"The world is all forgetting, and the heart is a rage of directions."

Leonard Cohen

XIV

THE WOMAN, THE MAN, AND THE GIRL

It happened months before D-Day, when the war still seemed as though it would go either way, at least to the usual civilian, fed by the propaganda machine but made uneasy by the constant rain of German V-missiles and the air raids terrorizing the nights. Although the Welsh countryside had been spared he kind of horrors sweeping cities like London, the news about the war still reached them, and made people cringe at the sacrifices demanded of their countrymen. A few of them actually wanted to do more than wait for it to end, and take a more active role in the fighting.

The community didn't accept it all that well, but the decision had been made and the papers delivered. Eventually David came to the conclusion that Darjeeling deserved a proper explanation. So he went to meet her. His heart felt heavy, though. Hours before he had a long conversation with his beloved Pekoe. He could still remember her imploring for him not to go.

"Stay with me, there's still time." But there wasn't. Abandoning his post at that point would be desertion, and, in the end, David was eager to prove his worth. Something big was bound to happen, although most details were still kept from simple lieutenants like him.

Pekoe finally cried herself to sleep over his lap, allowing him to slip out of the sofa, leaving the slumbering girl alone, but not before gently covering her with a blanket. Then he went to the porch to think through what he would say to his friend. When the time came, he went to meet her.

"Come in." Darjeeling said once he knocked at the door. David complied and entered the cabinet he knew so well. It had been there that they'd become friends, so long ago. How the place seemed to have gotten so small since then...

The blonde countess was sitting on a chair, legs crossed, and eyes focused on the man entering the room. In her hands she had a cup and the respective saucer, an aroma of green tea coming from the liquid inside. Her expression was neutral, almost cold, and knowing her as well as he did, David could only guess that the choice of place hadn't been arbitrary. His mind was uneasy, but he'd never been the type of person who ran away from his fights. So, he closed the door and turned to Darjeeling.

"Please, take a seat, David." She said. David grabbed one of the available chairs and placed it right in front of her. Then he sat. "So, tomorrow you'll depart to war, isn't that so?"

"Yes." David nodded. "Me, Alvin and Matthew."

"It's a shame." The young woman looked away, thoughtful. "You boys have always been the brightest, the hard workers. Your choice still baffles me. Nothing good will come out of this. And you still have Pekoe to take care of."

They had played the explanations game before. As it usually happens in such cases, it went nowhere. How could someone like Darjeeling, a civilized person, comprehend the drive David and his friends had for defending their country and search for strong adversaries in the battlefields of Europe? David, at least, wasn't moved by vengeance, opportunism or petty patriotism like most. He knew of his reasons.

"Do you happen to know the story of the boy and the Zen Master?" David finally asked Darjeeling, deciding to go through a route he knew to work the best for them.

"I believe I do not."

"Well… You know… There was this village in Burma, where it lived a Zen Master. One day the elder decided to give a horse to the most beloved boy of the village. He was a great warrior in the making and the leader thought he deserved it. Everyone was happy, and someone asked the Zen Master what did he thought of the event. All he said was 'we shall see'."

"One day the boy was mounting his horse and fell, and broke a leg. Everyone was devastated. And they asked the Zen Master what were his thoughts. And he said 'we shall see'." Making a short stop in his tale, David moved to get some tea from the teapot over a small table placed nearby. He only kept talking after he'd savored the infusion.

"Some days later the Emperor decided to wage a war and ordered all the leaders of all the villages to send him their best warriors and apprentices to fight for his dreams of conquest. Because he was injured, the boy couldn't go. And everyone was happy. And, once again, they asked the Zen Master for his opinion."

Darjeeling interrupted him, to provide the end of the story herself.

"He said 'we shall see'."

David glanced at her.

"Well… yes."

After giving it some thought, Darjeeling nodded and sipped some tea.

"It's a lovely story." She finally said. "Tells so much with so little..."

"I believe the same."

Darjeeling nodded, and then placed the cup and the saucer over the table, beside the teapot. Leaning back on her chair she seemed a little apprehensive, for a few moments unable to look David in the eye.

"I also have a story for you, David. It's something my family doesn't tell everyone, and I'll share it with you because I think it's important for you to know."

It was David's turn to nod in acknowledgement. He also understood the subtext to her words. 'Don't tell this to anyone else.'

"Well, the thing is," the young woman continued, "a long time ago, my mother fell in love with a young man who was her age." She shook her hand dismissively at the fact. "It was before she met my father, of course. But she still talks about that man, especially to me and my sister. She says he was everything someone like her could have ever dreamed of. Intelligent, dedicated, handsome… Back then my mother smiled much more than she does now, or so I have been told. He was the love of her life."

"But as most men like him, he too was attracted to the idea of fighting for King and Country. So, he went to battle in the Great War. And there he died, in some anonymous trench."

At this point of her story, Darjeeling glanced away and sighed.

"I was told that my mother changed greatly since she got the news. Even though she would later meet my father, and marry, the memories from her first, true, love still haunt her. See, David, loss is something terrible, and life too precious to be thrown away recklessly. Such an attitude infuriates me."

It was obvious what she wanted to say. Evidently that she realized David had to go to war and do his duty, and would never beg for him to stay, like poor Pekoe had done. With great calm, he also placed his tea set over the small table. Then he entranced his fingers, his elbows over his legs.

