Hidden Truths (Intertwined Souls Series Book 3)

by Mary D. Brooks

  “Aunt Marlene?”

  “Not my real aunt, but she might as well have been,” Eva explained. “I would go over there and instead of listening to the gramophone with Willie, I would be following Leila around like a puppy.”

  “How utterly adorable.”

  “How utterly silly.” Eva chuckled. “It got quite noticeable, and Willie asked me what I was doing.”

  “And you told him?”

  “I didn’t have any secrets from Willie,” Eva explained. “We were inseparable. Our parents thought we were going to get married. Everyone thought we were going to get married when we were old enough.”

  “Wow.”

  “Except us.” Eva smiled. “Willie and I were best friends and we loved each other, but our love wasn’t sexual. I didn't feel that way about him.”

  “Why not?”

  “He was a boy.”

  “Did Willie know?”

  “That he was a boy? I think he had some idea.” Eva chuckled along with Zoe. “Willie told me.”

  “Willie told you he was a boy?”

  “No, that I was a lesbian.”

  “You cannot be serious. Willie told you that you were a lesbian? You didn't know?”

  “Of course I knew, but I wasn't going to admit it. He wanted to know why I was over at his house without him being there, and I made some sort of excuse, which of course he knew was a lie.”

  “Because you’re a terrible liar.”

  “I wasn't very good at it.” Eva smiled. “It’s like you and Elena. Our friendship was so strong sometimes I could tell when something was wrong with him even when I wasn’t with him. I just could feel it. It’s the same feeling I get when you’re not feeling well. I don’t know what it is, but it’s only ever happened with Willie, Henry, and with you.”

  “Because you love us?”

  “Doesn’t happen with Earl, and I love him like a brother.”

  “Does Willie have green eyes?”

  Eva shook her head. “No. Blue.”

  “And blond hair?”

  “Thick, curly blond hair,” Eva replied. “I used to tease him that he looked like a blond French poodle.”

  “Blond, blue-eyed, and now the other missing part of your boy type. Was he tall?”

  “Yes. Taller than me, broad shouldered and very handsome.”

  “Your type.”

  Eva looked indignant. “There you go again with the type. I don’t have a type.”

  “Deny it all you want, but I know the truth. You do befriend tall, blond, blue-eyed men. Look at all the men in your life.” Zoe held up her fingers to count them off. “David—tall, blond, and blue-eyed. Earl—tall, blond, and blue-eyed. Your father—tall, blond, and blue-eyed.”

  “My father has brown hair. Well, he did before it went that salt-and-pepper look.”

  “No, he didn’t. I’ve seen pictures of him, and he had blond hair.”

  “Henry hasn’t got any hair and he has green eyes.”

  “Henry is the exception to the rule.”

  “Hmm, all right, but I don't understand why this is important.”

  “It's important. You like one particular sort of man. So getting back to your story. Willie told you that you were a lesbian?”

  Eva nodded. “We were sitting down in the park after school, and he wanted to know why I was following his sister around. After going through several excuses, he said he knew why. I challenged him, and he said, ‘you're sweet on my sister.’”

  “What did you say?”

  “I said the sun had got to him and he needed to rest.” Eva chuckled. “I tried to deny it, of course.”

  “You were thirteen and he was?”

  “Same age.”

  “Hold on a minute, back in Larissa you told me that you figured it out when you were fourteen,” Zoe said. “I remember that so clearly.”

  “Of course you would remember that.” Eva laughed lightly and kissed the top of Zoe’s head. “Well, I would have scared you if I had said thirteen.”

  “No, you wouldn’t have.” Zoe shook her head. “If you had told me you were a lesbian at thirteen, it would not have been scary. Having the Nazis in my home is scary; lesbians don’t scare me.”

  “Nazi evil she-demon lesbians do.”

  Zoe laughed. “So back to your story. Now, tell me who...oh...it was Willie?”

  Eva smiled and nodded. “I said to him that he was wrong and that I just hadn’t met the right boy yet. He pointed to himself. ‘Well, I’m a boy.’”

  “Good point.”

