Chapter 9:
By the time February came around, Klink and Janine had already gone on about eight dates with each other. It seemed to them that every date turned out to be one that was not originally planned, or they simply went to a destination and let life make the decisions for them. Restaurant dates that turned into shopping trips. Strolls in the city that turned into hiking trips. Picnics that turned into nighttime campfires while looking up at the stars. Nothing ever seemed to be what it originally intended to be for them, but the two could not have cared less. Every date was a new adventure for them, and a new romance was budding before their very eyes.
It was one night in the middle of February, and instead of going to the movies, Klink and Janine had decided to take a night stroll through the city park and look at all the lights still up from Christmastime, snow lightly falling as they walked the path hand and hand with each other. Klink wore a long black coat with a white scarf, and Janine wore a dark purple pea-coat with a light purple scarf and matching gloves. They occasionally stopped to look up at the sky, and Janine sighed with contentment at one point, leaning her head against Klink's shoulder.
"Don't you just love stars?" She asked him dreamily.
Klink smiled and nodded. "They are beautiful, aren't they," he answered.
"I love the stars that I see in your eyes the most, though," Janine said. "The ones that sparkle whenever you look at me."
"How can my eyes not sparkle when looking at you; I don't think I've ever met a woman like you before."
Janine's expression brightened as they continued walking. "Well I'll tell you one thing," she said. "You're certainly a lovely change from all the drunkards and womanizers I mistakenly dated in the past. Make all these great promises only to turn out to be a complete stranger to me...Then you show up out of nowhere, and it's like God finally answered my prayer."
Klink smirked. "Well I'm glad I'm a good change instead of a bad one," he told her. "I didn't have so much luck myself until meeting you."
They came to a stop at a bridge overlooking a large lake and gazed up at the sky again, resting their heads against each other as snow continued to gently fall to the white covered ground.
"I wish every night could be like this," Klink said, finally breaking the long silence between the two.
Janine looked at him with a puzzled expression to her face. "Why can't they be?" She asked curiously.
"Because as much as I would love to take you out every night, we both have jobs and other responsibilities to take care of. I just wish I could see more of you, is all. You know, not just talk to each other on the phone once a week or wait a week or two before we go out again."
"Well…" Janine began, gently running her fingers around Klink's shoulder. "Maybe we should turn it into more than that."
Klink turned to look at Janine, and a smile slowly grew onto his face, his blue eyes sparkling like the moonlight reflected off the lake's waters. "Are you thinking of what I'm thinking of?" He asked hopefully.
Janine nodded in response. "Wil, I don't want anyone other than you. I want others to know that. You're the only one I want to be with, and I want to make us exclusive...You know...be a couple."
Klink's face brightened more as he turned face to face with Janine and wrapped his arms around her waist, while she wrapped hers around his neck. "And when do you want that to happen?"
Janine was silent for a moment before a wide smile came to her face. "Right now, if that's alright," she answered.
The two simply stared at one another for several moments, Klink's eyes twinkling with glee as much as Janine's were. Neither one of them had felt so happy before in their lives. After so many failed relationships and bitter heartbreak, the two of them had crossed each other's paths and lit up a place inside them they thought would never see light again. Janine was everything Klink had ever dreamed of in a significant other. She was kind, patient, intelligent, and had the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard. She loved him inside and out, and for once in almost two years Klink did not feel outrun by his brother. He felt whole. Complete. He felt like the luckiest man on earth. He thanked God every day that He had given him Janine to love, and he never wanted to love another woman ever again other than her.
Like a magnetic pull, the two love birds leaned forward and had their first kiss under the moon and stars, while the snow continued to gently fall onto them.
As they continued kissing, two brothers walked past them, but one of them, a short man with blonde hair, paused as he found a wallet by Klink's feet. He walked over to it, picked it up in his hand, then stood back up and saw the two in the middle of their kiss. "Uh, Sir?" He called out, trying to get Klink's attention. "Sir, I think you dropped your wallet by accident."
He received no response.
