War Torn Love (36 page)

             
Then my dear sweet father-in law yelled, “Good bye! Tell everyone bye for us.”

             
“I will!”  Then just before, my husband was going to get in the car, I yelled to get his attention!

             
“Hey Abram, good luck! Hey, knock his socks off! I believe in you, we all will be listening to the fight on the radio.”

             
He smiled, “I love you Mrs. Balsam - don’t worry about me I will win this fight! Don’t forget about what we are planning when I get back, because I will hold you to that!”

             
“You better!”

             
He then got in the car, and waved as they pulled away, it was not long and they rounded the corner, and I lost sight of them
altogether
.

             
I knew it would be at least after eight o’clock before I received his phone call. I made myself some warm milk, listened to the radio while I waited it out. Poppa attempted to keep me company, but by
eleven,
I had somehow managed to fall asleep on the sofa. Poppa with a heart of gold, turned the radio off, covered me with a blanket, and took his granddaughter upstairs with him, so I would not be disturbed. Just like when I was a little girl. He never liked waking me - putting me to bed, he would always make sure I was comfortable, and let me sleep were I was. I woke to
the sound of the phone ringing
I looked around. The house was quite - all but one light was off. I rubbed my eyes, and then quickly answered the phone, not wanting to miss his call,

             
I answered, “Hello is that you sweetie?”

             
“Yes my love
, it’s
me! We made it. We just made it to the room about twenty minutes ago. I am so sorry to be calling you so late. I did not think it was going to take so long to get here! But I had promised I would call you. I hope I didn’t wake you!”

             
“Well…”

             
“You fell asleep on the sofa while you waited for me, didn’t you?”

             
“Ya!”

             
“I don’t blame
you -
it’s awfully late to be calling!”

             
“What time is?” 

             
“About 12:30 am.”

             
“I don’t care, hearing your voice was all worth it! I can go back to sleep afterwards.”

             
“Truthfully, Hana I would not been able to get to sleep if I had not talked to you.”

             
“That’s sweet, hey you’re tired-go get some sleep, and we can talk tomorrow.”

             
“I will try to call you earlier tomorrow, around dinner time, goodnight!”

             
While he was gone. I wanted to try to keep myself busy, since I could not seem to sleep while he was away. I tried using a pillow, as a substitute for his bare flesh up next to mine. I tossed and turned, worried, and cried - it did not
help I
started going around the Jewish community spreading my idea, gathering any used clothing, food, or even money that could be spared. I also searched for any family that would be able, or willing to take in another family. At the tie, we weren’t sure who would need to, but if it came to that, at least we had the room available.

             
My little plan of trying to help morphed the Jewish community into coming together as if we were one family. I was so surprised. Several families were taken in - others were provided clothing, food and money, as they planned to migrate elsewhere! Turned out in at least my community, nearly every Jewish family contributed to my cause.

Chapter Thirteen

       
           
“Everything began to unravel”

             
My prayers were heard, when my husband returned home victoriously from his fight. Though he looked world weary and a bit banged up. His left eye and the eye socket was all swollen up - nearly swollen shut, and now turning a
silhouette
of yellows and purples his right side from his chest, down to just above his hip region was now bruised up, very tender to the touch. I could tell this fight physically took out more of him than I think he even had expected it would
admire
to himself, let alone me. Even though he won he was given quite a beating, but I had been listening to the fight on the radio, so I knew, his opponent took a much more of a thrashing. A broken nose in the third round, they had to cut his right eye to keep fighting. He sustained broken ribs, and was knocked out cold. Nevertheless, I could not believe it; Abram won the fight in the
sixth round
, in a knockout. He is now number one in all of Europe! His next stop could be America - to take on their best. I know if he does, he could win there as well! As for this fight won a thousand dollars, which was an awful lot of money. We could do a lot of good with it!

