by Kitty Parker
"Won't you let me go with you?" Oliver pleaded.
"You can't very well leave Katherine here with four children by herself. Not to mention, she could go into labor at any minute. Arabella is a very smart nine year old, but I doubt she'll be able to deliver a baby, or get Katherine to someone who could. You need to stay, and I'll be fine. Thank you for watching over the girls, and please, let them know I'll be back as soon as I can."
"They're going to be devastated when they find you gone. Ralph and Gracie too, they all love you very much, so do Katherine and I."
Klara wrapped her arms around her brother tightly. "I'm so glad we came to stay. Life will be different now, we won't spend so much time apart. I'll be ok, I'll call as soon as I get to Grandmere's, and then again when I find something out about Jack."
"Be careful, don't do anything foolish." he whispered.
Klara tucked her head into his neck and nodded, relishing the final squeeze he gave her. The sun was still hiding, but light lingered on the streets, fog clinging to the cobblestones. The air was sticky, humid as she set out for the train station, now more sure of the rue's and where they lead. Everywhere she turned there was an Allied solider standing on the corner. Some grouped together, talking over morning cigarettes, others leaning half asleep on the cold bricks of the buildings behind them. She reached the train quickly and waited anxiously for it to build up speed. The ride seemed an eternity, her mind raging through all of the possible things she could hear about Jack. Maybe going back to Alsace would be no help at all, maybe she wouldn't find any evidence of Jack, the German soldiers could have taken him when they evacuated the area. After an hour of the kind of thinking that would give anyone a headache, she was lulled to sleep by the gentle rock of the train.
* * *
"Miss...Miss!" A voice penetrated her silence and she jolted awake. A man in a uniform stood over her, forcing her heart into her stomach. It took her a moment, in her daze, to realize that he was an Allied soldier, not a German one.
"What is it sir?" she finally managed to stutter.
"The train stopped nearly fifteen minutes ago and we are ready to board again. I'm sorry to wake you, but you need to gather your things and leave the train." he said gently.
"Oh, I must have been very tired, than you for waking me."
"I'll see you off the train Miss, and again, I'm sorry for the trouble."
She grabbed her small bag and took the soldiers arm. He helped her down the steps, then signaled to his commanding officer that the train was now empty. She wobbled as she took her first step on the platform, but she found her courage and continued walking. It seemed like ages since she had been home. The streets were as familiar as an old blanket, she wove her way easily to Grandmere's home. The windows were gray, and the door creaked as she opened it with the key.
Pots and pans were scattered around the kitchen, some washed and left out, others unwashed, with bugs crawling in them. It was obvious that he was taken by surprise, and hadn't cleaned up from that mornings breakfast. The parlor seemed untouched, other than the layer of dust that had formed on all the furniture. She walked up the stairs that groaned under her weight, the sound seeming louder than she remembered against the silence of the house. Jack's clothes were strewn about their bedroom. She picked up one of his jackets and pressed her face into it. The intensity of it's smell flooded her nose and memory. Immediately his face was before her, and she wept silently into the jacket, falling onto the soft mattress.
She took her time in the bedroom, carefully folding up his things, straightening the room as if everything was as it was before. When she finished, she walked down the hall to the girls rooms, both were still straightened and neat. The house definitely needed to be cleaned, but at least it hadn't been ransacked by the German officers. She emptied the clothes from her small bag, and took out the loaf of bread and cheese she had also brought from Oliver's. Once everything was away, she called her brother quickly, then left the house, pulling the creaking door shut behind her.
The sun was now up, lighting the path back to the train station, where Klara got onto the local train. She endured another half an hour ride to the communications office, where she knew Jack had been held. Allied soldiers went in and out of the doors as she approached and she felt her courage build with each step. She squared her shoulders and stuck out her chin, her eyes blazing with her mission. When she entered the small, dimly lit office, she walked purposefully toward the first man she saw.
"Excuse me, I believe my husband was being held as prisoner here before Allied troops pushed the Germans out. I was wondering if anyone knew what happened to him." she said, trying not to sound like a worried wife.
"What's his name sweetheart?" the man asked tenderly.
"Jack, Jack Eiffel."
"Hey Jones! What's the guy's name we've got locked up in the back, you know, the one that was here when we got here?"
"Eiffel!" The soldier shouted back.
"Thanks!"
Klara's heart lifted with joy. He was alive! Jack was alive! "If I might ask, why is he still being held when he was working for the Allies? Shouldn't you have released him when you arrived?"
"Not that easy sweetheart. He told us the whole story, but it sounded a little far fetched if you know what I mean. We couldn't have him running over to the Nazi's telling them all about us over here, now could we? We told him if he could get his wife to come, and vouch for him, that we'd let him go. But, he didn't want to tell us where she was, well, where you were I guess."
"That sounds like Jack," she giggled. "Now that I'm here though, it should only be a matter of time before he's released, right?"