"Sir?" the man asked again, feeling extremely awkward while interrupting such an intimate moment. "Sir!" He soon felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to find his big brother shaking his head and gesturing for them to keep walking.
The younger brother looked back down at the wallet in his hand, shrugged his shoulders, then set the wallet back down where he found it and continued walking, leaving Klink and Janine to themselves in their new heaven on earth.
From that night onward, nothing but laughter and joy filled Klink and Janine's life. They ran around the city while going from one shop to another, trying on ridiculous hats and jackets they could not afford; they ate candlelit dinners at cafes and restaurants every Friday night; sang with each other to the radio or record player while dancing; had snowball fights in the park they had their first kiss, Klink eventually sweeping her off her feet and spinning her around, every time ending with a loving kiss. They went to watch movies, attended extravagant military dances Klink was invited to in Berlin, they even took a spring vacation to a ski resort in the Swiss Alps and either snuggled with each other by the fire while drinking hot chocolate, or they were out on the Alps doing their best to not fall on their faces while skiing down small hills and pathways.
Eventually they met each other's parents, and Janine's loved Klink, and Klink's loved Janine. They brought out the best in each other, and while Janine's parents loved Klink for being a gentleman with a steady job, Klink's parents loved Janine for making their son so happy and full of joy again. How she loved him for every part of him going from his monocle to his gentle heart. And unlike Wolfgang, Klink's parents gave their youngest their blessing and welcomed Janine at their house with open arms.
It was a breezy night in July, and Klink had taken Janine to Dusseldorf for the week to go around the city and visit his parents. While Adala cleaned in the kitchen and General Klink organized things in his study, Klink and Janine sat on the living room sofa talking with each other or exchanging kisses. Every now and then Klink would say something that had either Janine giggling, or both of them laughing.
Watching silently from the kitchen, Adala looked up from cleaning the stove and felt a beaming grin come to her face. She loved seeing her baby so happy again. It had been so long since she saw Klink radiate such light and joy. Janine had been just what her youngest needed to feel good about himself and enjoy life again. She absolutely adored Janine. The daughter she never had. She helped clean dishes when they had dinner together, she brought a glass of brandy to General Klink when he came home from a long day at work, she sang for Klink's parents while Klink played something on the piano, she was beautiful, gifted, and generous all at once. Adala was hoping there was a wedding and some grandbabies in the near future.
As General Klink came out of his study to check on his wife, he briefly turned his eyes to Klink and Janine, who were discussing some funny memory that had happened while on their trip to Switzerland. A wide smile spread across his lips as he entered the kitchen and stopped at his wife's side.
"Those two are inseparable," General Klink said softly, his eyes glimmering with amusement.
"Oh, I love it," Adala replied, wiping her hands on a cloth towel. "Perhaps we might hear wedding bells soon?"
General Klink shook his head. "Oh liebe, not another wedding just yet. Wolfgang's was enough to last me for at least another ten years," he remarked, as if just remembering the event caused his head to ache. He put a hand to the side of his head, while Adala smirked and rubbed his shoulder as she shook her head.
As Klink and Janine continued to socialize, the front door slammed open, and Wolfgang stormed in completely red in the face. His dark eyes blazed with rage and threw his black homburg down on the ground.
"Outrage!" He spat. "An absolute outrage. And after everything I did for her!"
"What is your problem now?" General Klink asked, sounding like he did not want to hear the answer. He was followed out into the living room by his wife, Klink and Janine sat on the sofa silently and wide-eyed as they stared curiously as Wolfgang.
"Monika left me, that's what," Wolfgang remarked. "Left me for some loser defense attorney from Leipzig. Kicked me right to the curb and packed up her things before leaving with the dummkopf. Which reminds me; Ma, Pa, I'm gonna need a place to stay for a while until I can find another apartment."
"I don't understand, though," Adala answered, shaking her head. "Why did Monika leave you? And why do you need to temporarily stay here?"
Wolfgang fell silent for a long moment, trying to think of the best way to word his next bit of news. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he stared down at the ground, not entirely able to look his parents in the eye. His father especially. "I uh...I may have...I may have gambled my rent and lost."
