Lea cast a longing glance at Diana. She was happy; two beautiful children, a dashing "brave" husband and a lovely home. What more would she want, let alone need? Ducking her head in hopes to disappear unnoticed, Lea tried her best to blend in with the rest of the prisoners.
Diana was internally falling apart. She loved her children and appreciated her husband for providing a steady income for her children but she missed the companionship of a certain brunette. She spotted a hunched figure from her peripheral amongst a large assembly of Jewish prisoners, trudging towards a train. A train leading to a work camp… or so she was told. Her husband was a high official in the military and knew of what was going on. Regardless of what he thought, she was not deaf nor was she blind and knew of the atrocities the Chancellor and his Nazi party were committing. Experiments, death camps… As the figure loomed closer, she could not help but feel a familiar chill run up her spine. No…it couldn't be. After all this time, it wasn't fair the way they would meet under such circumstances.
They met when they were sixteen. A few years before the Enabling Act (an act that brought Hitler to power, and with it, segregation between the Jews and Germans) was passed. Lea, with her beautiful coffee eyes and long, wavy hair and Diana with her captivating hazel eyes and summer smile. It was as though they were kindred spirits when their souls first met. Ill-fated timing perhaps, but their friendship grew like two flowers, stemming from the same root, origin, and blossoming into two polar opposites. Different in appearance but the same on the inside, sharing one beating heart. It was a particularly rough period as hard times fell upon the Jews (her people) in Germany before the war. Tensions were clearly building and although anti-Semitism had always been present, the hatred seemed to grow with the promising new leader, Hitler, slowly gaining recognition for his invigorating speeches and exuberant charm.
Diana was warned by her mother and father against "those Jews". They were said to be filthy, dirty scums who knew nothing and were regarded as "different", disgusting. She was taught at an early age to distinguish her "kind" from Jews, those "wretched souls damned to hell". Lea though, Diana knew, was an exception. When she first laid eyes on Lea, Diana's innocent mind couldn't help but desperately want to be her friend. As for Lea, she was struck by how someone so different could possibly want the same thing as she; a friend. Diana, unable to stand the distance, walked across the room to introduce herself but was beaten to it. "Hi", whispered Lea, her soft tone music to Diana's ear. And from then on, Diana just knew her whole life had changed. Lea was nothing like what her parents warned her about. She was sweet, gentle, and yet strong and extremely talkative. Diana thought they perfectly fit. While Lea tended to ramble, Diana was an attentive listener, expressing her thoughts only when necessary and limiting them as she loved to hear Lea's enthusiastic voice and animated features. On top of that, Lea was beautiful. Not just aesthetically but internally as well. Her eyes shone with promises of a bright future and although it might seem strange to comprehend, her brain too, was beautiful. Lea was intelligent and bright and always knew what to say. So Diana thought they fit, and fit they did. Lea loved that Diana always listened. Diana was sweet and observant. Saying little, but whenever she did, it seemed like there was nothing else left to say. Diana listened to her dreams and laughed at her far-fetched jokes and humor, and Lea honestly thought soul-mates existed. She and Diana were living proofs, the very definition, of the word.
Times however, were rapidly changing and Lea, her sixth sense tingling, felt the change almost immediately before it happened. "Diana", she asked, "when all else fails; the law, government, friends, time, will you…" she faltered. Diana nodded for her to continue. "Will you still be my friend?" Diana needn't say a word. Her beating heart was proof she would forever be there for Lea and as long as she lived, their friendship would never die. She gently encompassed Lea's hand and guided it to her heart. The faint nod was all the proof Lea needed. She felt secure.
On April 1933, everything changed. Almost as soon as Hitler came into power, Lea and the rest of her Jewish classmates were sent to live in another part of town, attending a different school. Without time to say a proper goodbye, the kindred spirits were physically apart, but never spiritually. Same root, different flowers. Diana saw Lea walk away with her Father and 'Uncle' as well as her whole neighborhood, departing their homes for a new one. One hand on her heart, Lea glanced at Diana for the last time and smiled that heart breaking smile. Diana only responded with a slight nod. Once again, no words were necessary.
Rachel and Finn Jr. in tow, Diana and her children waited for the train to take them to their new home. The war was taking a heavy toll on their lives. Conditions were even harder for the Jews. Rumors were spread of the horrors being done but Diana knew they were more than that; the rumors were true. So when she saw the familiar silhouette she told herself it could be just because she was missing Lea much more than usual and she was just seeing things. But when she caught sight of a beautiful, mangy, tangled, wavy mop of hair, she knew.
"Lea!" a voice called out, heart-breakingly familiar. Lea forced herself to turn. If she was walking towards her death, she told herself, might as well do so seeing the one who gave her life, made it worth living. She was greeted by not one, but three pairs of beautiful hazel eyes, filled with remorse, guilt, and innocence. Lea felt herself falling again, a deep connection jolted her system awake. She would die with not knowing just one, but three kindred spirits. On the inside, they were all the same. In the midst of animosity and hate, all four souls were connected with love. Deep love that ran within their individual souls, interconnected, together, whole. An that was enough. It was enough to sustain her and hope that in another life, they would meet again. It would be okay, as strangers or even enemies, as long as they met again.
Other heads turned but Diana didn't notice. She was transfixed by the sight she saw. Lea, thinner than she last saw her, but still beautiful. And her eyes how they shone! Her fire never burned out, and seemed to be roaring even more than before. Her resilient spirit was unbroken and that was enough to comfort Diana.
The last image burned in Diana's memory of Lea was the small gesture of her hands, kissing it softly before moving it to her heart, shortly before boarding a one way train.
The last image Lea saw of Diana was of Diana, nodding her head slightly at the symbolic gesture Lea made when they saw each other last. With the image in mind, Lea let the smell of gas consume her before drifting off in an eternal sleep. 'Maybe in a next life, even as enemies, it will be okay as long as we meet, as long as we have a chance'.
How many times will it take, to get it right?-It was circumstance, not their nature, that kept them apart.
Maybe in another life...