A Diamond in the Rough

by Marilyn Land

  The Smoker’s Shop was holding its own, just as most of the town did the same. Business was down somewhat, but it was more difficult and took longer to receive shipments from Cuba, so it all seemed to work out.

  The brothers and Franz continued to get together for dinner. On occasion, Ben and Sidney would drop by the shop for a good cigar, and they would sit on the chairs discussing all they looked forward to after the War.

  By April, business at the Annex had increased substantially, and whereas in the past, being busy made the time pass faster urging one to move forward, Ben noticed that for several days now, Sidney appeared withdrawn.

  “What’s wrong my brother? Is something bothering you? Have I upset you in any way?”

  “No, nothing you’ve done. I’m not feeling too well. Just tired I guess; we have been pretty busy of late.”

  “Do you think you should see a doctor? I’ll go with you.”

  “I thought about it, but I really think I am just tired. Tomorrow is Friday; if I don’t feel better over the weekend, I’ll go on Monday.”

  The next day, as they left the Annex and walked home, Sidney decided to give it one more try. “Ben, I’m meeting Franz at the synagogue for services; why don’t you join us? It’s been three years since we lost Harry and his family, and Jacob seems to be doing well. I’m sure you’re counting the days until he comes to visit us.”

  Ben’s hand reached in his pocket covering the folded wire from Jacob. “You’re right. They say Time heals all wounds. I guess some wounds just take a longer time to heal.”

  When they arrived at the synagogue, Franz was surprised to see Ben but decided not to say anything. He was truly glad to see him attend services, so he simply hugged his friend. They walked in and took seats.

  Following the services, Ben was quite touched by the many congregants who welcomed him back, thinking perhaps he had stayed away too long or perhaps he reacted badly and shouldn’t have stayed away at all.

  As they walked down the steps to the street, Sidney collapsed. Almost immediately Dr. Berg was at his side. The ambulance arriving minutes later transported him to Groote Schuur Hospital.

  The large government-funded teaching Hospital was founded in 1938, as the chief academic hospital of the University of Cape Town’s Medical School providing care and instruction in all the major branches of medicine.

  Sydney suffered a massive heart attack. For one week, Ben did not leave his side refusing to go home while Franz pleaded his case to hospital officials. At last, they relented and allowed him to stay—realizing that he wasn’t leaving anyway. He brought Ben a change of clothes and visited each day to make certain he was eating.

  Sidney remained unchanged. They stabilized him, assessed the damage, and waited for him to regain consciousness. Exactly one week to the day, hooked up to a myriad of tubes and machines, Sidney awoke. He was groggy and disoriented, but opened his eyes to see Ben hovering over him.

  Suddenly surrounded by doctors and nurses, he answered questions, moved his limbs when asked, and lay there as they notated their charts.

  Although the heart attack was extensive, he was not paralyzed, and they were pleased with his progress thus far. However, they warned of the long road to recovery ahead of him, and cautioned against speeding up the process. One thing for certain, Ben would see to it that when Sidney was released from the hospital, he would be moved to and remain in a healthcare facility until he fully recovered.

  Ben returned to work at the Annex; he visited Sidney every day; he attended Sabbath Services with Franz every weekend praying for his full recovery.

  Although the Annex continued to enjoy an increase in business, Jonah, Nathan, and Ben managed to keep up without Sidney by working extra hours when needed.

  News from the War continued to be hopeful and many were predicting an end to the fighting in Europe mere months away. Although they had not heard from Jacob again, they realized that being at war had its limits, and they were grateful that Marcus Hirsch had kept them apprised all along.

  Ben decided against sending a wire when Sidney suffered his heart attack. At first, the thought never crossed his mind. As he improved, Ben not knowing how long it would take or when the news would reach Jacob, thought it best to leave things as they were.

