Small Acts of Defiance : A Novel (2021) by Wright Michelle

Author:Wright, Michelle [Wright, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

***

When she was sure Aline would be all right on her own, Lucie went to Margot’s store to tell her what had happened, then headed home. Gérard was seated at the dining table with a cup of coffee, listening to the radio. Lucie asked Yvonne to help her in the kitchen.

‘One of my friends was arrested,’ she whispered when they were alone.

‘Who?’ asked Yvonne. ‘Not Aline?’

‘No, it was her grandfather, Samuel. He’s a professor at the National School of Fine Arts. At least he was, until they made it illegal for Jews to work there. Simone and Aline have no idea where he’s been taken or why he’s been arrested.’

‘I can tell you why,’ said Gérard appearing in the doorway, holding his cup of coffee. ‘He’s probably a Jewish agitator. Yvonne, doesn’t it worry you at all that your daughter claims he’s a friend of hers?’

‘He’s not an agitator,’ said Lucie. ‘He’s someone who’s lived here for decades and can no longer work because of his religion.’

Gérard scoffed. ‘The Jewish race has been slowly building up their influence for years now. You have no idea what they’re capable of. What would you know about the international Jewry and their plans? You’re so naive. You know nothing about what’s really going on in France.’

‘I know that innocent people shouldn’t be arrested and sent away to God knows where. I know that it’s wrong to hate people for their religion. I know that it’s wrong to be an anti-Semite.’

Before Gérard could respond, Yvonne grasped Lucie’s upper arm and turned to face her brother. ‘I won’t allow you to attack my daughter. She’s not a child. She knows what she’s talking about.’ She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and took a deep breath in before she spoke again. ‘I see the letters your dear compatriots write. They come through the post office every day, addressed to the police and even to the Gestapo, denouncing their neighbours, innocent people just trying to live their lives.’

Gérard walked to the sink, poured his half-drunk cup of coffee down the drain and left the kitchen without responding.

Once he had closed his bedroom door Yvonne pulled Lucie closer and spoke in a whisper. ‘How well do you know Samuel? Why have you never mentioned him before?’

‘I didn’t want to involve you in things you might not approve of.’

‘What things? What have you been doing?’

‘I was doing drawings for pro–de Gaulle tracts that we printed at Margot’s store. Aline gave them out at university.’

Yvonne took hold of Lucie’s wrists. ‘You can’t be serious, Lucie. People are being arrested just for speaking out against the occupation. They’re being tortured, sent away to prison.’

‘That’s because the Germans know it’s making a difference. Aline says every little thing we do to defy them is important, even small things like this.’

‘Even small acts can have serious consequences, Lucie. It’s too big a risk to take for something so insignificant.’

‘No act of defiance is insignificant,’ said Lucie.

Yvonne clasped Lucie’s hands in hers.

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.