"You what?" General Klink spat, his eyes darkening with rage.
"And maybe all my life savings, too." Wolfgang added, just as quietly.
"YOU WHAT?!"
"And got fired after my whole embezzlement scheme was exposed."
"Gott verdammt noch mal, Wolfgang!" General Klink hollered, his temper far from lost now. His eyes flickered with angry flames, his face a bright shade of red. "When are you going to learn to stop when the money runs out?! You mean to tell me you have no apartment, no money, and no job?!"
"Hey, in my defense I would still have a job had it not been for that bastard Sebastian digging his nose into places he shouldn't have. That kid never liked me. He was always jealous that I was at the top and he was stuck on the bottom of the food chain where he belongs...Rotten little scumbag." Wolfgang explained, quickly coming to his own defense.
"I can't believe it, I can't believe it! I knew you were irresponsible, Wolfgang Klink, but this goes lower even for you! Who's stupid enough to gamble away their own rent in order to gain a tiny chance at winning all their earnings back?! Do I even dare ask how much debt you're in now?!"
"Look, I know it's bad, alright? But once I find a new job and start wracking in the money again, the dream is going to come back into play, Pa. The wealth, the mansion, the beautiful bride at my side, I'll be the most successful Klink to ever walk the streets of Germany."
Janine, who had gone completely pale at what she was hearing, turned her horror-stricken gaze to Klink and leaned towards him. "Is your brother really stupid enough to gamble away all his money and lose his job just to climb up the ladder of wealth?" She asked softly.
"If you think that's stupid, I should tell you how long he knew his wife before asking her to marry him," Klink answered just as quietly, the two of them never taking their eyes off of Wolfgang.
The oldest Klink son turned to the sofa, spotted the girl sitting beside his brother, and a 'charming' smile came to his face. "And I think," he began, slowly making his way to Janine's side. "I'll start with the beautiful wife. Wolfgang Klink, pleasure to meet you." Wolfgang held his hand out to shake, while Janine stared at it as if it were covered with bugs or infectious bacteria. She eventually made her eyes towards the man and was immediately appalled by his behavior. Was this guy for real, she wondered. How could her beloved Wilhelm be related to such a rat with no morals or sense of judgment? She almost felt sorry Klink had to put up with him for so many years alone.
"Say," Wolfgang continued, turning on his charismatic 'charm' as much as he could, while Janine gripped on tight to one of Klink's hands. "Why don't you say we ditch this lollipop stand and take a stroll into the city? Take a ride on the wild side, you know what I mean?" He finished with a wink that was more repulsive than attractive to Janine.
"Mmmm," she said, while staring at him disgusted. "I'd rather throw up."
"Playing hard to get, huh? Well, let me tell you something. See my brother there? You don't wanna be with him. Bookkeeper for a toy store." Wolfgang scoffed. "Why be with him when you can have this?" He circled his face with his finger. "I can make your wildest dreams become reality. Take you to any place you wanna travel to. We could be the next idol image for Germany. What do you say; ditch the mop. Leave with the tiger."
At that point, Janine was fuming. She could not contain herself anymore and slapped Wolfgang before shooting up to her feet. And as Klink put a gentle hand on her shoulder, Janine glared coldly at the older Klink brother. "How dare you speak ill of my Wilhelm! You would be lucky to be half the man he is!"
Wolfgang stared at her, exhaustively baffled for a few seconds before he split his sides laughing. "You wanna be with him?! Oh, that's rich, I tell you; rich!" He laughed for several more seconds before somewhat catching his breath. "You're making the biggest mistake of your life being with that average Johann there."
"He's not average, he's the best thing that ever happened to me! I love Wilhelm more than I've loved anybody in my entire life, and I will always choose him over you!" Janine grabbed her purse, looked up at Klink, and snuggled up against his side. "Take me back to the hotel, Wil; I can't stand being in the same room with this, this, this Schürzenjäger!" (1)
Klink kissed the side of Janine's head, and the duo made their way to the door, Klink turning back once more to his parents. "Mama, Papa, I'm sorry we have to leave like this," he said apologetically.
