“You did more than that, Evy. You faced down the man who hurt you so badly. Why did you cup his cheek like that?”
Eva closed her eyes and rested her head on the rim of the bathtub. “When I was discharged from the hospital, he came really close to me and cupped my cheek. He said that I was his most prized patient and that he was a miracle worker.”
“Bastard.”
“I wanted him to know that he didn’t win. I wanted him to know your name so that when he went to the gallows, he would know he failed,” Eva said quietly and opened her eyes to see Zoe’s tears track down her face. “Hey, don’t cry.”
“You are just incredible.” Zoe’s voice broke and she leaned in for a kiss. “What you did was so awe inspiring.”
“You were right there beside me, love,” Eva replied with a smile. Zoe kissed her tenderly. They parted and Eva splashed a little water at Zoe, who tried to jump back but fell on her backside on the tiles and laughed.
“You’ve been in this bath for over an hour.”
“Do I have to get out?”
“Yes.” Zoe grabbed a towel. “Come, Mrs. Lambros, let’s get you out and dressed.”
Eva reluctantly raised herself up from her comfortable spot and stepped out of the tub and into Zoe’s embrace and the towel. “Do you want to go and see if Elena’s shop is still there?”
“I nearly forgot about that,” Zoe replied, and handed Eva a towel for her hair. “Yes, I want to do that.”
“We may not find anything, but we have to try.” Eva put her arm around Zoe’s shoulders as they walked out of the bathroom.
“Elena’s shop would be just down the road from here,” Eva said as they walked past bombed-out buildings.
At one building Eva stood for a long moment, staring at the charred remains. “That was one of the oldest libraries in Berlin,” she said quietly. She had spent many hours reading in the grand old library with its ornate ceilings and stained glass windows.
“You know, I never really thought about what the war did to Germany,” Zoe said as she gazed at the building. Three US soldiers walked past, laughing and making bomb noises. Eva watched them for a moment and then walked away.
They continued to chat while Eva played tourist guide to a city she knew so well and pointed out various buildings and landmarks. Zoe asked questions, which made Eva appreciate the city even more, even though it wasn't at its best. Eva stopped talking when they reached an intersection and looked up at an unremarkable burnt building, its roof caved in.
“What's this?” Zoe asked.
“A synagogue,” Eva whispered. Memories of Kristallnacht came flooding back. From this corner she’d watched the building go up in flames, watched as her friends beat the old rabbi.
“Evy? Are you okay, love?”
“Old memories,” Eva whispered and let her tears run down her face. She said a prayer, asking for forgiveness for having taken part in such a crime. “Greta, Jurgen, a few others, and myself were here burning down this synagogue.”
“You didn’t—”
“No, love, I didn’t, but inaction is sometimes worse than committing the crime,” Eva replied. “It was here that I got this feeling that I needed to be home. I just needed to leave.”
“What did the others say?”
“Greta called me soft.” Eva sighed. “Let’s not talk about it.”
Zoe put her arm around Eva’s waist. Eva looked down and then back up at her. “About a block from here is where Elena’s shop should be.”
“I don’t like it here,” Zoe said.
“I know. It’s horrible to look at. There’s something sinister about it. Elena’s shop is nearby. Let’s go quickly over there. I really don’t like being here.”
“Is that your PentaSense?” Zoe took Eva’s hand.
Eva looked at Zoe and smiled. “My what?”
“Pentecost Sensitivity,” Zoe replied. “PentaSense.”
“No, not my PentaSense.” Eva chuckled as they crossed the road. “This is it, Zoe.”
They stopped in front of a grocery which seemed to be open for business.
Zoe pointed at the shop front and smiled. The name on the store was Mannheims. “This is it.”
“There are a lot of Mannheims in Germany. It may not be Elena’s family.”
“But it’s their store.”
“I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Eva replied quietly as they entered the store. They tentatively approached a man who was stocking cans on a shelf. “Good morning.”
