Wie Geht's?

1 - Parting Ways.

(Above - Heinrich Strauss)

October

"But papa, we can't leave!"
"We must." He grumbled, "There is nothing more to it, saumensch."
"But papa.."
"Silence!" He bellowed, his annoyance sparking into anger.
"I will hear no more about staying here in this god forsaken country."
"But it's our home! All my friends and all of our family are here!"
She had, of course, ceased to mention the boy she intended to marry, the youngest of the Strauss boys. But at this time, there was nothing wiser than to preserve her fathers last shreds of patience.

"Nein. We will leave and not come back." He huffed. "This place has done no good to us."
"It's for the best, my darling." Her mother crooned softly, resting an arm around her shaking shoulders.
"Everything will be alright."
"But, everything will be so different!" She wept. "We have no relatives in England. Nobody we know! How will we survive with nothing?"
"Precisely why we are venturing there, my dear. Our businesses here are no good. We must travel elsewhere. And England is thriving, according to what we have heard."

The girl was rather distraught over her parents revelation, but she was determined to set out the next day to meet her sweetheart. All she longed to do was to let him know of this great tragedy.

"You're leaving? But...everything is so great with us!"
"I know, I know. But mama und papa say that we're replenishing the business out in England."
"You know what they say about that country, don't you?"
"No, what do they say?"
"That Deutschland is on bad footing with them. There is talk of a war."
"A war?"
"Ja."
"But how could you be certain? Surely there would be a larger speculation if such a thing were true?"
"All I know is that I heard Herr Shäffer talking to my father about it yesterday when we went past his shop." He hesitated, then shook his head lightly. "But enough of that. I'll miss you dearly." He took a lock of her long, honey coloured hair and twisted it through his fingers.
"You must write to me a lot, Bea."
"I will. I promise."
"And someday soon, once we finish school, I'll come and get you. And we'll come back here to get married."
"I'll be waiting."

He pulled her in to a warm embrace, and they stayed there for a while. Neither wanting to let go nor quite believing that they had to. But eventually they broke apart, with a small tear, and went their separate ways on that small, frosty street for the last time.