“Ready,” she said a few minutes later.
Q nodded approvingly and placed both of their suitcases beneath the bed. “We won’t be needing these for a while.” He headed for the door, grabbing his coat and hat, suggesting she do the same. “It will be cold once the sun goes down.”
Hilde had already grabbed her coat and added a hat and a pair of gloves as well. “I’m already having fun.”
Q led her down the staircase, then stopped to speak with their host for a moment to ask for directions to the recommended restaurant. Ten minutes later, they were stepping inside the small establishment, smiles on their faces as they were greeted with enthusiasm.
A well-fed man directed them to a table for two. “Benvenuti Signori!”
Q helped Hilde take off her coat and handed it to the man. The menu though was a surprise. Written exclusively in Italian, they had difficulties choosing what to eat. Instead of deciphering the meaning of words like salsiccia, pisello, or melanzana, they decided to put their choice into the hands of the waiter and upon his return, Q asked him to surprise two ravenous travelers with the best food he had.
Hilde laughed as the corpulent man clapped his hands and bustled away. “He seems happy with your decision.”
Before Q could reply, the waiter returned with an opened bottle of red wine. He poured them both a glass and said in his broken German, “Wine of the house.”
Hilde admired the deep red tone of the liquid and raised the glass to sniff the wine. A rich, flowery yet sweet scent wafted to her nostrils, and she smiled in appreciation. When she took a sip, the rich, tangy flavor burst upon her tongue, leaving a trace of nut as she swallowed.
“Excellent wine,” she murmured, taking another sip.
“Definitely,” Q responded. “I guess the Italian wine is famous for a reason.”
The primo piatto, first course, arrived, and Hilde stared at the delicacies brought to them. Noodles covered in a seasoned tomato sauce, meatballs that exploded with flavor, and slices of homemade bread with melted butter dripping from them.
Hilde was almost full when the waiter arrived with their secondo piatto, the main dish, with the most tender meat and crisp, steamed vegetables. And just when she thought her belly would burst, the waiter returned with more food: ice-cream and then cheese.
As they finished their meal, she slipped onto the bench beside Q and leaned against him, sipping her wine and listening as the locals celebrated…what, she didn’t know, but it was obvious there was a celebration of some sort going on. Toasts were made. Songs were sung. Couples laughed together, and as the evening wore on, she felt so very blessed to be sharing this moment with Q.
It was the happiest she’d been since the moment she said, “Yes, I do” in front of the magistrate many months ago. For once, she didn’t have to look over her shoulder or be careful what she said. She was blissfully happy in this moment, and as her eyes met Q’s and he caressed her arm, his eyes echoed her sentiment. Pure happiness.
Chapter 5
The next morning, Q awoke with the sun tickling his eyes as it crept through their window. For a moment, he had no idea where he was. He’d slept so peacefully and better than he had in a long time. Italy. He blinked against the sunlight and rolled over to kiss Hilde awake. Her soft shoulders smelled of wine and roses. He inhaled her unique scent, remembering the evening before. “Good morning, sleeping beauty, ready to go skiing?”
Her eyes fluttered open, and a bright smile lit her face when she nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. Let’s get dressed and have breakfast downstairs before we embark upon our adventure.”
Q kissed her forehead, and they both hurried through their morning ablutions, dressing warmly for their excursion up the mountain, excited about the day ahead.
They settled in the hotel’s breakfast room, and while eating, Q asked the receptionist for directions. First, they headed towards a small shop to rent ski equipment. Despite the language barrier, they got everything they needed and soon enough took the gondola up to the top of the mountain, from where they planned to ski back down to the village.
From the valley floor, it seemed like an excellent plan, and neither Q nor Hilde gave a thought to how difficult skiing down from the top might be.
The gondola ride up the mountain was magical, and Q watched in amusement as Hilde tried to see everything at once. Her gaze kept straying to the massive mountains that rose up in the distance.