"I don't know about that sweetheart. I'll have to ask the Captain. Hey Cap!" He shouted to a tall man with greying hair across the room, who looked a little annoyed at the interruption. He saw Klara and excused himself from his conversation, and walked toward them. "This here's the wife of Eiffel, the fella we've got locked up in the cell. Since we were gonna let him go if she could come and vouch for his involvement in running. I was wondering if we'd be able to let him go now. If, of course, there stories match."
The Captain turned his attention to Klara. "And what is your name Ma'am?"
"I'm Klara Eiffel, Jack's wife. I can tell you whatever it is you want to know. I just want my husband back."
"Let's go have a seat in my office, you can tell me your story, and we'll see what we can do. Thank you Collings, you can go back to work on those files, see what you can make of that German."
"Yes sir!"
The Captain escorted Klara back to his office and invited her to sit in a chair across from his own. She spilled the entire story in what seemed like one long breath. Starting on the night she met Jack, moving through there wedding and into all of his help with the runners. She highlighted his destruction of information and the help his parents had given to the Jewish people in their small town. The Captain nodded as she spoke, making very few comments as she rattled on and on. When she finished, she held her breath tightly, waiting for his response.
"That is exactly what Jack told us. My only question is, why wouldn't you have come sooner?"
"Because he made me promise to stay with my brother in safe territory, with his younger sisters. I thought for sure he would be released when the Allies pushed the Germans back. When he didn't call, or come and find us, I thought he was dead. I can't tell you what a relief it is to know he's alive. Is there anything you can do, Captain..."
"Captain Bradshaw, and yes, I think we'll be able to let him go. Here is the key to his cell, I'll let you be the one to break the good news." he smiled, handing her a rusty key.
Klara couldn't help but beam, she grasped for the key quickly and waited for instructions on how to get to the cell. The Captain escorted her there, and watched closely as she opened the door. She shoved the hard metal forward, it scraped harshly on the cement floor beneath it. Inside she saw him, laying on his stomach on the narrow pallet. His hair was greasy an
d long, and he was thin, so thin, she wondered if he had eaten since she had last seen him. He sat up at the noise created by the door, and his jaw dropped as soon as his eye met hers.
"What are you doing here? I told you not to come!" he said immediately, stern and protective.
"Allies had recovered this territory weeks ago, I was expecting to hear from you, and was worried when I didn't. I assumed the worst, and wanted some answers. I knew I would be safe, what with the Allied soldiers everywhere. I had to know what happened, why you hadn't come to me yet." she smiled, a tear clinging to the corner of her eye. She looked him over as she spoke, his nose was bumped and bruised, and his side looked a bit strange. His right eye was purple and gave the appearance of squinting. It was obvious that everything was starting to heal, because he had been away from the Germans, but she couldn't help wondering what they had done to him.
"What if they lock you in here with me? What if they're not trustworthy."
"I had to believe they were, and, they're going to let you go! Why didn't you have them call me, or send me a telegram. I could have easily told them exactly who you are, you would have been out of here weeks ago!" she laughed, tracing a cut on his cheek.
"I've missed you." he said slowly.
Klara didn't answer, she just hugged him tightly, planting her lips on his own, not noticing how chapped and raw they were. He breathed in sharply, and she stepped back, but he kept his lips on hers. She withdrew her arms and just kissed him, remembering every moment she had spent in his arms before they had been separated. It was hard to believe that other than a few bumps and bruises, he was safe, and they would be together again, especially when she had been prepared for the worst.
* * *
Chapter 27
Jack smiled as Klara curled next to him on the train, she hadn't let go of his hand since leaving the communications office. Her hair smelled like fruit and vanilla, and her fingers were softer than he remembered. He was partially self conscious about the way he smelled and looked, but couldn't be held accountable for being held in a cell for more than two months. She sighed and giggled as she talked about Oliver, Katherine and the kids. He had missed her more than words could say, and couldn't wait to get back to Grandmere's house.
The door creaked as they entered together, Klara still gripping his hand for dear life. She walked in front of him for a moment, and he watched her hips sweep back and forth. He loved watching her walk, simple elegance and grace with every step. She turned back and smiled at him, dazzling him with her white teeth and bright eyes. Everything about her was the same, he was glad that he had been wise enough to send her away when he did. She had been untouched by the misery that had plagued him, thank God.
"So what would you like? Some dinner, a hair cut, a shower, a kiss?" Klara asked, shoving him into a chair.
"I think I'll start with the shower, then the hair cut, then dinner, and then the kiss. But, can I have more than one of those?"
"You can have as many of those as you want."
"Now go get in the shower, I'll fix dinner while you're doing that and then we can cut your hair."
"What's for dinner?"
"I brought some bread and cheese from Oliver's house. I know it's not much..."
"It's fine, and from the sound of it, it doesn't take much to prepare it...so how about you help me in the shower?" he said, deviously.
Klara blushed, and held out her hand to him. He lead her up the stairs, and they both stumbled into the shower. When Jack finally felt clean, they wandered back downstairs in their most comfortable clothes. Klara began to snip away at Jack's long, blonde hair, gently stroking his neck and face while she did. She snuck in a few well placed kisses before she was finished. Jack put a hand through his hair and felt like a new man. While Klara made dinner, he swept the kitchen floor, brushed off his back, and pulled on one of Grandpere's old cotton shirts.
