The Day the Flowers Died

by Ami Blackwelder

  Deseire walked in regal grace to the sofa and wiped the seat a few times with her spread out hand before sitting down. She adjusted the gold necklace that hung over her silk white blouse. Rebecca pulled her hair back behind her, combing it with her fingers a few times before sitting down to join her mother. Eli prepared warm tea in the kitchen. The room remained silent except for the fidgeting of Rebecca’s body trying to find a place of comfort, and the clinking of the kettle.

  “Would you enjoy a morning tea, Mrs. Baum?” Eli suggested, turning his head in her direction.

  “I would, thank you, but no sugar please.” She answered cordially, but as if she spoke to her cook Rueben.

  “What brings you here, Mother?” Rebecca inquired.

  “A few matters have come to my attention.” Deseire opened her beige colored handbag and pulled out a folded letter. She began to open it and look it over, “I felt I needed to address them personally.” She handed the letter to Rebecca and as Rebecca’s eyes fell upon its words, Desiere continued. “My sister Martha has told me about your marriage to Eli and your desire to depart Germany and sail to America.” The cup in Eli’s hands hit the counter and he turned his head toward her.

  “You’ve come to scold me?” Rebecca responded.

  “No, dear,” Desire shook her head and then pulled Rebecca’s chin with her forefinger, drawing her face to her own. “You are my little girl.”

  Her finger dropped back to her lap. “I know you think of me as a rigid old woman who doesn’t understand you, but I’m not heartless. I don’t want to see my daughter getting herself hurt or worse, killed.” Deseire touched her throat as she said the last word and her voice wavered. Deseire reached for her daughter’s hand and Rebecca didn’t pull it away from her. Her mother rested her hand over her own and it felt uncommonly warm to the touch.

  “So why did you come?” Rebecca inquired a second time.

  “To give you this.” Deseire handed Rebecca a miniature blue booklet with the words American passport embossed in gold lettering over the top.

  “You had my passport?”

  “After receiving the letter from your aunt, I knew you would need it.”

  “But when…?” Rebecca couldn’t complete her thought before her mother answered.

  “When you were sixteen, your father thought it would be a good idea in case we visited Grandma in America. We never did.” Deseire spoke the last sentence in regret.

  “Thank you, Mutti.” Rebecca said mutti with tenderness as she embraced her with both arms. Deseire cleared her throat and arched her back as if to conceal her emotions. She patted her daughter a few times on the shoulder with her outstretched hand and then adjusted back in her seat.

  “I’ve also brought you this.”Deseire pulled out a wad of bills wrapped in a string from her bag and in clandestine manner as if the whole of Germany was watching, slipped it in between Rebecca’s clasped hands. “You are going to need money to start a life in America.”

  “This is too much. You don’t have to do this.” Rebecca’s face softened from the hardness it usually carried in the presence of her mother.

  “I do,” she said boldly with honesty. “I’ve been intolerable to you, to Eli,” she said almost ashamed. “You won’t have much if a life together in Germany with all the new laws. I’m afraid for your well being,” she corrected herself, “for both of your well beings.” Rebecca wiped a fallen tear from her eye which had made its way to her cheek.

  “Thank you, Mama. Thank you so much.” Rebecca embraced her mother again, this time letting go of all the barriers between them, of all the injustice and hurt from the past. The past did not exist between them anymore, only the here and now. Deseire held Rebecca’s face in her hands.

  “I love you,” Deseire said with an unbridled emotion.

  “I love you too.” Rebecca kissed her mother on each cheek. She wanted to tell her everything, how much she loved Eli, how they were pregnant and looking forward to starting a family in America, and the word mama perched on her lips. But her mother stood and took her coat off the sofa, interrupting her before the thought formed into words.

  “I need to be going. There’s a lot going on today.” Eli set the cup of tea on the kitchen counter that he had prepared for Mrs. Baum, holding it until the private conversation finished. He knew she had forgotten all about her tea. Instead, he helped her with her coat and walked her to the door. She turned to him and kissed him once on the cheek, “Take care of my little girl.”

