The Day the Flowers Died (21 page)

“There’s a chill in your room, Rebecca.” Deseire grimaced and
adjusted the cold pearls around her neck, “I feel it over my body.”
A gust passed the window.

“Sorry about that, Mama, but the landlord hasn’t fixed the crack
in the window yet and some of the cold air from outside seeps
in.”

“I’ll talk to the landlord before I leave,” Ralph said in
protective pride.  He and Deseire sat at the small table,
sipping their hot tea, the only item besides the temperamental
heater that gave off any kind of warmth in Rebecca’s room. 
Deseire returned her scarf to her chilled neck.

“Thank you, Papa.” Rebecca kissed her father on the cheek with
sincere gratitude and then kissed her mother on the cheek more out
of obligatory observance. “It’s nice to have the two of you finally
come down to visit me.” Rebecca said, feeling like a child
again.

Deseire cleared her throat. “Well, we wanted to talk to you and
thought this would be the best way.”

Rebecca’s lips tightened at her mother’s tone and she fidgeted
with her hands, walking to the kitchen sink to wash a few dishes
and to keep her mind busy.  She knew her mother wouldn’t come
all this way without declaring her opinions.  The sound of
Deseire’s voice echoed through the room, over the still table and
over the quiet air like an avalanche about to crumble over
Rebecca’s fragile demeanor.

“I know you love Eli,” her mother began, straight to the point,
and at the sound of his name, Rebecca whisked herself around and
faced her mother.  “But the country is at a very delicate
time.  Parliament has been divided in the hands of Hindenburg,
Papen, Schleicher and Hitler.  Schleicher has been declared
Chancellor by Hindenburg himself, followed by Papen’s
resignation.”

“I know, Mutti.  I’ve read the papers.” She tried to keep
the edge out of her voice.

“Then, you must know Schleicher is sympathetic towards many Nazi
players and ideas. If he’s going to be in charge of the country,
your relationship with Eli will not get easier and, with the Nazis
roaming the streets, it will become worse.” Deseire stood and held
her daughter’s shoulders.  “I don’t want to see my only child
fall to the wayside in the midst of all this disorder.”

With Deseire not acting as a dictator ruling her life, but as a
concerned mother, Rebecca softened her stance for a moment. She
searched Deseire’s face and recognized the motherly façade for what
it was, knowing what her mother would ask next.

“Where will you be in the middle of all of this?”

Rebecca shrugged her shoulders out of her mother’s hands,
knowing in that moment there would only be one place she ever could
be.  “At Eli’s side.”

For the first time, Ralph spoke up in the middle of the argument
between them, the two women in his life.  “Rebecca,” he stood
to hold his daughter’s hand, “you must learn to conceal your
feelings.  You wear your emotions on your sleeve.  It’s
not safe in these times to be so transparent.”

Deseire’s demeanor became forceful.  “Rebecca, if you
aren’t going to heed our words then, for your own sake, we have to
take more drastic measures to show you we are serious.  We
will cut you off financially if you stay with that Jewish man.”

“You mean for your own sake, don’t you, Mutti? You wouldn’t want
me to put shame upon you.” Rebecca straightened her posture, not
out of aristocratic habit, but out of inner strength, willing
herself to separate from her need of her mother’s approval; knowing
she no longer needed it.  “I won’t leave him, so if you can’t
accept he is a part of my life, then it may be best that you
leave.”

Deseire’s face flushed with disappointment, but Ralph’s face
crushed with sadness.  He hesitantly smiled at Rebecca as he
put on his heavy coat.

“Papa?”  Rebecca’s heart broke at his expression.

His eyes reddened, but he squared his shoulders and whispered,
“Goodbye,” before walking out.

Deseire tightened her scarf around her neck and stepped into the
hallway beside her husband.  “Rebecca, you never know what is
best for you.  We love you.  We are your parents.  I
wish you could just see that.”

“I know you love me, but sometimes love means letting go,”
Rebecca said with soft intonation and initiated a final kiss on her
father’s cheeks before shutting the door, dividing them. 
Rebecca let go of all her hopes for her parents’ acceptance of
Eli.  She let go of all the angst between her mother and
herself.  Rebecca collapsed on her sofa in almost a
faint.  Curling her legs beneath her, she held her head in her
hands, tears falling without restraint.

