The Heart Of A Gypsy

by Roberta Kagan

He went to Ion’s wagon. Ion was alone sitting outside his vurdun cleaning one of the firearms. When he saw Christian he stood up. Relief flooded Ion’s face.

  “Christian, where have you been?” Ion asked.

  “Never mind. I had somewhere I had to go. Now I am back, and I know where Nadya is. We must engage the help of the Polish Underground. Her rescue will be a big operation.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Ion…she is in a solider house in Berlin.”

  “A soldier house? What is that?”

  “It’s a Nazi brothel.”

  Ion frowned. “How do you know this?” Ion asked.

  “Don’t ask me now. After Nadya is safe I will tell you everything. You must trust me,” Christian said.

  Ion nodded. “I have always trusted you, my brother. Then let’s waste no time…we’ll go to the camp of the Underground right now,” Ion said.

  Mounting their horses, they rode with faster than was safe, galloping through the small pathways in the forest.

  They were greeted warmly at the camp of the Poles. Several of the men, including the leader of the Underground, hugged Christian. A small fire smoldered in the center of the campsite, with a steaming cauldron of soup simmering over it.

  “Welcome, my brothers.” The leader patted Christian and Ion on the back. “Would you like something to eat?”

  “No, thank you,” Ion answered.

  “You have been asking for my help?” Christian said to the leader. He was too impatient for small talk. “Well, right now, I need yours…all of the men that you know, from every group of Resisters… I need them all. My wife is in a soldier house in Berlin. We must raid it and break her out.”

  “How do you know this? And have you a plan for how you are going to break her out? And what would you like us to do to help you?”

  “I will tell you. First of all, it doesn’t matter how I know where she is. I know.” Christian looked directly into the man’s eyes.

  “I’m listening. Go ahead.” The Polish leader leaned against a tree.

  “Here is my plan,” Christian continued. “I will dress as a SS officer. I have already acquired special permission to use the soldier house. I think the best time to invade is when the customers leave for the night and the women are alone with guards. So here is my plan. While you and your men organize outside at every entrance, I will infiltrate from within. I will make sure to open all of the doors, giving you easy access to enter. I am sure that they are normally locked, but I will see to it that they are all unbolted. You will have a man watching each entrance. When he receives the signal from me that the door is open, he will ready his group. I will do this until all of the doors are open. When I have unlocked the last door I will signal to the man outside that the entire building is now accessible. At this point one of the men outside must do a bird call letting the others know that the building is ready for invasion. Next, our family of freedom fighters will attack from all sides; they will enter the soldier house shooting. Chaos will ensue due to the surprise attack. Believe me; the Nazis will be caught off guard. While the Nazis are trying to defend themselves, I will seize my wife and bring her out to safety. Before anyone can assess what has happened, Nadya and I will be on our way back to the gypsy camp. After a couple of days have passed, Ion and I will meet you and your men back here at your campsite. Then I will fulfill the mission to go to Switzerland that you have been asking me to carry out. Can you get the other groups of Resisters to work with us? And will you agree to this?”

  “Of course I agree, and I am pretty sure that all of the other groups will join us. Hhow long do I have to organize this?”

  “One day… I cannot bear to think of Nadya in that place.”

  “That’s not much time.” The leader of the Underground scratched his scraggly facial hair and studied Christian. “Very well… One day, then.”

  When they arrived back at Christian’s vurdun, Ion insisted that Christian get some sleep.

  “You will need the rest…you must be strong when we begin this mission. Once again, my brother, a great deal of the task is on your shoulders.” Ion longed to know how Christian had got his information. How had he found Nadya? But Ion would not ask Christian; he’d promised to wait until they’d rescued Nadya to ask him, and he would keep his word.

  “I will be strong when the time comes. I will fight with every ounce of strength in my body…I cannot sleep. Every minute that passes, my wife is in danger, and with every breath I take I can think of nothing else. Ion, I must save the only woman I will ever love.”