“It’s so beautiful,” she repeated over and over. If she’d loved watching nature on their train journey, then she was now utterly enthralled by the majestic mountain panorama. Far away, the Matterhorn rose above the other peaks, but the much lower and closer mountains on the Italian side weren’t any less impressive.
Q closed his eyes for a moment and felt the stress they’d been living under slowly fade away. He knew when they returned to Berlin, it would come rushing back quicker than they would have preferred, but for these next weeks and months, he didn’t want to think about threats and danger.
Meanwhile, the gondola had reached the top and slowed to a crawl. An attendant, dressed warmly in hat, coat, and mittens, assisted them off the lift car with their skiing equipment. Q shivered as they made their way out to the open slope. It was fairly flat near the gondola station, and he and Hilde took their time putting on their skis, making sure everything was buckled up correctly.
Donning his cap and watching as she did the same, he asked, “Ready?” A sign at the top had indicated several paths to choose from, but not understanding fully what the symbols and colors meant, he elected to ignore it and followed the route most of the other skiers were taking.
Hilde nodded, and he pushed off, gliding along the pleasantly graded slope with a feeling of relief and freedom. But his smile quickly gave way to concern and then a shadow of foreboding as the slope narrowed and steepened drastically. What did that sign mean? I should have asked someone.
He managed to keep himself upright, zigzagging back and forth across the steep hill, glancing back every few seconds to make sure Hilde was managing to do the same. He’d not even made it a third of the way down when her anguished cry reached him.
Q dug the side of his skis into the snow and came to a stop, using his poles to keep his balance while he looked up to see Hilde lying in the snow, her legs tangled, one ski lying several feet away from her.
“Darling, are you hurt?” he shouted up to her, swallowing down the rising panic as he released his own skis and made his way up to her.
“I fell,” she whimpered.
“I can see that. Are you injured?”
Hilde tried to get up. “My knee…it hurts.”
Q squatted down next to her and removed her other ski, helping her sit up. Then he gently probed around her knee, observing how she scrunched her nose with discomfort. He shook his head. “You can’t ski down in this condition. We’ll walk back up to the lift and ride it down.”
“No!” she said, shaking her head vehemently. “I didn’t come all this way to ride in the gondola. I want to ski down.”
“I don’t think it’s wise to risk further injury to your knee…” Q sighed. Her face had taken on that mulish look he’d come to know so well. Her mind was made up, and there was nothing in the world that would convince her otherwise.
“I’ll take my time and be more cautious. I can do this.” She gave him a watery smile, putting on her brave face. In response, all he could do was nod.
“Are you sure? This hill is much steeper than it looked at the beginning. What if it gets harder?”
“I’m going to enjoy myself,” she answered, using her poles to push herself to a standing position. “Could you bring me the other ski, please?”
Against his better judgment, Q retrieved her other ski and held her arm for balance as he secured it to her foot. “Are you sure you don’t want to walk back to the gondola?” He tried one last time to convince her. The village was a long way down from here.
“I’m sure.” She
tested her weight on the injured knee, and to her credit, he didn’t even see her flinch. “See, I’m fine. How about I go first since I’ll probably be slower than you?”
Q nodded and made his way back down to where he’d left his skis. Putting them on, he then followed behind Hilde, his eyes never wavering from her as she attempted to stay upright. They reached the bottom of the first hill, and Q skied up next to her. “How are you doing?”
Hilde tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “This is much harder than I remembered.”
“I could try…”
She pursed her lips. “No, let’s keep going.”
Q watched her push off again. If he weren’t so worried, he’d be proud of her. Hilde fought her way down the slope, unyielding in her determination to master it. But she fell repeatedly, and by the time they reached then next small landing, she was breathing heavily and having trouble regaining her feet again.
