Losing my arm was my free ticket home, away from the battles, and the war.
And also, away from Amelia. I couldn’t do that.
"Mama, I met a woman," I told her, fearful of what she might say after finding out the following details.
She smiled, quaintly at first. "You did? Where did you meet her? What is her name?"
I swallowed hard, feeling the lump travel down to my stomach. "Her name is Amelia."
"How lovely," Mom responded with a bright look in her eyes.
"She’s Jewish, Mama."
Mama jolted from her seat as if she was sitting on a loose spring. Her hand folded over her mouth, and she paced the small room for a long moment. "A Jewish woman?" she said through an exasperated sigh.
"Ja. She’s a prisoner at the camp where I was stationed."
"Charlie," she huffed. "You could be put away if you were caught with a Jewish woman, or worse. You must not continue to see her."
"I’m not like the rest of them, Mama. I don’t hate others for what they believe."
"I know, Charlie, but you are putting yourself in danger, sohn."
"I need to protect her, Mama."
Mama returned to her seat and rested her hand on my knee. "I am proud of the man you have become, Charlie. I will always be proud of you. Make sure you think this through, though. You are alive and have the rest of your life ahead of you. We are living in a time when rationality is no longer relevant. We aren’t allowed to choose who we love—" Mama cupped her hands over her eyes and pressed her lips together. "Nein. Nein. I am wrong, sohn. I am wrong. You are the one who has always been right. Listen to me, and listen to me good, Charlie." She leaned forward and took my chin within her hand. "I will support you in whatever you do, and whomever you love, but you be careful. Do you understand me? I will not lose you. I will not, Charlie Crane. Do not do anything that will get you killed. That is my only plea as your mother."
I tried to smile, but even the muscles in my face were weak. "I will not get killed, Mama. I was meant to save this woman, though, and if it isn’t too late, I intend to do that for her."
"I’m proud of you, Charlie. However, you have a long road of recovery before you start saving another person, ja?"
I had hope. It might have been false hope, but I was alive, and I had a plan.
Chapter 23
Eleven Months Later - May, 1943
Terezín, Czechoslovakia
Idid not think I would need to plead for permission to return to Theresienstadt. In my wildest dreams, I wouldn't have imagined asking to go back to the concentration camp, but I had one reason to return, and it could have been for nothing. The chances of Amelia still working as a medical assistant were beyond slim, but if there was a chance, I needed to go back.
I remained in the hospital for a month and was sent home with Mama to recover. It was nice to be home for a bit, but the thoughts of what I left behind, of what I saw, gave me a different outlook for the future. I was not returning to Hitler's playground to be the bad guy. If God kept me alive after blasting my arm off, then I was meant to do something more with my life.
In the year I was gone, the town of Terezín had taken to the war, showing the side effects of death, ashes, and smoke. The once beautiful area was discolored and gray. I didn't know what to expect when walking back in through those gates of hell.
"Welcome back, soldier!" My comrade greeted me with a smile. I had forgotten his name, but he knew of me. More fellow soldiers welcomed me with open arms and pats on the back. It was wrong. Why be happy while people were dying all around us, because of us?
My gaze was wildly searching the area for a familiar face, but everyone was staring at me, and then the tied-off sleeve of my left shoulder.
Then, through an opening, I spotted the beautiful woman.
She was alive.
Amelia was still alive.
She looked frail, skin and bones, and pale. She had been even more brutally starved than before I left. Despite the condition she was in, my heart pounded heavily within my chest. I wanted to cry, fall to my knees, and thank God for this tiny miracle. However, I couldn't even make eye contact with Amelia or others would know where I was looking. Through the corner of my eye, I noticed her gaze sweep over me. She then departed her post and fled into the medical block.
Something had changed.
