Chapter 13 The Wedding
The Wedding
The outskirts of Berlin
The wedding location was ideal, and the day was pleasantly warm, though it looked like a storm was brewing. Perhaps the weather
would ruin things. But what concerned Derek more than rain was that his fiancée seemed more focused on her books than she
was on him. He understood her frustration and fears, but sometimes he sensed that literature separated them more than it united
them. He knew that Helene could say the same thing about his work, though. Words and bullets did not tend to coexist in harmony.
Helene was with her mother and sister in the bridal room, putting the finishing touches on her appearance. She was happy,
and she loved her fiancé, but her mind was elsewhere.
Kaiser, looking precious with a pink bow tied around his neck, watched her from a couch at the villa hosting the wedding and reception.
The midday sun illuminated the quaint room, and the aroma of lilies sweetened the air.
The only firm request Helene had about her wedding was that it be full of flowers.
There was even a human-sized rose archway over the wooden altar.
“Where’s your mind, honey? You seem distracted,” Maria asked. She was wearing an elegant blue gown.
What weighed on Helene was far more than the books. “Mom, I’m perfectly happy, but you know how things are going. Your parents
and the rest of our relatives are still in Berlin. I’m really glad they get to come to the wedding, but I wish they were somewhere
safe, far away from here.”
“You know how stubborn they are. But if I were in their place, I figure I’d be the same way.”
“That’s another thing. I don’t think it’s safe for you and Dad to stay in Germany either. Dad’s been part of liberal administrations
and has spoken out against the Nazis. And you’re a Jew on both sides.”
“But if we all leave, who will stop these people?” Amalia chimed in, furious. She was as anti-Nazi as Helene but rarely spoke
up about it, since she didn’t want her plans for college to get wrecked. “Did you know they’ve threatened to keep me from
finishing high school?”
Helene gaped and turned to her mother.
Maria gave an apologetic shrug. “I didn’t want to worry you. She’ll be able to finish at one of the Jewish schools. This madness
can’t go on forever. They’re saying that the military is fed up with the SA and that they’re planning a coup.”
“Those are just rumors. Derek says the army is fawning before them. The Nazis have managed to buy off the general staff, raise
everyone’s salaries, and give them what the country has been begging for: an army that can bring back the glory days of Germany.”
“Let’s leave politics for another day. Today you’re getting married. You’re doing it for love, like I did, and that makes
me so happy.”
Helene stood up and hugged her mother. Her white dress was tailored to flatter her figure, which she typically hid behind
formal clothing appropriate for a librarian. Today, her makeup showed off her cheeks, red hair, and lovely gray eyes.
“You look gorgeous!” Amalia exclaimed, as if realizing it for the first time.
Outside, the guests were already seated in the shade of the huge poplar and elm trees. The surrounding fields of wildflowers
seemed to have been sown precisely for that day. Bouquets lined the central aisle leading up to the rose archway.
Derek had not yet taken his place at the altar. He was still fixing his bow tie and hair while Blaz passed his gloves from
one hand to the other impatiently.
“Shouldn’t you be wearing your uniform?” Blaz asked for the millionth time.
“Dad, I don’t want to turn this into a military event. I’ve only invited a few of my colleagues, and the general isn’t able
to come after all.”
Unsatisfied, Blaz smoothed his Prussian mustache. He did not approve of the wedding. Half of the bride’s family was Jewish,
and this was no time to play around with destiny. He was a retired officer, a veteran of the Great War decorated with the
Iron Cross. His blood was as Aryan as von Hindenburg’s. Mixing it with a half-Jew was not a good idea.
Derek’s brothers were waiting a few yards away with the bridesmaids and the ringbearers.
Most everyone was wearing light-colored clothing, given the warm humidity that had settled over Germany a few days prior.
There was tension in the air. On one side of the aisle sat the groom’s family.
Most bore an aristocratic aloofness, both cool and martial, with tailor-made suits and the ostentatious nature of old Prussian traditions.
On the other side of the aisle sat mainly businessmen, lawyers, and doctors.
Most were Jewish and some wore Orthodox vestments.
