The Heart Of A Gypsy

by Roberta Kagan

  He nodded, amused, but willing to oblige.

  Superstitious little Nadya. He smiled, placing the necklace around his neck. Perhaps she cared for him in the same way that he cared for her. Could he dare hope as much?

  “Thank you. I promise I will not remove it.”

  Not answering him, she turned and walked back to her tent. Hiding the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks, she entered and fell upon her eiderdown, and wept.

  Christian watched as she left. He said a silent prayer that the amulet would work and that he would return to see her again.

  Chapter 14

  As Christian walked by the window of the truck he glanced at his reflection. How strangely like a Nazi he looked in his black SS uniform and hat. Seeing himself as a Nazi was repugnant to him. Christian hated the Nazis, hated everything they stood for, and most of all he hated what they had done to his life. He wondered what his colleagues would think if they knew the truth, if they knew the secret that he kept. The thought made him sick at heart.

  Loading up the truck had been a minimal job, and in just a few minutes they were ready to leave. There shaded by the darkness, standing alone in under the arms of a large weeping willow tree, Christian saw Nadya. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she would not meet his eyes as he backed the truck up to get in line with the open path that would lead him out to the road. As he pulled out of the camp he turned back; he wanted to see her again, if only for a moment, but she was gone. At first the path was bumpy, but soon he’d come to the road where the terrain smoothed out and the ride was less difficult. While he drove he wondered what Nadya thought seeing him in this horrible uniform. The group of refugees was in the back of the truck, handcuffed to the bench as part of the disguise; the husband and wife remained quiet lost in their own thoughts as the child slept. The others sat staring blankly into the night. Glancing back, Christian felt a pang of pain for the couple with their ragged peasant clothing. At least he had been able to find a pair of suitable shoes for the child. The mother had cried with gratitude when he gave them to her, and he’d felt his heart shatter. Even though he’d completed missions like this before, that had been prior to his arrest. Now he had a healthy respect for the torture he might endure if he were to be caught, and his nerves were stretched thin. Things went smoothly at the first two unavoidable checkpoints. Christian raised his hand in the expected Nazi greeting and in a deep voice mumbled “Heil Hitler” as the guard waved him through. But at the border between Poland and Germany, he had been stopped and questioned. A slender boy with mustard-colored hair of no more than nineteen years wearing a gray Nazi uniform had asked where he was headed. “Dachau,” Christian told him. “I am delivering these prisoners for a special task.”

  “Why the child?” Looking in the back, the guard had assessed the situation and was sure that there was no purpose he could conceive of for a family.

  “I don’t ask questions; I just do what my superiors ask of me, and I suggest that you do the same. It is by a higher authority that I have been ordered to complete this mission. Do not attempt to stop me or you will surely find yourself among those who threaten our national security.”

  The pimple-faced boy made a quick judgment. He decided it was in his best interest not to challenge this higher-ranking official of the SS. The best avenue, the young Nazi decided, was to feign ignorance, so he nodded his head.

  “Very well then, move on,” the youth said.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Christian drove along, making every effort not to speed away, lest he draw more unwanted questions.

  Chapter 15

  Christian knew that the border with Switzerland would be well guarded, and that it was not his mission to go beyond the meeting point at the Alps, so he decided that it was wise to take the back roads as he had been instructed. With care to be sure he was not being followed, he arrived at the meeting place late the following night. When Christian parked the truck, the group of refugees sat, shivering, as they waited in silence. The darkness surrounded them, and the area was lonely and desolate. Christian pondered what he would do if the guide did not arrive. He couldn’t just leave them here, alone at the side of the road. The passengers looked vulnerable, all of them pale in the moonlight as they sat together holding hands, praying for safety. One of the men recited a Hebrew prayer in a soft whisper. Would they live or die? Christian could only wonder and do his part. As he watched them, Christian began to wonder who these people were before the Nazi invasion. They were Jews; that much he knew for sure. Had they been in hiding since the invasion? What would that be like, to be locked up in some dark room, afraid to make a sound? He could not imagine.