“Ah, good morning, Fraulein, how can I help you?” the storeowner said with a smile. He left the rest of the cans on the counter and turned his attention to Eva.
“Your store is called Mannheims. Are you…”
“Yes, I’m the owner. My name is Josef Gerber. That’s what the store was called.”
Zoe looked about to jump in her excitement. Eva squeezed her hand to indicate to take it nice and slow.
“My name is Eva Lambros. I wonder if I can ask you who owned this store before the war.”
“Why do you need to know this?”
Eva glanced at Zoe, who was doing her best not to jump into the conversation. “I have a friend back home in Australia and her name is Elena Mannheim. Do you know her?”
Josef scratched his beard for a moment. “Elena Mannheim, you say?”
“Yes, sir.”
Josef looked at Eva for a moment and then walked around to the front of the counter. He went over to the door and turned over the sign to “closed” and pulled the heavy drape that covered the window. He came back to Eva and Zoe.
“Come with me,” Josef said, and led them to a small room behind the shop front. He offered them a seat and sat down on a rickety old chair.
“Yes, I know Elena Mannheim.”
“Are you related?” Zoe leaned forward in her chair.
“No.” Josef shook his head. “I was a family friend for many years.”
“What happened to Franz Mannheim?”
“I was in Buchenwald concentration camp with my friend Franz,” Josef said sadly. “Franz did not survive.”
“Oh.” Zoe leaned against Eva.
“Franz died on April 10, 1945. I remember that day.” Josef paused and looked at Eva. “On April 11, the Americans liberated our camp. Do you know what happened to Elena’s mother?”
“She died in Bergen Belsen,” Eva replied.
“Their sons Jacob and David also died.”
“Do you know if any of Elena’s family is alive?”
“They are all gone,” Josef replied. “All gone. When I was liberated and strong enough I came back here. Where else would I go? I heard they had given us a home in Israel, but this is my home.”
“Don’t you want to go to Israel?”
Josef shook his head. “What would I do there?”
“It’s your spiritual home,” Zoe replied.
Josef gazed at Zoe with a sad smile. “How old are you, Fraulein?”
“Twenty-two.”
“You’re not German. What is your name?”
“No, I’m Greek. My name is Zoe Lambros.”
“Hmm.” Josef looked up at Eva. “You are German.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hm. Why would I go to Israel, Miss Lambros? This is my home. I was born here; I grew up here. I lost my wife, my children, my friends. What is in Israel?” Josef asked. “If I leave, they win.”
“Who wins?”
“The Nazis. They will drive me from my home, from my fatherland.”
“These people murdered your family,” Zoe said. “Why do you want to stay here amongst people that hate you?”
“I look at you and I see a child that has lost much.” Josef touched Zoe’s hand. “You have been through the fire. You understand. You young people want to see the world. You want to know, want to explore and change the world.”
“What is wrong with changing the world, Herr Gerber?”
“Nothing, but I’m an old man. If I go to Israel, who will remi
nd the gentiles of the HaShoah?”
“HaShoah?”
“Our destruction, Fraulein. Who will remind them? If we all go to Israel, who will be left?”
“I don’t know.”
“I came back and I opened the store to remember my friend.” Josef took out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes.
“Can we give Elena your address so she can write to you?” Eva asked as she took out a pencil and a piece of paper from her handbag.
“Of course. Is Miss Manheim well?”
“Yes. She got married to a wonderful man and they just had their first baby.”
“Ah, that’s good—a new life.” Josef took the pencil and paper and wrote down the address. He handed the paper back to Eva.
“Thank you for taking the time to talk to us,” Eva said as she stood.
“You are welcome, Fraulein. It’s not often I get to spend a little bit of my morning with two very beautiful girls,” Josef said with a little chuckle.
Zoe kissed Josef on the cheek. “That’s from Elena.”
“Ah, thank you, and now I get a kiss as well—I am a happy man.”
Zoe put her hand through the crook of Josef’s right arm and Eva took the left as he escorted them out. He bid them farewell.