Her father siding with her mother weighed heavily on her mind
and that bothered her more than cutting off her inheritance, more
than the Nazi’s violence against Eli, more than anything
else.  She would have to adjust to a new life: a life where
secrets became a part of the everyday, a life where love hid, and
the friends and family once relied on now stood distant and
unreachable. The life she grew up knowing ended when she closed
that door.

Friday, December 16, 1932

Kurt von Schleicher became Chancellor of Germany on December 2,
1932, with Hitler and Papen negotiating behind his back. The
country didn’t know it at the time, but a Hitler-Papen government
would eventually change the face of the country in a second World
War that included deliberate mass human extermination.

But, despite the uncertainty the country faced even after
elections, Eli woke up excited today, Friday, which meant Rebecca
had this weekend off.  The heavy drizzle pounded like beads on
Eli’s umbrella as he walked Rebecca out of the apartment.  He
tucked his pale blue tie under his light brown suit coat and then
held her hand.  They stood on the sidewalk with rain sliding
over Eli’s nose as he held most of the umbrella over Rebecca.

The crowds of people, moving, marching, breathing, shouting,
kept the streets noisy with vibrations.  Nothing was still in
Munich anymore.  Nothing was quiet.  Whenever they walked
on the streets, alone or together, the sense of fear hung like a
cloud in the storm-filled sky pouring over them.

Raindrops bounced on the sidewalk and splattered against shop
windows.  People pressed to the sides of buildings, trying to
afford their shelter.  A stooped over elderly woman, dressed
in dark gray, approached Eli and Rebecca who stepped away from the
wall to allow her to continue on.  Rebecca smiled and nodded a
silent greeting into the woman’s sharp brown eyes.

“Jew lover!” The woman hissed then, passing behind the couple,
spat on Eli’s coat.  He clenched his eyes shut and felt
Rebecca’s hand tighten on his.

“Honey?” She whispered to him.

“Let it go.  Just let it go.”

They strolled to a small shop he found down the block.  Eli
opened the door and gestured her in.

“Have you found some new swing records?” she asked, scanning the
store.

“No.  Christmas is coming and this year it will be just the
two of us, so I’ve made a ruling.”

“A ruling?”  Her eyes widened.  “Are we in court?”

“Perhaps.  Depends on your behavior this afternoon.”

“Ah, I see.  Then what is your ruling?”

“We need our own traditions and it starts with Christmas
music.”

“Sweetheart, how did you know I was feeling melancholy about
this holiday?”

“I see your eyes staring at the window displays, your mouth
watering at the hams hanging in the butcher’s window, and sighing
at the Christmas tree in the toy store.”

“You are perfect, Eli.  Just perfect.”

“Yes, I know.  Now, come on.”

Eli walked Rebecca to the empty listening station and slipped on
the earphones for her.  He slid in the Christmas recording by
Shumann Heink singing Silent Night and Rebecca’s eyes lit up as her
cheeks lost their pinked hue in the warmth of the store and Eli’s
wool coat.  While Eli searched the counters, she found The
First Noel and Come Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord on a record
and clicked it into the record box.

The two sat side by side, their expressions serene, with Rebecca
listening and Eli watching until she tossed off one of the ear
phones from her right ear for him to put up to his own.  Eli
swayed to the soft melodies of a reminiscent time which seemed like
ages ago.  Somehow in this closed room, with a wooden record
player and earphones, they transcended from a time where racism and
hate dominated the streets to a place of peace and liberty, hoping
this future would become their own.

The music faded and they jolted back to Munich, 1932. 
Rebecca tilted her head and kissed Eli’s lips with a small innocent
peck.  “Thank you, Eli.” Her voice was sturdy and her hands no
longer trembled from the fear she felt on the streets.

Eli never practiced Christmas in his strict Jewish home; his
father Ezekiel would have forbid the trees and foreign traditions,
but Eli knew its importance to Rebecca and her traditions became
important to him; after all, Eli reasoned, she has done the same
for me.

