Page 82 of Winter’s End

And thenthere are Dutchmen like Reimar de Boer, she thought, who sell out their countrymen for a price…

She had heard no more of de Boer’s condition, only that he was recovering under heavy guard at an unnamed Amsterdam hospital – and despite Pieter’s confidence that his pistol could not be traced, she could not help fearing for his safety.

She drove the last few kilometers in silence.

“We are nearing the turn to Vlaardingen,” she said at last. “Tell me the signposts we are to look for…”

EVI

MevrouwSpierhoven – Alette, she insisted – fed her soup that was rich with vegetables, and homemade noodles made from wheat she said she had grown and ground herself. She insisted on making a bed for Evi on a sofa piled with colorful handknit blankets.

The colorful blankets reminded her of Mam, and Evi wept silently into their softness. She was wide awake, heavy with grief, when she heard the motorcar stop. She sat up, throwing off her covers.

An automobile door closed, and then another. Evi ran to the door of Alette’s cottage.

“Evi?”

It was Mila. She would know her voice anywhere.

“Ja, ja, I am here!”

And there was Mila in the doorway, and Zoe, too, and Evi leaped into their arms, and tears from a seemingly endless wellspring wet her face again.

The two of them held her, uttering soothing words, until finally she was able to pull back, wipe her face with her sleeve, and take a shuddering breath.

“Mam is gone,” she whispered, working to find her voice. “The Germans murdered her in cold blood. They shot her, while I watched from the shore…I saw her fall into the sea…”

MevrouwSpierhoven – Alette – came from behind her. “The girl has been inconsolable, and with good reason. It is a blessing that she found her way here.”

“And the baby,” Evi cried. “Baby Jacob. He was cir-cum…he was Jewish. Likely they murdered him too…”

Mila sighed, stepped forward, took the old woman’s hands, and thanked her profusely for her kindness.

From her place at the door, where Zoe still held her, Evi saw the older woman shake her head. “Three years ago,” she said, “I stood here,helpless, while the Jews of Vlaardingen were rounded up and ripped away from us by the Germans…I am glad to be able to help in some small way today.”

“Thank you,” Mila said, “for keeping our Evi safe.”

Alette nodded. “I will not forget her sadness – or her courage.”

Evi moved forward, suddenly overwhelmed, and took the woman’s hands in hers. “I will remember your kindness always, Alette. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Zoe joined them, placing her hand over theris. “Mevrouw, you are a brave and good woman. We are fortunate it was you who found our Evi.”

Once again, tears pooled in Evi’s eyes.

“Come, Evi,” Mila said. “It is time to go.

...

“Stop!”

As they drove past a promontory high above the sea, Evi scanned the horizon.

“There,” she pointed. “Can you see it?”

It had begun to rain, and the sky had darkened.

“Yes, I think so,” Zoe said.