  Finally the sun brought the promise of a new day. But with it also came danger. Dawn had come and the guide who was to continue the mission still had not arrived. Panic began to set in among the group as they wondered what would become of them. They were sure that the man in the uniform would leave them soon because he was only contracted to deliver them to this point. The mother of the child began to fret. When Christian saw the distress in their eyes, he tried to smile and reassure them that all was going according to plan, even though he feared something had gone wrong. During the night he’d decided that if the guide did not come he must take them to Switzerland himself. Since he had never crossed the Alps, he had no idea what to expect. But these people could not be abandoned, that much he knew for sure, and therefore it would fall upon him to lead them on to Switzerland. While Christian stood smoking a cigarette, watching the line of grey smoke and contemplating his next move, a tall, lean man whose facial bones looked so pronounced that they seemed to jut out of his skin, wearing a black wool coat and fur hat came toward them. He carried a walking stick as he moved briskly over to where the group stood.

  “The roses are plentiful this year,” he told Christian. This was the code phrase. Christian was relieved to see the man who would continue this journey. It would be a pleasure to leave now and go back to the gypsy camp.

  “So they are,” Christian answered, giving the guide the other half of the code phrase.

  Then, without any further conversation with Christian, the new guide turned to the refugees. “You are now to follow me,” he said, and he led his them away. Christian found himself concerned for their safety, and he wondered for a moment what the next day would bring for them. He had no way of knowing. After silently wishing them well, Christian got back into the truck and headed back to camp.

  While wearing his uniform and riding through Nazi-occupied Germany and Poland, Christian found that he looked so perfectly Aryan that he was allowed to travel without question.

  Chapter 16

  While Christian was gone, Ion decided he must go to Tobar and tell him of his decision. It would be unpleasant, and he had avoided it as long as he could. When Ion entered Tobar’s tent, Tobar came to him, hugging him, and kissing him on both cheeks.

  “My brother, it is good to see you,” Tobar smiled and patted Ion’s back. “I have waited a long time. Have you come with an answer?”

  “Yes,” Ion sighed, “I’m afraid I have.” He saw the anticipation in Tobar’s eyes and felt apologetic for what he had to tell him. “I’m sorry, Tobar. Nadya has refused your proposal.”

  “But you are her guardian. You are the one who will have the final say,” Tobar said.

  “This is true, but would you want her if she did not want to be married to you? Tobar, this would not make for a good life.”

  Tobar considered what Ion had said, and for several moments he did not speak. Ion thought the matter to be closed and turned to leave.

  “I would be good to her; she would learn to love me,” Tobar broke the silence.

  “Perhaps, but I can’t force her. I don’t feel right about it,” Ion said.

  “Are you going to allow her to marry the gage with the blond hair?”

  “Christian?”

  “Yes, that is his name.”

  “I don’t know. I am going to talk to the Shera Rom
about it. I don’t even know if she would have him.”

  “And if she would, could you allow such a thing to take place? What would your father say? Should it not be the Rom against the gage? Should it not be brothers first? I am Rom. If the Kris were in session I could appeal your decision, but who knows when there will be another council with this war on?”

  “Tobar… I understand how you feel, but I cannot make her love you. As I said, I am not sure that the Shera Rom will approve a match between my sister and a non-Roma. Then I am not even sure that Nadya will want this. All I am telling you is that I cannot force my sister into a loveless marriage. Forgive me, my brother.” Ion turned and left Tobar standing and watching him as he walked away.

  As Ion headed back to his own tent he was struck with guilt. His father would not have approved of his choosing a gage over a brother of the Rom. But how could he force a marriage on Nadya? She’d broken into tears at the thought of spending her life as Tobar’s wife. He would not do that to her. Perhaps, if Christian did not return from his mission, then Ion would not have to speak to the Shera Rom as promised. But, he liked Christian, and even though it would be easier if the blond man were to perish…Ion prayed for Christian’s safe return. There was a special bond between himself and Christian, one Ion could not explain. Christian was not born Romany, but he was like a brother of the Rom. And against everything he’d grown up to believe, Ion hoped that Christian would be his future brother-in-law.

