Hans awoke to the strong robust smell of breakfast being cooked in the small house. He groaned and stumbled out of bed, his eyes falling to his work uniform. He shut his eyes and moaned again. Standing up he stretched, his back cracking angrily at him. Meandering through the tiny house, he found himself in the kitchen, leaning over his wife who was busy hovering over the hot stove.
"What's for breakfast this morning?" he asked nuzzling her neck.
"Same as always oatmeal." She sighed, stirring the pot unmethodically. Hans groaned and ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair.
"I'm tired of oatmeal, don't we have any rations for meat or eggs?"
"Not this week."
"Has Franz woken up yet?" he asked yawning.
"Yes, he's in his room getting ready for school." Putting his head in his hands he sighed and let out a tired growl. "Here," she said placing a bowl in front of him, "Eat, and get ready for work, you don't want to be late."
"This coffee tastes like shit."
"Rations are low, I can't get anymore, I have to use what I have sparingly." She chided. He nodded and ate his breakfast. Moments later Franz came out of his bedroom dressed in his Montessori school uniform. He sat at the table and ate his breakfast obediently, without a word. Afterwards he got up and grabbed his books; he kissed his mother and father goodbye and left for school.
"He's a good kid." Cneajna remarked, cradling her cup of coffee and sitting next to her husband at the table. Hans lay back in his chair and sighed. Cneajna sighed tiredly and stood up to warm the chilling coffee. "Hans, you need to get ready for work, you don't want to be late." She remarked, pouring a bit of rationed sugar into her new cup of coffee.
"Sure I do, I hate my job." He remarked, reluctantly leaving his chair to go to his bedroom to change his clothing.
Captain Hans Günche adjusted his thick red armband before leaving the bedroom to greet his wife once more before he left. Sitting at the kitchen table he pulled his boots on and groaned giving Cneajna one last pity look before he picked up his rifle and walked out the door, his hard soled shoes clapping against the cobblestone streets. Cneajna watched as her husband walked down the street to his 'job'. She hated his line of work, but he didn't have a choice, he was in the military the day that Hitler came to power.
Hans hated his job. He wasn't a naturally a cruel person, and he despised trying to be one. Somehow he still rose to be the Captain of his fleet. He was strategic and tactful. He knew how to run things. However, being a nazi was not what worried him, it was the fact that his wife was Russian, and his son was half-Russian, and with the recent restrictions made by Führer, he feared for their safety.
The door creaked as Hans opened it. The entire house was dark; Cneajna and Franz were already in bed, as Hans stumbled through the house, the moonlight pouring through the windows his only guide. Stripping his clothes he clambered into the mattress and searched for his wife's sleeping form. Cradling her form against his, he buried his face in her auburn strands he sighed and fell asleep.
Sun broke through the window, burning Han's sensitive eyes; instinctively he threw his hand over his face, turned to his stomach and went to sleep exposing his muscular well-toned back.
"Good Morning!" Franz cried leaping to the bed. Hans groaned, and turned over. Cneajna sat up and hugged her small son.
"Hans, wake up, it's nearly 8 o'clock." She chided. Hans growled
"I got home late last night, let me sleep."
"I heard you, what happened?" she asked concernedly.
"I'm not talking about it!" Hans growled he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Clearing his throat he ran his hand through his blonde hair, and sighed. "Franz, go play in your room for a while, your mother and I need to talk." The child grabbed his toy train and left the room.
"What is this Hans? What is going on?" she asked, confused.
"Cneajna, do you realize what is going on outside our door? Do you realize what Hitler is doing? I fear for your safety."
"Why dear? I'm not Jewish."
"It's not just Jews anymore, it's anyone who is an immigrant, or non-Aryan." He explained, holding her hand.
"What should we do?" She asked sounding frantic.
"I think that I should send you and Franz to America, at least until the war is over."
"I can't leave you here Hans, I really can't, you can't survive without me, you can barely dress yourself."
"I think that I can last till the war is over, Cneajna your safety is more important."
