Wolf's Mouth by John Smolens

Author:John Smolens
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781609174835
Publisher: Michigan State University Press

After a fresh beer and a second cup of coffee were delivered to the table, Giannopoulos said, “When you and Claire—Chiara, a very pretty name—first arrived here, you got in touch with June Stillman, who taught at what was then called Wayne University. Not much remains the same in America, Frank. This year they changed the name to Wayne State. We’ve never been sure if Professor Stillman knew you were coming, if you had communicated your intentions before getting out of the camp in Au Train, or if it was just part of your good fortune. No matter. She took you in and introduced you to her friends, people at the university, people who were pacifists or members of the party. They helped you because otherwise they could only sit around and theorize. They could actually do something about you. You became like their pets. If they could save you, they could feel a lot better about themselves. They found you jobs, and soon you were able to get your own apartment. And then they got you in touch with people who could provide you with a new identity, because you understood that things don’t remain the same here, and that your survival depends on it. So you became Frank and Claire Green. You bought documents that look as genuine as mine. Believe me, you’re lucky you found a girl like Claire. As the songs say, it must be love. By the time the war was over, you were model citizens. You went from working in the kitchen here to that shop down the street, which you now own. Claire worked in several offices as a secretary. She got pregnant—the first time in ’49, but she lost it. The second time, in ’51, but again there were complications. She was in the hospital for a week. Now it’s five years down the road and still no kids. During all this you drifted away from those commies who helped you at first. It’s just getting too hot for them in this country, thanks to people like Joe McCarthy. But you remained loyal to Stillman. When she took ill, you visited her regularly. I had a cousin who had to go into one of those iron lungs, and I know it’s a blessing when they finally die.”

Giannopoulos paused and sipped his coffee. For a moment I thought he was through, but then he said, “Two years ago you returned to Italy. You and Claire took a train to New York and a steamship across the Atlantic. Your mother had died. You didn’t go home when your father died in ’46, but this time it was your mother. And your sister was getting married. So you stayed nearly four months, and we thought that you had decided not to come back. You liked being Francesco Verdi again, and Chiara Frangiapani came to like it in postwar Italy. My guess is you considered going into the family business, which would have been fine by us: good luck and we close your file.

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