             
The house was now complete, and we were now preparing to move into our new home. I wanted to
remember the date we moved in, I had a feeling I would never forget it. On September 1 1939 – a couple of weeks before our big harvest. This date would become quite memorable to not just me but the entire world. On September 1
^st
1939 World War Two broke out.

             
I was in high spirits that morning though - it was finally happening, but I was also very, very sad -I was moving out of the only house I had ever known. I had lived in the very same room my entire life = so many wonderful memories were here for me. I was especially going to miss out not having my parents around all the time, I loved them both so. I knew I was not moving very far away from home, but still it was a monumental transformation - that was going to take a while for me to get used to. It was not just about me I worried about my parents.

             
We recruited some help for the big move – dear sweet Hersz – Marym’s husband and Abram’s cousin – to help with unloading the wagon.

             
His parents and my parents donated a few pieces of furniture to us. Meanwhile while our two burly men were unloading the wagon, Marym, the kids, and I were inside unpacking in the kitchen - my own kitchen in a completely unexpected gesture, my husband bought me a brand-new electric stove.

             
The joyous outcome of the move, the lack of the city noises were now obvious - the utter silences that comes from being on the farm washed over us. It would not last long - at the
time,
I would not know. Our peace was forever
broken when we all heard it that ungodly honking coming from a car horn - the deliverer of darkness.

             
A huge plume of dry dust now billowing up behind the rapidly speeding car, driving much too fast for our road. I thought what this could mean, I am sure it is not good.
Why was this person driving
so fast
? The car drew close, and pulled up in front of our house. Curiosity got the best of all of us. We all ran outside to see what was taking place - what all the commotion was all about, and who it was that surely came here to deliver-news!

             
It was my father-in-law and considering it was him, it worried me. I glanced over at Abram - he suddenly looks white as a ghost - I had never seen him looking so apprehensive, like perhaps something may
have
happened to his dear mother. A fear gripped my stomach,
as. He
ran over to his father, “Dad what is it? What is wrong? Did something happen to Momma?”

             
“No, son your mother is fine!
No,
we had the radio playing at work when it just came over the radio,
it’s
awful everyone please listen! Germany had just invaded our beloved Poland! We are now at war with Germany!”

             
The storm clouds that the Nazis were casting on Europe had surely arrived at our own doorsteps bring with them the fears and the atrocities I had been hearing about. I knew what was happening to the Jews of other lands invaded by Germany, as well as their own Jews had now arriving at our own counties borders. Even
then,
I knew we’d receive the same treatment if they were not stopped. I dropped to my knees in complete shock. I ended up
throwing up. I just could not believe it - it seemed like it was all a nightmare. One I hoped someone would wake me up from. What was supposed to be one of the best days of my life was now turning out to be the most horrible and I was powerless to stop it. Our homeland was being overrun by what proved to be the scourge of humanity.  I began to weep in loud, wrenching sobs and it was becoming difficult to breathe. The feeling I had started experiencing before I was pregnant washed all over me again – the premonition gripping me as it arrived. I felt like a ragdoll, shook in the jaws of a massive mastiff. And even looking back now, I knew things were going
too
far worse. How could I know how right I would be?

             
I was feeling even worse knowing I was right all along. I was trembling by this news. Nevertheless, in this time it was reality, not just a feeling. I knew at that moment we were all in peril I dreamed of even worse things to come, though I would not repeat what I had seen in my dreams, not even to my husband, now that I know some of what I had already seen had materialized before my eyes. I somehow knew if the Polish Army was not able to bring to a halt to their advance, then surely all of Poland’s could be in real trouble I suddenly felt so helpless -I ran to my husband’s powerful arms, hoping he could somehow make me feel better. I needed him to hold onto me tightly. I wanted his comfort most at that moment, searching for what exactly I was not sure - I had never been so scared, or lived through anything this awful like this before. I grew up about stories of war and revolution from my parents. Stories they firsthand had to experience. I did not want us
to had to live through that, this maybe prove to be even much worst.