Juliette held out her hand as a smile grew across her perky cheeks. "Charlie, it is so nice to finally meet you. Claude talks about you all the time."
She seemed sweet and very fond of Claude as she batted her lashes at him, waiting to hear what he had to say next. I took Juliette’s hand and placed a small kiss on her knuckles. "The pleasure is all mine, Fräulein.
"As I was saying," Herr Joel chimed in again. "I hope you and Fräulein Juliette will stay with us. We do have empty rooms if you’re interested."
Claude and his red cheeks turned to face Herr Joel and shook his hand wildly. "Yes, Herr Joel. We would be most grateful."
"Wonderful. I will tell my wife to make a couple of beds up for you."
I was running my fingers through my hair, taking in the sights of Claude being so smitten over a woman. He had never shown much interest in settling down. I knew Juliette must be a special woman.
"Fräulein Juliette, come inside, dear. It’s too hot to be standing outside for so long," Frau Joel shouted at us, making it known she had already met Juliette before I came home.
Juliette glanced over at Claude for approval before leaving his side.
"Go on, I’ll be right inside," he told her before leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek.
"I am so happy for you," I told him.
Claude cleared his throat, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and dabbed his forehead. "Brother, I was worried to mention Juliette, never mind bringing her here to meet you, unannounced at that."
"That’s foolish. Why would you be worried about mentioning a beautiful woman like Juliette?"
Claude placed his hand on my shoulder. "Charlie, your mother has spoken to me. She’s worried about you, as am I. You’re out here alone, chasing after a woman who is in America."
No one understood.
"Well, to be fair, the last time I was being scrutinized it was for following a Jewish woman. Now, it’s because she is in America?"
"Mama says you talk about her a lot when you write and call."
"I love Amelia, Claude. That will never change. Plus, I plan to move to the United States within the year. I have been saving money since I arrived here in Zurich."
Claude forced a grin. "That’s good to hear, Charlie. I want to see you happy; that’s all."
"Me too," I told him.
"Well then, America sounds like a fantastic idea. In fact, Juliette and I have been speaking about it a lot lately, too. She wants to be a singer, so it might be in our future. Who knows, ja?"
"A singer? That’s wonderful." Everything sounded so great for Claude. I was happy for him, but internally sad for myself.
Claude slapped his palm against my back. "Come, Charlie. Let’s go inside."
I followed Claude up to the front door and inside where we heard Frau Joel and Juliette having a friendly conversation. We stepped into the kitchen, finding Frau pouring a pitcher of water into three glasses. "You all must be parched," she said.
Juliette was the first to take a helping of water. When her dainty fingers wrapped around the yellowed crystal goblet, I noticed a sparkle on her left ring finger. I almost choked. The love between them was noticeable, but I didn’t realize they were that serious. I had to digest the information before responding, or my reaction might have come off as crass. Claude deserved every moment of happiness. Didn’t he?
We had both been in the trenches; both almost lost our lives. However, we both watched thousands of Jewish people perish, or worse, had sent them to their death. Did either of us deserve happiness in life?
I couldn’t understand why I was suffering so much.
"Let us hear a song, Juliette," Frau pleaded.
Juliette’s cheeks turned a shade of red as she brushed a fallen strand of hair from her cheek. "Oh, I couldn’t."
"Oh, darling. Let them hear your voice. It’s simply beautiful. You know, that is how Juliette and I met. I was out at a pub one night, and they were featuring a pianist and a singer. The spotlight lit up Juliette’s face, and then I heard the sweetest sound I have ever heard in my life. I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest." Claude told his story with theatrics. He was most definitely in love.
"When did you turn into such a romantic?" I jest with Claude, though I realized soon after it might not have been the right time for a joke. Claude’s eyes studied me with a sense of anger. I had insulted him.
