Twins of War: The Vow: A Gripping, Heart-Wrenching WW2 Historical Fiction Novel by Dana Levy Elgrod

Author:Dana Levy Elgrod [Levy Elgrod, Dana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-10-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

I go into the apartment and pull the pins from my hat. Dziecko jumps at my feet, and I bend down and take him into my arms. For three days now, I’ve been going from hospital to hospital, from dawn until dusk. I searched all the regular hospitals as well as the underground ones, and I scanned every ward without skipping a single bed. But there’s no trace of Anton. The fact that he’s not among the many injured doesn’t cheer me up. Terrible thoughts run through my head, and my tears flow on their own. Anton is gone, and so is Ida. I haven’t dared to return to the Old City, and I haven’t heard a word from her.

I go to the parlor, pour myself a drink, and put a Bing Crosby record on the gramophone. I remember the day Father brought us Big Band and Bing Crosby records from America. Michalina and I tried to imitate a pair of dancers who’d performed the night before at the restaurant and Mother was aghast, claiming that the words that accompanied the melody were too vulgar for her gentle ears.

The sun is beginning to set, so I switch on the table lamp and turn my armchair to face the window. I stare at the bombed-out buildings and listen intently to the lyrics. Crosby’s voice is deep and soothing. He confesses his feelings and his longing for his lover and asks her to let him call her “sweetheart.” The words are beautiful and moving, and make me wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to experience such love in my life.

The record ends, and the gramophone needle comes to a screeching stop. I want to get up, turn the record over, and let the music calm my nerves, but my thoughts wander to the last time I saw Anton. I ponder his surprising display of affection, and my cheeks flush when I recall the warm feeling that flashed through me when I felt his body so close to mine. My concern for his fate threatens to paralyze me. I didn’t actually realize that my feelings for him were genuine until he left me, and I shudder at the thought that the embrace he gave me was goodbye and that I’ll never see him again. I swear to myself that I’d be willing to surrender his affection at this very moment just to know that he’s alive.

I close the window and walk to the bathroom, my heart aching. The thought that I’ll never see him again bombards me cruelly, but I stubbornly push it away. I soap myself up quickly and rinse my body with cold water. There is no one to heat the water since Maria left. My hair dripping with water, I cover myself with a bathrobe and return to the parlor. I stare at the fireplace and then at the split logs arranged in a perfect tower in the alcove. I should have tried to start a fire before bathing.

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