The Promised Land (All My Love, Detrick Series) (All My Love Detrick Book 3)

by Roberta Kagan

  Zofia gasped and stuffed her fist into her mouth so that Isaac would not hear her. She knew how much Isaac’s Jewish heritage meant to him. She longed to go to him, to put her arms around him and tell him that he needn’t do this. But she knew that if they were ever to leave this camp, then Isaac had to find work, and she had to find work as well. And if that meant posing as a gentile, than that is what had to be done. Zofia had learned that sometimes it was necessary to do things that one hated in order to survive. Biting her knuckle, Zofia moved deeper under the covers so that Isaac would not know that she had seen him. She did not want him to know that she had witnessed his shame.

  After he left the barracks to go out into the world, Zofia got up and watched him through the window. Her heart ached as she saw his strong back, filled with determination, walking toward their future. Leaving what he felt was his integrity behind. She remembered the small pouch of gold that they had taken from Koppel. It was now hidden under their thin mattress. Perhaps she should sell the jewels; but they would still need work. The money would only last so long, and then…if any opportunity ever came their way to go to Palestine, they would not have the funds. No, she would keep that small pile of treasure hidden, lest it be stolen. She would wait, at least for now.

  Once she could no longer see him, Zofia broke into tears.

  When he returned that evening, he returned with money.

  Isaac did not know that Zofia knew that he went out to work posing as a gentile. He thought she believed he’d found work as a Jew. Either way, as time went on, it mattered less and less how he acquired the jobs, it mattered only that he did. Isaac was strong and as a gentile, he found work easily enough. There were reconstruction jobs all over Germany due to the destruction caused by all the bombing. The money was not good, but at least he had funds coming in, and he saved every penny, planning to find a place to live for Zofia and Katja, far away from the DP camp. The more productive he felt, the better his mood. Zofia wished he would talk to her, that he would tell her the truth. She would never have judged him. But he didn’t. Perhaps he couldn’t, and she didn’t push him.

  Chapter 30

  “Give me your finger,” Rachel said, after she had cut her own finger with a piece of broken glass. Blood spurted from the slash and began dripping on the ground.

  “I can’t,” Katja grimaced.

  “Then do it yourself, Katja. Don’t you want to be bound to us by blood?”

  “I do, but I’m afraid to cut myself,” Katja said. “And the sight of the blood is making me dizzy.”

  “Here, Mendel, you do it next.”

  Mendel took the piece of broken glass and cut his finger.

  “You’re the only one left,” Rachel said.

  “You do it for me. I can’t do it,” Katja said, looking away with her eyes scrunched shut tightly and her finger stuck out.

  Rachel made a small, quick cut. Katja winced.

  “Now, let’s all put our fingers together so that our blood gets all mixed up. That way we will always have each other’s blood running through our veins.”

  The three friends put their fingers together, their blood blending.

  “As of this day, I hereby declare that we three will always be bound together by blood. This will be our secret society. No one must ever know. We will watch out for each other and take care of each other forever because we are brother and sisters. The oath that we are taking is a vow that we will never lie to each other and we will be friends forever, no matter what happens. Does everyone agree?”

  Mendel and Katja nodded.

  “Does anyone have anything else they want to say,” Rachel said. No one said anything. “Then as of this moment, I, Rachel Perloff, make this promise,” Rachel said. “Katja do you take this vow?”

  “I do,” Katja said.

  “Say it then,” Rachel said.

  “I, Katja Zuckerman, take this vow.”

  “Mendel, do you?”

  “I do. I, Mendel Zaltstein, take this vow.”

  “Then as of this day, April 24, 1948, we three are a secret family of friends bound by blood,” Rachel said.

  “Should we have a name for our group?” Mendel asked.

  “That’s a good idea. Any suggestions?”

  “How about ‘Friends for Life’?” Katja said.

  “That’s good,” Rachel said.

  “How about ‘The Jewish Brigade’?” Mendel said.

  “What about ‘Our Jewish Army Bound by Blood’? We could call ourselves JABB?”

  “I like that,” Mendel said.

  “Me, too,” Katja nodded. “It sounds so strong and powerful.”

  “We will be strong and powerful someday, watch and see,” Rachel said.

  Chapter 31

  Meanwhile, in Palestine there was unrest, not only between the British and the Jews, and between the Arabs and the Jews, but also within the Jewish population itself. Militant Jewish groups had formed years earlier. As time went by, these rebel Jewish groups grew stronger and began to engage in attacks on the British. These acts of violence against the British were openly disapproved of by The Jewish Agency for Israel, an organization started in 1929 to found, build, and maintain a strong and vibrant Israeli state.

  For Shana, the days were a little brighter as the green grasses began to sprout their slender green tendrils, breaking through the last of the winter snow. She could not remember ever feeling so glad to be alive. For as long as she could remember, the only purpose she had had for living was Rachel. The rest of their family was gone, and everything she’d known before the Nazis took over had changed. All of her friends had disappeared or died and she had been forced to stop her education. Unlike girls her age before the war, Shana had no pretty clothes or boyfriends. In fact, her existence had been reduced to the very basics, food and shelter.