  Chapter 68

  Rolph, the German soldier, was young and inexperienced with women. When he took Nadya up to the private room reserved for sexual pleasures, he did not know how to begin. Shy, quiet and slightly embarrassed, he began a conversation with her. Instead of making love, he told her about his home and his family.

  “I am from a small town outside of Hamburg.”

  “I’ve been through Hamburg. It is quite lovely.” Nadya smiled, and as she looked more closely at Rolph, she realized he was only a boy. It dispelled her fear.

  “Yes it is. I miss my home very much. Where are you from?’

  “Me? I am Romany… I am from everywhere. My people are travelers.”

  “So you have seen a great deal of the world,” Rolph asked.

  “Yes, I have.” She smiled at him. “And you?”

  “Until I left with the army, I had never been out of my home town.”

  “And your family, are they still there?” Nadya asked

  “Yes, and I miss them.”

  Nadya had read enough tarot cards and worked with enough people to have a fairly good understanding of human nature. Even though she was young, she’d seen and helped many people. As she studied this boy, she made a decision. It was essential that he see her as human; if he did he would be far less likely to force her into something against her will.

  “Do you have a sister, Rolph?” Nadya looked into his eyes as she asked him.

  “Yes, but she is just a child, only eleven.”

  “I bet you love her very much.”

  “Yes, I do. She admires me so.”

  “I have an older brother. His name is Ion.”

  “Are you close to him?”

  “Yes, very close. After our parents were taken away we clung to each other.” Nadya could see by the look on his face that the young soldier was touched. She took a deep breath and decided to take a dangerous risk. If he were to get angry, he could call for the guards and she would pay dearly. But somehow she didn’t believe he would do that. “If your sister were a prisoner in a soldier house, how would you feel, Rolph?”

  Her question disturbed him. In fact it caught him off guard and sliced him to the core. He couldn’t imagine little Berdine, even once she’d reached Nadya’s age, being forced into a brothel. The thought made him sick and uneasy. When he’d arrived at the soldier house, he’d not even given a thought to who the girls were or where they came from. His face contorted as he considered the tiny gypsy girl who sat beside him. She was sweet and young, and not at all what he had imagined a prostitute to be, and it was then that Rolph began to see Nadya as a person, someone’s daughter, a sister very much like his own. He was raised to have manners; his mother would be ashamed to think he was forcing a young girl to give him sexual favors. Even if the army and Hitler sanctioned such despicable behavior, his mother would not.

  “Where have you been stationed, Rolph?” Nadya asked him.

  “I’ve been at the Russian front. I’m worn out from this whole war. It was a very cold winter, even colder than it is here in Germany, and we were short on food. Our boots and clothes were wearing thin and we could not get new ones. So many of my unit froze or starved to death. It was like being in hell. My platoon had been spotting a mine field. Such a strange feeling it is to know that any step you take can be your last. Although I could not tell anyone or they would think I was a coward, I was afraid to place my foot on the ground. Lots of
my boyhood friends, fellows I grew up and went to school with were there right beside me. They stepped just a few yards away, but they had the misfortune of one of their feet landing in the wrong place. It was like a game of Russian roulette, you see?” he said, and she saw the sweat bead on his brow. “I saw them die. I will never forget how horrible it was to see a man that I knew since we were just five years old blown to bits right in front of my eyes. The blood, it was everywhere…the tissue and bloody matter flying through the air, and then there were the body parts scattered around the field like broken toys. Oh, Nadya, it was terrible.” His body trembled as he spoke.

  “I’m sure it was, Rolph. You are a good person at heart. I can tell.” She reached out and rubbed his shoulder.

  “It’s hard to be a soldier. I am trying to do what is right, what is asked of me. But…quite honestly, I want to go home. War wasn’t what I expected. It’s not at all like playing soldiers as a child. It’s serious business, and it’s scary to know that at any time…any moment, my life could be over. And it hasn’t even really begun. Do you understand what I mean?” Rolph asked.

  “Yes Rolph, I do. I understand and I empathize.”