The sun had reached its zenith and mercilessly burnt down on them. Q felt the sting of its rays on his pale winter skin. At least it was warm. When he spotted a flat patch, he convinced Hilde to sit down and take a rest. They ate and drank their meager provisions, and while the mountain range lay still and peaceful as before, Q now felt an overwhelming respect for the power it represented.
Coming from the flats of Northern Germany, they’d both severely underestimated the hazards of the mountain area. At the moment, he worried about the unforgiving rays of the sun, but that would soon change.
“Hilde, darling…”
“Q, don’t look so worried,” she said, looking refreshed after their break. He traced his fingers down her red cheeks, and she winced at the touch. “You’re getting burned.”
Hilde gave a rueful laugh. “That’s amazing since I’m freezing. My feet are so cold, I can barely feel my toes.”
“We need to keep moving, Hilde. Can you make it?”
***
Yes, she could. She had to – it was the only way out. Hilde cursed her own stupidity and murmured under her breath, “I should have listened to you. This is much too difficult for a beginner like me.”
She fell again into the harsh white snow. Getting up proved more difficult each time, and by now, not only was her knee screaming with pain, but her entire body wanted her to stop moving.
Earlier, the sun had burnt her tender face, but now as they skied into the shadow of the peaks towering over them, and the cold breeze kicked up, her teeth were chattering and her fingers barely able to clutch her poles.
The biting cold wind whipped right through her woolen sweater and the layers beneath. With the number of times Hilde had fallen, her clothing had become encrusted with snow and was now soaking. The icy moisture seeped through her other layers, and with every move, the wet cotton disgustingly clung to her body, intensifying the bone chills.
I’m a fool. I wanted to prove I could do this, but why?
Q cheered her on and encouraged her to get up after each fall, but he couldn’t fool her. His eyes indicated he was worried beyond measure.
“I’m sorry, I should have listened to you,” she said the next time he helped her up.
“Don’t worry, my love, we’ll make it,” Q said as they rounded the top of the next hill and gestured at the village lying directly ahead of them, separated only by a broad and flat hill. From there it was only a few minutes walk to their hotel, but Hilde was so exhausted, she could barely remain upright, let alone carry her own skis.
He noticed before she could say a word and carried both sets of skis, using his free arm to steady her as she limped along beside him. Q left the skis outside the front lobby and then Hilde closed her eyes as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs to their room.
What had started out as a wonderfully exciting day had turned into a skiing nightmare. She collapsed onto the bed, sinking onto the edge of the mattress, near to tears with relief. Her body demanded sleep.
“Hilde! Wake up!”
Why didn’t he let her sleep? “I’m so tired.”
Q’s voice reached her through the fog of exhaustion, but she couldn’t make much sense of it. “You need to get out of your wet clothing and then I’ll have a look at your knee.”
Whatever it was he wanted to do to her, she didn’t care. Like a puppet on a string, she rolled from side to side, lifted her legs and arms whenever he requested it, all with the intention to make him go away and let her sleep.
“Hildelein, darling, you’re shivering.”
Strange. She wasn’t cold. In fact, she didn’t feel anything. Not even the sheets beneath her or his hands on her body as he pushed the flannel nightgown down her torso.
“Into bed with you now,” Q urged her, plumping up the pillows behind her back and tucking the quilt around her shoulders. “I’ll see if I can round up some hot tea for you. Stay in bed and get warm.”
“Q?” she called after him when he started to leave the room.
“Yes?” he turned, giving her a quizzical look.
“I’m tired.”
“I know, darling. Sleep, I’ll be right back.” Giving in to her exhaustion, her eyes must have fluttered shut, because she didn’t see him leave the room, nor did she notice his return bearing a tray with hot water, cups, sugar, cream, and tea. He woke her, holding a cup of steaming tea to her lips, forcing her to take careful sips.
The hot liquid ran down her throat, and for a short moment, everything got worse. She became painfully aware of the congelation in her limbs, and as her feet and hands thawed, pins and needles tortured her. Her hands shivered so badly, Q took the cup from her and held it himself, feeding her more tiny sips of heat.