  “I promise,” Eli said, his words meant for two and opened the door for Mrs. Baum. Rebecca kissed her on the cheek one last time and, as Deseire turned to depart, Rebecca pulled her back into a warm extended hug.

  “Tell Papa I love him,” Rebecca said.

  “I will,” Deseire answered, smiled, then headed down the corridor and disappeared on the stairwell.

  Wednesday, August 9, 1933

  Ezekiel Levin packed up the last of his belongings and walked with his family to a cab outside their home. They had decided to each carry only one piece of luggage and Ezekiel sold their car to have more money upon arrival in America. He put the house with its furnishings on the market and entrusted the profit of the sale to be put into his account by a German real estate agent who he had befriended over the years.

  Ezekiel and Ada helped place the five suitcases into the trunk while Deborah wept on the driveway. Sarah wrapped her arm around her mother and walked her to the cab just after Ada finished with the last suitcase and hugged Deborah. Leah and Miriam were already sitting in the back with their faces to the window on either side of the seat. Eli drove up in Rebecca’s car just as Ezekiel had gotten Deborah into the cab. He rushed up to his family and threw his arms around his father.

  “Papa, I thought I was going to miss you.” Eli squeezed him and then leaned into the cab to hug his mother and kiss each sister on the cheek.

  “Promise me you’ll be on the next ship out of here,” Deborah implored.

  “Just as soon as Rebecca is stable enough to travel,” Eli reassured. “I love you and I’ll see you all very soon.”

  “We love you too, son.” Deborah reached out to hug her son once more before the cab drove off.

  The Levin family arrived at the docks in the late afternoon. Trolleys road over rails in front of the large building and an exquisite tower clock stood high above to the right as they approached. Ezekiel led the family through the building with signs posted: Third Class on the S.S. New York of the Hamburg Amerika Linie from Hamburg, Germany to New York.

  He followed the signs to the ship and, as they boarded, someone handed him a menu for their meals. A flowery decorated grey card with a picture of a mountain in water framed the words Hamburg Amerika Linie at the bottom. He flipped the card over and read the food items: Philadelphia Pepper Pot Roast, Ribs and German Puff Pastries. The words were in German with an English Translation. The steam liner featured game rooms with tables for playing cards, and a dining hall with black and white checkered floors. Standardized private quarters came with bed, mirror, and bathroom. Outside offered deck tennis, and long rows of chairs lining several wooden decks. The family stood on the deck to watch the ship sail away from Germany and to their future in a new land.

  * * *

  Rebecca’s health had been fluctuating for weeks, yet she frolicked on her porch in ballerina movements for the past couple of days like she had after her and Eli first made love. The thought of her new child kept her spirits high, though her body went through many physical changes from her recovery and from the growing baby inside of her. Eli was relieved to see the hospital visit had not brought her to a state of melancholy.

  Rebecca held her stomach and tried to feel the life made of part herself and a part of the man she loved. Every breath she breathed was not just for her, but for that tiny child. She knew she could not let her health falter in the slightest in order to keep her baby healthy and strong. She ate abundantly and slept in when she felt the need.

  The h
ospital afforded her a savings combined with Eli’s savings which they needed to live on in the months to come. The doctor who helped her recover put in a good word for her with the head of the hospital. Even so, rumors circulated that she had married a Jew and so her baby was a half Jew. Those two rumors spoiled her reputation for good, leaving no manager at the hospital allowing her to return.

  Eli took care of balancing what savings they had. He bought food by the volume, but always inexpensive produce and usually at a Jewish market. German citizens grew particular with whom they bought from so, whenever Eli purchased from the local Jewish market, only fellow Jews shopped there.

  He carried a wicker basket on one arm and filled it with apples and assorted vegetables. Stew was easy to prepare and healthy. Apples could be baked into a pie, fried, put into a salad and eaten whole. Rebecca adored the fruit and Eli could never purchase enough for her; however, her cravings for pickles and sauerkraut always kept him searching at several places before returning home.

