The Voyage: A Historical Novel set during the Holocaust, inspired by real events

by Roberta Kagan

  “Hello, my name is Alex Mittleman. I am looking for work.” His Spanish was weak but understandable.

  “You know how to roll cigars?”

  “No, I am sorry. But I am a fast learner.”

  “I don’t need no help that I have to teach.”

  “Thank you,” Alex said, and he turned to go. Then he thought of Anna. He would not live off her small savings. He wanted to provide for her, not the other way around. Alex turned around and looked at the old Cuban, with his copper skin lined with age and wisdom, his dark, knowing eyes studying Alex.

  “Please,” Alex said. “I am begging you… Please, just give me a chance. I am new to this country. I have a wife and no way to support her. I will work hard...”

  “Hmmm,” the old man said. He’d known poverty, and he’d known hunger too. He saw the look of pain and suffering in Alex’s eyes. He cleared his throat, got up, and extended his hand to shake Alex’s hand. “My name is Raul Perez. This is my shop. All right, I will teach you to roll cigars. I make the finest cigars in the world.” Raul Perez picked up a fat sausage-like cigar. “Don’t make me sorry for agreeing to hire you.”

  “You won’t be sorry. I will learn this, and I will do it well. I appreciate everything. You cannot know just how much,” Alex said.

  Raul nodded his head. He had some idea of just how desperate Alex was.

  Alex began working the following day. He hated leaving Anna alone in a strange city, and begged her not to leave the apartment without him. He was determined to keep this job, even though the pay was low, and he found that his shoulders ached after a few hours of rolling. Raul noticed how hard Alex was working and wondered if he would return the following day. He did. It was difficult for Alex to learn to roll these cigars, but he couldn’t afford to lose this job. So he worked through his lunch, sweating in the tropical heat. The cigar business was harder than he would ever have believed. Raul showed him again and again how to roll properly, but when Alex began to work the paper in his hand, his fingers seemed to be clumsy and unable to achieve the desired results. Who would have ever thought that something that looked this simple was really an art? Raul watched him with a frown, and Alex was afraid his boss regretted hiring him, and he feared his days of employment might be numbered.

  Chapter 33

  The first time that Alex began screaming in the middle of the night, Anna awoke terrified. She opened her eyes to see him sitting up in bed, only half-awake, crying out, his hands whipping about wildly, his words unintelligible.

  She quickly sat up and put her arms around him, shaking him, trying to wake him from the nightmare that had his body rocking frantically. In the light of the moon that filtered through the window, she could see that his face contorted and was covered with tears.

  “Alex... shhhh… It’s all right. You were dreaming. You are here with me…safe.” Anna repeated this until Alex slowly became conscious of his surroundings.

  As soon as he realized where he was, Alex hugged Anna tightly, gripping on to her, his breathing ragged.

  “Shhh…Alex.”

  She said again, feeling his body, cold against her own, trembling and bathed in sweat.

  “Come, let me turn the light on and make you a cup of tea.”

  “No...no… Don’t move. Stay here. Let me hold you.”

  So he lay down, pulling her down beside him.

  And he held her through the night. But she could not close her eyes. Once he relaxed began and to doze off, she breathed a sigh of relief. However, still even as he slept, she could hear him sometimes gently sobbing.

  Anna looked at her handsome, damaged husband, his newly sprouting dark wavy hair still wet with sweat, and wanted to join him and cry too. But she knew she must not. He needed her, and she must be his strength.

  There would be many, many, nights like this, when Alex could not shake the memories, even to sleep.

  Chapter 34

  Anna found the days long and lonely. She cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, scrubbed the wood floors until they turned white. In the cabinets, she found a few unmatched dishes, a couple of rusty pots, and three forks, knives and spoons that she washed in boiling water. Anna became friendly with the landlady, Rosita, an older woman who always wore a brightly colored scarf on her head and had a warm, toothless smile. Rosita had five grown children and seven grandchildren living in the building. They came and went and Anna learned their names. Rosita taught Anna to prepare rice covered with black beans, and fried plantains, which were sweet island bananas.

  Each day when Alex returned from work, the two went to check and see if any word had come from Uncle Max. It was two weeks before they received a telegram stating that Max would help them to apply for their visas. When Anna had sent the telegram, she’d told her uncle that she and Alex were married. He responded with surprise, and a warm welcome to the newlyweds.

  The following Monday, with permission from his boss, Alex left work. He and Anna went to the city hall, a beautiful old Spanish building with tall white columns, where they were married in a civil ceremony. Before they said their vows, Alex whispered in Anna’s ear, “Someday we will do this again, under a canopy. You’ll wear a real gown and I will buy you the most beautiful gold band. I am sure that when you were a little girl this was not the wedding that you dreamed of. I am sorry for that. But I love you, and someday, I swear I will find a way to make this right.”

  She squeezed his hand. “This is exactly the wedding I dreamed of, because I am madly in love with my future husband, and he loves me too. What else is important?”

