You Are My Sunshine: A Novel Of The Holocaust (All My Love Detrick Companion Novel) (17 page)

“No, sounds perfect, sir.”

“Very well, then,” turning back to the waiter, “keep the beers coming.”

After the waiter left,
Goebbels carefully placed his napkin on his lap.”

“So, the invasion
of Poland was a landslide success.”

“I know, sir. It surely was.”

“Our Fuehrer is a genius. He told them not to form an army that we would protect them, and would you believe they listened.  Not very smart I’d say. Well, it’s no wonder they are not the superior race. But at least the Poles aren’t Jews or Gypsies. We can find a place for them as our worker slaves in the new world order. You know some of their children are beautiful they look German, blond, blue eyes, beautiful Aryan looking.  Actually the last time I saw Heinrich, he thought that perhaps we should take a few and send them off to be retrained as Germans. It’s an idea anyway. At least we could consider taking some of the pretty ones.”

“You
mean the Reichsführer sir?” Manfred thought as he looked at Goebbels and thought about Hitler and Himmler who he had met. None of them looked like the Aryan’s they professed to be. Here they proclaimed the German man to be tall, and athletic, blond with blue eyes. Yet, Hitler himself had all the physical qualities of the Jews he hated. He had dark hair, was small in stature, and did not appear at all athletic. Furthermore, the large nose he used as a symbol of the ugliness of Jewry sat right in the middle of his own face. Treasonous thoughts I am having, Manfred said to himself. These thoughts must be kept under wraps at all costs.

“Yes
of course I mean Reichsführer Himmler. He has been setting up homes for the Lebensborn it is an exciting idea. These are wonderful institutions to help increase the Aryan population through a mating process. He also, thought that we might take a few of the Polish children and put them in there as well. They are children, they are young are quick to forget.  If they were away from their parents, they will forget their parents, and we could turn them into Aryans. Of course we’d set up schools for retraining.”

“It’s a good idea.” Manfred said
nodding and taking a swig of his dark German beer.

“You and your misses will
have beautiful children.”

“Yes, she is lovely, my wife.”

“You are both blond that should give you bright Aryan babies. By the way.. Have you ever seen photographs of my wife and children?” Goebbels asked.

“Only the one on your desk, sir.”

“Oh let me show you.  You already know my beautiful wife there she is, my Magda.” He showed Manfred a picture of slender woman with wavy hair smiling at the camera surrounded by a brood of light haired laughing children. “I don’t think you’ve ever seen my five beautiful children.  I will tell you a secret… We haven’t told anyone else yet, but we have another on the way.”

“
Congratulations.” Manfred said trying to sound sincere and hide the jealousy. Goebbels had five, soon to be six. Manfred and Christa could not even produce one. Why?

“Yes, we are quite excited. The more Aryan babies we can bring into the world the better things will be for the New Order
of Germany. Our leader is doing a wonderful job of restricting Germany. Soon we will be the world leaders as it was always meant to be. We will leave this world to our children. A world free of undesirable elements and filled with the beauty, grace, and charm of the Aryan race.”

The food arrived. Manfred was
relieved not to have to discuss having children anymore, at least for today. They ate and discussed food and beer. By the end of the meal, both men were full and tired. As they walked back to the office, Goebbels smiled at Manfred.

“I meant to tell you…some good news
…I am promoting you to Rottenführer.”

“Sir!” Manfred beamed. “Thank you.”

“You deserve it, my boy. You are a wonderful employee and an excellent friend and confidant. Yes Manfred, I chose you well. You are a true asset to the party.”

“Thank you, thank you, sir.”

Chapter 24

1940

The German’
s established Ghettos in Poland, even before the Nazi’s had a chance to build fences around them, the arrests began. At first, it was a small number of Jews and so their neighbors, other Jews, were able to over look what was taking place.  People were able to deceive themselves by rationalizing that those who were arrested were criminals of some sort.

But no Jew was safe. The Nazi’s
meant to kill them all, men, woman, children, infants.

And then one day, without
warning, those Jews who had carefully looked the other way in hopes that it would all disappear were seized at gunpoint from their homes or the streets or their jobs, torn from their lives and all of their possessions confiscated. Just ordinary people, guilty of no crime, and yet, often beaten or shot if they resisted. They were taken to a small area set off from the rest of the population, the ghettos, where they again chose to deceive themselves, that they would live and work until the war was over. But, unbeknownst to them they were only in line for an even more sinister transport.  The Ghettos, rotting with disease, plagued by starvation, dirt, and overpopulation were merely a mid-stop.  Next, they would face the answer to the race contamination that the Third Reich had put into effect and named the final solution. Hitler planned to begin the annihilation of millions.  It was not just the Jews, oh no, the Nazi’s wanted to erase the Gypsies, the Homosexuals, the Jehovah’s witnesses, and so many other’s from the face of the earth. At first large groups of people were shot and thrown into ravines, but this method was far too slow. Europe was filled with undesirables, and the Nazi’s decided that all must be eradicated. And so, next came… The trains, the trains to the camps, filled with people loaded like cattle on their way to places where Nazi scientists had worked painstakingly to create the most efficient death machines ever known to man. The gas chambers, Zyklon B. These houses of death were accompanied by the ever-operating crematoriums, which could never work fast enough in the effort to dispose of the dead bodies. The surrounding cities were subjected to constant rain that poured from the ovens, made from the ashes of the dead.

Chapter
25

The sewing machines buzzed. Fruma and Zofia had a wedding gown to make for the Eisenstat’s youngest daughter, Sora. It had to be finished by the week’s end. There were pearls to hand sew and hems to be finished. The women worked quickly their skilled fingers flying across the fabric like tiny birds. 