  Now, for the first time, she had begun to feel what it meant to be young and alive. Every night, Shana met Lucky outside of the hospital building, and they walked or went into the closed cafeteria and sat talking in the darkness. The only light visible was the glowing red light from the tip of his cigarette. At first, she’d been shy, clumsy, and awkward. She had never even been on a date before. But Lucky’s easy laugh and funny jokes had slowly coaxed her out of her shell.

  “Where are you from?” Shana asked him one night as they walked under the stars. It was strange how the DP camp no longer looked like an ugly concentration camp to Shana. In fact, it began to feel like Shana had always imagined attending the university would have felt.

  “A little town in Louisiana, just outside of Baton Rouge,” he said.

  “Louisiana?”

  “Yeah, it’s in the southern United States.”

  “What is it like there?”

  “Heck, it’s a lot different from here.”

  “Tell me all about it. I really want to know,” she said.

  He took her hand. “May I hold your hand?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “All right then, I’ll tell you. It’s beautiful. We have these magnolia trees that smell so good you’d think there was perfume in the air, especially when it gets real hot in the summer. On Sunday, my mom, my brother, and I used to get all dressed up and go to church right down the road. Then afterwards we had lunch at our house. All of the relatives came. It was like our Sunday ritual.”

  “Your father?”

  “He died when I was little. I never knew him. I lived with my grandparents until they passed. They left the house to my mom. She was their only child.”

  “So you lived in their house?”

  “Yeah, they weren’t rich, but they did okay. They left my mom a little money and we got along.”

  “And your brother?”

  “He was killed in the Pacific. He was a pilot in the air force.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah. Me, too. I miss the kid. He was my little brother. We grew up doing everything together. I’m the older one; by right, I should have gone first.”


  She squeezed his hand.

  “Rachel is your sister?”

  “Yes. She is all I have left. My family is all dead.”

  “Geez, that’s tough. I’m sorry,” he said, taking another cigarette out of the package.

  They walked for a while in silence. He stopped for a minute to light the cigarette. She waited quietly, not knowing what to say.

  “Hey, I’ve got an idea. How would you like to go dancing?” Lucky asked.

  “Dancing, where? I don’t even know how to dance.”

  “We could go into town. And don’t worry, I’m a great dancer. You just follow my lead, and in a few minutes, you’ll catch on.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Come on; you could use a little fun.”

  She looked away. “I don’t think so.”

  “Hey, what is it? What’s the matter?” He gently turned her around to face him.

  “This is the only dress I have.”

  “Is that all?” He laughed and his laughter made her angry.

  “It may not seem like anything to you, but to me, well, I look a mess.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I think it is time for me to say goodnight.” She began to walk away.

  “Hey, wait a minute. Don’t get all huffy. How about I get you a pretty dress, and then we go dancing? What do you say?”

  “I say that I could not accept a dress from you.”

  “Even if I said, ‘Please’? I want to get out of here, too. You’d actually be doing it for me. It’d be like a favor.”

  She looked at him; his eyes were dancing in the moonlight. “Please?” He said again.

  “Well, I don’t know.”

  “Come on, say yes,” he said. “Come on.” He nudged her gently. And she nodded.

  “Yes, all right. I’ll go.” She smiled

  The following night, after dinner, he brought her a large white box with a red bow.

  “Come into the cafeteria and open it,” he said, taking her hand and leading her, knowing that nobody would be in the cafeteria and they could talk privately. “I hope you like it.”

  Once they were inside, he took her to the back, by the only window in the room. The moonlight lit the area just enough for her to see.

  “Well, come on, open it,” he said, smiling.

  She nodded, a little nervous, her hands trembling as she took the top off the box. She gasped when she saw the dress. It was black silk with a lace overlay. There were matching black pumps with a small heel and a pair of silk stockings. Carefully, she lifted the dress. In the moonlight she could see that it had been adorned with tiny pearls that sparkled.

  “This is so beautiful,” she said, her voice hoarse.

  “I sorta guessed on the size. I had the sales gal help me. I hope it fits.”

  “It looks right. The shoes look like they will fit as well,” Shana said, thinking that the pumps looked a little too big, but she could stuff the toes with paper.

  “So, you will go dancing with me, Cinderella?”

  “Who?” Shana asked, her head tilting to one side.

  “Cinderella. You know, Cinderella?”

  She shook her head.

  “Never mind; it’s just a fairy tale.”

  She nodded. “I’d love to hear the story, the fairy tale. Sometime.” She sighed.

  “You want me to tell it to you?” He smiled.

  “Would you?”

  “Yeah, why not,” he said, and he told her the story of Cinderella. When he was finished, she had tears in her eyes.

  “That’s a beautiful story. I think I remember my mother telling me that story long ago, but I cannot be sure.”

  He smiled. “So, what is the verdict, will you go dancing with me?”

  “I will.”

  “That’s great!” He said. She could see the delight in his full, bright smile.

  “I will be like Cinderella,” she giggled.

  “And I will be your handsome prince.”

  That night, as she lay on her cot, Shana laughed. When had she ever heard someone use an expression like that’s great, or okay? Or okey dokey? He was so American, she thought, so exuberant. So damn wonderful.

