06
- Two Men, A Trumpet And A Gypsy
Ivan
was in the garage, working on one of the cars, when he saw Greta
approaching with that boy from next door. He wiped his oil stained
hands with an even oilier rag, and waved to her. When she was in the
garage and standing before him she looked at him with deadly
earnestness in her eyes. Ivan recognized that look as one he had seen
in her mother's eyes the day the Russians came to Budapest.
“Ivan.
I need you to tell Eddie the story you told me about my parents.”
Greta said.
Ivan
looked back at Greta, trying to summon some earnestness of his own.
“Now, my dear child. You know I'm not supposed to tell that story
to anyone who is not part of the Family.”
“But,
you don't understand, Ivan. Eddie and I are in love.” Greta said,
taking Eddie's hand in hers and squeezing it tightly.
“Ahhhhh.
I see. That does change things, doesn't it? Well, I will tell you the
story again, so that your companion will know what sort of girl he is
falling in love with.” Ivan chuckled. They were barely 13. Whatever
it was they were up to, and he sensed that something was going on, it
was a bit too soon to be love.
Ivan
pulled a wooden crate over to sit upon, and launched into a tale that
Eddie would probably not understand.
It
was 1941. World War two had begun a few years ago. Many nations were
involved or were becoming involved. Many people's lives were changed,
their ideals questioned and re-evaluated. Many things that we had all
taken for granted now became secondary and we all had to adapt to new
situations.
Our
story begins with a man named Felix Konig, a corporal in the
Wehrmacht....what you would call the German army. Felix had come to
the Cafe de Paris, a popular jazz cafe in London. He liked to play
the trumpet and had played here a few times. But, Felix had recently
learned that wanting to be a jazz musician and wanting to play jazz
were not the same thing. So, Felix had decided that being a jazz
trumpeter was not for him and he decided to sell his horn. A friend
of his had a friend who knew a girl who knew a guy who was looking
for a horn. And that's how Felix Konig met Roberto Canavar.
Ivan
saw how Eddie's attention was roused by the mention of Roberto and he
surmised that his being here in this garage, listening to the tale of
Greta's parents, had something to do with the recent disappearance of
Roberto Canavar.
Their
meeting was to be brief, just long enough to complete the
transaction, and then Felix planned to return to Budapest. They were
sitting at a table outside the cafe. A jazz quintet had just finished
its set and was packing its gear into the back of a dusty jeep. Their
lead singer was a tall, slender, sensual redhead wearing a green
sequined dress and a pink shawl. Felix was instantly and acutely
aware of how stunning she looked and he wondered if, after the sale,
he might be able to buy her a drink.
Roberto
was examining the trumpet when the green-eyed lady in the even
greener dress sauntered over to their table. She focused those
sparkling green eyes on Roberto. She placed a long french-looking
cigarette between her sensuous red lips and said, "Hey there,
bugle boy. Can you light my fire?"
Roberto
never even looked up from his examination of the horn. "I don't
play with matches and therefore I do not light fires. And it's not a
bugle. It's a Stradivarius trumpet. Now if you don't mind, could you
go interrupt someone else."
Felix
chuckled. This Roberto fellow was either married or gay. No matter.
His refusal to acknowledge the lady gave Felix the opening he needed.
He stood up and tipped his fedora at the lady. "I believe I can
light that for you."
He
reached into the pocket of his trousers and produced a box of wooden
matches. He lit one and cupped it in his hand as the lady with the
sparkling green eyes leaned forward to light her cigarette. As she
did so, she glanced at him. Her eyes sparkled even greener and Felix
knew he wanted more.
"Perhaps
we could have a drink after I'm done here. It shouldn't be too long."
Felix inquired.
"I
certainly hope not. I'm feeling very thirsty," replied the lady
with the sparkling green eyes.
Roberto
had finished his study of the trumpet. He remarked that it was in
excellent condition and he agreed to purchase it for the price they
had agreed upon. After completing the transaction, Roberto departed
the cafe.
Felix
and the green-eyed lady had that drink. Then they decided to go
outside the cafe, to smoke a cigarette and look at the night sky. It
wasn't so foggy that night. As they talked, they walked.
The
green-eyed lady introduced herself as Gretchen and spoke briefly of
being born into a poor Romanian family, of discovering at the age of
ten that she could sing, of leaving home at sixteen, joining up with
a band of gypsies and finally being here, tonight, still with the
gypsies.
Gretchen
asked Felix to speak about his past and how he came to be here
tonight, selling his trumpet to that rude but handsome man. Felix
started to speak but then they heard the whine of the siren, and the
distant roar of approaching bombers, sounds that reminded them of the
reality of their world.
At
first, they thought to go back to the cafe, but Felix had a room at a
hotel on this street and, luckily, it was in the basement level, so
they headed there instead. Felix felt a shiver as he remembered their
decision not to seek refuge in the cafe. For the cafe was one of the
bombers targets. Two bombs went down a ventilation shaft and exploded
in the basement of the cafe, where the stage was. Everyone in that
room died instantly. Outside, there were only wounded patrons, about
a hundred of them.
Gretchen
wept as she realized all her friends had all perished in the blast.
Felix held her in his arms and tried to comfort her in her grief.
They spent the night at his hotel. In the morning, Felix told
Gretchen she could come with him to Budapest to stay at his villa for
as long as she needed.
Gretchen
agreed and so they departed on the morning train. It would be two
day's travel to the port of Newhaven, so Felix had arranged a
compartment rather than seats in the main car.
