Chapter 14
Hey guys I'm back with another chapter! I hope you guys are all still liking this story! Thank you so much for all the sweet reviews! Each one of them makes my day. PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you guys think of this chapter! God Bless! :)
-Innocentia999
Lilla's POV:
The first couple weeks of September saw the temperatures cooling somewhat and Papa especially was incredibly grateful because of all his hard work in the garden that needed to be done. Heim sat and supervised him as he worked, as I often saw from the kitchen window when I was cleaning. (He obviously knew me well enough to be certain I wouldn't make an escape attempt with my Father in his hands.) One day during the second week of the month, when Herr Heim was out supervising the chambers as usual and Frau Heim was keeping a close eye on Peter upstairs, Papa was ordered to pick all the vegetables that had ripened and bring them to the house in large wooden crates.
While I was washing the dishes, Papa came in through the kitchen door, somewhat out of breath bearing his third crate filled to the brim this time with tomatoes.
"Papa you look exhausted. Here wash the dishes and I'll finish bringing the crates in."
"No no I'm fine my love" he replied, trying and failing to put on a brave face when it was obvious he was struggling.
"Papa you're exhausted. I don't want you exerting yourself anymore" I said, placing the dishes down and beginning to head out the door.
"Neither do I want you to do so" Papa still objected. "Besides" he grinned warmly "princesses like you shouldn't have to lift a finger."
"Oh Papa" I giggled and shook my head, "I am no Princess, merely an ordinary girl."
"Eh hem" someone cleared their throat from behind us and finally with a start I noticed Heim standing in the doorway. Papa turned to him.
"I will get back to work now Officer Heim" he said, calmly.
"We will get back to work" I quickly added, taking his hand. "I'm helping Papa carry the crates."
"What about the dishes?" Heim inquired, eyeing the large stack I still had to wash.
"I will get them done as soon as I finish helping Papa. Papa's health is more important to me even if it means nothing to you."
"Love" Papa placed his hand on my shoulder, "that is not necessary" he calmly corrected me.
I glanced in his gentle eyes and had to admit he was right.
"Bitterness and unkindness, even towards the worst of your enemies, will get you nowhere" I remembered Papa admonishing me growing up.
I simply remained silent and nodded at Papa.
"If he cannot carry more crates and the dishes need to be done I suppose there is only one solution to this problem. I will carry the rest of the crates in while you two finish up the dishes."
Before I could recover from my confusion over his continued kindness, Heim turned on his heel and made his way out the door.
"There's something different about him when he's around you. He seems softer, more relaxed. Perhaps he wasn't lying about his feelings at all" Papa remarked.
"Or perhaps he's just a really good pretender."
"Perhaps" Papa remarked, his eyes still staring after Heim in puzzlement.
"Come on. We should finish the dishes" I remarked, as we both made our way to the large sink and began to scrub.
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When the time for our midday meal lunch break came around two sets of plates with fresh meat, vegetables and grapes were sent to us in the kitchen.
"Well this is certainly more substantial than anything I've ever received here" Papa remarked in genuine shock.
I shared his disbelief.
Heim had been feeding me better since he got permission from his father to do so but I certainly had not expected him to ever extend that kindness to Papa as well.
"Do not eat too much of it Papa. You're body needs to get adjusted first or you'll get sick at the very least" I warned him, echoing Heim's earlier advice to me.
"Oh do not worry about me love. Shall we pray?"
I nodded and we crossed ourselves and closed our eyes.
"Lord we thank you for this food in front of us and we thank you for being with us in all of our suffering and sorrow. We know you are with us even now Lord and we will not forfeit our faith in you despite all that we have endured. Amen."
"Amen" I agreed wholeheartedly, before we crossed ourselves once more and began to tuck into our meals, albeit with Papa doing so much more slowly. Once we were finished we left the plates on the table to be collected.
I headed upstairs to gather the laundry while Papa got to work scrubbing the floors, which was his assignment when he wasn't tending to the garden.
Heim continued to watch him, plopping himself down in the chair just outside his office with a book in his hands.
Despite myself I squinted to see if I could read the title but it was no use. Heim must've felt my gaze because he slowly glanced up from the pages, his eyes meeting mine. I quickly averted my eyes and scurried up the stairs with my basket to get the first of the laundry.
I entered Heim's room first and gathered up all his shirts and trousers and socks and as always very awkwardly tossed in his dirty undergarments with the rest of the heap into the basket. I know I should've been used to them by now after having scrubbed them a million times over before but for some reason it still felt too personal, like an invasion of privacy. Oh well, I guess I again had no choice but to wash and bear it.
I glanced over to his desk and noticed he'd laid his spare uniform over the desk on a hanger, reminding me that I had to iron it out.
