Enemies To Lovers 24: Trouble

Veronica was about a year old when Joanna's life changed yet again.

It started with the arrival of two men wearing small black skullcaps. One was only a few years older than Joanna, while the other was middle-aged. Joanna felt an immediate connection with them which she couldn't quite understand.

Upon entering the cabin, they introduced themselves as Abraham Goldstein and Sidney Kramer and stated their mission.

"We have reason to believe that former Nazi war criminals are hiding out in this village," Abraham, the middle-aged man, began. "We intend to find them and bring them to justice."

"I know of no such individuals," said Jurgen.

"May I ask how you received your injuries?" asked Sidney.

"I was injured fighting with Francisco Franco in the struggle against Imperialism," Jurgen replied.

"Forgive me, sir, but you do bear a striking resemblance to this man." Abraham handed him a photograph of himself from several years ago, before his accident. "His name is Jurgen Schiller, and he was responsible for the murders of hundreds of innocent human beings."

"I've never heard of him," said Jurgen. "My name is Jorge Sanchez, and I've lived right here in Alicante my whole life."

"Is that true?" Sidney looked right at Joanna, but Jurgen spoke before she had time to reply.

"Of course it's true!" he bellowed. "You're trespassing on my property, and I demand that you leave at once!"

"Of course, sir," said Abraham. "We are sorry for taking up your time."

After he and Sidney had left, Jurgen sat stewing for a long time. Joanna shook in her shoes. Something inside her had longed to go with their two visitors, although she knew she dared not.

She could never leave Veronica, anyway.

Using his cane, Jurgen left the cabin without saying a word to Joanna. When he returned, it was almost dark and she was preparing dinner.

"It has become too dangerous for us to remain here," he told her. "We shall leave for Argentina tonight."

After finishing their meal, he and Joanna gathered their few belongings and walked away from the cabin forever. Joanna carried Veronica, who was soon fast asleep.

They met with the others on the dock, where Joanna could just make our the shape of the ship. She felt the pounding of her heart as she searched Jurgen's face but saw no emotion.

At last it was time to board, and Jurgen and Joanna walked up the long ramp with the others. Once they were aboard, the passengers were issued keys to their cabins. Joanna soon found the one she, Jurgen, and Veronica had been given was similar to the one they'd just left behind. A bed was on each side of the room, and in between them was a dresser with a mirror above it. Across from the dresser was a desk with several chairs. The desk held a lamp, and a rug with a flower pattern covered the floor.

Veronica was still fast asleep. Joanna laid her in one of the beds, using pillows to make a border so she wouldn't roll off. Then she helped Jurgen to remove his artificial arm and leg and helped him into the other bed. She climbed in beside him and went to sleep right away.

Several hours later, she was awakened by Veronica's wailing. She switched on the lamp and checked her daughter to find she had a soiled diaper. Quickly she changed it, then lay on the bed with Veronica until she'd drifted back to sleep.

Life aboard the ship soon settled into a routine of three meals a day in the dining cabin with the others, with the time in between meals spent mostly reading or napping in the cabin. Joanna washed all clothing and diapers by hand, hanging everything to dry in whatever space she could find. Veronica, who'd just learned to walk, was a challenge to keep up with. Jurgen usually played with her while Joanna did the laundry.

One morning the baby woke up early, screaming at the top of her lungs and tugging at her right ear. Her face was beet red, and she was warm to the touch. Joanna scooped her up and ran toward the doctor's cabin. She knocked and, a few minutes later, the doctor opened the door, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"I think she's sick," Joanna told him.

He took the baby from her and gave her a brief examination.

"She has an ear infection," he told Joanna. He went to his chest, removed a small object, and then returned. "Put two drops in her ear three times a day for ten days."

"Thank you," said Joanna.

Veronica was much better within several days.

After several weeks at sea, Jurgen felt he'd surely go crazy. The routine of life had quickly become boring and monotonous, and he longed for dry land, plants and trees, sand and rocks. If only those damn interlopers hadn't come along, he thought bitterly, dredging up the past, reminding him of the man he used to be, before he became a husband and father.

He'd changed since then - of course he had. Every night, as he'd watched Veronica sleep, memories of those other babies, ripped from their mother's arms, then gassed and burned, had returned to haunt him. He could still hear their screams in his nightmares.

He remembered his daughter's ear infection, her little face contorted in pain, the fear that had gripped his heart. He'd never really known what love was until he'd held her for the first time.

All those babies. At the time, they'd been nothing to him, merely a nuisance to be disposed of as quickly as possible.

Weeks at sea, confined to a cabin almost all the time, had given him far too much time to think. To remember.

Even if they did someday reach land, would he ever regain his sanity?