  Alex swallowed hard to keep the tears from coming. If someone had told him when he was dying in Dachau, that such a blessing would befall him, he would never have believed them. Then he remembered something his mother had once told him when he was just a little boy. She’d said that when God worked a miracle, everything fell into place. A man could plan for something for years and it would not go the way he hoped. But when God decided that something should be so, it would be so. He wished that his mother could be there to see his new wife, and that his sister could have also called Anna sister. His father would have been proud that Alex had taken a wife. He missed them; he would never stop missing them. But he was alive, and life must go on. Again, Alex glanced at Anna and whispered his thanks to God. Then he kissed her hand and looked into her eyes. “Anna, my Anna, you are my wife.”

  She nodded, her eyes glistening.

  Their evenings were lovely; the two shared their meager meals, with looks of passion that only those young and in love can share. They played cards, and Alex learned to play dominos from Raul. He taught the game to Anna, and they spent many hours stacking the black wooden squares.

  But Anna was still bored during the days when Alex was gone. She decided not to ask him, because he was such a worrier; instead she asked the landlady if she would accompany her to see if she could find work. She agreed. As Anna expected, Rosita explained that she knew which streets were safe to walk, and where it was not safe. She would take Anna down the main thoroughfare, where the businesses that might be hiring would be located. They walked up and down the avenues, which were a surprisingly pleasing temperature, in spite of the heat. The landlady explained that the streets and sidewalks were built very narrow so that the buildings could block the glaring sun from melting everyone in the city. As she walked past the Plaza Vieja, Anna remembered the beauty salon where she’d seen the woman sitting at the manicurist’s table. From what she remembered, there were no men inside this shop, making it a very safe place to apply for work. Most of the salon was outside, except for the shampoo bowls, which were half inside the building. An awning covered the hairstylists’ chairs and the manicure tables in case of rain.

  “When I first came to Cuba I saw a beauty shop. I think I would like to apply there. It is right down the street.”

  “Yes, I know the one. It is a very safe walk from the apartment to this area. Come, I’ll accompany you. We’ll see if you can get hired.”
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  “May I help you?” A young pretty girl with golden skin and auburn hair said as Anna walked up to the desk.

  “Yes, I am looking for a job.”

  “Can you shampoo?” the girl asked.

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “Mama!” the girl yelled, and an older woman with her hair dark hair piled high on her head and black eyeliner came walking out of the back room. She wore a tight skirt and white ruffled blouse. “Mama, this lady needs a job, she says she can shampoo.”

  The woman looked Anna up and down then tilted her head. “Why not? You try; we see how you do.” She smiled, and Anna returned the smile.

  Alex was not pleased that Anna had gone out without him and found a job. Consequently, they had their first fight. But when she began to cry, his heart broke and he apologized.

  Alex was a true romantic. Sometimes when he was unable to sleep, he wrote beautiful poetry and left it on the table for Anna, declaring his undying love for her. Even though money was tight, he often brought her a single flower or a box of candy. He made love to her as though she were the most cherished goddess of all time, and he just a mortal put on earth to worship her. Careful, gentle, almost afraid she would break.

  Anna learned that her boss’s name was Claudia, and her daughter was Lucia. They owned the popular beauty shop where most of the performers at the nightclubs got their intricate hairstyles done. A large clientele of tourists also frequented the salon, which not only offered all kinds of hair and nail services, but also cosmetic applications for the showgirls. The shop was a hotbed of female gossip, from who was dating whom, to the latest on the American movie stars. Anna enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the high-fashioned women who came and went daily. She listened to their stories and sympathized with their problems. It was here at the shop that she learned just how effective Goebbels anti-Semitic propaganda was on the Cuban people. While the MS St. Louis had sat in the harbor waiting, the people were demonstrating in the streets against allowing the Jewish passengers entrance. The visas into Cuba were nullified by a decree, called the 937. This was the first Anna learned of such a decree. She was shampooing the wife a government official when she overheard the story as the woman explained it to another customer. Well, no matter, Anna knew that all of the names and numbers of the decree were just that, names and numbers. The truth was that Hitler had organized a hate campaign so powerful that it destroyed the poor Jewish passengers, even when they arrived at a country so foreign and far away from Germany that it should have been impossible. Each week Alex bought a German newspaper. Finally, he discovered that the passengers had been allowed to enter the Netherlands, England, Belgium, and France. They had been divided between these countries. He told Anna, and they both sighed with relief. Anna was right; soon Manny would contact them and perhaps Elke too. Then they would have a wonderful reunion.