When the first few notes of the “Spring” movement in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons began, the bridesmaids and their escorts began the procession. Joy and health shone out of their beautiful young faces. The
groom and his mother followed. Gisela had chosen a lightweight, neutral-colored dress that fit her like a glove. While not
stern, she only smiled to return the greetings of the close family members she passed. Beside her, Derek’s heart was pounding
so loudly he was sure others could hear it. His mouth was dry. He concentrated on breathing in the perfume of the flowers
mixed with the afternoon smell of the surrounding countryside.
Derek helped Gisela settle in her seat, then took his place before the altar. The bridesmaids and groomsmen had fanned out
on either side, awaiting the bride.
Helene carefully walked down the stairs with her parents beside her. When she had heard the music from afar, it all became
real: She was about to marry the finest man on earth. It felt like the ground was melting beneath her. She would love this
man forever, no matter what fate threw at them.
When they got to the edge of the garden, before turning to slide through the hedges and step onto the aisle of flowers, Helene
squeezed her mother in a tight embrace. A few tears dropped down onto her cheeks.
Maria kissed her forehead. “Be happy, my daughter! Don’t expect anything more.”
Helene steadied herself on her father’s arm, which he held out to her as he beamed.
“Shall we?” he said softly. His graying red hair was perfectly combed, and his kind eyes were a bottomless well of tranquility
for Helene.
They commenced the walk behind the little girl and boy who held the rings steady on the pillows. The guests momentarily forgot
their differences and rose in collective admiration of the bride’s beauty.
Helene’s step was sure, but her emotions spilled out of her lovely eyes as she beheld Derek standing at the altar. She knew
he would give his life for her. Scenes from their early days together flashed before her: when he walked up to her that first
time at the jazz club, when he later confessed that he had fallen in love with her at first sight, and when she returned his
declaration with a smile, because she had already known it.
Before Gustav handed her off, he leaned forward and whispered, “My child, when you feel lost in life, don’t forget to follow
the path that leads you home. We love you!”
Helene breathed deeply to keep even more tears from falling and gave her father a hug. Then Gustav held out Helene’s hand
to Derek and moved aside, the most sacrificial step a father can take. “Take care of her,” he whispered.
“I will, sir,” Derek said, knowing he was stealing a treasure from the Weber home.
The ceremony was simple and sweet. The pastor’s message was brief.
Before being pronounced man and wife, the couple spoke aloud the vows they had each written.
Derek was intimidated to share his feelings in public, not to mention the fact that his bride was an expert writer.
But he took a deep breath and began to read: “I will love you as long as there’s air in my lungs.
Because of you, I have known what true love is.
I would rather have one moment with you than an eternity without you.
Before these witnesses, I pledge to you my love.
I pledge to protect you and care for you all the days of my life. ”
Helene bit her lip, then smiled through her tears and whispered just for him, “Well done, babe.” Then she began to recite
her vows. “You are the best man in the world. I have never met a nobler soul. You’ll always be my home, because you’re my
best friend, and there’s nothing I want more in this world than to share my life with you. I promise to love you, respect
you, care for you, and bring you joy all the days of my life.”
The happiness surrounding the ceremony was palpable, momentarily chasing away the shadows shattering the world around them.
The mothers in the crowd were dabbing their eyes. Amalia was swallowing hard to keep back her tears, and Lena had rested her
head on Gabor’s shoulder, dreaming of when it might be their turn. Klaus was grinning and trying to capture the moment with
a camera. Helene’s maternal grandparents were bursting with such pride in their beloved granddaughter that they felt a peace
they had not known since Hitler had come to power.
The pastor raised his hands and said, “By the authority invested in me as an ordained minister in the German Evangelical Church
and by the authority from God our Father, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!”
The couple melted into one another in an ecstatic kiss. The guests burst out in raucous applause. Happiness was so near at
hand.
Then, as the wedding party processed down the aisle, the sky darkened, the wind whipped up, flowers swirled around, and huge gray clouds billowed over the horizon.
The smell of humidity overpowered the scent of wildflowers, and fat, chilly drops started to fall.
Guests and the bridal party ran for cover, but there was no safe place to take shelter anymore.