I sighed and rubbed my forehead before making my way over to the desk. I began to lift his uniform by the hanger when my hand accidentally knocked the photograph of the two boys off the desk…and the glass frame shattered upon the floor.
"Oh no no no" I spoke, removing the photograph away from the glass.
"Great he's going to kill me!" I quietly exclaimed, at a loss of what to do for a moment.
I then noticed that there was writing scribbled on the back of the photo I had placed facing downward.
I scrunched my eyebrows together and picked it up.
It read: Otto and I, 1927.
"Poking through my things again?"
I startled and turned my head to see Heim standing in the doorway.
"No!" I exclaimed, too surprised to say anything else.
He said nothing but merely raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, waiting for me to explain myself.
"I wasn't I swear! I was picking your suit up off the desk and I accidentally knocked it over and the glass broke. That's what happened."
"Yet, you also decided to read the back of the photo" he replied, calmly, without a hint of whether he was angry or not.
"Why can't you just get off my-" I began to snap, before remembering Papa's words.
I took a deep breath and responded in a gentler tone.
"You're right I shouldn't have read it. It was an invasion of your privacy to do so without your permission and I apologize." I kept my eyes away from his as I spoke before I began picking the tiny pieces of glass from the floor.
"You can leave it for now. I'll pick it up later" he suddenly spoke.
I glanced up at him in astonishment for a second before nodding and getting to my feet. I gently placed the photograph back on the desk and made my way to the now full laundry basket. Lugging it in my arms downstairs, I recalled to grab the washboard on my way out as well as the tin wash basin, in which I placed the laundry basket so I wouldn't have to come back inside for it.
Once I was outside I set everything but the wash basin down on the porch and filled it with water from the pipe by turning the knob.
I then set to work grinding the laundry and scrubbing till my fingers began to feel cramped.
Peter suddenly lumbered out into the porch.
"Hallo (Hello) Ruzca."
"Hallo Peter and how are you this morning?"
"Ok I guess."
"Is your grandmother alright with you being out here?"
"She's taking a nap since Onkel is here to keep an eye on me."
"Is your Onkel ok with you talking to me?"
"Shh" he said, putting a finger to his lips. "He doesn't know I snuck out here yet. He was watching that other skinny guy that looked like you used to."
"Oh I see" I whispered grinning playfully and conspiratorially.
"Peter! Wo sind Sie? (Where are you?)" Heim's voice reverberated from inside the house but moments later.
"Go go go" I whispered, urgently gesturing him into the house, but it was too late as Heim swiftly stepped onto the porch.
I immediately lurched to my feet and stood in front of Peter protectively while he peeked nervously around my side.
"Heim do not blame him. He's a child."
"Please don't yell at me Onkel. Everyone yells at me except Ruzca."
Heim scrunched his eyebrows together.
"Who's Ruzca?"
"I gave him permission to call me that" I spoke it up.
"It is your name?"
"No and yes" was all I could think of in reply.
Heim shook his head and ran a hand over his face in confusion.
"Please don't hurt Ruzca like Grandpa hurts Grandma" Peter pleaded.
It was then that I saw something change in Heim's eyes. They seemed to thaw all at once and revealed something I had never expected to see. Pain, regret, shock, sadness.
He was silent for a moment or two before he whispered in the gentlest tone I'd ever heard from him "I won't."
He glanced at me and said "Please stay here and watch him." I detected the slightest hint of his voice breaking before he turned and practically fled from the room, leaving the two of us utterly mystified.
Heim's POV:
I raced up the stairs and retreated to my bedroom, slamming the door shut and locking it.
I leant against the door, trying to take deep breath's but utterly failing. Peter's small scared voice, his frightened eyes…
Don't hurt Ruzca like Grandpa hurts Grandma.
Everyone yells at me except Ruzca.
A memory all of sudden flashed across my mind as I sank to the floor.
Otto and I sat our eight-year-old selves on the old worn out coffee colored sofa as our mother sang to us, each of us positioned on one side of her. Her voice was always smooth and melodic and she stroked our hair, causing each of us to nod off.
That was…until we heard the key turn in the lock of the front door. The three of us scrambled to our feet.
"This house is still a mess" Father griped.
I positioned myself protectively in front of mother.
"Don't hit my mother ever again."
"Shut up boy! You show me respect in this house!" he yelled, seizing me by the collar and tossing me behind him hard enough that my head hit one of the tables.
As I grasped at my injured head, I heard my Mother screams as I saw him proceed to beat her.
I shook my head to rid my mind of the images, but it did nothing to ease the heaviness in my heart.
And it was in that moment that all I could simply do was place my head upon my knees and sob.
Wow this was a hard chapter to write! Please REVIEW and let me know what you think. God Bless :)