"No worries, Wilhelm," General Klink answered, with the wave of his hand. "You and Janine enjoy the rest of your night. We'll see you two tomorrow for dinner."
Klink and Janine waved 'goodbye' to General and Adala Klink, then closed the door right as they heard Wolfgang and General Klink at each other's throats again. Klink turned to Janine, who had her eyes turned to the sidewalk. She eventually made her eyes to him, then wrapped her arms around him tight, nuzzling her head against his chest as she fought back tears in her eyes.
Klink leaned forward a bit and kissed his girlfriend on the head, gently rocking her from side to side. "Ignore my brother, meine Liebe. He's just upset with everything right now, that's all," he told her comfortingly.
Janine sniffled and shook her head as they continued to stand there hugging each other. "I don't know how a kind and warm-hearted man like you can be related to such a...horrible, horrible human." She replied, the pain she felt clearly heard in her shaky voice.
Klink beamed down at his girlfriend and gave her another kiss on the head, gently rubbing her shoulder with his hand. "My brother is not a bad person; he just makes terrible decisions and has a slight sociopathic tendency."
Janine made her eyes up at her boyfriend, wondering where she had gotten so lucky to have someone like him in her life. "I love you so much, Wilhelm. I love you with everything I have." She told him sincerely.
Klink's smile grew in size. "I know you do," he answered. "I love you just as much." They leaned forward and gave each other a passionate kiss, which ended with them parting lips and Klink wrapping his arm around Janine's waist. "Come on, liebchen; why don't we go to the Königsallee? We can sit by the canal for a bit before going to bed for the night."
A wide smile finally came to Janine's face, and she nodded eagerly. She walked side by side with her Wilhelm as they made their way to the car and off to another one of their quiet, yet romantic dates underneath the stars.
(Present day)
"I can tell you really loved her," Hogan said. "So what happened? I mean, you're not married now. Not unless you took off your wedding ring."
"No, I am currently single. I would never take off my wedding ring for any reason if I were married," Klink firmly replied. "However, I'm not at that part of the story yet."
"Fair enough." Hogan pulled the blanket up a bit to cover his belly and leaned forward a little bit. He was both comfortable and warm for the first time in a while. And he was enjoying discovering this new side to Klink, too. It was hard to picture any woman willing to date the German colonel when he had only seen them run the other way. "I can't believe your brother tried to hit on Janine when she was clearly there with you, though. I'm glad she slapped him. That's a pretty sleazy thing to do, especially when he knew you'd had problems getting women to like you in the past."
Klink shrugged. "That's Wolfgang for you. Cocky, overconfident, and thinks he can do whatever he likes. Reminds me of somebody else we both know, hmm?" He gave his Senior POW Officer a knowing smirk.
"I wouldn't know if you do or not. It's not that we have any of the same friends. But I sure don't know anyone like that," Hogan replied, with an innocent expression. "It sounds like things were going pretty well between you guys. Did you ever ask Janine to marry you?"
"Of course I did," Klink said. "We were two young people in love. The world was our oyster, what reason would I have not to ask my girlfriend to become my wife?"
Hogan spread his hands wide. "None, Kommandant. It's just that people chicken out on important stuff sometimes. For all I know, you got cold feet or something."
Klink shook his head. "I assure you, that was not the case."
"Okay, then when did you finally pop the question?" Hogan asked.
"It was exactly one year after our first kiss in the park," Klink told him. Then he smiled to himself when he recalled how he had proposed.
Hogan waited a few minutes for him to start talking. When he still had not said a word by then, the American sighed. "Well, don't just sit there and smile, tell me! Please," he added after remembering his manners. He would not admit it out loud, but he was thoroughly enjoying the story he was being told.
Klink shook his head. "You are quite impatient, but very well. The night I asked Janine that question was a magical one indeed."
(1) Schürzenjäger - womanizer