High Noon

Ch12

When I got home I smelled the aroma of dinner cooking which mostly smelled of onions and potatoes. I had the meat that I had gotten in my hands which I knew was octopus again, I recognized the foul stench.

I set it on the counter and Mama didn't even look at me, I noticed the letter that I had seen last night on the counter slightly bulging.

 I picked up the letter and it felt as if there was a ring in there.

I walked over to Mama setting the letter on the counter and I looked at her hand and saw that her wedding ring was missing. 

"Mama, your wedding ring is missing," I told her even though I knew that she knew.

She sighed and stirred the pot more.

"Cut up the meat," That was all she said.

I grabbed the octopus realizing that Mama was divorcing Papa, all because she had given up, not only on him coming home but on their marriage.

I felt anger boil in me and I violently cut the meat fueling my anger into that until I couldn't take it anymore I turned around.

"Why Mama?" I asked.

She didn't answer and I knew that She knew what I was asking about. I approached her, and poured the cut meat into the pan.

"Papa still loves us, if you truly loved him you would wait for him," I told her angrily.

Mama frowned and looked at me.

"I did love him, I waited for an entire year for him to come home and now he's in a concentration camp, I can't keep on waiting for this war to end, for him to come home, it hurts too much to wait."

I shook my head not believing the words that I was hearing. Mama had changed so much since the war started, not only in physical appearance with her long brown hair that now had streaks of gray in it but mentally too. 

"Mama, Papa didn't give up on you, he's going to come back, and when he does we have to be there for him," I said.

She slammed her fist onto the counter and then grabbed the envelope off of it.

"I have made my decision, Sophie!" She yelled furiously at me as she walked towards the door.

"Mama, I miss him too, you can't just separate from him when he's in a Prison camp, what if his only motivation for living is you?" I asked tears filling my eyes.

Mama stopped at the door, turned around, and then burst into tears as she sagged against the front door, deep ragged sobs coming from her.

I crouched beside Mama and hugged her tightly tears of my own streaming down my face even though I tried to be strong for her.

"He's not dead, Mama, you can't just give up on him, please, Mama," I said tearfully.

" I-I can't wait for him, I can't do it anymore," She whispered in a low tearful voice.

"Yes you can, Mama, please," I begged her.

She took a deep ragged breath and then shakily stood up clutching the envelope to her chest.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, I feel so helpless to all of this,"  Mama told me.

I hugged her tightly again. 

"I know, everyone does but we can't give up on the people we love, don't let the Nazis take that away from us too."

 She smiled at me softly, tucking my hair behind my ear.

 "Thank you, Sophie, I love you."

"I love you too, Mama," I told her with a sigh.

Later that evening we were in the middle of dinner when Captain Josef came back his coat dripping wet from the pouring rain outside. 

He hung his coat up and wiped his wet muddy boots on the carpet at the door.

"Madame," He greeted us.

"Will you be joining us for dinner, Captain?" Mama asked him.

"No, thank you, I have some things to take care of, so I'll be a bit busy tonight." The Captain said.

I heard his boots squeaking along the floor as he walked upstairs.

That night I was in my room reading or at least trying to, my mind was too distracted thinking about Antoine.

It's dangerous to be seen with me.

Let me protect you, please.

I don't want to be protected, I want to be seen with him, I missed him too much and I longed to see him again and be in his arms and let all of my worries melt away. The worries of my Papa and Mama, the war all drifting away as he held me in his arms.

I sighed and turned off the oil lamp beside my bed and rolled onto my side.

I took a breath and closed my eyes trying to sleep, I was awakened by a bang on the window.
I opened my eyes and looked at the window thinking that I was only hearing things. Then, suddenly I heard a gunshot and the window exploded.

I screamed as shards of glass sprayed everywhere.

 I covered my face and I felt a sharp pain as the pieces of glass stabbed into the back of my arm into my skin.

I was breathing heavily and shaking I heard the door to my room burst open as Mama came in.

"Mon Dieu, Sophie, are you all right?!" She yelled.

I sat up in bed and the door swung open again and I saw Captain Josef standing there.

"Is everyone all right?" He asked us.

I nodded my head shakily.

"I'm-I'm fine." 

The Captain went towards the window and looked out through the broken window his pistol in his hands.

He scanned the ground and once he was satisfied walked away.

"Whoever they were was trying to kill me not you, the rebels that have been revolting against us have been using every opportunity to kill a Nazi soldier," He told us.

I took a deep breath and nodded my head in understanding. I thought of Antoine, was he the one who had shot the gun? He was part of the revolters. Could he have been the one that threw that rock?