Blooming in Winter by Pamela Valois

Author:Pamela Valois
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2021-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Em’s Christmas is cold and spare, with few joys. Frau Hanni had saved three skimpy candles for a wreath. But “Em would love to kick up a little violence, a little activity. She could feeltiny changes in herself of adaptation toward this life and this place.” By New Year’s Eve, Em writes, “bells are ringing, a new sense of starting afresh and of things about to happen.”

Hoechst, Germany, 1947.

Drawing by Jacomena Maybeck.

In the chapter “Dim January,” Em takes a bus to meet the Major, surprising herself with unfamiliar impulses and actions. “So many people got on, that Em got all giddy and gone, and thrust herself out like a cannonball, and absolutely amazed all the soldiers trying to fight their way in.”

January brought an elegant cocktail party, though Em had to get herself there in a snow flurry. She was asked to be especially nice to a Dutch Commander who didn’t take much interest in Em. She decided she just wouldn’t try and when Em won’t try she raised a high black wall around her with no loopholes. So up went the wall and there was Em trying to peer around it, just in time to see another woman be perfectly charming to the Commander and carry him off to see her etchings.

“Well” said Em, pushing her wall over and coming out before it was too late, and the Colonel from West Point, the psychologist, and the Greek Diplomat were snapped up. She went into action fast and became very attractive and redeemed herself in the eyes of her hostess.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.