Feeding the Enemy

by J. R. Sharp

  Pietro walked towards the table to get a glass of wine. Just as he grabbed his wine he heard Anthony speak.

  “Pietro, thanks for having us over, but this is going to end soon. Francisco came over just the other day and told us that we should be getting our equipment back or some type of monetary settlement for the last year,” replied Anthony.

  Pietro looked at Anthony and then at the other two men who were both shaking their heads in disbelief.

  “I can’t believe you just said that, Anthony. Do you really believe anything that Francisco says to you? He is under the control of the Germans, and there is no way we are getting anything back. Have you taken steps to get ready for this winter yet?” asked Pietro.

  “Yes, we have taken the necessary steps to survive this winter, but Francisco has been giving us the guidance that we need. He has assured us that we don’t need to hide any of our food and that everything should be documented that we currently have on the farm so when we are given our severance next year they know exactly what is owed to us.”

  Pietro could not believe what he was hearing, and neither could Greg Martin and John Manzon. Pietro would not share any of his secrets with the other farmers; he knew that there was always a possibility that they would tell Francisco. He even thought that maybe Anthony was telling Francisco about the meetings. If that was true, he needed to find out, and the sooner the better.

  “Well, Anthony, if you are right that would be great for all of us, but we should prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” replied Pietro.

  As the evening wore on most of the discussions were surrounding what was going on with the families and which crops were going in next spring. It was Pietro’s turn to grow corn. He liked corn because it was easy to pick and didn’t require a lot of attention like the other crops. As the meeting was wrapping up, Pietro was walking the farmers out and told Anthony to hold up until everyone was gone so he could talk to him.

  “So, Anthony, if something happens this winter and you need some extra food, we stored some in my mother’s apartment in town. Nobody would suspect hiding food in town—not even Francisco,” Pietro said.

  “That is very generous of you, Pietro, but we won’t need any extra food this winter,” replied Anthony.

  “Very well. Please tell Gilda and your mother we said hello.”

  As Anthony rode off, Pietro went back to the barn to make sure that all the lanterns were shut off. Anna was already in the barn cleaning up when Pietro came back to the barn.

  “So what was said this evening,” she said. Pietro took a deep breath then took a sip of his wine and explained the whole evening to Catherina.

  “Is he that gullible to think that Francisco will repay us,” replied Catherina.

  “He is not as worldly as most of us are, dear. All he knows is that farm and what his mother tells him to believe,” Pietro said. “We have to make sure the apartment is ready to go in case he is telling Francisco what we are saying in the meetings. I will go check the apartment tomorrow and make sure there isn’t any food in there, and just some old furniture that they can take,” Pietro said.

  ***

  Pietro got up early the next morning so he could get into town and check the apartment. As he left the house, Catherina was already up feeding Maria and Anna was getting something from the kitchen. He kissed her and told her that he would be back late that afternoon from his run to town. Pietro would be making some stops along the way, including checking on some other farmers, stopping to read the news, going by the auction house, and, of course, the apartment.

  By the time Pietro arrived in Cimpello it was already late morning. He had already looked at the other farms during his bike ride to town. There wasn’t anything unusual about the town when he arrived, in fact, it looked more quiet than normal, so he decided to go into town and finish up his chores before leaving for home. He headed to the center of town to read the latest news and make sure that Chester’s name wasn’t on the wounded list. Chester hardly wrote letters home so it was hard to know where he was during this crazy war, but Pietro always checked to make sure he wasn’t on the list. Last he heard from him he was overseas in Africa somewhere and he was not having the time of his life.

  Pietro arrived at the center of town and there was nobody there but him. It wasn’t that unusual to be the only one there but he did look around before stepping up to read the news. As he read through the paper and the list of the wounded or killed, he heard a car pull up and turned around to see Francisco. As he opened the door, out came Francisco looking like he was some type of movie star. Pietro remembered him as a spoiled little kid that always was crying about something or wanting something that he couldn’t have, and now he was the town’s Fascist leader who inflicted pain and misery when he thought it was necessary.

  What has happened to our little town of Cimpello? thought Pietro. He noticed that Francisco started caring a gun and wearing gloves all the time. His uniform was getting more elaborate every time Pietro ran into him or he came to visit the farm. He was now wearing red epaulets, but Pietro didn’t know what they meant or even cared. As Francisco approached Pietro, he knew it wasn’t going to be a good meeting.

  “So what brings you town, Pietro?” asked Francisco.

  “Just catching up with the news and running by the auction house to see what is new,” answered Pietro.

  “So how is the family doing?” asked Francisco.

  “We are doing just fine. Everyone is healthy and we are finishing up getting the farm ready for winter. Thank you for asking, Francisco, but if you would excuse me I have to make a couple more stops before I head home. I want to get home before the sun sets and it gets even colder,” replied Pietro.

  As Pietro started to walk away, he noticed that the driver and other Fascist thug were headed in his direction at the end of the steps. Pietro always thought he could take Francisco out, but not today. That would have to be another time or place.

  “So, Pietro, how is your mother coming along?” asked Francisco.

