Klink

It was a cold snowy night by the time Colonel Wilhelm Klink had finally gotten to the train station with his suitcase and packages for home. "Sorry, Herr Colonel," the large sergeant apologized. "Colonel Hogan said he'd get the car running by this afternoon."

"Never mind, Sergeant. Hogan always says he'll get the car to us at a certain time and never does," Klink sighed. This was not an auspicious beginning. "Help me get my bags on the train and find my compartment."

He had settled into his compartment after making sure his suitcase and bags were tucked carefully in the shelf above. He was going home. Home to see his mother and brother. Klink sighed again. At least he didn't have to share the compartment.

He had lowered the window when he first came into the compartment as he felt overheated. Now, with his greatcoat off, and the snow coming down harder, he got up to raise it. He looked out onto the bleak snowy scenery. Once he would have been excited about the trip. Going home, seeing old friends again, the Gemütlichkeit of the season, the people in the towns. He would have been excited about the snow making everything looking like a fantasyland; covering up everything ugly and sparkling in the lights of the train.

Now, he felt as if a heavy weight was pressing down on him with each mile closer. He again sighed. Why bother? Mama would just keep singing the praises of Wolfgang. Wolfgang, the golden-haired child. Literally. Never mind, that he was a wastrel. He hadn't been working regularly in years. Heaven knows how many women he ruined. In Mama's eyes, Wolfgang could do no wrong.

Klink would work hard in classes; studying to late at night to pass. Wolfgang would work hard charming the teachers, passing easily. Klink would set goals for himself; Wolfgang would just let things happen. Klink would do things the right way and everything fell apart for him. Wolfgang would do things the way he wanted and he always came out smelling of roses. It wasn't fair.

And now, he was commandant of the toughest POW camp in all of Germany. A colonel of the Luftwaffe. You'd think Mama would now be proud. No, Mama wanted to know how he could help Wolfgang out. She sounded surprised in her last letter that Wolfgang was again out of work.

Klink settled himself deeper into the seat and angrily opened the newspaper he had bought at the station. "I'm tired of helping Wolfgang!" he mumbled.

There was that time that Wolfgang had gotten himself drunk and tattooed before a swim meet while they were both in school. A swim meet where all the parents would be present. Klink knew what a mess there would be when their father saw the tattoo. He quickly found out there was nothing that would remove it, but, he had thought of painting over it. He had asked Hans, an artist friend of his, for some paint preferably flesh-colored and water resistant. He had mixed up a small batch of oil paint near the color of Wolfgang's skin. They hastily painted over the tattoo on his arm. No one noticed anything until his father grabbed Wolfgang's arm while he was shaking his hand because of Wolfgang's win. Klink was horrified to see the paint had come off on the elder Klink's hand. Did Wolfgang get into trouble? No. His father looked at his hand, laughed, and said something akin to "boys will be boys!" Now if Wilhelm had gotten the tattoo…

Klink again sighed. Why bother going into that? Father was long dead now it was only Mama, Wolfgang and Wilhelm. "Think about something pleasant, Wilhelm!" he scolded himself. Weihnachts trees. Like the beautiful tree Klink had bought the first year he made officer. It stood over 6ft high and was green and full. He brought it home with him when he first came home from camp. His first two weeks at home since he made officer. Even his mother was impressed. Unfortunately, no one had noticed that the dog kept drinking water out of the tree stand so when they lit the candles on Christmas Eve, the tree caught fire and almost burned the house down. Wolfgang was the hero of the day when he came home and brought the little 3 foot table tree for the parlor.

Klink harrumphed. This Christmas would be no different from the last. Last year, he was saving to get his mother a fur coat she had been hinting for. Just when he had the amount, Wolfgang called begging for money for rent. If Wilhelm didn't give Wolfgang the money, he and his family would be thrown out into the street. Wilhelm couldn't allow that to happen to his nieces and nephews could he? No, Klink couldn't so he sent the money. Then, when he arrived at his mother's house Christmas, there she was standing in the middle of the room with her fur coat. "Wolfgang was such a bad boy; he told me he couldn't wait until Christmas for me to open my present. Isn't it beautiful?" his mother cooed over the coat. "Ach, Wilhelm, why can't you save your money like Wolfgang?" Wolfgang smirked over his mother's head at Wilhelm, "Oh, leave him alone, Mama. He has problems enough. Jailers are always worrying that their prisoners will escape."