"I understand your point, Lady Darjeeling." He said. "And I respect the memory of this loss. But allow me to tell you that I have no intention of dying."

"No soldier ever does." Darjeeling retorted.

"Fair enough." Suddenly he rose from his chair, surprising even the sharp Darjeeling. Then he extended his hand. It took the young woman a moment to realize what was happening. It made a smile spread across her face.

"Well, does this bring back memories?" She said while she got up. Looking David in the eye, she shook his hand.

"I promise you, Lady Darjeeling that I will come back in one piece." David said solemnly.

Before those words, Darjeeling's glance dropped for a moment, the young woman chuckling without enthusiasm. When she looked back at David she said, "Don't make a girl-"

"I mean it." David interrupted her. "For you, for Pekoe, for everyone. I will be back."

Realizing how serious he was, Darjeeling decided to put her serious face back on.

"Then make it happen."

Only then did they let go of each other's hands. The promise was made, and David did what he had to in order to carry it out.

While David digressed, Freeman got to the area he'd indicated. The Jeep was now rolling around the base of a hill surrounded by sparse trees.

"Stop here." David told the driver. "He's probably hidden in the clearing behind this hill. I'm going to give it a look."

He jumped out of the vehicle and gave a few steps before hearing Freeman's voice behind him.

"Sir?"

Turning around he saw the men leaving the Jeep and readying their weapons, looking at him in apprehension.

"Get ready, gents." David said. "I'll be back in a jiffy."

And then he turned and started climbing the slope. Honestly he thought that day had seen enough death and destruction as it was. If possible he would prefer to let things stay as they were. But, deep inside, he couldn't yet let go. The commander of the irregular tank squadron was still around, probably just behind that hill. And David had to find him, and, if possible, find a way to stop him before he could do more harm.

And that was because he was starting to think he'd found the first person who could counter his own abilities.

In a couple minutes David was already close to the top. To the north he saw the heavy tanks from the SS troops moving in that general directions, running away from the Americans.

Walking slowly, he made the few meters to the peak and there he stood, upright, looking down at the valley on the other side. The tank was there, exactly where he'd expected it to be, in the middle of an intersection between the local farmer trails. Raising his binoculars, David finally gave his much wanted look at his opponent's face.

To his surprise the person with the upper half of her body peeking through the open hatch of the Panzer IV had a pretty pale face and big brown eyes. She was even wearing those shirts associated with the BDM. The girl was a civilian, probably pressed into combat in a hurry and without the benefit of any proper training.

Slowly, David lowered his binoculars, allowing himself some time to grasp the reality of the situation.

It all made so much sense now.

"A girl?" He mumbled to himself. "The Jerry must truly be getting desperate…"

And then he did the only thing that occurred to him.

For a moment, Maria did thought she and her friends wouldn't make it. But then she realized they could escape, and so they did, managing to evade the enemy rounds almost miraculously. After a while, Meike parked the tank in that intersection, to allow the commander to peek outside the vehicle to get her bearings, trying to see what would be the quickest route to get to the rally point while avoiding the Americans.

Maria inhaled deeply, allowing all of those strong emotions of fear and fury to go away, leaving behind that void that was now becoming strangely familiar. Maria opened her eyes slowly, stranger emotions coming to her mind, memories of exhilaration and thrill, the call to the Great Hunting very patent in her young soul.

And then she looked up, at the hill right in front of her, and saw the silhouette of a man on the top of it. She froze immediately, her mouth gaping open while her eyes widened in terror. They've found them! Now all hell would break loose with artillery, enemy tanks, and infantry. Maybe some aircraft if the sky got a little clearer.

Maria felt like a deer dazzled by the headlights of a car, gazing directly into her death, but trembling, all of her muscles tense, and unable to do anything, say anything, waiting for the inevitable end. Her mind was blank with panic.

The man on top of the hill then straightened and did something Maria could never have expected. He saluted.

She blinked, surprised. Her muscles relaxed a little, enough for her to move again. Her right hand rose slowly, until it was slightly over her head. And then she waved.

Apparently satisfied, the man on the hill turned his back and walked away, like if what happened was just an interruption of his morning stride. He disappeared behind the peak, and Maria felt like if she had just woke up from one of her dreams.

"Führerin Nitzschmann?" Ysabelle's voice brought Maria out of her daze and back into the problems at hand. She turned at the faithful loader, who eyed her with concern. "Simone is saying the SS commander ordered us to join him and pull back. We will link with the Panzergrenadiers after that."

Feeling herself returning to her command mentality, Maria nodded at her.

"Very well, then. We must hurry."

When David got to the bottom of the hill, his men were waiting outside of the Jeep. Alisa looked especially anxious.

"Captain," he told David, "Tatum has already intercepted the SS tanks. He says they're pulling out as quickly as they can!"

"I saw them." David replied. "Get in the Jeep. We're back to the village."

Realizing the battle was as good as over, the troops quickly climbed back to the small vehicle. David and Freeman occupied their place in the front seats.

"You saw it?" The driver asked while he turned on the engine.

"Aye…"

"Something's wrong?"

David shook his head in face of Freeman's question. He still needed to think how to explain what he'd seen to those men.

"I'll tell you on the way back." Then he turned back to Alisa. "Call in the rain. I don't want any stragglers on our tail."