  “She is doing just fine, however, she is not walking around as much as she used to and pretty much stays upstairs. Thank you for asking, and how is your mother doing?” asked Pietro.

  “She is fine and at home. So who lives in her apartment now?” asked Francisco.

  “Well nobody lives there now. We are selling the apartment, but haven’t had any luck right now,” answered Pietro.

  “How about we go over there and take a look at what is inside the apartment. We may need to take an inventory of what is in there for later use by the government,” replied Francisco.

  “Sure, I just happen to have the key with me,” answered Pietro.

  Pietro was heading to his bike and just as he was getting on it one of the thugs grabbed his arm. Pietro turned to the thug and just before he was going to punch him, Francisco said, “Pietro, why don’t you just get into the car and we can make this faster. The bike will be here when we get back.” Pietro remembered his family and how little Maria would need him in the coming years, so he quickly put the thoughts of violence away for now.

  As they drove up to the apartment building, Pietro was looking out the right window to see if anybody was in the apartment or if there was any type of movement. He could see nothing and when he moved his vision back to the street ahead he noticed that Francisco was looking at the same window.

  “Did you see something, Pietro?” asked Francisco.

  “No, nothing looks different in the road or the back of the heads of our travel companions.” Pietro knew that if he showed any type of fear Francisco could smell it and he would not get home tonight.

  Pietro told the driver to stop at the entrance of the apartment building. It was an open-breeze apartment staircase that had no windows and it was three stories high. His mother lived on the third floor on the right corner of the building with a window facing the main road that they just drove up on. It was an older building but made out of concrete, so it was very sturdy but it neede
d a new outer coating of plaster. As they all exited the car, Pietro looked to the left of the building and could see the children playing in the open field. As soon as they all exited the car and started to approach the main staircase, he saw mothers racing for their children so they could take them to shelter.

  Cimpello was under a storm of fear and obedience was the only cover for this storm. Nobody wanted to acknowledge that they knew Pietro for the fear of being an accomplice to whatever crime that they were investigating. Pietro realized that things would change after being escorted by these thugs of the government and he would take full advantage to seal his family’s survival. Most of these folks had never been through rough times before and only made assumptions of what they saw and gossiped.

  “I am surprised you didn’t know where my mother lived, Francisco. Your grandmother and my mother were very good friends,” remarked Pietro.

  “I didn’t get along with my grandmother, so we didn’t talk much. So which apartment is it?” asked Francisco.

  Pietro pointed to the upper right of the building and remarked, “It is the one on the upper right corner on the third floor. You can see how managing these steps could take the legs out of an old woman.”

  “Let’s go see what is inside. I have other affairs to attend to and don’t want to be bothered with this farmer stuff anymore today,” remarked Francisco.

  Pietro knew that Anthony had told him that he had hidden food in the apartment at this moment. Pietro always knew that someone was feeding Francisco information but couldn’t put his finger on the person until now.

  “Sure, let’s go see this place. Are you interested in buying or renting? Is there someone in your family that needs a place? We could come up with an arrangement because of your new position as deputy. It has two bedrooms and one bathroom but not much furniture. We moved most of the furniture out to the farm but the government came and took most of that as you know,” remarked Pietro as they walked upstairs.

  Pietro could see that Francisco was getting angry the more he talked about the apartment, but he didn’t want them to see any change in his demeanor. At just about the second story Francisco grabbed Pietro’s right elbow with enough force to stop Pietro’s momentum and turn him around to face Francisco.

  “Listen, I am not interested in buying this apartment and neither is the government, however, we are interested in what you may have hiding in it so stop talking and open the apartment,” remarked Francisco.

  Pietro was looking at Francisco talking and immediately noticed that his right hand was on his pistol. If the other two supporters were not with them, Pietro would have made short order of this situation. Pietro smiled at Francisco and apologized for any misunderstandings. As they approached the apartment, Pietro could hear door after door opening and shutting throughout the complex, and he wondered if the stories that his mother used to tell him about door signals were true. He always thought his mother was a little on the paranoid side, but maybe she was right. Pietro put the key in the door and unlocked the door. Francisco immediately pushed his way inside.

  As Francisco passed Pietro, the other two supporters moved Pietro towards the center of the living room, which was on the other side of the apartment. Pietro started to look around the apartment and it was as if he was there just yesterday, nothing was missing and there was no food. He could hear Francisco looking around the apartment and noticed that one of the other supporters was in the kitchen and bathroom. All three of them smelled like some type of cleaning detergent. Pietro felt sick to his stomach because it reminded him of his earlier years.

  Pietro could see down the hallway and noticed his mother’s neighbor was looking out of her door. Pietro made a motion with his hand so that the neighbor would shut her door because he was worried that they would shift their attention on her apartment. He didn’t stop smiling during the whole process and she complied without making any noise with her door.

  “If you let me know what you’re looking for I can help you find it, Francisco,” remarked Pietro.