  Chapter 17

  When Christian arrived back at the camp he was immediately greeted by Ion, who had been watching and waiting for his return. When Ion saw the truck pull into the clearing, he rushed up to greet Christian.

  “Welcome back, my friend! Did you have any problems?”

  “None. It went off without a hitch.”

  “Good to hear. How about some food? You must be hungry,” Ion said. Now that Christian had returned from the mission, proving himself to be brave and capable, Ion would go to see the Shera Rom. Perhaps he would wait until the following day, when things had settled down.

  “Yes certainly. I’m very hungry.” Christian stood, shaking out his legs, which tingled from having been frozen in a sitting position due to the long drive. One of the men came immediately and took the truck to a cave-like opening that the freedom fighters had carved out of the trees. They covered it with branches concealing it completely. If anyone entered the camp, they would never find the vehicle.

  As Christian walked around the site, he found himself scanning the area for Nadya. He was disappointed not to see her. After making his way back to his tent, he removed the hated Nazi uniform. Then he handed the clothes to Ion, who would put them away for the next mission. Now Christian felt more relaxed. In fact, he felt as if he had come home. After stretching his limbs, he ambled over to the raging fire. Several of the men sat together, smoking and talking, while waiting for the women to bring food. As he leaned against a rock, several of the men came over to offer their congratulations on his operation. He thanked them, but continued to look for Nadya. Finally she arrived with Hanzi at her side. He watched as she fed Lil and wondered if she’d noticed him. By the sheer will of his stare, he attracted her attention, and she turned to see him. Nadya could not stifle the smile of relief that washed over her entire face. Christian smiled back. For a moment they froze, gazing at each other, until one of the older women took Nadya’s arm and led her over to the cooking fires.

  “Come Nadya, I need your help here,” the old woman said as she led Nadya to a large bubbling cauldron.

  Nadya tried to divert her attention from Christian. But just knowing that he sat there, only a few feet away from her, drove her crazy, and she had to turn and glance at him. When she did, she found that his eyes had not left her for a moment. In fact, they were fixed upon her with a burning passion. And for Nadya his gaze felt like a match that had lit a blaze so powerful within her that it made the cooking fire in the camp look small and insignificant.

  She felt the heat rise to her face, but she could not look away.

  “Nadya… Nadya…” The old woman commanded her attention again. “You are distracted. Here, help me move this pot.”

  The old woman handed Nadya a rag to help her lift the pot. Before Nadya could begin to lift the steaming stew, Christian was at her side.

  “Let me do this. I don’t want either of you to get burned,” Christian said. Before the old woman could protest he had moved the entire cauldron.

  “Thank you,” Nadya said.

  Christian smiled. “It looks good. I’m hungry,” he said.

  “It’s ready. I’ll bring your plate in a few minutes.”

  “Take your time. I enjoy watching you,” Christian said to Nadya, and the old woman frowned.

  When the girls began to dance after dinner, Christian watched Nadya and saw the way that returned his gaze. It was then that he decided that it was time for him to talk to her. After the dancing was over, he found her outside of the tent next to the wagon that she shared with the little boy. Her heart pounded like a drum as she saw him walking towards her.

  “You dance beautifully,” Christian said. “In fact, you are better than all of the other women put together.”

  “Oh… Thank you… I’m so glad to see that you’re back safely.”

  “No, I mean it, you do. You dance like a goddess.” Just then the little boy rushed out of the tent with a paper airplane.

  “Stay close, Hanzi. Please don’t go wandering off again. I am in no mood to spend the night looking for you,” Nadya told the boy.

  The little boy with the large forehead and slanted eyes ran across the field, laughing and shouting, “Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!” as he directed his plane into flight.

