To Hope and Back by Kathy Kacer

Author:Kathy Kacer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Second Story Press
Published: 2011-09-05T16:00:00+00:00

A couple of the boats come too close to the St. Louis, and are shooed away by police vessels that have also come from the harbor. The small crafts move away to a respectable distance, as their passengers continue to shout greetings to those on board the ship. In between the cries of joy at spotting a loved one, there are pleas for information about when we will get off. Over and over, the same answers float up to the decks of the St. Louis.

“Soon,” the people in the small boats reply, shouting words of encouragement. “The authorities on shore are working to get everyone ashore. Try to be patient and all will be well.”

Patient! There’s that word again. And even though Mutti seems calm as these days pass, a tickle of fear has begun to creep into my mind. I can’t explain why I am scared. Maybe it is just the thought of sailing away from here, and being miserably seasick again. Maybe it’s because none of the crewmembers have better answers for us than the relatives who circle the ship in dinghies. Whatever it is, I can feel the uncertainty, and it is growing like an icicle in my heart.

When I ask Mutti again when we will land, she waves away my question with her hand. “Soon,” she says, just like everyone else. “Don’t worry so much, Lisa. We have papers that will allow us into Havana. Besides, Cuba is only a temporary stop for us. Our real documents allow us to go to America. So one way or the other, we will be able to get off soon.”

And still I am not convinced.

It is four days now that we have been waiting here. And I am beginning to see that I am not the only one who is worried. No one says much. People walk around the ship’s decks or pause at the railing to watch the small boats that continue to circle, and continue to bring relatives out to speak to those on board. But since there is no news from the captain, the excitement has given way to doubt and now fear about what will happen to us.

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