by Dan Walsh
Slowly, they walked across the wood floor. Elliot stood. “I can send a Jeep for you, Mrs. Bouchard. You won’t have to walk very far. Really, at any time during the trip. The plane ride across the channel will be a little bumpy, but once in London, I will personally drive you to our house. It’s a big beautiful place several hours north of London. Nice and quiet. You’ll have your own room and even servants to wait on you. I’m sure our family doctor will take you on.”
Mother smiled. “That’s very kind of you, Elliot. And I’m sure your home is lovely. But I can assure you, I will not be leaving this one. I can tell how I feel inside. I would not survive the trip.” She looked at Renée. “You asked who will take care of me? God will take care of me, Renée. And Philippe will help, too, once he realizes you’re gone. And we still have friends in the village. Some have already fled, but many are still here. And like me, they will stay here.”
Renée hugged her. Tears welled up at the thought of them parting. It wasn’t right. Her mother had always been there for her, had always taken care of her. How could she leave her now, especially at a time like this?
She looked at Elliot. They had been seeing each other for several months. Even though their lives and their backgrounds were so different, she genuinely cared for him. But did she love him? She wasn’t sure. She thought he loved her. “You get on that plane, Elliot. I want to go with you, but I can’t leave Mother here. There is no way that Philippe will look after her properly.”
“You will go with him!”
Her mother’s voice and tone startled her. She held Renée in front of her, staring into her eyes with a fierceness Renée could not comprehend.
“You cannot stay here with me. Not if the Germans are coming.”
“But Mother— “
“You don’t understand what these men are like, Renée.” She sat in a nearby upholstered chair. “I’ve never told you this, but I had two girlfriends who lived in Cambrai. We didn’t see each other for several years during the last war, because Cambrai had been taken over by the Germans. When I did see them after the war, I almost didn’t recognize them. The horrible stories they told…”
She was staring at the floor, her eyes wide. Her hand started to tremble. She looked up at Renée. “You must go. You will go with Elliot.”
Elliot looked at his watch. “Did you pack a bag like I asked you?”
Renée nodded. “It’s in my room.”
“Then we should go. We don’t have much time.”
“But Elliot, I cannot go without at least saying goodbye to Philippe. Who knows if I will ever see him—” She started to cry.
Elliot rushed over and held her.
“I will tell him goodbye for you, Renée,” Mother said. “He will understand.”
“It’s not just that.” She looked up at Elliot. “Can I speak with you down the hall?” She led him by the hand, until she was sure they would not be overheard. “Elliot, I have to speak with Philippe. Not just to say goodbye but to make sure he understands…he must take care of Mother while I’m gone. I’ve always done everything for her. He never even helps. Mother doesn’t have any real friends left in the village. Not the kind who will take the time to come out and check on her every day. The closest ones have either died or left town. I have to know that Philippe understands this, that it will be up to him and only him once I’m gone.”
“Okay, I understand. But we really don’t have much time. Can I drive you into Arras? I can wait there while you talk with him?”
“I’m not even sure where he is. There’s at least two or three places. I’ll get my bag and you can drive me into town and drop me off. Then you take my bag back to your base. As soon as I find Philippe, I will come join you.”
Elliot glanced at his watch again and sighed. “Renée, we have less than two hours. I have to be on that plane, or I could be court-martialed. Please promise me, you’ll keep an eye on the time. If it even gets close, and you haven’t found your brother yet, you will leave that instant and meet me at the base.”
“I will, Elliot. I promise.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Now go. I’ll go upstairs and get my bag and meet you by the jeep.”
He walked toward the door but stopped a moment and looked at Renée’s mother. “I wish you could come with us, Ma’am. But I understand why you cannot. I will take very good care of your daughter and bring her back to you just as soon as we defeat the Nazis.”
“I know you will, Elliot. You both will be in my prayers.”
He offered a feeble smile, nodded and left.
Without looking at Mother, Renée quickly hurried up the stairs and grabbed her bag, which she’d left on a chair by the door. She rushed back down and set the bag by the front door.
Then, slowly, she turned around to face the most difficult decision she had ever made in her life.
10
Renée cried all the way down the Avenue Levoisier. She was still crying as they made the turn down Rue d’Amienes, now less than ten minutes till they reached the place Elliot would drop her off in Arras. He was being so patient with her. She’d been so afraid he’d be lecturing her now, telling her how it was all for the best, and to keep a stiff upper lip, and other such phrases proper British actors said in the movies.
But he just drove along with one hand on the wheel, the other resting gently on the back of her seat. Occasionally, he rubbed her shoulder.
It wasn’t just leaving her mother at a time like this. It was everything else, besides. Leaving the only home, the only town she’d ever lived in. Leaving the country she loved, knowing that everything it ever was or had ever been, was about to be mercilessly destroyed. It was leaving her brother this way. They weren’t that close, at least they hadn’t been since he’d become a teen. But still, he was her brother. And when she thought of him, she didn’t just see the tall, half-man, half-boy with all the attitude; she also instantly remembered him as a toddler, as a cute little boy with dark, curly hair; as a handsome but awkward pre-teen trying to hide his first crush on one of her girlfriends.