  “Indeed. I said if I met the right boy then fireworks would go off in my head and all the other romantic things they said in the movies.”

  “Not fireworks.” Zoe shook her head. “Atomic bombs.”

  “Well, that was before atomic bombs,” Eva joked. “Willie told me he was a virgin, which I knew because if he wasn’t he would have told me. He knew I was a virgin so he said, ‘why don’t we find out if you are a lesbian?’”

  “He was smitten with you.” Zoe rolled on top of Eva and grinned down at her. ”What a clever boy. I never thought of doing that. I should have said, ‘Fraulein Muller, let’s make love and see if I’m a lesbian,’” she said in German.

  Eva burst out laughing.

  “So did you?” Zoe asked.

  “Hmm, we did.”

  “And?”

  “We were both quite clumsy, and it was funny.”

  “Were you embarrassed?”

  “No. He had seen me naked before.”

  “Do tell.”

  “We went skinny dipping in the lake each summer,” Eva said. “We grew up together, so it wasn’t a shocking thing.”

  “Losing your virginity was...” Zoe raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t Greta say that she was your first lover?”

  “She liked to think she was, and for whatever reason, it made her feel something. I don't know what, but then I didn't understand her at all.”

  “I really despise that woman.”

  “I know. So did Willie.”

  “Why?”

  “He hated her passionately.” Eva nodded. “We had a fight over her after I told him. We didn’t stay mad at each other for very long, but he told me that he didn’t trust her and she was a pompous, egotistical prostitute.”

  Zoe’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and then she laughed. “Oh, my goodness, I love this boy!”

  “He was right about Greta and he was right about a lot of things.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “The last time I saw him was at his farewell party after he joined the army.” Eva sighed. “I never saw him again.”

  “He volunteered?”

  “Yes. His father was a high-ranking officer so it was expected of him. All the men in his family were army men. His uncle was an official in the Nazi Party.”

  “Oh.” Zoe nodded.

  “Willie wasn’t a Nazi, Zoe. Not all Germans were.”

  “I didn’t say he was.”

  “You were thinking it. He knew that when he was the right age, he would be in the army. It is destined, he would tell me. I hated the idea but there wasn’t much either of us could do about it.”

  “When did he leave?

  Eva took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “November first, 1938. He looked so grown up in his uniform.” She put her arm around Zoe’s shoulders and brought her closer. “You would have loved him, Zo.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes. He was a funny, kind, gentle man. You remind me so much of him. Accepted the fact I was a lesbian without questioning. I wasn’t normal, but that was alright by him.” Eva smiled.

  “He sounds like he was a very good friend.”

  “He was and still is, because I don’t believe he is gone. Unless I see his grave, I won’t believe it.” Eva buried her head against Zoe’s chest. Zoe put her arms around her and held her. “I was lucky to have a friend like Willie and I’m extraordinarily lucky to have found you.”

  “Luck had nothing t
o do with it. We were destined to be together.”

  “You don’t believe in destiny.”

  “I do when it comes to you,” Zoe replied taking Eva’s hand and kissing it. “So tell me more about Willie?”

  “We used to sit in the park and watch people. He would point to one girl and tell me why she wasn’t good enough for me or what I needed to say to talk to a girl. I reminded him that I was a girl and I knew what to say.”

  “Did you know?”

  “Of course not.” Eva laughed. “I was this tall, awkward teenager. I was tongue tied talking to boys, and talking to girls…that was never going to happen because of who my family was.”

  “So what happened to his redhead, green-eyed sister?”

  “Back to the girl, I see?”

  “Of course. Remember I have a one track mind.”

  “Leila got married to a handsome German officer, and well, I got married to a gorgeous redheaded, green-eyed Greek.” Eva grinned and kissed Zoe tenderly. “Willy was right, and I will wager that he would approve of you. Now, Miss Zoe, didn’t you ever have a crush on a girl?”

  “I had this huge crush on one girl.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh, yes,” Zoe replied and then looked up at Eva for a long moment. “I married her.”

  “I was your first crush?”