Chapter Thirty-One
Eva stood outside the cemetery walls, which were marred by bullet holes and mortar damage. The façade and the iron gate appeared worse for wear and in need of some attention, much like the rest of the city. She had been there a few times and the last time was to take flowers to her grandfather's grave.
“Are we going in?” Zoe gently bumped her.
Eva glanced at Zoe and smiled. “You would think I would want to hurry in.”
“No,” Zoe replied and took Eva's hand. She looked down at their locked fingers. “I didn’t think you’d want to sprint in there, but the longer we stand out here, the harder it will be.”
“Hmm.” Eva nodded and stood still for a moment. She took a deep breath and nodded. She walked slowly, with Zoe beside her, their hands still locked together.
The cemetery was a peaceful place despite its gruesome nature. At one time Eva found the place fascinating because of its history and significance. She veered off the walkway to sit on a bench just under the shade provided by the trees surrounding the area.
“Alright, we will sit down.” Zoe sat down next to Eva, who was gazing at the entrance to a mausoleum. “Is that the Muller one?”
“No. Becker.”
“Ah.” Zoe nodded. “Are you going in there?”
“I don’t want to,” Eva replied quietly. “I don’t want to know if Willie is buried there. It would be real.”
Zoe nodded and kept silent as Eva gazed at the gate.
Eva turned to her and took her hand. “Larissa.”
“Pardon? What about Larissa?”
“That’s what we should name our baby when she’s born.”
“Larissa? Why would you select a place you hate as the name for our baby?”
“It’s the place where our lives converged, Zo. We were both reborn there. You heard Tessa. I saved your life and you saved mine.” Eva brushed a piece of lint that was perched precariously on Zoe’s red hair.
“You may have missed the part about me wanting to kill you.”
“I want our baby’s name to reflect where we were born again.”
“Alright, but we have to give her one of those Pentecost names as well, and my choice is Eva.” Zoe laughed when she saw Eva shake her head. “Alright maybe not Eva. You get to give her Larissa and I choose something else…”
“Why not Theresa? It’s a Pentecost name.”
“Pah, I don’t like those naming traditions. My papa didn’t name me Maria like the others.”
“What do you want to call our daughter other than Larissa?”
“Why don’t we use another Pentecost name…? One that belongs to a gifted one.”
“Didn’t I just say no to Eva?”
“I was thinking Rosa. That’s Tessa’s middle name, and she is one of the gifted ones.”
“Yes. I like it.”
“I think if the baby is a boy, it’s pretty obvious what it will be.”
“Oh? Really? What will it be?” Zoe smiled and patted Eva’s knee.
“Nicholas.”
“Nicholas? My papa’s name? I thought I just said I don’t like those traditions?”
“It’s perfect. I want to honor the man who brought you into this world. If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be alive.”
“Nicholas…”
“Nicholas Wilhelm,” Eva said. “I want to honor Willie. He was my best friend.”
“Alright, I like that idea. Larissa Rosa and Nicholas Wilhelm Lambros. What beautiful names. Now we just need to conceive them and give birth.”
“I like the names.”
“Good, now can you stop procrastinating and let us go to honor your mama? You can visit Willie when we come back.”
Eva nodded and got up from the bench. They continued the slow walk down the path. Eva glanced at Zoe, who had a thoughtful look on her face, as a young man walked past them. Eva knew what Zoe was thinking—she was in the middle of enemy territory. To Zoe, the Germans were the enemy even after the war ended.
“I'm alright, you know,” Zoe said softly, and looked up at Eva with a slight smile.
“How do you do that?”
Zoe squeezed Eva's hand and smiled. “The same way you do it,” she replied and bumped Eva with her hip. “Let's go.”
They resumed their walk and came to an area of the cemetery that was walled off. They walked through the gate and headed to the right, where Eva knew the Mullers were buried. She rounded a corner and stopped. Taking a deep breath, she moved forward and through another smaller gate.