They
talked almost the entire trip, intense conversations about the
universe and everything in it.
Ivan
paused to light a cigar. “I'm sure you and Greta have similar
conversations, the two of you being in love after all.”
Eddie
sat up straight and looked squarely into Ivan's eyes. “As a matter
of fact, we do have those kinds of talks.”
“That
is good, little man. But, allow me to continue the story before you
decide to compare yourself with her....with Felix.”
The
talking lasted through dinner. A sumptuous feast of lamb and sweet
potatoes, fresh corn and breads. They drank at least two bottles of
wine as they ate. They talked and laughed and flirted and somehow
last night's tragedy seemed only a dream that faded wth the morning
light.
When
the attendant came to clear away their dishes, Felix ordered a bottle
of champagne and ice. They opened the compartment's tiny window and
enjoyed a cigarette. As they lay there on the foldout bed, staring
into each other's eyes, both of them knew that champagne would not be
required. And so, with the train clickety clacking through the Alps,
and the warm night breeze caressing their bodies, they gave their
souls to each other.
A
week later, Felix and Gretchen arrived in Budapest. Hilda and myself
were, at that time, employed by Felix as housekeeper and mechanic. I
am from the province of Bavaria and Hilda is from Romania, so we all
got along amicably. Gretchen was the type of woman that every man
fell instantly in love with and I was no exception. But, of course,
she was with Felix, my employer, to whom I felt a strong sense of
loyalty and so I kept my thoughts and feelings to myself. Felix was
the type of man that all men followed, a true leader. I was not under
his command but if I had been I would have followed him to hell and
back.
A
few months after their return, Gretchen was with child and in the
early weeks of 1942, she gave birth to a beautiful girl with eyes as
dark as the night sky and as fierce as the sunlight. They named the
child Greta.
Ah
yes, Eddie, Felix and Gretchen are Greta's parents.
They
were not married because Gretchen was Romanian and Felix was a German
soldier and that sort of marriage would not have been allowed.
Despite that, all went well for the next couple of years. Once
Gretchen was recovered from childbirth, she began to work as a nurse
in the Budapest military hospital. It had been built in the caves and
tunnels underneath the Castle in the late 1800s and had not seen much
use until the war we were currently fighting.
Gretchen
worked long hours in the hospital. Hilda cared for Greta as if she
was her own child. Hilda and I....are also not married, but we live
together as a couple, so while Gretchen tended to the wounded in the
hospital and Felix carried out his duties as a German officer, Hilda
and I became like guardians to Greta. It was a very pleasant time for
all of us. And then, the Russians came to Budapest.
In
1945, Soviet troops arrived with support from the Romanian militia
and they laid siege to Budapest. The siege lasted a hundred days.
Their intention was to kill all the Nazis in Budapest and emancipate
all the Jews being held captive in the city. Felix was Wehrmacht
which meant he served as a German soldier, but he was not necessarily
a Nazi. In fact, he was often appalled by the atrocities inflicted
upon the Jews and was instrumental in setting up an underground
railroad for smuggling the Jews out of Budapest to nearby Greece. I
cannot tell you anymore about that. Suffice to say that Felix was a
good man.
There
was much about the siege that no one of us cares to dwell upon. Many
died during the siege and the rest perished trying to escape. Squads
of Soviet soldiers led by Romanian secret service agents tried to
infiltrate the city's defenses by entering through the hospital
tunnels. The Germans, with the help of the Waffen SS managed to
prevent such attacks. During one of the skirmishes, Felix came face
to face with a Romanian captain. At first, he did not recognize him,
and his squad would have shot him dead, but then he realized it was
Roberto Canavar, the man who had bought his trumpet and had, without
knowing it, introduced him to Gretchen. Felix spared his life and
brought him to the hospital so that Gretchen could tend to his
wounds. While in the hospital, Felix explained his dilemma to
Roberto. He knew that he must escape before the Soviets stormed the
city. He also knew that his household must be unharmed. So they
devised a plan between them.
Hilda
and Gretchen were both Romanian. Ivan was Bavarian which made him
almost Romanian. So, the three of them could escape the city as
rescued Jews, taking the child Greta with them. Felix would attempt
an escape through the hospital tunnels and find his way to them in
Greece. Roberto could just rejoin his comrades. It seemed like a good
plan. Unfortunately, one of the other officers was captured and
tortured by the Soviets. He revealed the plan some of the Germans had
to escape through the tunnels. So, Gretchen fled to the tunnels to
warn Felix. Before she did so, she begged Roberto to watch over Greta
and her servants until their safe return. Because she and Felix had
saved his life, he agreed.
Roberto
has kept his promise these last nine years. He has become so close to
Greta that she often calls him Uncle. We do not know the whereabouts
of Felix or Gretchen. The last contact we had with them was about
five years ago. At that time, they were employed as consultants for
the British government. That's all I can say about that.
Two
days ago, Roberto spotted a Waffen SS officer at the Market. To throw
him off our trail, Roberto faked his death in a freak drowning
accident. But, rest assured, Uncle Roberto is alive and well and
taking steps to ensure that the Enemy does not find us.
“But,
isn't the war over?” Eddie exclaimed.
Ivan
lit another cigar. “Some wars are never over.” He took a deep
drag on his cigar. “And now, I must get the Studebaker up and
running or Hilda will have a conniption for sure. Off with the two of
you.”
As
Eddie left with Greta, he realized there was still a lot of questions
he hadn't asked and to which he might never get answers. But, it was
an interesting story of that he was certain.
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