The Abbeville Boys

Chapter 30: The Wedding and Swiss Citizenship

      It was late in the evening when Kurt came home. Gretchen was sitting on the couch when he came in. She just looked at him. Kurt knew something was wrong. He walked towards her, “Are you okay sweetheart?”

      She got up and ran to him burying her face in his chest as she hugged him. They went back and sat on the couch. Gretchen told him the events of the day. She also told him about Hans relaying the details of the Nazis in Switzerland. Kurt sat there hugging her and contemplating the situation. He finally grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes, “We only need to hold out a little longer. Germany is in her death throes. The allies are closing in on both sides and the last thing on their mind will be finding Germans who defected and escaped Jews. The police will round up the Nazis here and it will calm down. If we try to go somewhere else now, other countries won’t be very accommodating to escaping Germans.”

      Gretchen looked at him as she pulled his face close to hers and kissed him, “You’re right. I trust you. We have protection and hopefully it’ll all be over soon.”

Kurt got a concerned look on his face, “I need to talk to Joseph, he needs a gun. We also need to call our parents. I saw in the news there are rumors the allies want to divide up Germany after the war. I’m afraid Leipzig will be in the Russian area. Neither one of our parents want to live under Russian rule. We’ll take care of everything tomorrow.”

      The next day Kurt went to work and stopped to talk with Hans and Niklaus for a few minutes. Gretchen played with Zeus and in the afternoon started preparing a big meal for Kurt. He got off a little early and stopped by the radio shop. Joseph was there to greet him. They talked for a minute and Kurt told him of the situation, “I think you need to get a gun. The next time I get off a little early we’ll go to the gun shop around the corner. I’ll get you a good one.”

      Joseph agreed, “You’re right. Helga is staying with me all the time now and I want her to be safe. I know the war is about over, but I don’t trust the Nazis.”

      “I understand. We’ll protect each other as we always do.”

They talked for a few minutes and Kurt headed home. He saw Hans and walked up to him, “Hi Hans. How’s the manhunt going?”

      He had a smile, “We’ve caught three of them. They talked and gave us more names. We’re closing the border and putting up check points inside the country. There will be some in Zurich.”

      “That’s great. Hey Hans, do you know where I can get some kind of Swiss identification?”

      “You can get a civilian identification card. Although, since you haven’t been here that long you will probably need your lease for the apartment and a witness. Niklaus and I will be glad to witness for you. The office is just a couple of blocks away.”

      “Thanks Hans. You’ve been a great help and a good friend. I’ll talk to you later.”

      Hans tipped his hat as Kurt went upstairs. He opened the door, and Gretchen was on the couch with the dog. They jumped up and ran towards him. Zeus got there first and began licking and rubbing his face against Kurt’s. Gretchen got there and had to take seconds as she wiped Zeus’ slobber off Kurt. She tried to kiss him, but they had to squeeze out Zeus.

      Kurt said, “I want to get married quickly. Then we’ll go to a state identification office up the street. We need to establish ourselves here because I think we might be living in the city for a while. I know this isn’t how we imagined it, but we need to make plans and be established somewhere. I like it here and if you want, we can settle down.”

      She hugged him and said, “It sounds good my darling. We’ll follow the journey together.” Zeus then jumped on them both and apparently that future included him.

A week later it was cloudy and rainy. Kurt didn’t go into work. He walked to the radio shop. Joseph took a break, and they walked to the gun store. After looking around Joseph decided on a pistol. It was the newest Luger. It was a solid gun. Kurt wanted to buy it for him, but Joseph insisted on buying it himself. He had his own money now. The shop had a small firing range in the back. They went back and fired the weapon. It felt fine in his hand. They cleaned up and each headed home.

      The next day Kurt and Gretchen went to the justice of the peace and got married. It was nothing fancy, but Gretchen was crying as she said, “I do.”

      They were officially married. They went back to the apartment and fawned over each other before settling in bed and spent the day in wedded bliss. Finally, Gretchen got up and said, “Okay mister Reichard, Mrs. Reichard is going to fix you dinner” She kissed him and headed for the kitchen.

      That evening Kurt called his parents. He told Gretchen there would be one call and his parents would communicate the instructions with her parents. She agreed. Kurt made the call as his mother answered, “Mother it’s me.”

      She got excited, “Oh Kurt how are you doing?”

      “I’m doing great. Gretchen and I got married.”

      His mother screamed with joy, ”Oh Kurt I’m so happy for you!”

      “Listen mom, I can’t talk long. I need to talk to father. I love you mother.”

      “I love you Kurt and tell Gretchen I love her too. I’ll get your father.”

      Seconds later Kurt’s father answered, “Kurt, how are you doing son.”

      “I’m doing fine. I need you to listen to me, I can’t talk long. The war is over. You need to sit back and watch what develops. When the allies start establishing districts you’re going to need to move west. You are in the zone the Russians are going to occupy. Get your money and go to Heidelberg or some city in that area. No questions now just please trust me. Also, tell Gretchen’s parents the same thing. Don’t call them by phone. Go over there. I will get in touch with you later. I love you father.”

      Kurt hung up and looked at Gretchen, “We’ll check on them later when we get more news.” She nodded her head in agreement but was still concerned as was Kurt.    

      Kurt had to go back to work for a day, then it clouded up and rained again. While he was off, he and Gretchen got their apartment lease and went downstairs. They walked up to Hans and Kurt said, “Hans, can you come with us to the identification office and witness for us?”

      They walked to the office and the Reichard’s were granted their identifications. This was now home. They thanked Hans and asked him out to dinner. They all went out and Hans brought his girlfriend. They all became good friends.

      The weeks passed and Spring was in the air. The Germans were through. They were like rats jumping from a sinking ship. They wouldn't be searching for escaped prisoners or defectors. Unfortunately, many would be seeking asylum in Switzerland and Kurt was still wary of the Germans.