CHAPTER 31 - OLDENBURG, GERMANY—FEBRUARY 13, 1917
Max, guided by Nia, kicked snow from his boots and entered the school barn, where Fleck had called a meeting with the trainers and veterans.
After a morning of obstacle work with Nia—absent Anna, who observed from the sidelines with the other trainers—his feet were nearly numb and his lungs ached from the cold air.
He made his way to the woodstove, tapping his cane over the ground.
“Halt,” Max said, giving a tug on the harness.
Nia stopped, and then sat after Max gave the command.
Max listened to the chatter of men, including Fleck and Waldemar, who were discussing plans to send the veterans to town for the afternoon.
He removed his leather gloves and extended his hands toward the heat radiating from the stove.
A subtle, sweet smell of burning birch firewood penetrated his nose.
As he rubbed his palms together, he felt a soft touch to his arm. Anna.
“You did well on the obstacle course,” Anna whispered, as if she didn’t want the others to hear.
“Danke,” he said.
“Fleck commented that you and Nia performed the best of all the groups.”
Max patted the dog’s head. “Gut job, Nia.”
Nia raised her snout and swished her tail.
“That’s not all,” Anna said, giving him a nudge with her elbow. “Waldemar was there when Fleck gave the compliment. I’d give anything for you to see the expression on his face.”
Max smiled. But proving his and Nia’s competence to Waldemar wasn’t the only thing that gave him satisfaction. It was the radiant timbre of Anna’s voice. You’re regaining your spirit.
In the two weeks since Bruno left Oldenburg, Anna had gradually begun to shed her grief.
She’d been devastated by the most horrible of circumstances, yet she pushed on, day by day, with training him and Nia.
Even in the evenings, when they were both tired and hungry, she’d insisted that they carry on with transcribing his piano suite.
Anna, Max believed, was the strongest person he’d ever met, and although she had a long journey of healing ahead of her, it was clear that she was on a path to regaining happiness in her life.
“Attention!” Fleck called, stepping to the center of the barn.
Chatter dwindled. Trainers and veterans, along with their guide dogs, gathered around their supervisor.
Fleck stroked his mustache and scanned the group, as if he was making sure everyone was accounted for.
“This afternoon, veterans will train alone in town with their dogs. They’ll be joined by their trainers as far as the town hall.
From there, each veteran and their dog will travel to an assigned landmark to explore.
You’ll return to the town hall to meet up with your trainer at the end of the day. ”
Fleck is weaning us away from our instructors and forcing us to be independent, Max thought. Although he was excited to explore the town with Nia, he was disappointed that Anna would not be joining them for much of the afternoon.
Fleck lifted his clipboard and began reading the names of the veterans and their assigned landmark, and when he reached the bottom of the list, he said, “Max, hospital grounds.”
Anna leaned to Max and whispered, “You’re lucky. It has a large garden to the rear of the building.”
I wish you were coming with me, he thought.
Fleck tucked his clipboard under an armpit, lit a cigarette, and said, “I have another announcement.” He drew a deep drag. “I’ve decided on a date for graduation.”
Max wrinkled his forehead.
“The twentieth day of February.”
He placed his hand on Nia’s head. A wave of joy flooded him, and then washed away like a retreating tide. Only a week left with Anna.
Fleck puffed his cigarette. “Dismissed.”
Max clasped Nia’s harness and they exited the barn with Anna. The groups spread out and began walking toward town, but the crunch of approaching footsteps in the snow compelled Max and Anna to stop.
“Congratulations,” Emmi said, stepping to Max. “I heard the news.”
“Danke,” Max said. “But I still need to do well over the next seven days to graduate.”
“You will,” Anna said.
“How’s Ewald?” Max asked, wanting to forget that his time with Anna was drawing to a close.
“He’s well,” Emmi said.
“I’m sorry that I won’t get a chance to meet him this summer when he’s home on leave,” he said.
“Me too,” Emmi said. “Someday, Ewald and I will come to see you perform.”
“In the Great Hall in Vienna,” Anna added.
“That would be nice,” Max said. “But I’d be happy to play in any venue that will have me, and I’d be honored to have you visit me in Leipzig.”
Emmi glanced over her shoulder, as if she was concerned that Fleck would notice that she wasn’t working. “I better go. Lots of chores to do.” She turned and left.
