Opposite Sides (21 page)

“
Certainly,
Gerald. I’ll see you back here as soon as the music stops.” She
fluttered her hand seductively in his face and then pulled at his
bow-tie. “Now, don’t
you
run away. Wait here.” She pushed him and pursed
her lips at him. “Stay!”

“
Won’t budge.
Not an inch. Promise.” Gerald turned and faced Hans. “She’s all
yours.”

Hans held out his arm and
led Anne into the crowd as the orchestra made squeaking and
rumbling noises which they always did to announce they were
ready.

A waltz began. Hans was
glad. He knew how to do that. Papi had allowed him and Renard to
look over the top balcony at one of the dances below as partners
swirled as if on a carousel. Both boys had been wonder-struck. The
hall was magnificent. It was the biggest and grandest room Hans had
ever seen with exquisite wall decorations and large candle
chandeliers hanging high above the dance floor. It had been such an
exciting experience that the boys talked about it for days
afterwards, marvelling over the officers’ gold-braided uniforms and
wanting to be soldiers just like them. Hans could remember
manoeuvring their toy soldiers around their bedroom floor for
several weeks until the novelty began to wear off.

“
You waltz
very well, Mister Resmel,” complemented Anne as they twirled
together in complete harmony. “Better than most. Where did you
learn to dance like this?”

“
Mutti showed
me. She’d let all of us practice with her, especially after Papi
had taken her to a ball. My father was too busy. He didn’t have the
time nor the patience to teach his children how to
waltz.”

“
Your mother
did a very good job.”

Hans nodded. He was
feeling special again, dancing with Anne. The school hall changed
into a beautiful ballroom, like the one in which Hans had watched
his parents dance together and for a moment, he imagined that he
was his father and Anne was Mutti, charming and radiant in her
elegant gown.

They
continued to dance in silence, round past Gerald on the sideline.
As they drew closer, Gerald waved his hand and mouthed
I’m waiting
and then
t
he dancers whirled and twirled even more
as the music became faster and faster and the walls of the hall
past them by with the mad rush of a speeding locomotive. Then waltz
slowed and the last bars of music dissolved into the atmosphere.
The clapping subsided and they found themselves on the opposite
side of the hall from Gerald. They waited side by side for a few
minutes as the dancers began to thin out.

“
What did
your father do . . . before the war, of course?” Anne
asked.

“
He was in
the military,” he answered. “An officer in the Imperial army.
Families paid for their sons to go into the military but I don’t
like to talk much about it. The war and all. It’s rather
embarrassing now.”

Hans took her by the hand
again and they began walking together. They dodged round several
couples who remained together in the centre of the hall.

“
Doesn’t
bother me,” she added. “It’s exactly the same here. A military
career was a most respectable occupation. Most of the upper-classes
here still send their sons into one of the services. It’s
considered good training.”

“
And you
approve?” he asked.

“
Of going
into the military? Such men do have a certain bearing. And then
there’s the discipline.”

“
True, but
didn’t the military make the mess in the last war? The one to end
all wars.”

“
Did rather.”
She answered quickly and then laughed. “But I still think they look
so handsome in their uniforms!”

Hans was contented. He
had enjoyed dancing with Anne and he found it was so easy to
discuss sensitive topics with her. She was so mature. He was sorry
to have to hand her over to Gerald but all good things come to an
end sometime.

The master on
the megaphone announced that before the final waltz, students could
let themselves go a little as the orchestra had been given
permission to play the latest hit:
Yes
Sir, that’s my baby
.

“
Oh, Gerald,”
squealed Anne in delight as she bent her knees and wriggled her
hips. “We can do the
Shimmy
together. Spiffing!”

Hans watched as she
pulled Gerald teasingly on to the dance floor. He wished it could
have been him. The music was loud and exciting. It drowned out the
calls and shrieks of laughter.

Hans sat on
one of the assembly hall benches for a few minutes as he sulked at
not capturing Anne’s interest as Gerald seemingly had. He needed to
talk with someone. He thought of Heidi. He could talk with her. He
made his way along the wall and watched the enthusiasts swinging
their knees and flinging out their arms as they danced face to
face. He wished he could have danced the
Charleston
or the
Shimmy
with Heidi
instead of watching her walk round with the sandwich
plate.

“
Would the
young me
n like to take their partners for
. . .
The Turkey Trot
!”

Hans knew
instinctively that Anne would be delighted. A modern girl like her
knew all the latest crazes. And after that, the
Cakewalk
. Such lively tunes and
certainly not to the taste of the masters or Miss Turner. What the
young saw in the
Shimmy
or the
Black
Bottom
. . .
or,
indeed any of them, Miss Turner could never begin to
understand.

And after the modern
tunes, the finale: a slow, soothing and respectable waltz to bring
the evening to a respectable close.

Hans’s last
partner had been one of the girls from Anne’s group. Anne had
promised to find Hans a partner and to introduce him to the
Camel
Walk
.
It
had been such fun; arms and legs swinging in all directions and had
been so much fun that Lydia suggested they remain together for the
farewell waltz. Hans was thankful he did not have to dance with
Janine Turner again.

As the last
bars of the music melted into the walls, the students jumped with
their arms in the air and shouted in glee. If Hans didn’t count the
ungainly fox-trot he had had with the young
Miss Turner and his ungainly attempts at the
Camel Walk,
the evening
had gone off remarkably well. Although he had not disliked the
evening, neither had he been elated by it. But it had been an
experience and everyone had been so friendly and happy.
A spiffing time
! As Anne
would say.