  Sidney came home the middle of May. He couldn’t return to work just yet, but he could do just about anything else. He walked all over the town and was surprised to see many things for the first time although he had lived in Cape Town for almost fifteen years. He stopped and talked with many of the merchants up and down the streets that converged in the center of town.

  Ben hired Jamilia to cook for them; Sidney was on a restricted diet. Franz stopped by every day, and Afram too found time to visit bringing him a carved wooden Elephant with its trunk pointed up. On these visits, he got to know the boy who was quickly becoming a young man. He spoke to him at length about his woodcarvings and how they, in many ways, equated to cutting diamonds.

  “How did you learn to carve? Did you just pick it up yourself? Did someone teach you?”

  “My father began teaching me when I was a little boy, but then he died. After he died, I was so sad, my mother encouraged me to try perfecting it on my own, telling me that it would make me feel closer to him. She was right, and it helped me deal with losing him.

  “In fact, carving came quite easily to me. I found I could pick up a piece of wood and in minutes create an animal as seen in the many books my mother bought for me. It was she who taught me what each animal symbolizes in African culture. When I started making the boxes, I carved notches around the base weaving them into different designs. I guess you could say the notches resemble the cuttings on a diamond.

  “This Elephant signifies strength, royalty, dignity, patience, wisdom, longevity, and happiness—all of which my mother and I wish for you. Its trunk pointing upward is a symbol of good luck.”

  Sidney was amazed. “Your story is similar to mine. When I was a small boy, my grandfather and father taught my brothers and me the art of cutting stones. When I’ve made a full recovery, I’m going to find the time to show you how we take a rough diamond and turn it into a beautiful and shiny gemstone.”

  Afram flashing a broad grin on his face said, “Thank you sir; I’d like that.”

  Jamilia and Afram left for home. Dinner sat waiting for Ben to arrive; Franz was joining them.

  Ben left the Annex and met Franz at the shop for the walk home. They entered the cottage and found Sidney slumped over in his chair. Cold to Ben’s touch, he had died peacefully shortly after Jamilia and Afram had left.

  After years of agonizing over the loss of Harry and his family, Ben was finally in a good place. All indications that the War would soon be over buoyed his hopes and dreams for a future with his nephew. Whether Jacob came to Cape Town or he and Sidney moved to London, it made no difference. His dream was that they should and would be together.

  Sidney’s passing brought an abrupt end to that dream, and he began formulating a new plan.

  Franz stood by his good friend and mourned Sidney as his own. He was amazed and yet concerned that Ben was calmly making arrangements and appeared so certain with each step he took.

  He arranged for a memorial service at the synagogue. Against the Rabbi’s advice and tradition, he had Sidney cremated. He intended to keep his ashes until the War ended, when he would bury them in London alongside Harry. At that time, he too would leave Cape Town and relocate to London to be with the only family he had left.

  After his week of mourning, Ben sent a wire to Jacob via Marcus Hirsch at De Beers in London.

  SIDNEY SUDDENLY PASSED AWAY WEDNESDAY LAST—STOP—RECOVERING FROM HEART ATTACK SUFFERED IN APRIL—STOP

  BENJAMIN LYONS

  CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

  The wires crossed in the sending. As Marcus Hirsch received the wire from Ben, Ben received th
e following wire from Marcus:

  JACOB LISTED OFFICIALLY AS MISSING—STOP—NO PLANE WRECKAGE FOUND—STOP—WILL ADVISE FURTHER INFO AS AVAILABLE—STOP

  MARCUS HIRSCH

  DE BEERS, LONDON, ENGLAND

  6 June—D-Day, the Allied troops land along the Normandy coast and begin the liberation of France. The news is broadcast all over the world.

  Once again, Ben grew withdrawn and depressed, as once again Franz grew weary. He didn’t know how to help his friend. He made it a point to have dinner with him every day. Jamilia continued to prepare meals for them when she was asked to do so, and she and Afram helped in any way they could.

  August brought news in the form of another wire from Marcus Hirsch.