  “Before you came, no boy ever made me feel anything, Eva,” Zoe said. “I liked them, but none of them made me giddy like some of my friends were when the boys looked at them. After we starred at each other-”

  “You mean after you hit me wth the rock and then you starred,” Eva gently teased.

  “Yes, well…the strange thing was that when I went back home, all I drew was your face, which was a little odd.”

  “You were drawing me?”

  “Hm, well, yes. Before we had that first meeting, I used to watch you from the window every morning when you went off to the church with Henry and that other idiot. Like clockwork. You were up at sunrise, drudging up the hill to the church.”

  “How did you manage to wake up so early?”

  Zoe poked out her tongue at Eva. “Ha Ha, I'll have you know that I can wake up early when it involves watching a beautiful woman passing by my window.” She giggled as she met Eva's gaze. “I would sit at the window and watch you go and watch you come back. You always wore that cloak so I could never see what you were wearing underneath.”

  “Muller thought that walking to the church would be good for me.”

  “It was. Little did that fool know what you were really doing, but I didn't mind, since it allowed me to get closer to you.”

  “Ah, yes, the plan.”

  “My plan did not include falling in heavy like.” Zoe giggled. “It's funny now that I think about it. My mama would have been laughing if she had seen me. Me, a maid.”

  “You were a very good maid with soft hands.” Eva smiled as she held Zoe’s hand and kissed it.

  “I used to avert my eyes when my cousins stayed with me and they would change into their nightgowns. I didn't want to look at other people who were naked—it made me uncomfortable.”

  “Why?”

  “I was shy about my own body and I thought it was improper.” Zoe shook her head. “I must say that my cousins didn't look anything like you, and I just couldn't stop looking at you.”

  “You were looking at me? Like that?”

  “I surprised myself when I found that it really didn't bother me and that I wanted to see you.” Zoe smiled and looked away for a moment.

  “I didn't think anyone would want to see me naked and look at me that way again,” Eva quietly confessed.

  Zoe leaned in for a kiss, this one intense, longer, and much more passionate. “You can't see what I see, and that is you are the most beautiful woman I have ever or will ever see. Inside and out. You were my first love and my only love.” She traced a path with her lips across Eva’s proud chin.

  Chapter Five

  June 1950

  “It is a happy day, Eva.”

  Eva leaned back in her chair and smiled at the gray-haired older woman sitting in her office. Her position as interpreter in the Immigration Department gave her the ability to use her language skills to help the constant stream of migrants. In this case, Mrs. Fenstermacher, who had become a regular visitor to the section, would only speak to Eva.

  Mrs. Fenstermacher leaned over in her chair and tapped the newspaper on Eva's desk. She pointed to the article that she had circled with a pen. “This is a happy day, Eva, a happy day. Read that to me, please?”

  Eva nodded. “Your justice has arrived, Mrs. Fenstermacher.”

  “Ach, such formality from a pretty girl like you. I keep telling you to call me Louisa.”

  Eva smiled. “Ah, that's a little hard to do.”

  Mrs. Fenstermacher reached out and clasped Eva’s hands. “You have shown me great respect. Thank you. Is your mother still alive?”

  “No, my mother died in 1938.”

  “Ah.” Mrs. Fenstermacher leaned back in her chair. “We have lost so many, so many. Today we celebrate their life, yes?”

  “Yes, ma'am.” Eva picked up the newspaper. She knew her stepfather's name would be in it. She quickly read the brief article about the Nazi that had been caught and had been tried for crimes against humanity. The article noted the names of those who had been executed previously, some she knew personally like her stepfather's friend, General Rhimes.

  “I see your father's name.”

  Eva looked up in surprise. “How...”

  “There're not many secrets in our community, are there?”

  Eva shook her head. She fully understood how the Germans congregated together, sharing news and waiting on the many lists with names of survivors even so many years after the war had ended. Miracles occurred, but they were few. “How long have you known about my stepfather?”

  “Your stepfather was Hans Muller? He wasn’t your father?”

  “No. My father lives in Greece and is the village priest.” Eva surprised both herself and Mrs. Fenstermacher. She hadn’t planned to reveal that information, but she felt the need to disown Muller.