Klara set the table for them, making Jack's portion a great deal larger than her own. He knew that saying something about it would do no good, so he ate the bread and cheese faster than he had ever eaten before. The bread was soft and chewy, and the cheese was flavorful and easy to swallow. Even though he had eaten a great deal of bread in his cell, he was glad for the freshness of what Klara had brought. Silence filled the room as they ate what was before them. Klara was through with her stories of his sisters and her brothers family, and Jack wasn't ready to explain everything that had happened in his cell.
When their plates were empty, Jack took several of Klara's promised kisses, making up for the ones he had missed while being away from her. It wasn't long before they were heading back up the stairs, this time to their bedroom.
* * *
He watched as she slept beside her, carefully stroking the dark wisps of hair that fell on her face. She sighed happily and burrowed deeper into his arms, he smiled outwardly, but was wondering how he was going to tell Klara what he needed to tell her. She stirred again, this time her eyelashes fluttered. Her eyes found him immediately, and her lips weren't far behind, gracing him with a kiss to start the morning.
"So I thought we'd go to Oliver's this afternoon, the girls will be absolutely thrilled to see you." Klara said groggily, her voice thick with sleep.
"That's fine." he sighed.
"What's the matter? I thought you'd want to see the girls."
"I do, that's not it, it's just..."
"It's just what Jack?" Her voice began to sound irritated. He knew that she was on edge, his being away had done far more than he had originally thought.
"We can leave today, but I won't be able to stay for very long."
"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling herself up from the bed.
"When the Captain asked me to sign a release form, and you went outside...he asked me for some help, translating some of the files and translating communications coming through the radio frequencies. I told him that I needed some time to go see my sisters, and to recover from being in the cell. But I'm to report back to the communications office in one week."
"One week?" she whimpered.
"I know it's soon, but they need me, and I feel like I need to help if I can. They can't make heads or tails of half of the things in the office, things that could end the war faster if they knew what they were."
"Part of me wants to tell you no, be selfish and keep you for myself until the end of this horrible war. But, asking you to stay home would be asking you to change yourself, to change a part of you that I love."
"You are quite a girl Klara Eiffel."
"Do I need to ask you to be careful?"
"No." he laughed.
"Do I need to ask you to come home as soon as you can?"
"No, as soon as they're done with me, nothing will keep me away."
Despite the pout that was forming on her lips, he kissed her. She softened as he continued, and after a while, was giggling at his affection. They relaxed in their bedroom for a while longer, then went downstairs to finish up the bread before heading back to the train station. Jack could tell that Klara was trying to hide her worry by filling the train ride with conversation. He smiled the whole way back, letting himself forget that he only had a week to soak her in. The only consolation was that he would have a lifetime to be surrounded when he got home.
Epilogue
"Klara, would you please sit down! There isn't a speck of dust anywhere in this house, and you're making me nervous!" Katherine pleaded from the plush high backed chair.
"I know but I want everything to be perfect! Jack's never seen the house, what if he doesn't like it, what if I picked the wrong one, or if he doesn't like how I've decorated it!"
"Klara, you talk to him on the phone every night, he knows exactly what's been going on here. There is nothing to be nervous about. As long as you come with the house, he'll love it."
Klara's face twisted at Katherine's argument. "He doesn't know exactly what's going on..."
"What do you mean? You told him that you bought a house right?"
"Of course, of course I did. And he knows that it's close to you and Oliver. I told him about the bed I chose, and the sofa, I even asked him about the kitchen towels."
"So then, what is it you didn't tell him?"
"I didn't tell him that I'm pregnant..."
"Klara Eiffel! What were you thinking?!" Katherine squealed, half laughing.
"I was going to tell him as soon as I found out, and then I couldn't, because I wanted to see his face when he heard the news. Of course, after that, I reasoned with myself, and told myself that he had to know, because it would be quite awkward for him to walk in and see a baby crawling around. On our next phone call however, he told me that he would be home in three months. That meant that he would be home before the baby would be born, and so, I didn't tell him then either."
"You are six months along and he has no idea that he's going to be a father...at least now I understand your pacing."
Klara nodded, pulling a hand up to her mouth, chewing frantically on a hang nail. She sat for a moment on the sofa, but then stood again, walking around the small parlor for what would have been the fifteenth time. Jack would be home any minute, and it would only take a moment for him to realize that Klara had left something unsaid, a quite important something.
"I think I'm going to wait on the porch..." Katherine said, interrupting Klara's own thoughts.
"Why?!"
"You and Jack are going to have plenty to talk about when he gets home, Oliver and I don't need to be here to get in your way. I'll just sit on the porch with Elizabeth until Oliver comes, and we'll go pick up the children from my parents."
"But the baby shouldn't be outside, it's ok for you to stay, really."
"It's a beautiful day out Klara, a little fresh air won't hurt her, besides, I can already tell she loves the sun." Katherine smiled, brushing the cheek of the infant in her arms. "You can come visit tomorrow, and tell me everything that happened, after all, we're only one street over."