"Oh, Hans!" she cried, bringing his head to her bosom. He wrapped his arms around her. They sat in silence for a few long moments, drinking in the tranquility, the beautiful chirp of birds outside. It seem to last only a few short seconds, before the silence was broken by a blood chilling scream. Hans cringed and broke to tears. His job was taking a toll on his mentality. All those people he killed, sent to death camps it chewed at his nerve endings and ate away at his brain. Cneajna cradled him as he cried.
Time passed quickly that day but the night was still young. Franz had unwillingly been put to bed an hour earlier than normal. Cneajna splashed a light bit of perfume on her neck, and straightened her sheer white nightgown. She approached the bed and kneeled above her husband. The lovers hit the bed in a fit of passion. It had been so long since Hans had time off of work and was in the mood. Cneajna moaned lightly and straddled her husband, he placed his hand high on her thigh.
The morning light was harsh, filtering through the window into Han's eyes. He buried his head into Cneajna's chest and resumed his sleep cycle.
"You're not going to get much sleep, no doubt Franz will be up in a few minutes. He was sent to bed early last night, you know he'll be up early."
"I know, I'm sleeping till he does."
"You're like Rip Van Winkle, you know that?"
"I wasn't Rip Van Winkle last night, now was I?"
"Of course not." She replied running her hand through his shaggy hair. Franz leapt into the room, diving into the bed.
"Good Morning!" he cried. He crawled around the bed, over his father's legs. Hans pulled back in pain.
"Hans are you allright?"
"Yes, I'm just a bit sore from work." Cneajna pulled the blanket back, she gasped as she saw the large bruises on her husband's legs.
"What happened?"
"I got pushed into a table during a raid."
"Franz, go get your father some ice."
"Yes mother." He replied hopping off of the bed and toward the kitchen. "Mother, we have no ice."
"Dammit." Cneajna replied.
"I'll all right, they're just bruises, nothing more, no broken bones, no cuts, nothing more than just being pushed to hard."
"dammit Hans you worry me."
"That's my job now isn't it?"
"Don't get smart with me."
"I'm not, it's always the man's job to worry the wife." He replied, stepping out of bed and getting dressed, "Are you going out to buy food stamps today?"
"It's Sunday, I don't go out till Monday dear." Hans buttoned his pants, and went to the bureau for a shirt. "Do you work today?" she asked.
"No, I don't" he replied pulling his Y-strap over his shoulders.
"This is your first day off in months." She commented.
"The war is beginning to slow down. It's not as hectic as it has been in the last few months."
"That's good isn't it?"
"I suppose so, but the less I work, the less that I get paid. We need the money Cneajna."
"Hans, I can't stand you working all the time, I get so lonely, our marriage is falling apart, and you just stand there worrying about work. Work. Work. Work. That's all you ever think about, you're becoming obsessed with your job."
"Take that back!" he growled his voice becoming nearly animalistic.
"No Hans I won't I'm tired of it! You're never home, you have a son to raise! You need to be home! I can't do this alone! You forget I didn't get pregnant by myself!"
"You're pregnant again!"
"Yes!"
"Why didn't you tell me this before! Were you going to wait until you gave birth! We can't afford another kid! We're scraping the bottom of the barrel as it is!"
"It's kind of hard to tell you when you're never here!"
"Cneajna, how far along are you?"
"About nine weeks."
"When did you find out about the child."
"A week ago, when I went to the doctor."
"A week that you had to tell me, I've been home 2 days already this week."
"Yes, but for those two days we were happy, I felt so happy, you were here spending time with your son. I didn't want a dark cloud hanging over your eyes." Hans sat down at the kitchen table.
"how are we going to raise this child. It's impossible, we have no money."
"You could ask for a raise."
"That doesn't happen, all men in the army get paid the same. It doesn't matter of the family size. You could get a job as a secretary for a while."
"I have no job skills, Hans, I've been your wife for the last 10 years."
"What do you want me to do? You just throw this at me and you expect me to jump through hoops!"
"I don't know Hans! I just don't know anymore. This hasn't been easy on me at all? Do you have any idea how I feel, everyday I watch you walk out that door everyday not knowing whether or not you're going to return!" Hans folded his arms over his chest defensively.