“Can you believe it? Next week is Eidel’s first birthday already. How the time flies.”
Fruma said shaking her head and smiling.

“I know, my figure tells me every day. I can’t seem to get my old shape back.”
Zofia said.

“You look lovely. You’re just not a girl anymore. You’re a mother a woman.”

“Old and flabby, in other words.”

“If you’re old, then Gitel and I are ancient.”

Zofia laughed and shook her head. “I want to make Eidel a new dress for her birthday party.”

“I think that’s a wonderful
idea. How many children are coming?”

“Just Helen,
the baby, and Esther from next door and her son.”

“O
y, he is a wild little boy. I hope he doesn’t tear up the apartment.”

“Yes, I know
he is out of control, but he’s just a normal three year old.”

“Not refined like our Eidel.
Eidel is special.”

“
Of course not,” Zofia laughed. “Nobody is as good as our Eidel.”

The floor was littered with strings
, dust, and small bits of fabric. Eidel slept quietly laying on her stomach in her playpen with a pink knitted blanket over her.

“She looks like an angel.”

“Doesn’t she? You know as much as I regret what I did with her father. I mean, having relations with a man who was so much older and all of that. I can’t be completely sorry because I was blessed to have her.”

“I know, you know what my
grandmother used to say?”

“What?” Z
ofia asked, both women staring at the sleeping child.

“She said every blessing is a curse and every curse is a blessing. Yes, her father was a curse, but Eidel is such a blessing to all
of us.”

“That she is
…” Zofia said.

Chapter
26

The small apartment that Zofia shared with Fruma and Gitel was decorated with balloons and streamers. Gitel dragged herself out of bed that morning and went to the bakery nice and early. There she bought a small birthday cake. Fruma and Zofia had both made dolls out of fabric and stuffed them. They’d sewed on buttons for the eyes, nose, and mouth. Then Fruma made a few dresses that would fit the dolls giving them a wardrobe. Zofia laughed, she knew it would be several years before Eidel would change the clothes, but the effort that Fruma and Gitel made to make things beautiful, always touched her heart. She knew how fortunate she was. And regardless of what people said about them, her friends were the kindest women she had ever known.

A pot
of thick strong coffee was brewing on the stove the fragrance filled the rooms. Soon the guests would arrive. It was Eidel’s first birthday. She wore a dress that was the color of the deep pink of a summer sunset. Her dark blond hair was caught up on top of her head in a bow to match the lacy ruffles on her dress. Zofia watched Eidel playing and her heart swelled with joy, pride and every other emotion any mother has ever felt.

Helen knocked at the door. In her
arms, she carried her son, Lars and a gaily-wrapped gift for Eidel. The babies were born a few months apart, and the mothers hoped their children would grow up to be friends.

“Come in,
has some coffee or tea?” Fruma said.
“Thank you, Fruma. I would love some tea. Hello Zofia, Gitel.” Helen smiled and Zofia realized again how beautiful Helen was. She was tall and blond. The pregnancy had done nothing to her slender girlish figure. But not only was she lovely but she was kind. “And who do we have here?” Helen said as she bent to tickle Eidel’s cheek. “Why it’s the birthday girl.” Eidel giggled.

“Here let me take him for a minute so you can enjoy your tea.” Gitel said.

“Are you sure?”

“
Of course, I have lots of experience from Eidel.” Gitel said but as soon as she took Lars, he started crying.

“Ech, he’s just used to his mother. I ‘m sorry Gitel” Helen said and Gitel handed the baby back to Helen.

“You look wonderful Zofia, you’re glowing. Motherhood really agrees with you.” Helen said.

“Oh, I wish
that were true. I can’t seem to lose this baby weight.”

“Well, you gained it in all the right places. You have a beautiful shape. I wish it had done the same for me.”

“Oh Helen, you still look like a young girl. You will always be lovely.”

Eidel must have seen Lars being held because she began fussing and reaching
her arms towards Zofia to pick her up. Fruma saw Eidel reaching and lifted her. Then Gitel came and reached for the baby lifting her high in the air. Eidel forgot what she was fussing about and giggled loudly.

Esther, the widow who lived next door arrived with her
four-year-old son, an active little boy with a mischievous smile. He immediately began grabbing Eidels toys. He picked up a fat baby doll and began racing around the room.

“No
, Manny, behave we are not at home. This is Eidel’s party.” Esther pulled Manny by the arm and took the doll away. She held him close to her and he began to cry in frustration. “Please Manny, behave we are going to have cake soon enough. You love cake, now if you don’t act properly I will not allow you to have a piece.”

Fruma
glanced at the boy and frowned. Little boys were such a pain in the neck. Best to get the cake out before the little monster got his destructive hands on something else.

Fruma
put the cake on the table with a single candle in the center.

“Is everyone ready?”
Fruma asked.

Nods all around
, Zofia picked Eidel up and held her so that she could see as Fruma lit the candle. Eidel began to giggle as everyone sang a happy birthday song.

Z
ofia blew out the candle for Eidel, and she made a silent wish that her child would have a long and happy life. Everyone clapped and Eidel tried to clap too.

Fruma
went into the kitchen to get a knife and the pile of plates she’d taken down for the cake.

Th
ere was a knock at the door. Fruma put the plates down and opened it. The entire festive mood changed as in a single a moment the room seemed dwarfed by the presence of three tall menacing men wearing long black leather coats, the Gestapo.

Fruma
’s hands trembled, her face turned white. She could not speak or hear. All she heard were two words “Arrested,” and “Jews”

“What’s going on here?” Helen
asked. “Why are you arresting these women?”