You Are My Sunshine by Kagan Roberta

Author:Kagan, Roberta [Kagan, Roberta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Genre Fiction, Historical Fiction, European, German, Dramas & Plays, Historical, Drama & Plays, War, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Continental European, Regional & Cultural
Amazon: B00J70Z8E2
Goodreads: 56217775
Published: 2014-03-20T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 47

Dr Henkener looked like an old man, his body bent, a mass of gray, unshaven hair covering his face, as he stood against the wall awaiting the shot that would end his life. His eyes met his daughter’s, who stood with her arm around her mother. He gave her a wink and a reassuring smile. Then, an armed guard escorted Manfred outside. From where Christa stood, she could see her husband’s hands shaking. Goebbels’s stood on the other side of the field, wearing a grave expression. She saw him look at Manfred and nod. Manfred raised the pistol, his hands trembling so badly he almost dropped it. Heidi Henkener reached for her daughter’s hand and held it tight, so tight that her nails began to penetrate Christa’s flesh. For a moment, Christa thought that Manfred would refuse to fire the shot. Not that it would save her father, she knew. He would die today, by either her husband’s hand or that of another SS officer. But, he Dr. Henkener would not leave this field alive. Christa longed to see Manfred’s eyes, but he would not look at her. Instead, he kept his gaze forward, firm with the task at hand.

The shot rang out. Manfred missed his target. He looked around frantically until his eyes met Goebbels. Goebbels nodded, and Manfred took aim. He used two hands to steady himself. Then he fired. The second bullet found Thomas Henkener. He crumpled to the ground, blood flowing from his chest. Christa and her mother ran to him as Manfred was led away, the pistol still hot in his hand.

When Manfred arrived at home that night, Christa could not bear to look at her husband. He’d explained why he had no choice but to do what he did that day. He’d told her over and over that if he did not follow through with the execution, it would not have saved her father, he would have still been shot, but then Manfred’s loyalty would have been in question, and the rest of them would suffer as well. He did it for her, he said. Christa held Katja close to her heart. The warmth of the baby against her body gave her comfort. Katja reached up, her tiny fingers tangling in Christa’s hair as the tears flowed down Christa’s cheeks.

There was no dinner prepared. She had forgotten. Manfred said nothing. He looked around, assessing the situation: mother, child, and the room in shambles. There was nothing left to say. He went to his bed and lay down. Christa sat holding Katja until well into the dark of night. The baby slept in her arms. Had she forgotten to feed her? She could not remember. Several hours later Katja stirred. Christa put her down on a blanket, and with unsteady hands she began to warm the bottle.

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