Escape to Freedom

The Special Guard officer and my grandpa were getting soaked as they helped us up and put the boxes and suitcases on the truck. As soon as we huddled together as far forward as we could inside the truck, it started to move.

"God be with you," my grandpa called after us, the tears intermingling with the pelting rain falling down his cheeks.

"Auf wiedersehen," called Wilhelm as they both waved to us.

The three of us were crying too much to say anything, as we waved goodbye to them. As the truck moved away, they faded in the distance and the falling raindrops. We caught sight of them a couple of times when the sky lit up from the explosion of a bomb hitting its target.

The streets of Riga were filled with with German soldiers and vehicles, and Latvians who were trying to get out of the city like we were: the soldiers goose-stepping and the people scurrying to get out of harm's way. If ever a name fit these fighting men of the Third Reich, Storm Troopers did. Especially on this stormy night, when the occasional crackle of lightning and the crash of thunder only added to the man-made sounds of war.

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"Mama, look!" I said, as I pointed out two rats running across the floor.

"I see them," said mama, as we moved through the crowd. "I have to see if Mitzi and them are here. I hope they are all right."

Just then we heard Velta's voice. "Alisa, Alisa," she called, "thank God you're all right," as she and Mitzi and her mother approached us from the side.

"You see, mom, I told you. It's our guardian angel. He's taking care of them too," I blurted out.

"What's she talking about?" asked Mitzi.

"We helped a blind man into the other shelter and he told us to leave there and come here, then he disappeared and the other shelter was bombed and we came here," I explained as quickly as I could get the words out.

"Well whoever he was, thank God he told you to get out of there," said Velta. How'd you get the guitar and the suitcases?"

"The man directed me to go to our rooms to get some warm clothing, so I carried them out also," said mama.

"Maybe Zinta is right. Maybe he was an angel," said Mitzi.

Even though the war had been raging for several years, until tonight, the people of Wiesbaden had not experienced any bombing. They weren't used to the din, the fire and destruction, the killing and maiming of human beings, and blood everywhere. The experience of this night came as a total shock to all of them.

I looked around at the frightful, weeping people and wondered whether or not they believed in God, and if they did, why weren't they praying? I slowly fell to my knees on the wet floor--.

"What are you doing?" asked mama.

Slowly, I started reciting, "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..."

As the people around us saw and heard me, they stopped crying and a whisper spread across the shelter and slowly, one by one, they all fell to their knees and joined in the prayer with me. Just the drone of hundreds of voices in unison could be heard in the shelter as the exploding bombs were falling outside, accompanied by the screaming of humans and air-raid sirens.

After the prayers, a calm seemed to pervade the bunker as Mitzi said, "And a child shall lead them--"

"God bless you, Zinta," said grandma.

One morning, after spending several days in the shelter, my mama and I went out to fetch some water and we saw what looked like a German soldier coming towards us. The closer he got, the faster he walked, until mama suddenly recognized her fiancé, the Latvian in a German uniform. "Visvalds!" she cried out as she ran towards him.

"Thank God I found you," he said, as he embraced my mama.

"You don't know what I've been through. I thought you were dead."

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Yeah, just talk, I thought to myself. I decided to give in. "Oh, all right. You can come over." As I hung up the phone, I wondered what I was going to wear? I didn’t want to get dressed again and I had forgotten to bring a robe with me, so I decided to wear a German raincoat that was part of our wardrobe. Underneath the coat, I was as naked as the day I came into this world. Even though I was separated from my husband it was with some trepidation that I allowed Bob to come to my room. I could only guess what his motives were.

I heard his knock and I opened the door. I must have been an odd sight in my German raincoat.

Bob smiled with a puzzled look on his face. "What’s that you’ve got on?" he said as he walked in carrying the bottle of champagne and two glasses.

"It’s all I had to wear. I just showered and I’m not about to get dressed again."

Smiling wickedly this time, he said, "You mean you have nothing on underneath?"

"And it’s not coming off, either," I said.

"We’ll see about that." He poured the champagne and we sat on the sofa. "Here’s to beautiful you," he said.

Even though I was flattered, I was nervous and excited. I did have feelings for him, I told myself. I felt a flutter in my stomach a few times when I kissed him on the set but I tried to dismiss the feeling. But here we were all alone. "Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"Do we have to talk?" With that, he took my glass and his and put them on the coffee table, put his arms around me and kissed me. He was working his tongue all over the inside of my mouth and I started wanting him inside me. It was crazy but that’s how I felt; however, I couldn’t let him know that--so soon.

"Please, Bob, this is crazy. Please stop."

In spite of what I said he only squeezed me harder and his tongue was making circular motions in my mouth. I was thinking, "Take me now, take me!" but I couldn’t utter the words.

He started to loosen the belt on my trenchcoat and I made a feeble attempt to stop him. "No, no, we mustn’t do this. What about your wife and my husband?"

"You’re separated from your husband and I’ve already told you my marriage is in name only. I think I’m falling in love with you, Cindy." With that he had the buttons undone on my coat and was slowly slipping it off me.