The Abbeville Boys

Chapter 26: A Great Routine

      Kurt arrived home and Gretchen ran to meet him as he sat the radio down. She hugged and kissed him, and he returned the sentiment. She said, “I got a job. It’s two doors down and the lady is really nice. It’s a dress boutique. It doesn’t pay a lot, but the hours are great. It’s only five francs a week.”

      He hugged her and said, “That’s great. We’ll have plenty of money coming in with what you make. We can relax. I stopped by the shop where Joseph works. He’s doing great. He even has a lady friend, and he’s put weight back on. We’re going to dinner tomorrow night with him and his friend. I also bought this radio. What do you think?”

      He held it up and Gretchen said, “It looks great. Let’s plug it in and listen to it.”

      They plugged it in and there was a lot of static. Kurt finally found some music and they began to dance around the living room. They were in paradise. After a while they sat on the couch and Gretchen said, “I told Willamina today my name is Gretchen Reichard. Is that okay?”

      “Of course it is. It feels like we’re married, and it feels right.”

      Gretchen said, “Do you think we should get officially married?”

      Kurt stared into her eyes for a minute and began kissing her. He said, “I’ll check around and we’ll get married soon. It won’t be the wedding we planned but we will be as one and move on after the war. We’re going to have to make some decisions, and I want to be your husband when we do.”

      Gretchen went to make dinner, and Kurt found some news on the radio. The news station was out of Zurich and had worldwide news. The newscaster had complete news of the war.

      He said, “The allies are closing in and the Third Reich is finished. The Germans are retreating and blowing everything up in their wake. They call it scorched earth.” As Kurt listened to the radio it was November and beginning to snow. This would probably be the last time anyone would see the grass until spring.     

      The next night Kurt and Gretchen walked through the strong snow a few blocks to a great restaurant to meet Joseph. They walked in and the Maître D showed them to a table for four. Several minutes later Joseph walked in with a woman. She was about his height with brown hair and a gorgeous face. She was shapely with a big smile. They walked up to the table where Kurt and Gretchen stood. Joseph approached, “Hi friends. I want you to meet Helga Fielder. This is Kurt and Gretchen Reichard.” Gretchen was glad Joseph presented them as married.

      They all reached out shaking hands and sat down. Helga seemed nice with a great personality. The two couples bantered back and forth having a good time as the drinks came. They talked for a while and had a good time before ordering dinner. The veal, melted cheese, and potatoes kept coming. The conversation continued and the drinks flowed. There was laughter, and everything was good. At the end of the evening, they said their goodbyes and hugged. As they walked outside the snow was coming down hard. They walked to their respective apartments.

      Kurt and Grethen got back, and they were feeling good. The apartment was cold, and Kurt lit a fire in the fireplace. They hugged and talked until the apartment warmed up slightly and decided it was time to go to bed. They cuddled naked in bed under heavy blankets watching the snow fall outside the bedroom window. After a while they made love and fell asleep.

      The next morning Kurt got up early and got ready to make his way to the airport. It was still snowing, and he knew there would be no flying today. He figured they might want him to work on some planes. Gretchen stirred as he got ready to leave. He got down and kissed her on the cheek as she slowly turned towards him, waking up. He kissed her lips softly and told her to go back to sleep for a while. He reset the alarm clock for nine o’clock since she had to be at work by ten.

      Kurt exited the building into the continuing snowstorm as the snow piled up. He finally got to the airport and Bachmeier was standing there smiling, “I didn’t expect to see you here today.”

      “Well, I figured you might need something done with the planes. I didn’t want to just not show up.

       Bachmeier said, “Thanks I appreciate the effort. We have a plane over here I want you to take a look at. It’s having carburetor trouble. See what you think.”

      Kurt worked on the plane for an hour or so and repaired the minor problem. Bachmeier said, “Great job. Most of our mechanics would’ve taken several hours to fix the thing. That’s about all we have for now. Go ahead and head home. If it’s like this tomorrow you don’t need to come in. Don’t worry, when it clears, you’ll earn your money. You’ll be flying two or three runs a day. So, take it easy while you can.” Kurt thanked him and headed home.

      Gretchen left the house at ten o’clock. She walked through the snow to the shop. She saw a police officer and stopped to talk, “Hi, I’m Gretchen Reichard. How are you doing today?”

      The officer smiled as he was enamored by her beauty, “Hi, I’m Hans Wagner. Everything is fine this morning. Are you going to work?” Officer Wagner was a strapping young man with a square jaw and good looks. He could definitely take care of himself.

      “Yes, I work at the boutique right there. I just started. My husband and I moved here recently, and I love it here. I guess I better get going. It was pleasant meeting you Hans. I hope we speak again.”

      The officer was still smiling as he tipped his hat, “Yes Gretchen, I’m sure we’ll talk again.”

      She walked to the store and Willamena was there to meet her, “Good morning. You made it.”

      “Yes ma’am. Fortunately, I live almost next door.”

      They talked for a few minutes and Willamena said, “I’ve got some dresses that need hanging on the racks. Come on I’ll show you.”

      They worked throughout the early afternoon getting dresses ready. Several customers came in and she showed Gretchen how to help them. She also showed her the checkout procedure. After a few hours Gretchen was off work and said goodbye to Willamena. They were quickly becoming good friends.

      Gretchen came out of the store and Hans was standing there with another officer, “Hi Hans. You’re still standing out here. Aren’t you frozen by the time you get off work?”

      Hans and the other officer were smiling as he said, “No, we go inside once in a while. We get some hot tea with a touch of schnaps.” Both officers laughed, “Gretchen, this is officer Niklaus Schnorf. We’re partners.” Niklaus looked a lot like Hans but he had a mustache.

      Gretchen stuck out her hand and Niklaus shook it saying, “Nice to meet you Gretchen. It’s such a fine day.”

      All three laughed as it was still snowing. They made small talk for a few minutes and Gretchen said, “I guess I better go and cook supper. It was great talking with you guys. Be careful.”

      They said their goodbyes and she walked towards the apartment. She walked in and found Kurt waiting for her. She was surprised as he came and hugged her. She stood back, “I didn’t think you would be home so soon.”

      “Well, there's no flying today and I worked on a plane for an hour and Bachmeier said that’s it, so I came home. I’m not going in tomorrow either if it’s still snowing.” They hugged and kissed. Gretchen then went to make dinner as Kurt read the newspaper.

      The couple worked into a comfortable routine and day by day was a happy existence for Gretchen, Kurt, and Joseph. He got close to Helga, and they were talking about getting married. Gretchen became close with Willamena, Hans, and Niklaus. Everything was great. The snow finally cleared, and Kurt went back to work. The flights had built up while they were grounded.

      As Gretchen came out of the apartment one morning she noticed a man sitting on a bench outside the apartment entrance. The bench was across a small street maybe fifteen or twenty meters away. He was a younger man with a black trench coat and fedora. He had been there several days in a row and stared at her as she walked to work. She was becoming concerned. After several more days of the same thing, she walked up to Hans and Niklaus, “Hans, I don’t want to sound crazy but there’s a man over there sitting on a bench. Every morning when I come out, he just stares at me. I think I recognize him from Germany. He could be a Nazi. I’m scared.”

      Hans quickly got a stern look on his face, “Don’t worry Gretchen. You go onto work. We’ll take care of it.” Gretchen walked to work as the two officers approached the man on the bench.