Delicious heat.
With the warmth, life returned to her limbs and her brain. “I’m sorry for ruining our first honeymoon day.”
“Don’t be sorry, my love. I’m just glad we made it back to the hotel. I called a doctor for you.”
“I don’t need a doctor. I just need to rest…” But the distressed look in his bright blue eyes made her stop midsentence. If Q needed her to be seen by a doctor to stop worrying, so be it.
“I want a doctor to look at your knee and your sunburn, just to make sure,” he said, stroking her hair. “You’re still shivering.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever feel warm again,” she murmured and slumped back into the pillows.
“Drink some more tea, then I’ll see about finding you another blanket.”
Hilde dutifully drank the hot liquid he held to her lips, each sip bringing back sensation to her body. When he prepared to leave to fetch another blanket, she found the strength to reach for his arm. “Don’t leave again.”
“You’re still cold.”
“Snuggle with me. That would warm me up.” Hilde tried a small smile, and he gave in to her request, slipped off his shoes, and climbed onto the other side of the bed to gather her in his arms, tucking the quilt around her body like a cocoon.
Hilde dozed off in the security that the man she loved watched over her until a brisk knocking on the door announced the arrival of the doctor. Q invited him in and then paced at the end of the bed while the doctor examined her injured knee.
“Signora Quedlin, it appears you’ve pulled a tendon and strained the muscles from your knee down your calf and across the top of your foot. How did you say this injury occurred?”
“Well, I fell when we attempted to ski down from the top of the mountain…”
“What? Are you experienced skiers?” the doctor inquired, looking between Q and Hilde.
She shook her head. “I’ve been once before…”
The doctor muttered something in Italian that sounded like a curse word and looked angry. “You tourists are so irresponsible at times. These mountains are not for beginners. Did you not see the warning sign at the top?”
Q nodded. “I did, but I have to confess the colors and symbols didn’t mean anything to me.”
“You’re lucky one of you wasn’t seriously injured. Next time,
stay on the blue slopes close to the village.”
“We will,” Q answered, feeling the sting of the chastisement.
“Good,” the doctor replied, seeming somewhat mollified by Q’s response. “Your wife will need to rest her knee for several days before she can try skiing again.” He packed up his supplies and Q escorted him to the door.
Hilde’s eyelids closed and she was already half asleep when she heard Q’s voice, “Are you hungry?”
“No. Just tired.”
“Then sleep.” A kiss on her nose was the last thing she felt before the land of dreams claimed her.
***
She woke the next morning and attempted to roll over in the bed, only to gasp as a sharp pain rushed from her ankle to her knee. “Ouch!”
“Hilde?” Q’s voice came from the other side of the room. He was already up and fully dressed.
“My knee hurts.” She carefully sat up and stared at the swollen joint. It was easily double the size of the other knee, and the skin featured all colors of the rainbow, from a light yellow, to greens and blues, to dark black bruises on the bones.
“You’re a piece of art,” Q said, following her gaze and obviously thinking the same. “And the red colors are up here.” He gestured at her sunburnt face. “Let me get some lotion.”
The cool liquid he rubbed into her face soothed the tight stinging sensation on her cheekbones, and she sighed. “Much better.”
“Yes, we both got a little too much sun yesterday. I already bought sunscreen.”
Hilde looked at Q’s bright red face and reached for the lotion to rub the cool liquid on his stubbly face.
A loud growl came from her stomach, and she pushed herself to a sitting position before asking, “Could you help me get dressed?”
“Why?”
She pressed her hand to her rumbling belly. “I’m hungry. We should go to breakfast.”
Q grinned. “Well, breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea. Can you manage the stairs, or should I throw you over my shoulder like a flour sack?”
Unyielding: Love and Resistance in WW2 Germany (World War II Trilogy) Page 3
