|
Ugh! That terrible smell in the air.
What an awful place for the tire to blow! The Mercedes rumbled to a
stop on the rocky shoulder abutting the fresh, smooth pavement.
Vacations were not supposed to start this way!
Wilhelm Grunder worried that the Wyspianski Hotel would give up
their rooms. Then where would Jan, Willi and Gretchen sleep when
they entered Krokow? Wilhelm would try to repair the tire but such
mechanical tasks were not his strength. He managed a toiletries shop
in Hamburg-and he did that job quite well, thank you! But, Wilhelm
would try.
"Gretchen, you keep the children in the shade, yes?" Wilhelm asked.
"Please work quickly, Wilhelm," she answered. "The air smells so
acrid.
What do you suppose it is?"
"There must be a smelting factory nearby," he said. "Such a
beautiful day for such a terrible smell."
"Please hurry."
He removed his woolen suit jacket, loosened his tie, and began to
drudge out the jack. As he was about to secure it under his car, an
official BMW slowly approached. The sparkling car had wonderful red
flags that smartly snapped in the breeze behind the headlights.
Wilhelm felt a bit concerned for himself and the family. Though he,
himself, was apolitical, he had heard tales about these officials.
Some people said they were modern knights. Others, new barbarians,
but those with the negative comments, spoke softly, only in private
and with fear.
Wilhelm knew they could do whatever they wanted with him and his
family, so it did not auger well that the car stopped. Two young men
dressed in black uniforms stepped out from the official car. They
wore shiny boots, and they had pulled the brims of the caps low.
Wilhelm could not see their eyes. Wilhelm felt so apprehensive as
they approached that he reached his hand back to his wife who was
twenty meters away and softly called, "Gretchen."
"Do you need help?" one of the officials asked.
"I am not so good with my hands," Wilhelm said.
"Let us assist you," the other said.
So they began to change the tire. What wonderful young men to stop
and
help.
"What is it?" one official asked. "A 1937 Mercedes?"
"Yes. That is correct," Wilhelm said about his car. "It is two years
old. This is the first problem I have had."
"My father also has one," the other official said. "But it is a
1938. A very reliable automobile."
Jan and Willi scurried close.
"Do you mind if my children watch?" Wilhelm asked.
"Not at all," the official said, tugging off the flat tire.
"Do you mind if they eat some candy?" the other official asked.
"Oh, father, please?" Jan begged.
"You are very kind. Yes, they can have candy," Wilhelm said.
He was proud that his boys thanked the officials without
encouragement. He noticed the double "SS" on their left shoulders.
These men were very important.
As they worked, Gretchen asked, "What is that strange smell in the
air?"
"Yes," Wilhelm asked. "I cannot tell either."
"I don’t smell anything. Do you?" he asked his comrade, who also
could not detect any odd aroma.
"You are from the city, are you not?" an official asked.
"Yes! Yes, I am!" Wilhelm said, surprised by how perceptive they
were.
"That smell could be the clean, country air!" the official said.
"You will be accustomed to it."
The officials finished quickly.
"How can I repay you?" Wilhelm asked.
"It’s an honor to be of service," one official said.
"Let your vacation continue without anything more to upset you," the
other said, as they returned to their car. Wilhelm stood for a
moment and watched as they drove off. He would have to tell others
not to hold misconceived ideas about these SS officials. Happily, he
had been wrong about them. Wilhelm returned his family to his car.
They could be in Krokow before dinner, thanks to the strangers’
kindness.
The End
|