  “Oh, but he is a handful,” Nadya said of Hanzi as she smiled back at Christian. She took notice that he wore the amulet about his neck.

  “Ion tells me that you found Hanzi?” Christian asked.

  “Actually, yes; he wondered into camp one night hungry and bleeding. I have no idea where he came from, but I couldn’t just send him away.”

  “No, of course not.” Not only was she beautiful; she was kind, he thought.

  “As you can see, he is not right mentally. I am afraid that perhaps he was to be sent to the euthanasia program. You know what that is?”

  “Yes, unfortunately I do. So you kept him?” Christian asked.

  “Yes, and now he is like our little brother, Ion’s and mine. Very sweet and loving, but sometimes filled with energy too.”

  “I can see that. You know, I never had the chance to say thank you for bringing me the food in prison, and for taking care of me all of these weeks.”

  She just smiled and bowed her head shyly.

  “It meant a great deal to me when I saw you outside my cell window. In fact when you came I was feeling so low I thought I might want to die. Your presence helped my morale tremendously.” He smiled, and then he continued, “And then when you stayed with me here at the camp when I was incapacitated, and you helped me to pass the time, I was so grateful.”

  “Did they hurt you badly there in the prison?” Nadya asked.

  “No, not too badly,” he winked at her, smiling, and her heart fluttered.

  “I know that they are very brutal. I have seen it firsthand, and I still cannot believe it. I realize that I am very young, but such cruelty is hard to understand,” Nadya said

  “Yes, it is. I am older than you and I still cannot comprehend it.”

  “Ion tells me that you are from Norway? Why are you here in Poland?” she asked.

  “I am from Norway, but I came here to Poland to work with a group of Resistance organizers; then, when I got caught, you brought me here to this wonderful camp. And so I am in Poland,” he smiled. “You see, I believe that if we don’t all do our share, the Nazis will never be defeated, and they must be overthrown if we are to survive and remain a civilized people.”

  Watching her eyes in the moonlight as they spoke, he wanted to lean over
and kiss her, but he knew that he dared not. He had tried that before with disastrous results. She was as delicate as a fawn, and at any moment she could run away and hide from him. So, instead, he sat beside her, content to be in her presence.

  As Christian was trying to decide how to ask Nadya if she would consider marrying him, Ion came walking over.

  “Christian, how are you holding up? You must be tired. How did it go?” Ion patted Christian’s knee.

  “Ion,” Christian stood and they hugged, “I am doing fine, and I am glad that it went well. I found the Nazis to be quite cooperative.”

  “Cooperative? Well, for us that’s a very good sign. And for them cooperative is something we don’t usually find. This means that you passed, and they were convinced that you were one of them. Shmul and Samuel left the camp this evening with the money we were paid by the people that you delivered to the border. They are buying guns and ammunition as we speak,” Ion said.

  “Good, that is very good. We need guns. That’s dangerous work, the purchase of weaponry, is it not?” Christian asked.

  “Yes, of course. Everything that we do is dangerous. They are meeting with a member of the Polish Resistance. We work closely with the Polish Resistance, and they have access to many groups like ours. Together we form an underground. That is how we are able to help escapees across the border to safety. I was going to go with Shmul and Samuel tonight, but they insisted I stay here with the kumpania and wait for you.”

  “I see that you and my sister are becoming friends,” Ion shot Christian a look that told him that he must keep his promise once the Shera Rom gave his decision.

  “Gypsy girls are not like the gage…the girls that you meet out there in the world. Gypsy girls are virgins until they marry. So don’t get any foolish ideas,” Ion spoke plainly.

  “You embarrass me, Ion. Christian and I were just talking,” Nadya said, and she blushed.

  “Is that all? Just talking? Well, all right then… Just keep it that way.” Turning to Christian, he patted him on his back. “Let’s go and have a drink. Come… One of the Poles from the underground, a good friend of mine, brought us some vodka today.”