Now she was on a mission to find him, to say goodbye. Maybe for the last time.
Oddly enough, what helped her to finally regain her composure were all the people she began seeing along the other side of the road. All leaving town in the same direction. Some riding bicycles, some sitting on horse carts, some without horses pulling wagons, mothers pushing baby strollers. Their belongings, all they could carry or tie down, traveling with them. A lifetime of treasured possessions left behind, now plunder for the Nazis. Their faces, a mixture of fear, dread and total exhaustion. None of them knew where their next meal would come from, the next place where they would sleep at night.
Her loss suddenly seemed so much smaller.
They turned right down Rue Saint-Aubert, drove a few blocks toward the center of town. The streets were deserted, as far as she could tell. Everyone had either left or were hiding. Up ahead she saw a caravan of military vehicles heading in their same direction, toward the southern end of town.
“You want me to drop you off along this street somewhere, right?” Elliot said.
“Yes. It’s right up here. See on the left? Where the big intersection opens up? You can pull over right there. One of Philippe’s friends lives close to here. I’m going to check there first.”
Three explosions in quick succession sounded off in the distance, forcing their gaze toward the south. Beyond the edge of town, dark clouds of smoke rose high in the sky.
“Those seem closer,” she said.
“They are.”
“Were those our troops? Our cannons firing off?”
He shook his head. “No, we’d be firing away from town. I think that’s the Germans firing back at us.”
“So the battle’s getting closer?”
“Could be. You sure you have to do this? I’m sure your brother’s taking cover like everyone else.” They had reached the big intersection, so he pulled the Jeep over to the curb.
“I won’t be
long. Please try to understand.”
“I’m trying.” He looked at his watch. “Thirty minutes, Renée. It’s at least a ten-minute walk from here to the base. You must leave here in thirty minutes, no matter what.”
“I will. I promise.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then hopped out. Quickly, she turned to walk away before he tried to talk her out of it again.
Renée was nearly frantic. Twenty minutes had passed, and still no trace of Philippe. She had tried his two best friends’ homes. Not only were they not there; there was no one at either place who could even give her a clue as to where they might have gone.
She was about to give up hope when she remembered one of his favorite hiding places as a child. A wooded area on a hillside just outside of town. Once when he’d gotten mad at a punishment received from their father, he ran away. Children often do this and usually nothing comes of it. But this time, Philippe did not return. He stayed out all night and wasn’t found until noon the following day.
He’d hid at a place hollowed out in the woods, where Renée was headed now. Please God, let him be there.
Fortunately, it was in the right direction and only a few minutes’ walk to the RAF base. If he was there, she could at least take some comfort that it was on the opposite edge of town from the fighting.
As she walked past the final two blocks of paved streets, she didn’t see another soul. It felt so strange. What would become of her town after today? Would it be in ruins? Would it remain intact but totally occupied by Nazis? As she walked further down the road toward the woods, she looked back at Arras. Would she ever be coming back to this place? And if so, when?
She reached the edge of the woods. It began at the road and ascended a hillside. The brush was thick and dense, which was why Philippe and his friends liked it so much. Twenty meters in, a person literally disappeared. She tried to remember how to get in. There was a path somewhere.
After a few minutes, she found it. She’d walked past it twice and missed it because it had been deliberately covered over with fresh-cut branches. She hurried up the path, ignoring the painful slaps from overgrown branches. Glancing down at her wristwatch brought a fresh sense of panic. She only had eight minutes before her thirty minutes were up.
The area they had carved out for their hideout was just up ahead, beyond this small hill and behind a large boulder.
Reaching the top, brought instant relief. She heard Philippe’s voice. But that relief turned to dread when she heard what he said.
“I don’t think we have enough ammo for these guns. If we get into an actual fight with the Germans, this won’t last twenty minutes.”
“It’s all the ammo my father had. He would kill me if he knew we’d taken it.”
She recognized the other voice. Louis, one of his two best friends. She started coming down the other side of the hill and saw the makeshift entrance to their hideout. It was something of an archway cut through thick branches and vines. Since they were armed and probably nervous, she decided to call from a safe distance. “Philippe.”
Silence. Several seconds ticked by.
“Who is that?” Louis’ voice in a whisper.
“It’s me, Louis. Renée, Philippe’s sister.”
“Renée!” Philippe yelled back. “What are you doing here?”
“The question is, what are you doing here? And why do you have guns?”
Philippe stepped out into the opening, holding a shotgun. “We have to protect ourselves, and our families. You’ve heard all the fighting south of town. Everyone’s talking about it, those who are still here. The Germans are coming this way.”
“And what do you and Louis think you’re going to do about it? If the British can’t stop them, do you think you will?”
“We may not be able to stop them, but we’re not going to give up without a fight. Not like so many of our generals have done. Have you heard the radio? Our leaders are giving up. Our troops are fleeing the fight.”
“Oh, Philippe. Please put down that gun. I need to talk with you. It’s urgent, and I only have a few minutes left.”