Jailer! He was a full Colonel, and Commandant of the toughest POW camp in Germany and his brother called him a jailer. He should just tell his family just what he thought of them all. He could just see his mother's face when he told her it was HIM, WILHELM and not WOLFGANG who was paying for her house. It was HIM, WILHELM and not WOLFGANG who made sure father got a decent burial.

He could see both Wolfgang's and his wife, Maria's faces when he told about the many affairs his brother had. What would his mother say when he told them that Günter, her first grandson, wasn't premature, in fact he was at least a month late! "Oh, but he's just a big boy. It's a good thing that he wasn't full term!" his mother kept saying. Yes, he would tell them exactly what he thought of them. That would be a Happy Christmas for them. He'd tell them exactly what he thought then go to a hotel and spend the rest of his leave enjoying himself.

Klink happily settled into his seat and fell asleep for the rest of the journey. Finally, the train stopped at his station. Grabbing his suitcase and packages he hurried off the train and off to find a taxi. Instead, just outside the station, he was met by Maria, his sister-in-law. "Willi, your mother asked if I could pick you up and take you to her house." She looked up at him with shy eyes, "You don't mind do you?"

Suspicious, he answered, "No, but why did she ask that? She's never cared before."

"Oh, Willi, it's just awful. I don't know what to do and you're mother is beside herself. Wolf has caused an explosion at the factory and they've arrested him for being a saboteur!" Maria turned toward Klink and tears welled in her eyes. "You know he's not a saboteur!"

"Yes, yes, I know he's many things, but not a saboteur," agreed Klink angry at himself for melting a little.

"We thought, maybe, with your connections, you could get him out. You know so many important people. Generals, Reich Marshalls, couldn't you get one to help him?"

Klink shrugged, "Maybe. I'll have to make some calls." He didn't want to, but he knew he would again try and bail his brother out of trouble. When he got to his mother's house he began calling old acquaintances, anyone he thought would be able to help him. Oddly enough, he didn't really need to call anyone as he found out when he spoke to the Gestapo Headquarters trying to get more information regarding his brother's arrest.

"Klink? I should have known he was your brother," came the familiar voice over the phone. "Yes, we know he is not a saboteur. A fool, yes; traitor no. An investigation showed it was not your brother's fault for the explosion. You can come and pick him up with our compliments. And GOOD RIDDANCE!"

"Thank you, Major Hochstetter and Heil Hitler," Klink responded to the dead air in the phone.

"Mama, Maria, they are releasing Wolf at the Gestapo Headquarters. I can go and pick him up now." He turned to the two women whose eyes were glowing at him.

It was a very subdued Wolf who rode in the car with Klink. "You would not believe what they wanted to do to me, Willi." Yes, Klink had a good idea what they wanted to do to Wolf if he was found to be a traitor.

Wolf almost gained his old spark when he got home to Mama's, but, she quieted him. "Don't you have something to say to your brother, Wolf? He was the one who got you released."

"Of course a jailer knows how to get a prisoner released," joked Wolfgang.

"Don't joke, Wolf!" retorted an angry Maria. "Willi worked very hard to get you released. You should thank him."

Klink's mother took off Klink's coat and hung it up in the hallway and directed him to the chair next to the big stove in the living room. She then brought him some Glühwein she had heating in the kitchen. "Willi is a big man in Berlin. He talked to Generals to get you released. You will be nicer to him."

Klink settled into the comfy chair and took a careful sip of the mulled wine. Well maybe he'd go to a hotel later. It was Christmas; after all, people should be nicer to each other even if it was only one day a year. Maybe this Christmas would stretch out to the whole week…

Finis.