  “Well, that is interesting. Muller’s name appeared in the paper when they captured him. Your photo was there too, and I recognized you when you first arrived to work here.”

  Eva nodded. “And you still wanted me to help you?”

  Mrs. Fenstermacher patted Eva’s hand. “The sins of the father do not get passed on to the daughter. Even the sins of the stepfather. It is not your fault that man was a momzer.”

  Eva had heard the word many times with her Jewish clients. Bastard was too good a word for what her stepfather had done and for those who committed such acts of brutality against innocent people.

  “That describes him very accurately.” Eva looked down at the newspaper.

  “I rejoice that justice has been done, but I can see this is hard for you,” Mrs. Ferstermacher said quietly.

  “It’s not hard for me, Mrs. Fenstermacher.”

  The old woman took Eva’s hands and smiled. “Yes, your lips say the words, but the heart knows the truth. He was your stepfather and he loved you once. Before he becamse a monster, he loved you. He raised you to be a beautiful young woman. That is why I say, I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Eva was moved by those heartfelt words. “It's very rare to find compassion for those who murdered your family, Mrs. Fenstermacher.” Eva shrugged a little when Mrs. Fenstermacher shook her finger at her for not using her given name.

  “What can they do to me now? Nothing. What they have done, they have done. If I get mad, I get mad at myself. They are not here for me to take out my rage upon them.” Mrs. Fenstermacher sighed. “If my Sylvie had lived, she would have been thirty with a child of her own.”

  “You think of them often?”

  “Ach, yes, of course, every day.” Mrs. Fenstermacher nodded slowly. “Every day I wake up and hope it was a big bad dream. You know, like the dreams we all ha
ve of someone's big black dog that is after you and you're running and running but you can't escape it.” She sighed. “The black dog was real and his bite was painful. We can shoot the dog, but the bite remains.”

  “I've never heard it described that way before.”

  “Ach, yes, there were lots of black dogs.” Mrs. Fenstermacher took out her handkerchief and dabbed the tears from her cheeks before she looked up at Eva. “There are many like me, Eva, too many.”

  “Yes, there are many.”

  “You understand better than the others. I can see it in your eyes. You show compassion, and this is more than a job for you.”

  “I have a friend who was in Bergen-Belsen as well…”

  “A man?”

  “No, a woman.”

  “Ah, what is her name?”

  “Elena Mannheim. She got married and is now Elena Jacobs.”

  “Elena...hmm, I don't recall that name,” Mrs. Fenstermacher replied. “Elena Mannheim...she lives here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hmm, I should ask my friend Helga. She will know. It was very difficult for the women, very difficult.” Mrs. Fenstermacher stopped and gazed at nothing for a moment. “Some days it seems like a lifetime ago and other days it feels like yesterday.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  “Indeed.” Mrs. Fenstermacher nodded, lost in her thoughts. “They say...” She paused then looked up at Eva. “They say it's wrong to wish someone ill, but I hope those momzers died slowly and painfully.”

  Eva swallowed the lump in her throat and looked down at the newspaper. She once loved her stepfather dearly. She mourned the loss of the man she loved, not the monster that he had become. It wasn't something she could understand or talk about with Zoe. It was something that she needed to work out for herself without burdening Zoe about it.

  “I know you mourn, Eva, and I'm sorry for upsetting you, but...”

  Eva took Mrs. Fenstermacher's wrinkled hands. “You have every right to feel this way, Mrs. Fenstermacher.”

  “I lost everyone, everyone...all gone.”

  Eva didn't have to wonder how the woman coped with such a loss. She knew. Living with Zoe gave her insight on how such a loss impacted on one's soul. It affected every part of her life. Everything she did was influenced by the murder of her mother and the rest of her family. How Zoe managed to live through the horror was something Eva couldn't begin to comprehend. She knew Zoe would have dearly loved for her to kill her stepfather when he came looking for Eva and attacked them in their apartment. Zoe was ready to exact vengeance on him, but it was Eva who held the poker in her hand and it was Eva who chose not to kill him. The remarkable thing was that Zoe understood why Eva didn't do it. Zoe's love for her overcame the desire for revenge.