  Uncle Max flew to Cuba in the beginning of August. He helped Anna, his brother’s only daughter, and her husband to fill out the forms to apply for their visas to America. But it was common knowledge in the United States that the Americans had become leery of foreigners, especially Jews. Anti–Semitism was rearing its ugly head into the city of New York. Max had seen political demonstrations and parks with signs that read: “Jews Keep Out” and “NO JEWS ALLOWED.” Would Hitler come to America? Max wondered. The country was desperately trying to pull itself out of the depths of a deep depression. For the most part, Roosevelt was beloved amongst the American people. He was working hard, there was no doubt, but creating jobs was a difficult proposition, and the streets were still filled with unemployed people, hungry and begging for spare change. The lines at the soup kitchens could be seen twice a day: men, women, and children, desperate for a meal. Contrary to the European concept, America was not prospering. This was the state Germany was in when Hitler acquired his popularity; would the same thing happen in America? Max could not help but worry, but he decided not to share his concerns with the young, hopeful couple whom he had just met. When he looked at Anna, he saw his brother. Although she was a very feminine girl, he could catch small glimpses of her father in the way she raised an eyebrow, or how she sometimes winked just before she giggled. Yes, Max had a little money put away and no children of his own left alive. He and his wife Edith had endured a stillborn, and then once they had a little boy, he had died in an epidemic of tuberculosis. So, for Max, this young couple was all the family he had left. There would be payoffs to get them to America, under-the-table money to officials, and even then, no guarantees, but he would do what he could. For now, Alex and Anna were on the waiting list for visas and there were no guarantees that they would ever receive them.

  Max Goldman left at the end of the week. He had to go home, had to get back to the butcher shop where he worked. Both Alex and Anna hugged him tightly; they would miss him. He vowed to himself that the next time he came he would bring a care package of food and clothing. It was the least he could do until they were in New York.

  Chapter 35

  If Alex lost this job, they would be on the street in no time at all. He had to learn this business. It was imperative. He began taking the tobacco home with him, and spent many a night rolling the cigars, until he was able to do it correctly. One morning he brought a pile of rolled cigars into the shop with him. Raul was sitting on his bench. He looked up at Alex and frowned. Alex knew Raul wanted to let him go. With hope that he’d done well, Alex laid the box of cigars in front of his boss.

  Carefully Raul picked each one up and turned it over in his fingers.

  “Not bad, not bad at all,” Raul said a bright smile coming over his face.

  Alex heard the relief in his voice. He knew Raul was glad not to have to fire him.

  “I think you are going to make it as a cigar roller,” Raul said, smiling so widely that his oversized yellow horse teeth jutted out of his mouth “Looks to me like you have a job here.”

  Alex said a silent prayer. He’d mastered the art of rolling Cuban cigars, and for now he and his wife would be all right.

  Chapter 36

  It was almost Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, followed by Yom Kippur, the highest holy day in the Jewish calendar. Anna searched for a synagogue where they could attend High Holiday services. She found a small Jewish temple off the main street, and went in to talk with the rabbi. Anna explained that she and Alex could not afford to buy tickets, but they longed for the camaraderie of other Jews, and to hear the shofar blown to welcome the New Year.

  “Of course you are welcome in our temple,” the rabbi said. “You and your husband will come to my house for Yom Kippur and break the fast there. My wife will be very pleased to meet you.”

  “Oh, Rabbi, you don’t have to do that…”

  “Ahh, my child, I want to. Besides, the book will be open, and it is a wonderful mitzvah that you give me the honor of performing. Both my wife and I would love to spend the High Holidays with such lovely young Jewish newlyweds.”

  “Are you from Europe?”

  “Yes, I am from Germany,” the rabbi said.

  “I thought I recognized your accent,” Anna smiled.

  “You speak Yiddish?” the rabbi asked.

  “A bissel,” Anna smiled.

  “Good, for you know that Yiddish is the language of God.”

  She smiled at him again. “Thank you, Rabbi, for all of your kindness.”

  In the Jewish religion, it is believed that God has a book where he determines the fate of all of his people. On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year, God opens the book. He looks at the behavior of every living thing over the previous year. It is at this time that God will decide who will live to see the New Year the following year and who will not. Over the week between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the assessments are made. From sundown the night before until sundown on the night of Yom Kippur, Jews will fast for their sins. Once the sun sets, the book is closed, all decisions have been determined, and the Jewish people celebrate with food, music, and the joy
of life.

  When Alex arrived home, Anna was excited to tell him about the invitation from the rabbi, but when she looked at Alex, he seemed nervous, anxious. She waited. Something was wrong.

  Chapter 37

  Alex did not speak, he didn’t kiss her they way he always did when he entered the house; instead he went to the sink and began to wash up. Anna watched as Alex continually splashed cold water on his face. He bent over the sink and took deep breaths, holding his temples.

  Alex’s behavior frightened Anna. It was true that Alex could be overly sensitive, even moody, but she had never seen him like this.

  Finally, she could no longer bear his silence. The sun began to set on a golden September day, a warm breeze drifted off the ocean. Everything should have been perfect. She had been waiting for him to come home so that she could tell him about the services for the high holidays, and now... Did she do something to offend him?

  “Alex?”

  “Yes…” he answered, distracted.

  She saw his hands trembling, white, pale, and colorless.

  “Alex, look at me please,” she said.

  He turned around to face her. “What?”

  “Alex, did something happen at work?” she asked. He may have lost his job. The crevice cut between his brows as deep as a river.

  “No, for now I have a job. Thank God,” he said.

  “What’s wrong? Have I done something? Did something happen?”