  Pietro could see Francisco going from the master bedroom to the smaller bedroom moving furniture and anything else that was in the rooms. The other supporter yelled out that he found nothing but dust and dirt in the kitchen and bathroom. Francisco made his way to the main living room that everyone was standing in waiting for his next move. He looked to his left and could see a balcony, but even from that distance there was nothing to see. Francisco looked around the apartment one more time before returning to the living room.

  “Does this place have a storage area in the basement?” asked Francisco.

  “Why it sure does, would you like to see it?” remarked Pietro.

  “Let’s go see the storage area and what it has to offer us,” remarked a smiling Francisco. As they made their way downstairs, Pietro could hear the doors opening and shutting again, it was some type of signaling system that they were using to tell each other what the Fascists were doing in the complex. As they made their way to the ground floor, Pietro continued down the stairs to the basement. He made his way to the storage cages and realized that this could be the best place to get killed and nobody could say they saw anything. For the first time since being picked up by this mob of thugs, Pietro was concerned for his safety so he positioned himself to make sure he would have a chance to survive.

  His mother’s storage area was the second one on the right, and because it was a cage they could see that there was nothing but dirt and dust and a couple of old empty wine containers.

  “I need to come and get the two wine containers. We can use them on the farm, unless you want them, Francisco,” remarked Pietro.

  Pietro could feel the heat coming from Francisco’s body. He started to back away from Francisco so as not to be too close but enough to block him into the other two thugs if needed. Francisco turned in the direction of Pietro and at the same time he seemed to have a sense of relief over his face.

  “No, we don’t need those wine containers. We are sorry that we bothered you, Pietro. Please tell Anna and Catherina I said hello. Let’s go. I have other engagements I need to attend to before the end of the day.”

  As they walked away from Pietro, he stood there and didn’t move an inch. He could hear them go up the stairs and out of the building complex and at the same time the doors started to open and shut again. Pietro started to smile and laugh as he heard the car drive away. As he started to walk away from the complex towards the center of town to retrieve his bike, he could hear the doors opening and shutting, which brought a smile on his face. What a day, he thought, and one that would change the way Pietro would feed the enemy.

  Chapter 7

  FIRST DESERTERS

  IN THE SPRING OF 1941, Italy was fighting in France, Africa, and Albania. Mussolini was trying to continue his quest to expand Italy’s territories and keep up with Hitler’s expansion as well. It was also during this period that Germany shifted its focus from Great Britain and onto Russia. The Italian Army was starting to show signs that it was unable to win battles and becoming more of a burden to Germany than an asset. Germany started to occupy more of Italy during this period with a special emphasis on Rome and other larger cities. The German occupation of Italy was seen as very hostile by most Italians, which made matters even harder on Mussolini and the Fascist supporters. The Axis Powers were also expanded when Yugoslavia joined Germany, Italy, and Japan. The Germans also gained more control of Italy’s resources.

  ***

  Pietro was sitting on the front porch of the farm looking out into the fields wondering where his son Chester was fighting or if he had been hurt. They hadn’t heard from him in quite some time, but that never bothered Pietro because he remembered that when he was in the army he didn’t write home very often. From the last letter they received his unit was going to be moved from Ethiopia and transferred up to Egypt to help the Germans fight the British. Pietro thought that all this fighting was a path of destruction for Italy. Pietro would always tell his family th
at Mussolini wasn’t doing anybody any favors by trying to keep up with Germany.

  It was getting warmer thought Pietro; he even was sitting with only a shirt on for the first time in months. He usually wore his sweater or a coat when he sat outside smoking his pipe. Maria was getting so big and she had started to crawl so there had been some changes around the farmhouse, but that only made Pietro smile knowing that he was a grandfather and that his Catherina was happy.

  Pietro and Bruno needed to turn the ground over in the next couple of days, spread the cow manure, and get the seed ready for planting. It was about two when Pietro heard some noise outside in the driveway and when he went to investigate he found somebody had dropped off some extra corn seed for him to plant. He knew that he requested the seed, but didn’t expect so much and wondered who dropped it off. When he compared the seed with his own, he noticed that the new seed was far more superior in size and texture. He wondered if the other farmers had received seed just as he did, but since the incident with Anthony telling Francisco about storing food, Pietro had not spoken with the other farmers. It had been at least four months since the incident and he didn’t trust anybody except the Martins. But not even Gregory or his wife, Martina, knew about their hiding places or what was in them.

  Pietro had sat down with everyone and explained what happened that day and how close he came to not making it home because of what Anthony had told Francisco. Pietro could only figure that Anthony wasn’t producing the right amount of crops and was trying to divert attention from himself. Pietro wondered what happened to Anthony. Had Francisco punished him?

  This was the time to relax before the spring planting season, and some farmers like the Zucchets took other jobs to supplement their incomes. Pietro worked the railroad just as Bruno did, but it had been years since he stopped working for the railroad and had no desire to go back. If Chester were home, he too would be asked by his father to find other work to help support the farm during the winter months just before the spring planting season. Even Anna and Catherina helped out with seamstress duties at the local silk factory when needed. But now that Catherina had Maria, only Anna would work at the silk factory when Valerie and Velasco were at school. It was the way of life for the farmers in this region.