The Luck of the Weissensteiners (The Three Nations Trilogy) (48 page)

“She said Russian soldiers raped boys in her village, so there must be some homosexuals out there who aren't soft and gentle,” Greta pointed out.

“Well, we will have to see tomorrow. I would not lose sleep over it. Ernst is besotted with the guy and I don't think he would be if something improper had taken place. If the guy were a pervert he would have done something by now, don't you think?”

“I hope you are right,” Greta said.

The following day Joschka did not show up at the
playground and Ernst and his three female escorts waited in vain. Had his absence anything to do with the women being present or was there a connection to the woman who had warned Greta about him the night before? Ernst waited impatiently and paced up and down, looking to see if his friend was hiding somewhere or was just approaching the grounds. The rain last night had destroyed the creation from the day before but the wetness of the sand would have been a huge advantage in the production of a new building. It seemed unthinkable that Joschka would miss this opportunity. When it became apparent that his friend would not show up today and the disappointment sank in, it weighed so heavily on Ernst’s body that he had to sit down and stared wordlessly at the ground.

“Show us what you can do, Ernst!”
Evka encouraged the boy. “You don't need anyone else for this, and if you do: We can help you.”

“No, thank you but if I can't play with Joschka I would rather not play at all
. Let's go back,” Ernst said disappointedly.

“You must be very disappointed, Evka!” said Wilma cheekily. “You even washed yourself today and then the man does not show up.”

Evka's face flushed. She had indeed put more effort in
getting ready today but was not aware that she had been spotted doing so. Unable to respond with wit, she just made a dismissive arm gesture.

The next day the four of them went to the
playground again and once more Joschka failed to show up. This time Wilma persuaded Ernst to stay and demonstrate his admired construction skills. The women sat down not far from the sand while Ernst drew a floor plan onto the ground and began to dig holes and a moat, then began work on a defence wall. Greta was amazed at the logical approach and the far-sighted planning that her son was capable off. As more people gathered around him and watched him, she recognised the man that had to be Joschka. He was standing amongst the spectators, slightly behind everyone else.

She got up and went straight to
him, gently tapped him on the arm and introduced herself.

“Hello, my name is Greta. I am the young
artist’s mother. You must be the famous co-architect Joschka,” she said with a friendly and welcoming smile.

“Oh...hello.
Yes, that is me. Ehm...nice to meet you,” he replied nervously. His head turned anxiously away from her while he said this as if to look for an escape route from the scene.

“I just wanted you to know that I much appreciate you spending so much time with my son. Ernst was devastated yesterday when you could not make it to the
playground and help him. I hope you were not ill or otherwise inconvenienced?” she probed.

“No, no.
Not at all. I am very sorry but I have to go,” Joschka stammered and was just about to turn away when Evka joined the two of them. Unintentionally, she stepped right into his getaway route and made him stop.

“I am Evka, a friend of the family. You must join us so we can get
to know you,” she said.

“Oh I was just going. Maybe some other time,” Joschka replied to the invite.

Evka took him by the arm and whispered in his ear: “You have nothing to worry about with us. Let’s get out of sight for a minute so we can talk. Ernst has been waiting for you and you must not disappoint him again.”

With that she dragged the poor man behind one of the sheds and said:

“I think I know why you are worried,” she said.

“You do?” he asked with disbelief.

“Yes, I recognise the signs. My brother is like you. He moved to Paris to escape the harassment. We are not accusing you of anything. We just want to get to know you, otherwise we would be irresponsible,” she assured him.

Joschka sighed with relief. His body
had begun to shake when Evka started her little speech, not unlike the onset of one of Wilma’s attacks. As the tension was receding he was still trembling all over, his lips shaking until he burst into tears of joy and relief.

“You don't know what this means to me. Thank you. I am so sorry for crying but I have been so lonely. All this time,” he said between fits of crying.

“Now, now, let it all out!” Evka reassured him.

“In the death camps we were treated like t
he worst of the worst. The other inmates seemed happy that there was a class of humans beneath them. We got it from the guards and from the other prisoners as well. In the camp at least we were a group and had each other. Here I am the only one. I have become quite worried that I will be found out. I avoid my living quarters during the day to keep a low profile and to avoid questioning. But it’s not easy to keep to myself. So I came to sit by the playground to watch the children because they were leaving me alone. Then I noticed Ernst and how nobody would play with him. He looked so innocent and sad, I felt as if I knew him, as if we were both suffering the same loneliness. With him, I could be myself but I noticed how the women were watching us and I could see what they were thinking. I expected Ernst’s mother to come and shoo me away every minute of our time together. I was so desperate for this little happiness that I could not stay away, even though I knew I was running a risk.

Gradually the fear came
to dominate my thoughts and all I could see was the hateful looks and the suspicion in everyone's eyes. Yesterday it was so bad that I did not dare come anywhere near here for worry I might be beaten up. I mean no harm, really. I don't like young men or boys like that. I sometimes think I am a little boy myself. Please believe me!” he cried and doubled over again, violently shaking and sobbing on the floor.

Evka kneeled down and hugged him
for a long time, then she calmly said to him:

“It is fine. Of course I believe you. I can sense these things. The moment I saw you I knew you were a good soul. You are just like my brother, almost too good for this world, too pure and too soft. We will take care of you my dear. Ernst needs you. Already two of his towers have fallen apart because nobody can hold the wooden planks as professional
ly as his partner in crime.”

At that Joschka had to laugh.

“People are still going to talk. That won't be good for Ernst,” Joschka objected.