  Jacob met with Eli at the market and filled his own basket with fruits for the woman who accompanied him. She sat on a short wooden bench just outside the market, combing her long blonde hair with a silver plated comb and then started on a cigarette. Eli glanced to where she sat as Jacob smiled with a glitter of frivolity in his eyes.

  “Is that her, the same girl from the swing club?” Eli gawked, remembering her flashy flapper dress.

  “That would be the one.” He answered in a confident manner that bordered on cocky.

  “You two have been seeing each other all this time?” Eli asked in surprise.

  “Off and on at the swing clubs.” Jacob smirked and wiggled his eyebrows in jest.

  “Good for you.” Eli patted Jacob on the back and finished piling in the fruits and vegetables in his basket and then put in two loaves of bread.

  “How are you and Rebecca?”

  “We’re good,” Eli’s grin widened, “really good.”

  “I’ve heard she’s expecting,” Jacob stated. Eli did not deny it and the widened smile only grew. “It’s true then?” His voice pitched high and then he lowered it. “The two of you are going to have a baby?”

  “Yes.” Eli glanced back at Jacob’s girlfriend and noticed her standing. “I think she may be leaving.” Eli pointed in her direction and Jacob turned his head.

  “One moment,” Jacob rushed his words and then scurried out of the market to her side. “Are you leaving?” As he finished the sentence, the wrinkled brows in her forehead deepened and her lips tightened across her mouth.

  The sound of a large vehicle screeched along the side of the market and seven Gestapo jumped out of the back of the truck. The pounding of their jackboots surrounded Jacob and, as Eli watched, they hit him across the jaw and his sides with their guns. Blood flew out of his nose and mouth and splattered across the long white summer dress his girlfriend wore. She dropped her cigarette and screamed.

  Her hands trembled against her face and she dropped to Jacob’s side where he lay curled on the sidewalk. Two of the Gestapo pulled him up and dragged him away while she clung to him until he was torn from her altogether. They threw him into the back of the truck.

  The others followed, but not before one of them declared, “There will be no Jews consorting with German girls. It is forbidden!” He shouted forbidden and then the black hats, jackets and breeches disappeared into the truck and the engine revved.

  Eli dropped his basket and raced towards the military vehicle pulling away. He chased the truck for several blocks before its own speed drove it far ahead of him and it vanished in the distance. Eli fell to his knees in the middle of the road, calling out to his friend, wailing. An elderly Jewish man limped with his cane over to Eli and helped him back to his feet.

  “Don’t make a scene, son.” He walked with him back to the sidewalk. “No need to draw unnecessary attention to yourself.” His voice sounded scratchy from years of smoking.

  “But Jacob, my friend.” Eli implored for someone to understand his pain.

  “Your friend is gone. There’s nothing you can do for him now. Go home. Be with your family.” His words were short, brutal, honest. Eli glanced at him as if the old man knew and could sense that Eli was about to have a baby, and protected him from endangering all those he loved. Eli took a few heavy breaths, swallowed his tears and then ran back home to his Rebecca. He skipped two stairs at a time and upon opening the door to the apartment, stopped to catch his breath.

  “Eli?” Rebecca grew concerned and ran over to him before shutting the door behind him. “What happened?” Her left brow quirked and the pink tint to her skin fell from her face.

  “Jacob… they took him. They just drove up and threw him in the back of their truck for being with his German girlfriend.” Eli’s voice wavered in sadness and he stood stunned. He threw his arm across the empty vase on the small table which had not been filled with flowers for some time. The vase fell to the floor and the crystal glass shattered. He slammed his fists to the barren table and shouted, “What is happening to this country!”

  Rebecca curled her arms around him from behind and drew his body to her chest. Eli fell into her and released the emotion he had to keep inside on the street. He turned his face into her sky blue blouse and sobbed until the sun fell and the evening brought them to their bed. Rebecca folded a wet rag over his bloodshot eyes and curled up beside him as they fell asleep.