  Chapter 32

  “I’m in love, Zofia,” Shana declared, as she and Zofia were walking toward the children’s schoolhouse.

  “Lucky?”

  “Yes, Lucky!”

  “Does he know?”

  “Not yet, but he will tonight. I am going to tell him. The Americans are leaving in the morning, and I want him to know how I feel before he goes.”

  “I don’t know what to say. Only that I am happy for you,” Zofia said. She was skeptical. She wanted to tell Shana that one mistake could change your life forever. When Shana told Lucky how she felt about him, would he say that he loved her, too? Would he take her to America? Or would he walk away? Zofia knew the pain of unrequited love.

  “I feel so good. For the last week, every night, we have been sneaking out and going dancing.”

  A few months earlier, Rachel had begun to share a cot with Katja, freeing Shana at night to do as she pleased. Because the two girls slept right next to Zofia and Isaac, Shana knew that Rachel would be safe. Most nights, the two little girls giggled until they fell asleep or someone in the barracks complained. Then, once everyone was asleep, Shana got up quietly and dressed. Then she went out to meet Lucky, careful to return before anyone awakened.

  “I never even realized that you were gone during the night.” Zofia laughed. “You certainly had me fooled. Tell me about him,” Zofia said as she arranged a pile of books into a stack on the table. Taking a rag, she washed a glob of glue and several pencil marks off the desk. Then she wiped her hands on her apron and sat down beside her friend. “Go on, I’m listening,” Zofia said, turning to face Shana head on. “I want to hear all about him.”

  “He is the most incredible person I have ever known. He comes from a town near New Orleans. His family is French, but they are not from France. They are from some strange and exciting place that is very far north. From what he says, his ancestors came down a river from this place called Quebec, a long time before he was born and settled in Louisiana. His father was a lawyer just starting out when he died suddenly, and he calls his mother a society lady.” She giggled. “I am afraid that he isn’t Jewish, but I don’t care. I have never felt this way about anyone before, and I want to hold on to this feeling forever. If he asked me to, I would convert.”

  “Yes, I know how you feel. It’s wonderful to be in love,” Zofia said, and she thought about Isaac. If Isaac had been gentile, she would probably have done whatever he asked, even convert. Then Zofia fixed her eyes on Shana. “Have you two discussed the future?”

  “You mean getting married? No, never. But I am sure he will ask me to marry him once he knows how I feel about him.”

  Zofia looked down at the box of pencils in front of her. A few of them had bite marks. Some of the children liked to chew on the wooden pencils. Zofia moved the box to the center of the table. It was an absent-minded gesture. One she performed because she could not think of the right words to say. Zofia knew that soon Shana’s American would be returning to his home. Would he take Shana with him? Zofia would miss her friend, but if Shana were happy then she would be happy for her. But what if Lucky chose not to take Shana back with him? How would Shana cope?

  “He says that where he lives, there are swamps that have snakes and alligators just a few miles from his house.”

  “Really? I once saw an alligator in a zoo in Poland,” Zofia said. “It was a very long time ago. They look very similar to crocodiles and they are quite dangerous.”

  “He says that the creatures almost never leave the swamps.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing,” Zofia nodded.

  Shana got up and took out a small pile of paper and laid it on the desk. Zofia watched her. She couldn’t help but remember how she’d felt when she thought she was in love with her teacher. That was when she’d gotten pregnant with Eidel. Mr
. Taylor. She’d never forget him. He’d dismissed her feelings as if they were just child’s play, and he’d broken her heart. Zofia watched Shana, her face glowing, her feet light as air. She was so in love and so optimistic.

  “What a silly conversation we are having,” Shana laughed. “All about alligators.” Shana was putting graded papers in front of each chair; papers that Zofia had worked on the previous day. “Larry wants to go back to school when he gets back home. He plans to get his degree in law and then follow in his father’s footsteps.”

  “That’s a good career,” Zofia said, still watching her friend.

  “I told him I want to go to school, too. I explained that I had been forced to stop my education because of the laws forbidding Jews to go to school.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He thought it was a good idea that I go back and finish.” Shana smiled.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Zofia said, smiling. “You would make a wonderful teacher.”

  “Do you think so, really?” Shana said

  “I do. You are very good with the children and you have such patience.”

  “Do you want to know a secret?”

  “If you would like to tell me.”

  “I think that once Lucky knows that I am in love with him, he will start making plans to take Rachel and me to America.”

  “Would you like that?”

  “Of course I would, wouldn’t everyone?”

  “I suppose,” Zofia said. “America. From what I have heard, life is good in America. Personally, I would rather go to Palestine. I think Isaac would prefer Palestine, too. But, I must say that it would probably be wonderful to live in America. Like a dream. I’ve met a lot of Americans since the war ended. Since they all seem so carefree, I have a feeling that the country must be as rich as everyone claims.”

  “Yes, they all look well fed, and they do have a certain ease about them. It’s as if they don’t comprehend real cruelty. Which is strange, considering that most of them are soldiers and they have suffered a great deal in the war,” Shana added.