“Let them talk, because at the end of the day that is
what they do anyway,” Evka said joyfully. “They won't be happy if they don't. The best defence is always attack. Before those fishwives can get the word about you to Ernst we can give them a different story. How would you feel about acting as my fiancé in front of them? Ernst has already suggested that I marry you because we need a man in the family and you and I are of the same age. I for one have never been the object of gossip but I think that I would rather like to try it.”

“That is very kind of you to offer but do you think that anyone will believe us?” he wondered.

“You will have to put some effort into your acting, then. I can't see why not. Just imagine how foolish these women will feel when they realise they have been wrong,” she asked.

“Why would you do such a thing for a complete stranger?” Joschka wondered.

“I want my little Ernst to have a friend. I also believe that competition increases business. Maybe if I am seen with you someone else will start to take an interest in me. You never know,” she said and giggled.

“Once we get out of this mess and find a permanent place of our own we can untangle all the complications. For now
, let us look out for each other and try to get through this time happily and in one piece,” she suggested.

Ernst was over the moon when Joschka appeared at the sand area.

“Look at this lay-out,” he bubbled with enthusiasm. “Here is a moat with a draw bridge, which is the only way in. Behind the wall there is another moat and another wall. Then there is the front yard, a wall and then the inner yard and finally the castle.”

“Well done. I am sure the King and the Queen will be feeling very protected in there,” said Joschka.

“Yes, and even better. There is a secret tunnel that nobody knows about, from where everyone can get out well behind the enemy lines,” Ernst said pointing proudly at the sand.

“They are lucky they had such a clever architect!” Joshka exclaimed.

Greta had a good feeling about Joschka as well, even though she was still a little bit concerned. She was definitely going to keep an eye on the situation but it would have been impossible for her to deny her son contact with such a great playmate.

Wilma took an immediate and exceptional liking to Joschka. She felt that his gentle mannerisms were a
pleasant change. Meeting someone equally nervous made her also feel more at ease herself. Seeing his fear and recognising it as slightly exaggerated helped her recognise how unfounded her own feelings could sometimes be. Their anxieties had come between them and the world, even when there was no threat. It was like looking at herself in the mirror. It was a shame he seemed to have taken to Evka right away or she might have made a move on him. He was frighteningly thin but he had the most adorable eyes she had ever seen.

As they learned about Joschka and his past
, Greta became much more at ease. He revealed to Evka that he had come from a small suburb in Budapest and had once been the sole heir to a large factory fortune. Fighting in the Great War, he had met and struck up a 'special friendship' with one of his fellow officers, the handsome Eugene. When their contact continued after the war his already suspicious father hired a private detective and uncovered their 'dirty secret'. He disowned his son immediately and told Joschka to leave the country before his rage got the better of him and he might have killed his shameful son with his own hands.

Almost p
enniless, Joschka moved to Vienna where he managed to survive as the secretary and assistant to a lawyer. A few years after Austria fell to Germany, the lawyer was arrested for being a Jew and when the Gestapo investigated further to find more Jews associated with the practise, a neighbour voiced his suspicions about the effeminate secretary. Joschka fled and escaped to Brno where he worked as a waiter. Starved of love he started to see one of his colleagues, was caught in flagrante and arrested by the Gestapo only a year before the war ended. His fellow waiter did not survive the camp.

Since
liberation from the death camp in Poland, Joschka had no specific idea where to go. His only mission had been to escape the Russians and he was playing with the idea of trying to get to France. The thought of making such a long and dangerous journey frightened him however, and so he had stayed in the camp despite all the problems there, unwilling to trade the known bad situation for an unknown one. The hate he and his people had experienced in the death camp had become so deeply rooted in his thinking that he still expected it at any time from any possible source. His self-loathing was so embedded, he found the idea of living in the gay society of Paris almost as disgusting as himself. He had escaped his prison only in the physical sense, mentally he was still punishing himself. The affection he had received from Ernst and his family overwhelmed him and when they invited him to spend Christmas with them he cried for joy. Of course, there were no presents or a Christmas tree but they were together and had each other.

The New Year started with a rude awakening when the guards read out a lis
t of names that had to report to the train station two days later, to be moved to a different camp near France. There was a huge uproar amongst the communities. Those who had wanted to leave were ordered to stay and so many that were desperate to stay had to go. The gates were open for everyone to try their own luck but outside the camp local citizens were holding guard and threatened everyone who tried to leave back inside.

Announcements on posters explained that the trains would take them to o
ther areas in Germany where fewer refugees had settled and there would be opportunities for work and a new life. It made perfect sense to Greta that the burden of looking after so many new arrivals in the country had to be shared equally between the regions and communities. The soldiers had not made it a secret that only those who had a good chance of returning towards the east were able to stay here – whether they wanted to return or not was immaterial.

It came as no surprise to her that all their names were on the list, apart from Joschka. The soldiers assured Greta that if her father should enquire about her he would find her name on the Red Cross List and would also be informed about her new location. There was no need to worry.

It was hard to believe the officials who appeared to promise everyone anything as long as they were willing to get on a train. Joschka took the news of his new found friend’s departure very hard. Evka however would not hear any of it and went from official to official looking for ways to keep him with them. After a lot of queuing to speak to the right people and being sent from one overworked and disinterested bureaucrat to the next, she eventually found out that the only way to take Joschka with them was if he was to be married to one of them. Wilma in her mischievous ways offered herself as bride right away, knowing of course very well that Evka wanted that honour for herself. She was convinced that Evka had a secret relationship with Joschka, or at least would want to have one.