pretty fond of Lilly. “She’s a joy to be with; if I was going to fall in love, it would be with her.”

  Marie said, “I know you Americans.” She had her arms around Lilly and said, “I have my Lilly.” She laughed and we all laughed.

  “I promise no monkey business.”

  She took my hand and Lilly’s and said, “Sometimes we make mistakes but I have my Lilly.” I knew what she meant. We took a taxi back to their house. We had coffee and talked late into the evening. Oh, how I liked these two women. That night, I wrote a long letter to my mom and Uncle Bob and Aunt Helen.

  You know, the taxis we take are very inexpensive, I mean cheap. I thought about getting a motorbike, but Uncle Bob sent so much money and the taxis were so cheap, I wouldn’t need a bike.

  The next morning, I was up early and had breakfast with my land lady. She was so nice, I couldn’t ask for better.

  At Lilly’s, Marie opened the door and said Lilly wasn’t up yet. “You kept us up late, Frank. I don’t know what we did before you came.” I had only known these beautiful ladies a few days and already I couldn’t wait to see them. What Marie had said made me feel very comfortable.

  Lilly and I spent the day on a sightseeing boat going down the Seine and then returned that evening. I asked if she would go with me to the foot bridge. She said she didn’t trust me on that bridge. I told her I didn’t trust myself there either, we both had a good laugh. We took a taxi to her house. Marie was home and had a great dinner fixed.

  After dinner, Marie asked if I would like to see where the two of them were born.

  “Sure,” I replied. “It would be a pleasure to see such a place.”

  Marie said she had a few days off. We could take the train to the town they were born in.

  Early the next morning, we were on a train bound for the town of Tours, a small town on the bank of the Loire River. We three sat together, I had asked Marie a question, nothing personal. For some reason, she started to tell me about Lilly’s daddy. He was an officer in a truck transport company. She was dancing in a troupe at the Moulin Rouge night club. He was waiting at the stage door one rainy night. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and he refused to go away. He was tall and very handsome. He had black eyes, wavy black hair and he spoke so softly. “I fell in love that very night.” Tears ran down her beautiful face.

  She continued, “We spent several months together in Paris. When the armistice came, he was ordered home. He wanted to marry me first but wasn’t allowed to. We wrote all the time for awhile. When Lilly was born, I quit writing. I was afraid he might come and take her away. He wrote many letters and they were so sad I quit reading them, I would just burned them.” She was now crying hard, so was Lilly.

  “When Lilly was about eight years old, a lawyer came to my house and asked a lot of questions. A few weeks later, I got a letter from her daddy. I wouldn’t reply. Then the lawyer came back and told me Lilly’s daddy wanted to give me money. I refused. He asked why. I told him my fears. He said her daddy had a family of his own and just wanted to make sure we had plenty of money. He wanted her well taken care of. I said it would be alright. He had sent money for years now. I still love him.” She was crying again.

  Lilly told me she wrote her daddy now. “As soon as I could write, I started to write him all the time. I have two half sisters in America. Rose is te
n and Clare is eight. I have pictures of them.” She handed me a picture of two little girls sitting on a handsome man’s lap. The envelope the pictures were in had an auto dealership heading. It was in a town in California. “That’s my daddy,” she said. The tears streamed down her face.

  Marie said his wife had tried to stop Lilly from writing. “She wrote me and said if I didn’t stop, she would sue me. Can she do that Frank?”

  “I don’t think she can,” I told her, but what do I know? I’m no lawyer.

  We arrived in Tours in the early afternoon. A fine looking man and three young girls met us at the station. He was Marie’s brother and the girls were Lilly’s cousins. A lot of hugging and kissing went on that day. We stayed at her brother’s house, a fine French cottage. Tours is wine country; I got to taste a lot of wine the next day. I mean a lot of wine. Most of the people I met thought I was some relative of Lilly’s daddy. No one told them any different. This was a very fun and pleasant time. I enjoyed the trip. So did Lilly, she said.

  Back in Paris, we arrived just as it was getting dark. Paris is truly beautiful at night. We had dinner at Marie’s café in the Eiffel Tower. We took a taxi to their house and had coffee. I told them how much I had enjoyed the trip and walked home. I wrote Mom and Bob about the trip. I had money in a letter from Bob. I was one lucky boy.

  In the morning when I went down to breakfast, there was Lilly. Smiling and all dressed to go with me. She was more beautiful than ever. She announced that we were going to see some of the churches of Paris. My landlady said Lilly had been there almost an hour. “He’s not only a funny boy, he’s a sleepy boy.” The landlady and Lilly both got a laugh from Lilly’s words.

  The first church we visited was Notre Dame, then the tiny St. Jilien-le-Pauvre, then over to the Dome des Invalides. I asked Lilly if she was trying to get religion for me, seeing all these churches. “No, I hoped you would like them.” She seemed sad that I would ask. She turned on me and said, “Let’s go walk the Pont des Arts footbridge.” I was ready and we did. I got a wonderful kiss from her there.

  We had dinner at my boarding house. All the inmates were happy to meet Lilly. They told her she should come more often. She promised she would. The next day being Sunday, I had one more day before school started.

  Sunday we went to Napoleon’s Tomb and walked thru the Tuileries Gardens and Place du Carrousel at the Louvre. We ate supper with Marie at the Eiffel Tower and then had coffee at their home. I told them both this was the best time I had ever had. They said they enjoyed my company, too. That night, for some reason, I had bad dreams. It must have been a foreboding of things to come.

  I spent two weeks at the school doing nothing but drawings and more drawings. In the evenings, I had to do homework of drawings. I had no time for Lilly. I was bored of this work and went to see my professor. “Do I have to do these drawings?” I asked. “I have a portfolio full of drawings.” I tried to make it clear I was not happy doing drawings. “Can’t I get in a more advanced class?” I asked.