  JACOB ALIVE AND SAFE—STOP—NO FURTHER INFO AVAILABLE—STOP—CONDOLENCES ON THE LOSS OF SIDNEY—STOP

  MARCUS HIRSCH

  DE BEERS, LONDON, ENGLAND

  Although Marcus had been told in strictest confidence about Jacob’s survival and whereabouts, he could not let one more day go by without notifying Ben Lyons. He knew he had no other family left and could only imagine what he was going through.

  The wire brought Ben back to life. He resumed making plans for the future. He had been in Cape Town for almost twenty years; his arrangement with the Zeller brothers had proven quite profitable. Having saved most of his earnings by living frugally, Ben was financially well off.

  He would say nothing to the Zeller brothers until the War had finally ended, Jake returned to London, and he had a date for his departure. He would not allow anyone to change his mind. In the meantime, he wrestled with the thought of telling Franz his plans. He knew he had no family, and now with Sidney gone, he was his only friend and confidant just as Franz was his. Although he was nearing eighty years of age, he was in good health and showed no signs of slowing down.

  After receiving the last wire, Ben’s attitude became more positive, and he and Franz returned to dining at their favorite local spots. News of the War was good, and they often spoke of how nice it would be to return to a normal way of life; the way it was before the War. Ben continued to evade the issue and never summoned enough courage to reveal his plans to join Jacob in London.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The North African Campaign of WWII took place in North Africa from 1940 to 1943, fought between the Allies and Axis powers, and dominated by the British Commonwealth and exiles from German occupied Europe. When the United States entered the War in December 1941, it offered direct military assistance to the Campaign.

  Fighting in North Africa started with the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, included battles fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts, and ended when the Allies encircled Axis forces in northern Tunisia and forced their surrender in May 1943.

  Rudy Schiller was sick of war. He joined the Hitler Youth Program when he was twelve years old to spite his father but soon regretted it, realizing he had simply traded one disciplinarian for another. Germany’s rigid military regulations were not at all to his liking. Once he had joined, however, he saw no way out. At eighteen, he was inducted into the German Army.

  When he learned his unit was being shipped to North Africa, his outlook brightened. He paid a visit to his father to bid him goodbye, planning to spend the afternoon with him. His real reason for coming home was to retrieve a letter found among his grandmother’s things when she died. The letter was from his uncle, his father’s older brother, who lived in South Africa. In the letter, he urged his mutti to bring his siblings and join him for a better life in Cape Town, further stating he ran a general store, and offered to send passage.

  At the age of two, his father went to live with his grandparents. When his grandmother died, he was eight years old; he spent the next ten years in Saint Martin’s Orphanage for Boys. At eighteen, he left the orphanage to return to Hamburg. Pleased that Sister Margaret came to bid him farewell, he made no notice of the letter she slipped into his bag as she hugged him and wished him well.

  Not knowing what to make of the letter and having no interest when he discovered it, his father chose not to pursue it. He never learned what happened to his four sisters who were also sent to orphanages.

  The hour was growing late, when at last his father went down to the cellar. He quickly retrieved the letter from the box where his father kept it.

  When his father returned, he was gone.

  Rudy Schiller had no idea where Africa was located. He had no idea of the distance between the northern tip of North Africa to the southern tip of South Africa. He also had no idea how he was going to get from North Africa to South Africa while he was in the German Army and not free to travel at will. Yet, none of these facts deterred him.

  For three years he fought in battle after battle managing to stay alive and unhurt. In May 1943, after their final defeat, the Axis troops were ordered to retreat to Italy. There was no way Rudy was leaving Africa without attempting to locate his uncle.

  The night before they were due to move out, Rudy fled the Camp and began his journey to Cape Town. For the next eight months he traveled 5,000 miles from country through country, Algeria to Cape Town on the southern tip of South Africa. With no cash to speak of, he stopped in the larger cities where he found work easily staying until he had enough funds to continue his travels.