  “If you promise you won’t tell them that I failed as a man …you don’t have to have sex with me if you don’t want to. I understand, and I don’t want to force you to do anything. It’s just really nice to have someone to talk to, someone who will listen and not judge me harshly.”

  “I thank you for being respectful of my wishes. And please know, Rolph, that you are a man, and a very attractive one at that. You have not failed in any way. But I am a married woman, and that is the only reason why I would like to say no to your sexual advances,” Nadya said, and she smiled at him.

  “I understand, and it’s all right. We won’t tell anyone what happened here. It will be our secret,” Rolph said.

  Nadya smiled at him. “Thank you,” she said, relieved that for at least tonight she would not be forced to lie beneath a man who was not Christian.

  Chapter 69

  The Polish Underground came through for Christian.

  “We had a council meeting; I think your people would call it a Kris,” the Polish leader smiled as he explained.

  “Yes, a meeting of the Kris is something like that,” Ion answered, not wanting to take the time to explain what the real Kris was. Neither he nor Christian had the patience to make light-hearted conversation. They wanted to get with the mission.

  “Well, anyway, everyone was in agreement; we all want to help you, Christian,” the Pole said.

  “Thank you…thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

  The raid was organized quickly according to Christian’s specifications. Vehicles were brought in from various sources involved in the Resistance to be used to transport the men.

  Christian and Ion both dressed in full SS uniform, and then they left. They were on their way to Berlin in a shiny black automobile that had been stolen from the SS by the Underground the previous year.

  As Christian had told them, and they all had agreed, the best time to attack was just before dawn. The customers who had spent the night at the soldier house would most likely be exhausted and asleep in the bed of a woman, and that would leave them disoriented when they were awakened by the attack. But most of the men, especially the soldiers, would have probably left late the night before, already on their way to another battle with the rest of their platoon. It would be too early for new guests to be arriving. So, for the most part, they could expect to find the girls alone, with only the guards, who would be half asleep, present to defend the brothel.

  Chapter 70

  When Rolph left, Nadya bid him farewell and good luck. As she watched his young form walk out the door and into the night, she felt a pang of pity. Would he live through the summer? Would he see the end of the war? He was just a child. Rolph had treated her kindly. She knew this, but she also knew that sooner or later she would be forced to succumb to a sexual encounter. Her first night had been nothing more than good luck. Soon, perhaps even later tonight, she would be compromised. She shivered at the thought, even though the room was hot and sticky. Then she remembered…the dead man’s ribbon tied to the inside of her skirt. Of course, how could she have forgotten it? The dead man’s ribbon…her salvation. When the Nazi’s had forced her to wear the clothing they’d given her, Yetta had helped her to find a hiding place for her own clothes. Now she would go back and take the ribbon out, assuming the skirt was still there.

  Nadya raced back to the room she shared with Yetta to find Yetta on her bed, crying.

  “Are you all right?” Nadya rushed to her friend’s side.

  “Don’t mind me.” Yetta forced a smile. “It just gets to me sometimes. I’ll be all right in a few minutes.”

  Nadya smoothed Yetta’s hair. “I know. I understand.”

  “How was your night? The real question is, ‘Are you all right?’” Yetta asked, knowing that Nadya had just spent her first night with a man at the soldier house.

  “Yes, I am fine. The boy who took me to the bedroom was just a young soldier. We did nothing; we only talked all night. He never touched me. In fact, when he left I felt sorry for him.”

  “Oh…you were so lucky.” Yetta sighed as she took Nadya’s hand. “I had a rough one last night and…well…I just wish this were over, that’s all.”

  “I know… I know. But I have something that will help.” Nadya smiled.

  “Oh?” Yetta looked up in surprise.

  “Yes.” Nadya got up from Yetta’s cot, then she went to her own bed and sat on the floor, pulling her old clothes out from under her bed. She took the ribbon from inside of her skirt. “This is a dead man’s ribbon,” she told Yetta. “It has magical powers.”