  The morning sun trickled over their bare feet and awoke them. Eli rolled his mouth over to her ear and whispered, “Forget me. Forget you ever knew me. Protect yourself. Protect our baby.”

  Rebecca rolled onto her knees. “I could never do such a thing! Even if my mind thought it wise, my heart would not be strong enough. I love you. I’ll always love you.” She braced her hands over his bare chest. “We are going to get through this. We are going to board the next boat. We are going to have our family.” At her wishful words, Eli’s expression became contemplative and he lingered in thought for a moment.

  “I must find a way for us. I must get my visa for America.”

  “You haven’t heard from the Embassy?” Rebecca bit her lips. “But you told your father…” Her body fell off of Eli and lay at his side.

  “I told him what he needed to board the ship,” Eli said, turning to her and then looking away from her lake blue eyes. “Aaron says they make promises of reviewing applications, but the truth is the papers simply sit in stacks for months before anyone even bothers.” He returned his gaze to her. “There are just too many restraints and no one wants more refugees taking jobs in a country that’s just coming out of its own depression.”

  “Why didn’t you get the forgery for yourself with your family?” Rebecca’s voice strained, but tried not to sound accusative.

  “I…I don’t know. I thought I would have heard from immigration. I thought if I hadn’t, I’d have more time with Mr. Reiner to create the documents.” Eli covered his face with his hands. “I should have thought this could happen. I should have prepared more thoroughly.”

  “You can’t blame yourself.” Rebecca brought her hands to his arm, “There’s no way you could have known what would happen to Mr. Reiner.”

  “I should have. I’m a lawyer. It’s my job to prepare for contingencies.” He berated himself.

  “You will find a way. You always do. You have a sharp mind. I know you’ll find a way for us,” Rebecca said, soothing Eli, soothing herself.

  * * *

  Rumors circulated Munich. Silent glances spoke unspoken words. Whispers fluttered in the cold air. The autumn weather brought with it trees that shed their colorful leaves, preparing to become barren. Like the trees, the streets soon followed. People became a scarce commodity. Jews disappeared in the morning, in the evening, from their homes, from their place of business. People speculated they were being sent to a concentration camp for labor, taken away on any number of charges from consorting with German girls to imitating the Nazi salute. The rumors began in August and
escalated every month.

  On August twentieth, the American Jewish Congress declared a boycott against Nazi Germany. Coupled with the European boycott of the previous year, the world began to take notice of the conditions in Hitler’s Germany and show its disapproval. But Hitler needed the world’s approval and, like a wolf that played in the morning and stalked its prey at night, he hid the atrocities from public view whenever influential visitors came from other countries.

  * * *

  Eli’s mind focused on retrieving the visas he needed to purchase his ticket for the next ship out of Hamburg. The immigration office had no word about his application yet. With Mr. Reiner still missing, he knew no other Jewish man who could obtain counterfeit documents. He also knew he had to keep himself inconspicuous, because the Gestapo tracked him once before.

  They had kept a careful watch on the Levin home until they departed Hamburg, leaving the Gestapo with the certainty Eli had escaped. Though Germany encouraged the emigration of Jews in a sure attempt to rid themselves of the Jewish problem, the Nazis needed few reasons to betray this encouragement and even less reasons to cause harm.

  Eli met with Aaron at his old office where his father Ezekiel had bolted the doors and walked away. Aaron waited for Eli behind the building, remaining off the main street. Posters of discrimination and propaganda still plastered the walls. Many torn down over the course of Eli working there were replaced by the eager hands of young Germans initiated into Hitler’s Youth.

  Aaron held his passport and documents in a file inside a brown bag strapped around his shoulder. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, not there as a result of humid weather, but from his nervousness at carrying illegal documents in a Nazi saturated city. Eli brushed up against Aaron’s arm from behind. Aaron reacted in alarm and jerked around until he saw Eli’s face and not the Gestapo.

  “Eli, don’t do that.”

  “Don’t do what?” Eli asked in sincere ignorance.