  January 1945, Rudy Schiller finally reached his goal—Cape Town, South Africa. Although he did not arrive by ship, he wandered down to the dock seeking information about the local general store.

  He stopped three people, asking them for the location and directions to a general store. Each of their answers was one in the same. “Town hasn’t had a general store for years. Hasn’t been a need for one in years.”

  Rudy stood speechless. It had all been for naught. He silently cursed his father for not having pursued the letter years before.

  What was he to do now? He couldn’t return home; there was nothing waiting there for him except possible arrest and imprisonment for having deserted. The War was still being fought, and the Axis had suffered numerous defeats in recent months. He determined he had but one option—find work until he could hop a freighter or book passage somewhere, anywhere but Germany.

  He was successful in finding jobs along the dock during the day, spending his nights at the YMCA and eating as inexpensively as possible. After he had been in Cape Town a few weeks, he noticed as he approached the harbor that a large freighter had docked just that morning.

  A large man stood in the middle of the road calling out to anyone looking for work. Rudy approached him. “Sir, what type of work are you offering?”

  “Have to get the smaller shipments over to the office where they get picked up by the local merchants. There are quire a few packages, and it’s a good day’s work. If I can’t find anyone else, it might turn into an additional day.

  “Gus over at pickup has a cart you can use. Are you interested?”

  “Sure am. Let’s get started.” He hoped this would be the final job that earned him enough for passage out of Cape Town.

  Rudy was the only person interested, and although he put in a long, hard day, the man asked him to return the following day.

  The next morning anxious to get down to the dock, he arrived early ready to finish transferring packages from the ship to the office, collect his pay, and see about booking passage. When he entered the office to pick up the cart, he overheard a young black man asking if any shipments had arrived for Franz Schiller at The Smoker’s Shop.

  Hearing the name Franz Schiller startled him to the point that he froze. The office clerk had to repeat three times, “If you’re here for the cart, it’s sitting where you left it.”

  Regaining his bearings, he thanked the clerk and left.

  The day could not end soon enough for Rudy. He worked without taking a break and by noon he had finished. Pleased with his earnings, he thanked the man who had hired
him, and left to return the cart.

  Striking up a conversation with the clerk, he learned that The Smoker’s Shop had once been The General Store, both owned and operated by one Franz Schiller.

  Armed with his newly acquired information, Rudy forgot all about looking into his options to book passage to leave Cape Town. Instead, he headed up the street to the YMCA where he had left his things. With letter in hand he planned to head back to The Smoker’s Shop and introduce himself to his uncle.

  When he entered the shop, Franz was finishing up a sale. After shaking hands with the man and bidding him to enjoy the cigars he had just purchased, the man left. Turning to Rudy, he said, “Good afternoon young man. What can I help you with?”

  “I’m not here to purchase anything. I’m not a customer. I came here specifically to find you.”

  Franz had no idea what he meant by his statements. He didn’t know the man, in fact, he was certain he had never seen him before. “Are you here to sell me something? Do you have goods that I could sell in my shop? What do you want with me?”

  Rudy looked at Franz and saw an old man, certainly older than his father. His eyes scanned the shop; he was not the least bit impressed. Selling cigars, pipes, and cigarettes—how could that make a person rich?

  “My name is Rudy Schiller; I’m your nephew, your brother’s son. I have a letter you wrote your mutti inviting her to come live with you.”

  Franz was stunned. After all these years, out of the blue, his nephew was standing before him.

  “I wrote that letter sixty years ago. The only response I got was a brief note telling me my mutti had died in childbirth, and I don’t even know who sent it to me.

  “Is your father still alive? Are my sisters still alive? I never heard from anyone. Why exactly are you here now?”

  Rudy grew irritated. He had anticipated being welcomed with open arms. “My father is still alive, but in poor health. The last time I saw him was four years ago when I left Germany. He doesn’t have any sisters that I know of; he grew up in an orphanage.