Anna, Max, and Nia walked toward town. Their boots crunched over the snow-covered road, and they adjusted their pace to create distance from the other groups, allowing privacy to speak freely.
“Norbie will be excited to hear the news of graduation,” Anna said.
“Ja.” We have little time left together.
“Do you think we can finish Light Suite within a week?”
“I do,” he said, “assuming you’re willing to put in a few late nights of work.”
“Of course,” she said.
They walked for several minutes in silence, the news of his impending departure dampening their conversation. Eventually, it was Anna who broke the quietude.
“I’ve been wondering,” she said, walking with Nia between them. “Have you given any thought to staying in Oldenburg?”
His skin prickled. “I haven’t considered it.”
“With having no family in Leipzig,” she said, “I thought you might be open to a change.”
His mind raced, and he tapped his cane over the ground.
“Oldenburg is a nice place to live, when there isn’t a war, of course. And I’d be here to transcribe your music, assuming you think I’m doing a satisfactory job.”
“Your work is impeccable,” he said.
“Also, there are people here who care about you.”
His pulse quickened.
“There’s Norbie, Emmi.” She swallowed. “And me.”
Max’s chest swelled with hope and gratitude. Anna had captured his heart, and he yearned to stay here with her. But far more than his own self-interests, he wanted what was best for her. I could never let myself be a burden to her.
He tightened his grip on the harness. “I care about you, too. But you have training to do, and you’ll likely be asked to board another veteran with the next class.”
“I can help you find a place to live in town,” she persisted.
He slowed his pace and turned his head toward her. His shoulder muscles tightened. “As much as I enjoy being here, I think it’s best that I give living on my own a try.”
She placed her hand on the harness handle next to his. “I’m not asking you to decide today. But please, promise me that you’ll give it some thought.”
“I will,” he said, already knowing what his decision would be.
Minutes later, they arrived at the town hall. The groups split up—with each veteran and his dog venturing off to their assigned landmark—except for Max and Anna.
“Do you remember how to get to the hospital?” Anna asked.
“I know the way to the general area,” Max said, struggling to bury his thoughts about Anna’s invitation to stay. “I’m sure Nia and I will find it.”
“Make sure you explore the garden. Emmi and I used to spend our lunch breaks there. It won’t be as nice in the winter, but it’ll give you some protection from the wind.”
“I will,” he said. “What will you do with your afternoon?”
“I’ll go home to check on Norbie, and then I’ll see about getting rations.”
He reached into his coat pocket and removed a small paper bag. “In case you don’t have any luck with acquiring food, we can add this to tonight’s dinner.”
“Oh, Max,” Anna said. “You can’t keep giving us your military lunches.”
He held out the bag.
“You need your nourishment,” she said. “Eat it in the hospital garden.”
“I’m not hungry,” he lied. “Please take it.”
Anna exhaled and reluctantly took the food.
“I’ll meet you here later,” he said.
She slipped the bag into her coat pocket. “Good luck, Max.”
He nodded and clasped the harness. “Forward.”
Nia padded ahead, and they left Anna behind.
It was more difficult to find the hospital than he’d thought.
Although he’d previously traversed the area, he took a wrong turn, and after walking several street blocks in the wrong direction, he resorted to asking for directions from a woman who was shoveling snow from the entrance to her front door.
And it occurred to Max that Fleck had expected that the veterans would have trouble finding their destinations.
When I go home, I won’t have Anna to rely upon.
It’ll be up to me and Nia to find our way.
For twenty minutes, he navigated through unfamiliar cobblestone streets and intersections.
Twice, he paused to catch his breath and to make mental notes of his route.
Eventually, Max found the hospital, which he verified with an old man with a raspy voice who was smoking a cigarette near the building.
“We did it, Nia,” Max said. His veins surged with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Nia panted and wagged her tail.
They maneuvered their way to the rear of the building.
Max increased the tapping of his cane until he found the garden, given the winding path that was bordered on both sides by bushes and dormant flower beds.
Relieved to find his destination, he gave the command for Nia to stop.
He drew in a lungful of cold air, which stung his throat and produced a cough.
Kneeling to Nia, he removed his gloves and warmed her front right paw with his hands.
“You were favoring it on our walk.”
Nia nuzzled him.
“Better?”
She licked his nose.
He chuckled, and then stood and put on his gloves. “All right, girl. Let’s take a stroll through the garden.”