"I just love how you say this like I have a choice, do you think that I want to be here during the war,--much less fighting in it? No, I don't you know that but I didn't have a choice. People respect a military man Cneajna, why the hell do you think that you are not in a concentration camp." She Turned towards the window.
"Hans, I'm sick of this, I love you and it aches not being with you. I love you, and I'm pregnant." She put her hand to the cool window. "Hans why can't you love me?"
"I do love you."
"Why can't you show me, why must you always be so distant. So stoic. Please just be affectionate."
"I…I'm trying Cneajna." She bowed her head into the window, tear streaked her porcelain face.
Hans woke up early the next morning. It was back to the daily grind as he put on his work uniform. Cool cotton brushed over his tough skin. His body was perpetually tired. One day off would never be enough. The sun was just beginning to filter through the windows. Hans was up an hour earlier than normal. That was his order. He was not told why. He took his papers and stuffed them in his pocket. With that he opened the door walking into the dewy air. The door closed softly, his wife and child still asleep.
The air was thick with moisture and Hans could see his own breath. Winter was approaching soon and he could feel it in the air. Report to the Recruiting office at 9:00 A.m. Sharp Monday Morning. Hans wouldn't lie, he was still tired, and a bit angry at what his wife had told him the night before. He kept his shoulders tensed, like he always did when he was upset, or in a rather unpleasant mood.
He opened the door to the Recruiting office, the first thing he saw was the young woman sitting in a chair, she had long Raven black hair past her waist and was dressed in a military uniform.
"Hauptman Hans! There you are!" The officer behind the desk stated.
"Yes Sir, Reporting for duty!"
"Very good, at ease soldier." He pointed to the beautiful young woman sitting in the chair. " Hans it will be your job to train her. She was recruited a bit late. I want you to start out in the field with her."
"Yes sir!" He replied saluting. He took a quick glance at the girl, she looked so frail. Could she really survive in the military?
"Her name is Riana." The officer said. Riana stood up and looked at him sweetly, boy did she have the look of an angel. Hans knew he fell for that look, that was a huge weakness in him. He tried to avoid her sweetness and swallowed the lump in his throat.
"You heard the man, we're going to the field today." She followed him gingerly.
Once approaching the field, Riana was given a light weapon, one that Hans knew she could handle. ( I am terrible with weapons, so insert here.) She had terribly poor aim. Terribly poor. Hans attempted to straighten her arm to help her aim, his arm just brushing the soft contours of her body, a hot blush arose in his cheeks, he tried not to let her see. He re-instructed her on how to use her gun and corrected her posture, gently guiding her arm. She leaned into his correction, her curves pressing hotly against his forearm. She was an angel. Yeah, from Hell. Damn, it took all the strength in his body not to blush and react to her teasing. His knees were weak. He removed his hands from her arm and watched as she shot. Her aim had improved considerably. "Starting next week, we will stop our training and you will be shadowing me on Raids." She nodded, she understood.
Riana wasn't difficult to train, no, she was difficult to be around, with her blatant sexuality. Hans knew that she knew what she was doing to him. She knew he was a married man and yet she tempted him anyway. He was hot, sexy and she always loved the muscular type. They flirted endlessly for weeks. Hans knew it was wrong but with the recent pregnancy his wife had turned cold and bitter. He was human, he needed the sexual release every once and a while, so when she invited him back to her residence he obliged non-chalantly.
He was surprised that she lived alone, especially a woman as pretty and flirtatious as she was. Her house was warm decorated tastefully. The moment that she walked through the door she removed her uniform jacket revealing the curves of her voluptuous body. She unbraided her hair, letting it fall past her hips. She brushed it back behind her ears and turned to Hans.
"Would you like a drink?" She asked.
"Yes that would be quite nice actually." She turned and pulled two long neck beers out of the refrigerator, she cracked the top on the side of the table and handed one of them to him. He drew the contents down his throat, it had been such a long time since he had alcohol.
"How the hell can you afford this?"
"I get the same pay you do, but I don't have to support a wife and child." She pointed out.
"I didn't know that women were paid the same in the military."
"They're not, but they like me." Hans chuckled. He watched the way that she moved around her house, her hips undulating she was sexy and she knew it. She straddled him in his chair, "Now what time do I have to have you home to your wife?"