Page 69 of All We Thought We Knew
“Hello.”
She held up a brown paper bag. “I brought chicken salad sandwiches today. They’re quite good if I do say so myself. I use a secret ingredient.”
Gunther settled on the bench, keeping an appropriate amount of space between them. “I will be able to pay you for the lunches soon. Major Gridley said I am to earn a small wage.”
“That’s wonderful, but you needn’t worry about reimbursing me. You’ll want to save every penny so you can go back to school as soon as the Hearing Board reviews your case again and realizes there’s been a terrible mistake.”
Gunther sighed. “Ifthey review my case again. I have not heard of anyone being released once they leave Ellis Island.”
They ate their sandwiches and enjoyed a lively discussion on the character of Emma. Gunther declared her spoiled, but Avadefended Emma’s independent personality. When Gunther began to read the third chapter aloud, Ava stopped him periodically to correct his pronunciation of this word or that. Her instruction was never done in a patronizing way but always with kindness and a genuine desire to help him learn.
“Qua-drille,” she said, sounding out a word unfamiliar to Gunther. “It’s a type of dance they did back in those days.”
Gunther repeated the word several times before she was satisfied.
“There was a club in New York where my friends and I would dance the jitterbug on weekends,” he said, thinking back to the days before his world imploded. So easy and carefree. “Jitterbugis easier to say thanqua-drille.”
Ava laughed. “I imagine it’s easier to dance, too. Four couples are required for the quadrille, and there are many steps to learn. The timing and pace is important.”
“I don’t z’ink my friends an’ I would enjoy such a dance. It sounds more complicated zan fun,” Gunther said.
He immediately realized he’d lapsed into what he called “lazy English,” letting his pronunciation of certain words announce to the world he was German. It usually happened when he was tired or relaxed, as he was becoming in Ava’s company.
“Think.Than. It sounds more complicatedthan fun,” she corrected. “Try not to use thezsound when pronouncing words that begin witht-h.”
Gunther slowly said the sentence again, once again conscious of his tendency to let his German accent overpower the English words. “I hope a day will come when my English is so good,” he said, emphasizing thedsound rather than saying it as at, “no one will know I am from Germany.”
He thought the comment would please her, but Ava looked troubled.
“There is nothing wrong with being German. It’s part of yourheritage, your story. You shouldn’t be blamed for the terrible things the leaders of your country have done any more than I should be blamed for the wrongs done in America.”
He considered the wisdom in her comment. “I agree, but unfortunately, not everyone else does. I worry what will happen if Germany wins the war.”
“Do you think you’d be sent back?”
“I do not know, but sometimes I fear staying more than I fear returning. If I remain in America, I could be a prisoner for the rest of my life. The truth is, I no longer have a home. Not in Germany. Not in America.”
Her expression revealed her empathy. “Then we need to pray that Hitler will be defeated. I can’t imagine a world where he is in power over all of Europe.”
They sat in silence for a while, each deep in thought, before Ava glanced at her watch.
“I better get back to the office.” She gathered the empty lunch wrappers and stuffed them into the bag.
They walked to the front of the dental clinic. Two soldiers were just leaving, but neither took notice of Gunther and Ava.
“I will practice my qua-drille when I return to the internee camp,” Gunther said in jest, hoping to lighten the mood. “So the next time we meet, I will be proficient at it.”
The grin he’d hoped for spread across Ava’s face. “I can almost picture you and your housemates dancing tonight.” She gave a low curtsy. “Kind sir, may I have this dance?” she said with a laugh.
When she met his gaze again, all humor faded as he stared into her hazel eyes. “It would be my honor to dance with you one day, Mrs. Delaney.”
A slight flush filled her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “I’d like that, Mr. Schneider.”
They parted. As was their custom, just before she went around the corner, Ava turned and Gunther lifted his hand. After shereturned the gesture and he started back to the dispensary, he realized two things.
He was falling in love with Ava Delaney.
But along with that awareness came a bitter truth.