His expression totally changed. He was her little brother again.
“Why? What’s the matter?” He set the gun on the ground, rested it against the branches of a bush.
“Please come here. I need to speak with you alone.” She turned and headed to the top of the hill. She heard his footsteps behind her. When she was certain they were far enough away from being overheard, she turned around. “Philippe, I’m leaving. As soon as we’re finished this conversation.”
“Leaving? Where? Leaving town?”
“No, leaving France.”
“What?” Shock all over his face. “Why? How? Is it Elliot? Is he taking you away?”
Philippe liked Elliot, for the most part. He would have liked him better had he been a French officer. “Yes, I’m leaving with him. He’s been ordered back to London. His entire base is leaving.”
“Then we are lost. If the British leave, we have no hope.”
Renée started to cry. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to leave.”
“But what about Mother? Does she know?”
“She’s the one making me leave with Elliot. I told her I wanted to stay, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”
“But why?”
“Because of the Germans.” She could see by the look in his eye, he instantly understood. The part of him that had grown up.
“But if you leave, who will take care of her?”
“That’s why I’ve come looking for you. To say goodbye and to plead with you to take care of her for me. For us. You see the things that I do for her. They are not hard, and they don’t take very much time. They only require someone who will accept the responsibility. Please Philippe, promise me you’ll do this. If I could stay, I would. You do believe me, don’t you?” Tears streamed down her cheeks.
They embraced.
“Of course, I will,” he said, still in her arms. “I will do my best.”
“Then that means, you can’t go off with Louis or any of your other friends to fight the Germans. You understand that?”
He nodded.
“I talked with Elliot about this a few days ago. He’s certain the Germans will be occupying this area, maybe in just a few days. But he said we don’t have anything to worry about. You and Mother won’t. We’re not Jews or gypsies, or any of the kinds of people they go after when they take over. All you have to do is stay out of trouble and do what they ask. I know it will be hard to go along with them. I know how much you hate the Nazis. But can you do that for me? For Mother?”
“I’ll try.”
“No, Philippe. Promise me you will, or else I cannot go. I will go find Elliot at his base and tell him I cannot—”
“I promise, Renée. I will take care of Mother. I won’t let you down. And I agree with her. You do have to go.” His expression was stern, but his eyes were filled with tears. He wiped them on his sleeve. “Will I ever see you again? Will you ever come back?”
“Of course, I will.” She drew him close. “I will come back the moment it is safe to return. I promise I will.”
11
Elliot stood anxiously by the entrance to the base, glanced again at his watch. Ten minutes late. It was obvious in the dozen or so dates they’d had, she took a far more casual approach to time than he did. But it never mattered before.
He looked again down the tree-lined road. Still no sign of her. He hurried past the gate to the guardhouse. The soldier inside saluted. Elliot returned the salute. “Listen, my good man, I need to ask a favor of you.”
“Anything, Major.”
“I have to run back and have a chat with a pilot. I won’t be gone five minutes. If you see a young lady hurrying down that road, and she gets here before I get back…”
“The brunette I’ve seen you with before, sir?”
“Yes, the very one. If you see her, tell her to wait right here. I’ll be back to get her in a jiff.”
“Very good, sir.”
“Right. Well…” Elliot turned and headed toward the grass runway. Walking fast then, after another glance at his watch, he took off running.
This was not a time for decorum.
He rounded the last tent and saw the plane, an Avro Anson, and the pilot standing by the small open hatch at the base of the wing. The pilot’s expression instantly changed from frustration to confusion. Elliot slowed to a fast walk. The young Flight Lieutenant pointed to his watch and gestured clearly that they had to leave…now. Elliot outranked him. The man would never say what he was really thinking. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant. I don’t know what’s keeping her.”
“But, sir. We have to leave. We’re almost fifteen minutes late.”
“Can you give me just five more minutes, Lieutenant?”
“I want to, sir. But if we don’t leave, we’re in danger of missing the rendezvous point with our Hurricane escorts. With all the enemy action in the area, we don’t want to risk meeting the Luftwaffe in the air on the way home. Not in this thing.”
“I understand, Lieutenant. Just five more minutes. If I’m not back by then, you take off without me.”
“Sir? My orders are to get you back to London.”
“I know. You let me worry about that. If I’m not back, you take off. I’ll make sure you don’t get in any trouble for it.” Of course, Elliot had no idea of the trouble he’d be making for himself, should that happen.
“If you say so, sir.”
“Five minutes, Lieutenant. You can go ahead and start the engines.” He turned and ran back toward the gate.
When it came into view, he was so relieved to see Renée standing there chatting with the guard. The guard saw him first and interrupted their conversation. He pointed with his eyes in Elliot’s direction. Renée saw him. He wanted to be angry at her for all the trouble she’d caused, but the look on her face melted his heart. She was so sad, and it was obvious she had been crying a good deal.
As he got close, she ran toward him, wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his shoulder. The guard, sensing the moment, looked away. Elliot returned her embrace and whispered, “It’ll be all right. You’ll see.”