The Abbeville Boys
Chapter 33: Business is Good
As they hung up Kurt decided immediately to try and find his parents in Heidelberg. It was in the American zone not far from France. Hopefully they’re in the city and getting settled. He called the Heidelberg operator and asked, “Do have a phone number for the Reichard family?”
“Hang on a minute, let me look.” After a few seconds she said, “I’m not seeing anything, I’m sorry.”
Kurt then asked, “Do you have a number for the Bauer family?”
She looked again and said, “Yes, it’s a new number. It’s 42-5263.”
Kurt had the operator dial the number for him and the phone rang. Mrs. Bauer answered, and he said, “Mrs. Bauer, it’s Kurt. How are you doing.”
She got excited and called Mr. Bauer, “Oh Kurt, how are you doing? We worry about you all the time. Is everything alright?”
“Yes, Gretchen is great. She’s got an amazing job. She loves it. We’ve been worried about you. How’s Heidelberg? Did my parents come with you?”
“Yes, they did and we’re all fine. Heidelberg is wonderful and everyone says it’s best to be in the American zone. Here’s Mr. Bauer. I love you Kurt and tell Gretchen I love her.”
Mr. Bauer got on the phone, “Kurt, how are you doing son. I understand you’re all doing well.”
“Yes sir. Mrs. Bauer said my parents made it there.”
“They did and bought a nice house about three blocks away us. We see them all the time. I think they’re going to get a phone in the next few days.”
“Thanks for everything Mr. Bauer. I need to go now. I’ll give Gretchen all your love when she gets home, and have her call you tomorrow.”
They hung up and Kurt couldn’t wait to tell Gretchen when she got home. Kurt went to the bedroom and put some things on the dresser. He looked out the window to the park and saw a man sitting on the park bench where Braun had been. Unbeknownst to Kurt it was the same man Gretchen saw earlier. She still hadn't told anyone. Kurt watched him for a minute, but the man didn’t seem interested in looking at his window. He forgot about it. He went into the living room to turn on the radio and wait for Gretchen.
Twenty minutes later she walked through the door with a big smile. She ran to Kurt and kissed him. She said, “Guess what. Our sales have gone crazy. Albert is putting me on commission. Whatever inventory I sell, I get a percentage. What do you think?”
Kurt hugged her, “That’s great. I’ve got news of my own. I talked with your parents earlier and both my parents and yours are in Heidelberg. Everything is wonderful. Kurt and Gretchen are relieved their parents are in the American zone. We’ll call them in the next day or so and you can talk to them.”
Gretchen kissed him and said, “Thank you so much. I feel much better now knowing our parents are safe and we have established something here.”
“We’ll call them soon. I don’t think we have to worry about phones being tapped now. The war is over. The Americans and the Swiss are not going to tap our phones.”
She agreed and went to cook dinner. Kurt came into the kitchen and helped her prepare the meal. They ate dinner and then relaxed on the couch listening to the radio and cuddling together with Zeus. After a while they all went to bed.
They both got to talk with their parents, and they were thankful. This went on for weeks. Gretchen would see the same guy over and over. He wasn’t like the others. He dressed differently and didn’t seem to care about her. She kept an eye out for him but wasn’t worried. The Jewelry shop was flourishing and Albert kept giving her raises. The Reichard’s were making good money.
After a while it was now getting into fall weather. Gretchen started noticing the familiar guy hanging around the apartment more. She thought about telling Hans but decided not to. She went to the shop to start the day’s business.
The weeks went by and everything was good. They were able to talk to their parents frequently now. Things have loosened up. Both sets of parents were flourishing in Heidelberg under American governmental authority.
One morning Gretchen came out to walk to work, and Hans came up to her, “I just wanted to let you know, we’ve rounded up most of the Nazis and the crime has gone way down. Hopefully we can now relax again.”
Gretchen had a big smile, “That’s great to know. I’ll tell Kurt when he gets home.”
They talked a while longer and she went to work. Later in the Afternoon she came home, and Kurt was there. She asked, “What are you doing here.”
“The last city I was supposed to fly into had thunderstorms, and the flight was cancelled. I called Joseph and we’re going to meet them at Johanniter, our favorite restaurant. Sound good?”
“Yes, I’m ready. It’s been a long day, and I could use a good dinner there.”
They snuggled until it was time to get ready. They fed Zeus and took him to the park for a few minutes. Kurt and Gretchen walked to the restaurant stopping to talk with Hans and Niklaus. They entered finding Joseph and Helga were already seated. Everyone had a great time eating and drinking the night away. Later, Kurt and Gretchen strolled back to the apartment by way of the scenic route to the bridge over the river. They stood there hugging and kissing.
The couple arrived at the apartment and Zeus was there to greet them. They sat on the couch cuddling and listening to the radio. After a while the cuddling continued in bed as everyone fell off to sleep.