He hung back and waited
for Heidi to collect her hat and coat. Jan had also remained,
helping her aunt lock the doors and switch off the new electric
lighting. Together, the four of them walked back through the
gardens to the Turner house. Through the trees and in the distance
they could just make out the faint glimmer of the town street gas
lights. In another hour, the gas-man would begin his round and
snuff out each burning light, inviting the darkness of the night to
draw its silent blanket over the town.

The following day was
clean-up day. Anne and three of her friends had come over to give a
hand as the task of clearing up was far greater than Ellen, Mary or
Heidi could easily manage. Miss Turner had also commandeered the
assistance of Hans and Jan and, as usual, the school matron was
like a sergeant major, constantly barking orders at them, then
checking and re-checking that everything was done to her
satisfaction.

“
Resmel, you
can help Mary with the tables. A strong lad like you can pick them
up and take them round to the shed behind the hall. Heidi, you can
see to it that all that rubbish is put into those bins, and, oh
yes, . . . just a minute . . . No! Don’t put those there! They’ll
have to be properly stacked and stowed away under the stage.
Janine, show them where the door is, will you?” She indicated the
last remaining chairs to her two maids and left Jan to open the
small door under the side of the stage. “Now, where was I? Oh yes,
Heidi. Stand those rubbish bins over there by the rear door. The
groundsman can collect them later today. Then help Resmel and Mary.
” She looked around for Ellen, saw that she was still occupied with
taking down the lanterns, so decided to leave the girl in peace a
while longer.

As they seemed to be
making headway, Hans heard Miss Turner remind Jan to go and do her
music practice. In some ways, Hans did feel sorry for the girl, for
her aunt made sure she kept to a very tight schedule and Jan had to
account for her every move.

Heidi collected all the
rubbish. Mary had joined Anne’s group and was folding up the tables
and stacking them against the wall for Hans to carry out. Things
were going smoothly until Ellen called for help to unthread the
wires from the branches and foliage. Everyone, except Heidi left
the stacking and rushed off to help. Heidi struggled alone with the
remaining tables.

“
Let me help
you with that, Heidi.” Hans had noticed the girl’s predicament and
turned back. He lifted one end of the trestle table so that she
could fold away its legs. “It’s far too heavy for a girl,” he
commented. They had almost finished, when Miss Turner walked
over.

“
I’m pleased
to see you are lending a hand, Resmel. When you first came here,
hard work was never one of your strong points. Why, I almost think
you’re beginning to grow up!”

He made no comment. She
could cut through ice with her words when she so wished and he had
begun to realise that it did him no good to make any remarks back
to her. She had a frosty way and he was certain nothing could be
done to thaw her out. The matron nodded her head in satisfaction.
“Good. Yes, good, Mr Resmel.” She caught sight of the groundsman.
“Ah, Mr Cummins,” and rushed off to remind him about the rubbish
bins. Hans and Heidi carried the last table outside and across the
courtyard to the small store shed at the rear. After the table had
been stored away, they dawdled back to the hall. Heidi seemed to be
troubled about something, for several times she tried to get out
the words but everything was jumbled and nothing was making sense.
Hans stopped walking. He grabbed Heidi roughly by the
arm.

“
Heidi, tell
me what’s wrong.”

“
Hänschen,
I’ve had a letter, she said, her bottom lip beginning to
quiver.”

“
Who
from?”

“
The
government. It says I have to go.”

“
Go? Where
go?”

If it was was he thought
it was, it came to him as a bullet in the chest. He waited while
Heidi composed herself enough to talk.

“
I must
return to Austria. No more visa to stay. I have to
leave.”

Hans did not know what to
say. He didn’t realise Heidi would be with them for such a short
time. He’d only just got used to having her around him. Her
presence made him easier and far less homesick.

“
I’m s . . .
sorry,” he stammered. “I’ll miss you dreadfully.”

“
I’m sorry,
also, she replied.”

“
So?” He
kicked at the ground. There was a silence before he cleared his
throat and asked when she had to leave.

“
Not for a
month but I cannot stay longer.”

Hans wondered how he
could cheer her up. He tried to think of something to light-hearted
to say. Suddenly, he had an idea.

“
Heidi, if
you’ve got the day off tomorrow, and it’s not raining, maybe we
could go for a walk up the hill. I know of a great place up there
where you can see for miles. You’d love it, Heidi, not as good as
our Alpen meadows but still a good view. What do you say to
that?”

Heidi’s eyes lit up. Even
if the day rained, she wouldn’t mind. A walk in the country was
just what she needed.

CHAPTER
8

Acceptance

Robert had borrowed a
bicycle from a friend of his and had called in to the Turner
residence hoping that Hans would be able to ride with him along
some of the country lanes. He was warmly dressed. His plus-fours
had been tucked into thick knee-length woollen stockings which
disappeared into a pair of sturdy leather boots.

Robert was unwinding his
neck scarf when the door opened and he saw it was Jan and she
looked at him in the suspicious way and spoke to him exactly how
Hans had said she would.

“
Yes?” She
pushed her glasses back hard up against her face. “What do you
want, Mister Brinkwater?”

The meeting was so vivid
in his mind, he could recall every little detail and when he and
Hans were finally alone, Robert described Jan so well that Hans
burst out laughing.

“
And you
asked for me?” Hans shook his head.

“
Yes, I did
and Jan looked at me in a haughty way and said:
where else did you expect
him to
be
? I tell you, I was lost for words. And
then she said:
I’ll see if he’s
around
and without another word I was left
on the doorstep looking straight at the front door. I didn’t know
what to do: go or stay.
”