  “Not here, you must follow our curriculum. If you want more advanced work, you must go to another school.”

  “Where might that be?”

  “You could go to the University of Munich in Germany. They have advanced classes you could apply for.” Uncle Bob went there, I remember he said so. “How can I apply?” I asked.

  “I will give you a letter of recommendation to give to my good friend, Professor Hoffmann. He can get you right in.” I made my mind up right there to go. The only thing that might stop me would be Lilly. “Frank, you will make a good architect. I can’t blame you for wanting to advance faster.” I said I would let him know tomorrow.

  I went to see Lilly that evening. She and her mother were busy packing. “I’m so happy,” she said. “My daddy has sent for mother and me. We have our papers all ready to go. Mother has seen the American consulate and our papers are all ready. We go to the coast in the morning and sail day after tomorrow.” Holy cow, what could I say, but how happy I was for them. She said her daddy’s wife had died over a year ago. He would be waiting for them in New York City. I spent the evening with them and said my goodbyes.

  I walked home one sick American boy to have lost those two wonderful people. That night, I lay awake until morning. I made up my mind I was going to Munich, Germany. It would soon be a new year, 1937.

  Chapter 4

  Munich, Germany

  The following Monday, I went to the money exchanger to have my French money changed into German Marks. I went to the school and spent four hours talking with my French Professor.

  “Frank,” he said, “It may be a little sticky for you going to Germany at this time.”

  “Why? I’m just a student. Why would anyone care about me?”

  “The Nazi party has taken over Germany. The country is changing rapidly. I don’t think for the better for some people.”

  “Why should I care? I’m not political, why would they bother me?”

  “I just want to warn you, you may not be received well there.”

  I thanked the professor for his concern. I told him goodbye, and thanked him for all he had done for me. “I’ll be fine,” I told him and went on my way.

  Uncle Bob had sent me way more money than I would ever need; God bless him. I wrote him and the folks of my decision to go to Germany. They could write me, in care of general delivery Munich, Germany. The man at the exchange told me to hide most of my Marks as the German Government didn’t like foreigners bringing a lot of money into the country. That seemed strange to me. Anyway, I hid my money in the lining of my overcoat, trunk liner and my suit coat.

  The following day, I was on a train bound for Munich, Germany. I was missing Lilly and her mother so much; just thinking of them brought tears to my eyes. I sure hoped they would like America. I think I remember the letter Lilly let me read had a return address of an automobile dealership in California. His name was on the heading as the owner.

  From now on, I would be speaking German, at least the best I could. Bear that in mind as you read my story. An older German man sat next to me and asked, “Are you an American?”

  I laughed and said, “How can you tell?”

  “Your clothing gives you away. Are you a tourist? You look awfully young to be one.”

  “No, sir, I am a student. I plan to study architecture at Munich University.”

  “Son,” he said, “I’m afraid you have picked a bad time to come to Germany.”

  Puzzled, I asked why he would say that. He replied, “Germany is in a really bad turmoil at this time. The politics of the dictator who has the power over the people has made life in Germany impossible for people like me.” I still I didn’t know what he was referring to. The look on my face must have given me away.

  He shook his head and continued, “This man, Adolf Hitler, has made life a living hell for me and my people. I am a Jew and he has sworn to drive us all out of Germany, I have had enough. I’m on the way back to sell my factory, get my family and leave Germany.”

  This man seemed so positive of the situation, I had too ask, “What does he have against Jews, you look the same to me as everyone else? In my city in the United States we have many families of Jews.”

  “We really haven’t the slightest idea. He makes us wear the Star of David on our clothes to identify us as Jews.” This man looked as harmless as a man could look. He was well dressed. He was wearing a well-tailored grey pinstriped suit, a black vest and a well-groomed grey beard. He wore horn rimmed glasses. He had a pleasant smile and laughing eyes. All together, a very distinguished looking gentleman. He acted like a very nice gentleman. In the next several hours, we got to know each other a little.

  Now the train was slowing down. The man told me, “We’re about to enter Germany. We will change engines here. An all German crew will take over.” When we stopped, a uniformed man entered our car and said all foreigners must get off and report to the immigration office. My traveling companion said, “That’s you, my b
oy.”

  There were twenty people standing with me on the station platform. A little old lady was the first to go in the office, I was the last to go in. All the other people could get back on the train as they came out of the station. In the office, a very stern looking black uniformed individual with a skull emblem on his billed cap gave me a hard look. He sat back in the chair with his hands folded and said very loud, “Papers.” I handed him my passport. He started thumbing thru the book. He asked “Are you a student?”

  “Yes sir! I’m studying architecture. I plan to go to the University in Munich.”

  “How much money did you bring to Germany?” Now he had his elbows on the desk, hands folded and staring into my eyes. “Let me see all your money,” he insisted. I took out my billfold and handed him all the Marks I had in it. He counted the money then said, “One thousand Marks, not much to go to school on.”

  “My people will send me more as I need it; I plan to get a job in Munich.” That seemed to satisfy him. He handed back my money and passport, turned in his chair and said, “Go.” He also motioned with his hand. I hurried back to my seat in the train car. Soon the train started to move. I sat silently watching the countryside pass by. It was a very sun shiny, cloudless pleasant day.

  Soon, my elderly traveling companion spoke, “Now, my boy, you have got a glimpse of the new Germany.”

  I asked, “Who was he? Why do they need soldiers in that job?”

  “He’s with the SS, they use men like him because they will be tough.”

  I changed the subject. “You said you were going to sell your factory. What do you make?”