Free Mrs. Tuesday's Departure: A Historical Novel of World War Two by Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson Page A

started down the sidewalk, Anna still between us, oblivious to her surroundings. At the corner we turned up a side street, saw a commotion of blaring horns, and blocked traffic. In the middle of the street, a delivery truck had apparently broken down and blocked the cars behind it. As we passed the truck, we saw a German soldier standing on the running boards of a military car bearing Nazi flags, waving a gun, screaming at the driver of the truck. Suddenly the German fired his gun into the air and I struggled to hold onto Anna as she shrieked and pulled from my grasp.
    Screams pierced the air as the blast from the gun amplified and echoed against the walls. All around us, people fell to the ground or ran, taking cover in doorways. Next to me, a child cried out as her mother grabbed her hand and pulled into a store.
    The German, encouraged by the mayhem, shouted, “Run rabbits!” as he shot off round after round from his pistol. Ducking, I threw Anna forward, pushing her over the bodies that lay in our path.
    “Are you crazy? Where are you going?” Deszo grabbed me and shoved us against a wall, covering us with his body.
    Struggling against his weight on my shoulder, I tried in vain to regain my feet. “We have to get out of here.”
    The sulfur smoke of gunfire mixed with the exhaust fumes from the stalled traffic created a stifling cloud between the apartment buildings that crouched on either side of the narrow street. Beneath me, Anna moaned and I moved to take the weight off her arm.
    I looked over my shoulder and watched the German stop abruptly as a senior officer got out of the car and started yelling at him. The first soldier , saluted and then holstering his gun, walked over to the driver of the truck. Yelling and gesturing toward a couple of men on the sidewalk, he orchestrated the moving of the truck onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street.
    Brushing his soiled hands down the length of his coat the German stalked back to his coat swearing as he got into the car and slammed the door. In a moment, his car had disappeared down the street.

Chapter Thirty-Six
    “ Is this wha t we can expect from the occupation?” I asked Deszo, as I helped Anna to her feet.
    Deszo held his left shoulder with his right hand, slowly rotating it, while looking across the street to the abandoned truck. “This was a mere pleasantry. They know they are losing the war, so they are desperate. Be glad you’re not a Jew.”
    Anna stepped over to Deszo, began massaging his shoulder, and said the words that I had been thinking. “Mila is a Jew. What will happen to her?”
    De s zo shrugged off Anna’s hand and then linked his arms in both of ours. He steered us up the street and we made our way home without further conversation.
     
    Mila opened the front door to our apartment as soon as I put the key into the lock. She was surprised to see Deszo, but took his coat without question. I told Deszo to wait for me in my study and I followed Anna down the hall telling her to wash up. Mila was standing in the hall when I left Anna’s room. She followed me into the kitchen and sat at the table while I began to prepare our dinner.
    “What happened?” Taking the small knife and potato from my shaking hands, she began to quickly peel its skin onto the tabletop. She kept her head bowed, but with a swipe of her arm, wiped a tear onto her sleeve.
    “Mila I’m sorry I had to leave you alone. I had to go to Anna. She was in a great deal of trouble.”
    Mila made no reply, but shook off my hands and took up her task with the potato. I clasped my hands together and watched her butcher one potato after another as the tears streamed down her face. I felt helpless beneath her silent recrimination. Abandoned not once but twice-in two days. I couldn’t help it. I had to help my sister. She was all I had left of my family.
    I realized that in the flurry of events, I had not found a moment to sit with her and try to explain why her mother had