SURVIVING
Chapter Four
Jack stretched luxuriously as the morning sun
streamed through the window, bathing everything in a golden light. He moved his
arm to caress Rose, just to find empty air. He sighed, remembering that they
now had separate rooms until they were wed. He definitely missed waking up to
her beautiful face and warm body pressed to his in the morning. No matter what,
he had trouble falling asleep the night before. Glancing at the clock, he got
up and out of bed and went down to the kitchen to make himself some coffee. It
has been a difficult couple of months for him. Meeting and falling in love with
Rose, hiding from the Nazis, escaping Germany, the Hindenburg crash…if it
wasn't one thing, it was another. But finally he was home and could at last,
truly rest. No more worrying about his mother’s Nazi husband laying a hand on
him. No more worrying about the woman he loved being shipped off to a
concentration camp or marrying a Nazi that she didn't love. It was all smooth
sailing from here.
He rose out of bed and headed for the kitchen
to place a pot of water on the stove to boil. Jack glanced at the kitchen table
to see the box that contained his father’s ashes. His inner smile immediately
faded as he went over and lightly touched the box. Closing his eyes, he
remembered how life was before his father’s disappearance. How it used to be w
hen he was a child, oblivious to the Nazis and fear. When his father was alive,
he had felt like the luckiest boy in the world. Nothing could hurt him as long
as his father was around. He could still hear his own childish laughter as he
remembered how his father used to pick him up and spin him around. He
remembered how it felt to be a crying child and how his father’s arms were
there to comfort him. For just a second, Jack had gone back in time. He was
that little boy once again, wrapped in his father’s strong embrace.
"Jackie boy?" The fantasy
dissipated at his grandmother’s inquiry as she entered the kitchen to find Jack
staring blankly at the box that contained her poor son’s remains. Her heart
went out to the poor boy as he looked at her, his eyes filling with tears. It
was obvious that he was taking his father’s death hard. Without a second
thought, she went to him and wrapped her arms around his shaking frame as he
started to sob.
"He’s really gone, Granny. I had this
belief that he had gone into hiding and would come back when it was safe. When
the allies had won the war. But now I know that’s never going to happen. The
Nazis made sure of that," Jack sobbed, not noticing Rose and Emma entering
the room.
"Shh, Jackie. Your pa may not be living
anymore, but he’s here with you now…with all of us. In your heart and that’s
where he’ll stay. Forever."
"She’s right, Jack." Rose walked up
and took his hand. "Your father will always live on in your heart and
memories."
Jack forced a smile and pulled away from his
grandmother to embrace Rose. "I wish you could have known him, Rose. You
would have liked him and he would have adored you. I know he would have."
Rose wanted to make everything better for her
fiancé right there and then. Do something to take away his sorrow. But what
could she do to make Jack smile again?
That was when Nathan came in humming a very
familiar tune. "It ain’t what ya do, it’s just how ya do it!" he
sang, oblivious to his cousin’s somber mood.
"Hey, are there any dance halls around
here that play swing music?" Rose grabbed his arm, an idea taking form.
"That’s all the dance halls play. There
are two over in Eau Claire. Why do you ask?" Nathan arched a brow. He
didn’t even know that his German relatives knew anything about swing music.
"Jack…how do you feel about going swing
dancing tonight?" Rose squeezed Jack’s hand.
"Do you guys know how to swing?"
Nathan asked.
"Do we know how to swing?" Jack
stared at his cousin in disbelief, his grief momentarily forgotten. "Do we
know how to swing? My dear cousin, you’re looking at Germany’s number one
hepcat. Do I know how to swing?"
Nathan looked at Rose, confused. She only smiled
and shrugged. So far her plan to lift Jack out of his depression was working.
"Okay, cousin. Show me how good you are
tonight at the dance hall in Eau Claire tonight. Come with us. Bring Rose if
you like."
"Why, that’s a good idea." Myrtle
clapped her hands excitedly. "It’ll give Jack and Rose a chance to meet
more people their age."
"Count us in." Jack grinned. It
would feel good to dance again. Maybe this was the thing he needed.
*****
That night, the club was full of excited
swingers, all dancing in the carefree frenzy known as swing dancing. Jack’s
eyes widened at the pure energy coming from the music. Pushing all thought of
his father to the back of his mind, he tightened his hold on Rose’s hand and
entered. It was like coming home.
"This is so different from the dance
halls in Germany," Rose gasped, looking around at the brightly lit room,
full of dancing people.
"So they have swing halls in
Germany?" One of Nathan’s friend’s, known as Jason, eyes widened in
disbelief.
"Sure. But the dances are held in
secret. Swing music was forbidden by Hitler," Rose explained.
"Because the music was by Jews and blacks."
"Plus we swing kids couldn’t stand the
government. Swing music was a rebellion against the Third Reich." Jack
sighed, wondering how his friends were holding up back in Germany. He hoped the
HJ or the Gestapo hadn’t busted them yet.
"Helga would have loved this." Rose
once again looked at her surroundings as she was led to a table in the far
corner.
"Nathan!" A pretty blond waved,
quickly approaching the table. "You made it. I thought your cousin from
Germany was visiting."
"They wanted to check out the
club." Nathan grinned. "Jack, Rose, this is my girl Katie. Katie,
this is my cousin, Jack, and his fiancée, Rose."
"Hi," the girl happily greeted. "Welcome
to America."
Rose instantly took a liking to the girl.
Katie sort of reminded her of Helga. "Believe me, we’re very happy to be
here."
Katie just smiled and turned to Nathan again
as a new song started up. "How about it? Jitterbug with me?"
"Not now. I don’t want to be rude to my
cousin here." Nathan shook his head.
"Don’t worry about us, Nate. We were
just about to get up and dance ourselves." Jack got to his feet, pulling
Rose up along with him.
"You two know swing?" Katie looked
at them in disbelief.
"Sure we do." Jack grinned before
leading Rose out onto the dance floor. Once there, they began the familiar,
free steps of swing dancing. Neither of them noticed the people stopping to
watch until the song was finished and applause rang out all through the club.
"Wow! You two were smoking!" Katie
ran up to her new friends. Nathan was close behind.
"I used to do this all the time in
Germany." Jack smiled.
"Sadly, I’ve been swing dancing for only
a couple of months." Rose blushed.
"Seems like longer than a month to
me," Nathan replied.
"I just follow Jack’s lead."
"But you’ve come a long way,
sweetie." Jack kissed her forehead. "You’ve come a long way."
After three hours of dancing and reliving
happier moments in Germany, Rose, Jack, and Nathan headed for home. When they
returned to the house, they decided to turn in as well, with the carefree swing
music still ringing in their ears. It had been a night that no one would
forget.