  Yetta tried to smile, but she was heartsick. For a moment she dared hope that Nadya had something of value…something that could aid them. She had no faith in superstitions, but rather than hurt Nadya’s feelings she said nothing at all.

  Nadya held the ribbon in her small, slender fingers; she held it up to the window where she could see the full moon. “Shera Rom,” Nadya said to the stars, “I know you are out there. Help me please. I don’t know how you can do it…but you must get me out of this terrible place; my friend Yetta, too. This is your dead man’s ribbon and I know that I have but one wish. This is my wish. Help me please, Shera Rom… I want to go home to Christian….to Ion….to the kumpania.” A single tear ran down her face. Then she kissed the ribbon and placed it against her bosom. Turning to Yetta as she got undressed to go to sleep, Nadya smiled, and then she winked at Yetta. “Everything will work out now; you’ll see,” Nadya said.

  Yetta nodded and turned away to face the wall. She didn’t want Nadya to see the disappointment in her face.

  Chapter 71

  At two in the afternoon, Christian arrived at the door of the soldier house wearing the SS officer’s uniform. He had shaved and Ion had cut his hair. To the guards at the door, he looked handsome, Aryan and official.

  “Heil Hitler. Please sir, who are you?” the guard asked.

  “Heil Hitler. I am Christian Eberhart.”

  “One moment… I believe we received a call from Dr. Eberhart giving you permission to use the facilities. “

  The guard checked his documents, and Christian was admitted. Then Christian was ushered into the restaurant and bar area.

  “Have a drink, sir, or some food, perhaps.”

  “No, thank you… I want to see the women right away.’

  A sly smile spread across the guard’s face, and he gestured towards the ballroom area.

  Very few of the women had come to the ballroom. It was too early, and they were not required to be there until later in the evening. Christian searched, and then turned to the guard.

  “Nothing here strikes my fancy, I like Gypsy girls. Do you have any at this facility?’

  “Of course, officer,” the guard winked. “We just got a new one, a pretty little thing. Let me see if I can
find her for you.”

  “Helmut, where is that little gypsy that just came here a few weeks ago? You know, the one that we put out on the floor for the first time yesterday?”

  “You mean the one we had to punish last night?”

  Christian cringed; it was all he could do to hold his temper. Had they hurt Nadya?

  “No, not that one… The little one with the long black hair… I think her name is Nella…”

  “No, not Nella. It’s Nadya. She is a looker. In fact, I had my eye on her myself. She shares a room with the pretty Jew bitch with the red hair.”

  “Well…go and get her. Tell her to fix herself up nicely; an officer wants to see her.” The guard smiled at Christian and eyed the bars on his uniform. This was Dr. Eberhart’s son; it was important to make a good impression.

  “Sit down, please,” the guard told Christian.

  Christian sat in the main ballroom. His hands twitched. He longed to reach for his gun and begin shooting these Nazis who held Nadya captive, but he knew that he had a better chance of rescuing her if he stuck with the plan.

  Chapter 72

  Nadya sat on the cot in her room with Yetta, who was teaching her to make dolls out of string. When the guard entered, both girls sat up immediately, stung by fear.

  “You,” he pointed to Nadya. “Get dressed. There is an officer here to see you. Make yourself look appealing or there will be hell to pay.”

  Nadya glanced at Yetta and saw the sympathy on Yetta’s face.

  “Mach Schnell!” (Hurry up!) the guard said, and then he left.

  “Come on, I’ll help you.” Yetta combed Nadya’s hair as Nadya sat, transfixed with alarm. “Yetta, I’m terrified.”

  “Don’t be afraid.” Yetta hugged Nadya. “Think of your ribbon… It will make you feel better.”

  Tears sprung into Nadya’s eyes. “Shera Rom… Help me, please,” she whispered.

  “Let’s go! Now!” the guard said to Nadya as he entered the room. With one hand he grabbed Nadya’s shoulder and forced her to follow him. As she was leaving she turned back and glanced at Yetta, who nodded and tried to offer her a smile of encouragement. “Be strong,” Yetta mouthed the words silently.