“This place has too many gates,” Zoe muttered as she followed Eva down a narrow pathway.
They rounded another corner and stopped. Large oak trees acted like beacons where they surrounded the gravesites. At the entrance to the walkway was a large white marble monolith, and beyond that was a small walkway. On either side were graves with white headstones.
“All the Mullers are here?”
“Every single one of them.”
Zoe took a few steps forward in front of the monolith. The names of the deceased were inscribed along with the dates of their births and deaths.
“This is impressive,” Zoe mused.
Eva read off the other side of the structure. Eva found her mother's inscription, and underneath, her stepfather's name.
Zoe came up behind her and put her arm around her waist.
Eva glanced at her and followed Zoe's stare at her stepfather's name. “I guess they had to bury him some place. You can say it if you want.”
Zoe gazed at Eva and shook her head. “No, it's not the time. Go,” she urged, and gently pushed Eva towards the headstones.
Eva nodded and headed down the walkway, leaving Zoe near the monolith. She looked back at Zoe, who was sitting cross-legged on the grassy knoll, her back braced against a tree, watching her. Eva came to a stop at her mother's grave. She knelt in front of the tombstone, made the sign of the cross, and kissed the cross that hung around her neck. She took out the letter that Father Haralambos had given her in Greece and placed it at the base of the headstone as she had promised.
“Oh, Mutti, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there like you told me to be.” Eva’s voice broke. She took control over her emotions before they overwhelmed her. “I visited hell for a while, Mutti.” She glanced at Zoe, who was still watching her intently. “I know you've been with me and watched how my life has turned out…Mutti, you would have been so disappointed in me. The choices I made on that day. I chose to disobey you and went to meet Greta. I know you didn't like her, but I thought I knew better than you did. I was wrong. Willie didn't like her either.” She smiled at the memory of her greatest friend and ally.
“Is Willie there with you, Mutti? I miss him so much. He promised
me he was going to survive the war and come home. He promised. I don't know to what god-forsaken battlefield he was sent. If he's there with you, tell him I love him.” She sighed and swallowed the lump in her throat. She licked her dry lips and gazed around the cemetery. “Father was executed at Nuremberg, and he's buried next to you. I'm sure he's not there with you. I forgive him for what he did to me, Mutti. I do…I have to forgive him, because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have met my princess. I can't forgive him for what he did to my Zoe. I will never forgive him for that.”
Eva took out a locket. She opened it and gazed at a picture of Zoe and herself, and then glanced back at her beloved, who had her eyes closed and was resting her head against the tree trunk. She placed the locket at the foot of the headstone alongside the letter. “You were right. You told me my prince would come and she has. She's everything you told me to expect in a husband.” She wiped her eyes and smiled. “You told me that a prince would come and make me his princess. I found my princess, Mutti. I found her.”
She bowed her head. “I love her more than anyone in the world. She is the most loving person God ever put on this earth.” She wiped her eyes and chuckled. “She is also the most stubborn, whoa, is she stubborn.” She sniffed back tears. “She never gives up; even when I go into a black mood she comes right on in after me. God has blessed me, Mutti. He has. I want you to meet her.”
Eva looked back to find Zoe smiling at her. She beckoned Zoe to come over, and in one fluid motion Zoe was up on her feet and walking towards her.
Zoe knelt beside her and tenderly brushed the tear-stained cheek. She took Eva's hand as she sat cross-legged on the ground next to her.
She turned to the grave and smiled. “Thank you.” She turned back to face Eva. “Thank you for creating my princess.”
Eva looked up. Zoe was bathed in sunlight filtering through the trees, and she blinked back the tears.
Zoe put her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sunlight. “Are you alright?”
Eva nodded, unwilling to trust her voice for a moment. “I'm fine.” She put her arm around Zoe's shoulder. “I don't know when we'll be back, Mutti, but you are in my prayers every night.”
“And mine,” Zoe said quietly. “I thank you and God for Eva.”
Awakenings (Intertwined Souls Series Book 4) Page 25