"Where are you stationed?" The questions seemed endless. It was as if he was trying to trap me.
"I'm in transition," I said. "Due to my injury." I pointed to my shoulder, hoping he would see that my arm was missing and that there was nothing more than that going on.
"I suppose that's a good time for leave," the guard said. "Give me a moment to call in your name. What is your wife's name?"
I felt faint. It was over. We were about to lose it all.
"Emille Crane," I spoke on behalf of Amelia. Nothing about Amelia screamed German, especially the emaciated look she wore as a label.
The guard shook his head and went off to the watchtower to call my name in. There was no way anything positive was going to come from the situation. Or, at least that's what I assumed.
"You can go on through," the man said.
I placed my hand on the small of Amelia's back as we walked past the towers. What if we were walking into a worse battle zone? I had only hoped it was more forgiving than Czechoslovakia.
"I love you," I whispered into Amelia's ear.
She looked at me with confusion. After all, we had made it through the border.
That must have been what she was thinking.
"Never forget," I continued.
I knew Amelia could not return the words after she explained that she lost everyone she ever loved, but it did not matter to me. I needed her to know how much I loved her, especially after what happened to everyone else in her life.
The guard allowed us to believe he was going to let us pass through until his words belted out: "Jews don't belong in Austria either."
That was the end. "Don't turn around, Amelia. Keep walking and then run," I whispered into her ear, kissing her one last time on the cheek.
That was it. I didn't want it to be the end. I wanted to have the end with Amelia by my side as we grew old. It was just a dream. It was just a silly dream that could never happen.
Our eyes met one last time. Her brows furrowed and her bottom lip fell with discouragement, but she did as I told her to do and ran as hard as she could with baby Lucie.
I knew what would happen next, and I willingly stood in the path of where Amelia was running.
The gunshot sounded hollow between so many trees, but the blast went silent as I took another bullet.
I would take twenty more shots for her.
"Argh!" I shouted, falling to my knees. The momentum of the hit stole my balance.
The bastard shot me in the left shoulder. Lucky for him, I had few nerve endings left in the area. Still, I clutched the wound and grunted, "Let her go, or I'll kill you." My words were foolish. I didn't have a weapon drawn, and the guard did. We were on the same side, yet in that second, I was his enemy.
"Kill me?" the man asked through laughter.
The man shouted a slew of profanities at me for several moments until he walked toward me and yanked me toward the post he was guarding. "I am reporting you to the authorities."
"I don't care," I told him.
I prayed Amelia made it to the train with Lucie. I prayed harder than I had ever prayed in my life.
Every second that passed, more distance grew between Amelia and me, more distance than I thought I could ever erase. To love someone is to set them free.
The guard made a phone call from the post. I was reported by the guard, now waiting for what would happen next. "Why would you do something so stupid?" the guard asked.
"I don't want to be the enemy." My words were not the most intelligent to speak, but it was the truth, and I no longer cared to lie.
"I was trying to shoot her," he said, staring at the blood oozing from my shoulder.
