Love during War Time
(I'm not sure if I get the translation right because I'm using google translate, so if I did any mistake on the language, please forgive me :))
Heidi was busy washing the windows of her shop. Her aunt and uncle, who used to own the bakery shop, had passed away a few years ago. Heidi had inherited it after their death and her friend, Lillian Moreau helped her running the shop. Heidi particularly lived in that shop with Lillian. Every morning, they would take turn to sweep and wash the windows.
Every morning, Heidi is greeted by her next door neighbor who owned a cinema. She's a Jewish by the name of Shosanna Dreyfus disguised as a French woman named Emmanuelle Mimieux. "Bonjour Heidi! Qu'est-ce qui est au menu aujourd'hui? (Good morning, Heidi! What's on the menu today?)", said Shosanna. ""Bonjour Emmanuelle! Je fais une tarte aujourd'hui. Venez vous…, et dire que Marcel Lillian fait son pain préféré (Good morning, Emmanuelle! I'm making some tarts today. Come and have some…, and tell Marcel that Lillian is making his favourite bread)", said Heidi. "Très bien! Nous serons là plus tard! (Alright! We'll be there later!)", Shosanna said before continuing her chores of cleaning the border of her cinema.
Every day, when she opened her shop, she's always greeted by Nazi soldiers. Although they are in their best behavior, Heidi couldn't help but hate them a little because Lillian's cousin was a Jew who died from being shot by a drunken Nazi soldier. One particular German – a Gestapo officer often would bring her flower every morning he came. Today, he brought her a rose.
"Bonjour Heidi! Une belle rose pour une belle dame (Good morning, Heidi! A lovely rose for a lovely lady)", said the Gestapo officer. "Oh, Dieter, vous ne devriez pas avoir (Oh, Dieter, you shouldn't have)", said Heidi. "Je voulais. d'ailleurs, vous aimez les fleurs que je t'ai donné (I wanted to, besides you love the flowers I gave you)", said Dieter. To him, it was a waste of time to learn French, but he learned it anyway so he could talk to her every day.
Dieter Hellstrom is a major in the Gestapo and a single man like him could use a lovely lady as a wife, but Heidi had turned him down. A few months ago, Heidi's late fiancé, Mishca Moreau, Lillian's brother, who was an artist went to visit his Jew friends at Germany. His friends got killed including him who was mistaken for a Jew. Heidi didn't tell Dieter, fearing that Dieter might kill her or do something worse. Dieter kept his distance, but he's still hoping.
Dieter ordered his croissant before leaving for a meeting. "à demain, mon cher. Adieu (Till tomorrow, my dear. Farewell)", said Dieter as he kissed her hand. Heidi smiled and waved him good bye. As the day went by, Heidi entertained a lot of German soldiers while Lillian stayed behind the kitchen because she hated them for what they did to Mischa and didn't even want to socialize with them.
Heidi's chef, Mrs Delacroix, a French woman who helped out at the shop to support her children while her husband worked as a postman. When it's closing time, Heidi would give some of her handmade secret recipe bread for Mrs Delacroix to bring back home for supper. Heidi and Lillian lived above the shop. "combien de temps vous gardez la socialisation avec les porcs allemands? (How long will you keep socializing with those German pigs?)", asked Lillian as she swept the floor. Heidi, who was wiping the table, sighed and said, "J'ai gardé en vie jusqu'à nous, non? (I've kept us alive so far, right?)". "en socialisant avec ceux qui avaient tué Mischa? (By socializing with those who had killed Mischa?)", said Lillian.
"techniquement, ils n'ont pas tué Mischa (Technically, they didn't kill Mischa)", said Heidi. "mais ils sont l'allemand! Ils ont tué Mischa! (But they're the Germans! They killed Mischa!)", yelled Lillian. "Je sais que ça! ne pense pas que je n'aime pas! (I know that! Don't think I don't!)", Heidi yelled back and she ran to her room, crying.
That was her every day routine. Lillian and Heidi were friends, then enemies, and then friends again. Lillian knew how much Heidi hated the Germans, but this is what they have to do in order to survive. Lillian always wanted Heidi to be happy and Mischa would've wanted the same thing.