* * *

Sunday, December 25, Christmas, was Rebecca’s birthday and,
though her parents usually blended the two dates into one, Eli had
promised her this year he would do something special.  Both
were free from work, Eli because of the chaos of the country and
Rebecca because she had asked for time off.  Rebecca waited
with eager delight at Eli’s arrival.  Her phone rang and she
answered it with anticipation, believing it to be Eli.

“Rebecca?”

She recognized the rough voice.  “Father?”

“I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and Merry
Christmas.” He rushed his words, then cleared his throat.

“Oh, Papa, Merry Christmas to you too.” Her tone softened.

Her father cleared his throat again.  “I have to go now,
but I love you…we both do.”

“I love you too, so very much.” The line went dead, leaving her
staring at her phone, tears welling up in her eyes.

The knock at the door startled her and she patted her cheeks
dry.  When she opened it, her low cut red dress which fell
above the knees, swayed when she swirled into Eli’s arms.  Her
dark hair curled over her left shoulder and hung just below her
left breast.

Coughing, he raised his arm and looked expectantly at her. 
“Well?”

“Well, what?”  She glanced up and saw mistletoe dangling
from his fingers above her head.  “Ooohh.”  Pursing her
crimson tinged lips, she kissed him once and leaned in for another
when he pulled back.

“No.  There’s no time.  Come on.”

He accompanied her to his apartment and made a show of opening
the door.  Candles placed on top of tables and bureaus
brightened the room.  Next to the window stood a Christmas
tree decorated with silver tinsel, red ribbons, green and red glass
ornaments, and a big gold star on top.

On the windowsill she could see the outline of his golden
Menorah for Chanukah holding eight white candles with the center
candle being the longest.  Rebecca stopped in the doorway,
stunned at the attention to detail.

“It’s…it’s like a fairy tale.” She motioned her hand in the
direction of the tree.  “Breathtaking.” The moon hung through
Eli’s window behind the Christmas tree, it also shone of reflective
light from the evening stars.  The winter sky became dense and
hail started to fall.  Bit by bit, the scene reminded Rebecca
of a story her father used to read to her when she was a child on
Christmas Eve and, for a brief moment, she missed him. 
Presents nested underneath the tree and food covered the table: two
plates of roasted ham and turkey, mashed potatoes, peas and
corn.

“Cranberry sauce!  You remembered!” She clapped her hands
in delight.  “How…when did you have time to do all of
this?”  Rebecca pointed to the table, admiration on her
face.

“Rosalyn and Robert helped me last night.”  Picking up a
small piece of turkey, he fed it to her.  “Good, huh?”

“It’s delicious!”

Rebecca curled into Eli’s chest after they enjoyed the meal and
the two hung like Christmas lights in each other’s embrace,
beaming, circling around the room in a slow dance without
music.  When they circled the room once, Rebecca took Eli’s
hand and guided him to the sofa.

“I was thinking, your lease is up at the end of the year and,
instead of renewing it,” she pulled his hand close, “why don’t you
move in with me?” Her eyes tickled with delight.  “It would
make more sense, with everything going on.  We would save on
rent and could keep a close eye on each other.”

Eli’s disposition lightened even more, and he held her hands in
his.  “I’m glad you have a question for me, because I have a
proposal of my own.” Eli lifted the small gift wrapped in silver
paper from under the tree and handed it to her.  He sat next
to her while she unwrapped her Christmas gift.

The box was square and small, smaller than the box her father
had given to her when she received the keys to her new Audi.
Lifting the top off, she found a silver band with a diamond at its
center.  Her blue eyes widened and her rose lips opened in
awe.

“Eli… ” She said his name with tender appreciation and
approval.  He bent on one knee and held the tiny ring in his
manicured hands.

“Will you marry me?” Eli’s words brought tears to Rebecca’s
face, tears of euphoria.  She grabbed his hand holding the
ring, “Yes,” she kissed his hand and pulled the ring to her, “yes.”
Eli slipped it on her ring finger.

“We’re officially engaged.” Eli stood and pulled Rebecca to him
in one motion, lifting her over the floor.  Her body slowly
slid down his while their lips locked, their hands caressed each
other’s hair, and Rebecca’s legs saddled around Eli’s waist until
they fell backward onto the sofa. Breathing for a moment, Rebecca
pulled away a bit. 

“Did you… do your parents approve?” Rebecca asked in a coy
manner.