She went to the table to find that Paul was already there. He looked up and grinned at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it.
"Come sit with me, Elizabeth," he said. "I'd enjoy the company."
Gratefully she sat with him and ate breakfast. "So, what shall we do today?" he asked. He didn't start work at the sawmill until the following week.
"Hm...want to go fishing?" Elizabeth suggested.
"Fishing! I haven't even been since before the war!" Paul looked jubilant.
"We didn't go much during the war, either," said Elizabeth. After breakfast, they grabbed fishing poles and headed for the river. Soon they were sitting together on the bank, waiting for a bite.
"So, what did you think of the way the war ended?" asked Paul.
Elizabeth just sat for a moment, wondering how she should answer him, afraid she would say the wrong thing.
"I was glad to hear that it was finally over," she said at last. "Although I was sorry for all the suffering and death on both sides."
They sat in silence for awhile, listening to the sounds of nature and swatting at insects. "How do you feel about it?" Elizabeth asked after a few minutes.
"Much the same as you," Paul replied. "Although it breaks my heart to see my homeland divided in two, half of it now under Communist control. I was horrified when the full extent of what Hitler had done came to light. I don't consider his death to have been a loss. I think it was fitting that his end came about as it did."
Elizabeth had seen photographs of concentration camp inmates, and it had sickened her. She didn't blame Paul or his family because she knew that they were just as saddened by the Nazi atrocities as she was, but she couldn't help but wonder how the citizens of the Axis countries could have been so blind to them for so long.
"Why did your family move back to Germany after living in the United States for so long?" she asked her friend.
"My parents began to miss their homeland, the music, the food, and most of all, my aunts and uncles."
"And how did you get involved in the war?"
"The same way your brothers did. My country needed me, and I answered its call. My father was always very loyal to the Kaiser."
"What's that?"
Paul chuckled. "Who, not what. Kaiser Wilhelm II was my country's last monarch. He was forced to abdicate when my father was about as old as I am now. My father has always wanted to see his family restored to power."
"I suppose there's not much of a chance of that happening now," Elizabeth said.
"Of course not. Hitler issued a decree insuring that that will never happen. He hated the Hohenzollerns."
"The what?"
"My country's rightful rulers." Paul sounded so sad that Elizabeth felt sorry for him and wanted to cheer him up.
"Maybe later on we can visit some of the neighbors," she suggested. "You'll love the Godsey's store. I've been going there since I was too young to remember. I used to love to get gumballs from there when I was little."
Paul caught four fish and Elizabeth caught two. They took them home and Paul cleaned them and Olivia promised to cook them for dinner that night.
After lunch, Elizabeth took Paul to the Godsey's store and introduced him to Ike and Corabeth. "It's a pleasure to meet you, young man!" Ike exclaimed with his usual exuberance.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, sir," Paul replied. "And you too, ma'am."
"Are you one of the soldiers returning from the war?" asked Corabeth. "It was such a horrid thing. We were all so happy when we finally heard that the Germans had surrendered!"
"I am," Paul said softly, not meeting her eyes.
Just then Aimee appeared. "Hi, Elizabeth!" She looked at Paul curiously.
"This is Paul," Elizabeth told her. "He was just released from a prisoner of war camp."
"Hello." Aimee's eyes met Paul's and lingered there.
"Hi," he said, returning the gaze.
Elizabeth felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
