Here we get a glimpse of Brian's past.

Chapter 2

 

Having somewhat of a tranquil nature, Brian kept his inner most thoughts hidden within his secluded self. Never did he share his burdens, fears, or insecurities with neither man nor woman. No one needed to know what hell he went through in the Vietnam War. He was a cheerful, happy go lucky person, enjoying every day to its fullest. To Brian this meant smoking a joint or maybe ten of them during office hours. After office hours he would take certain clients of moderate life styles out to dinner. They all smoked reefer which enhanced their fun time. The down fall was that smoking the reefer made Brian very hungry and thirsty. There were times that he himself would consume enough food for three people. Then to quench his thirst he would drink half a gallon of whisky or rum. This ritual was not just once a week, it was every night. Before Brian realized it, years had gone by and he noticed that most of his money went for drugs, alcohol and some food…..bills, what were those! After going to his dingy little one room apartment he would bring out the white powdered stuff. Before retiring for the night he would draw up lines of cocaine, about a gram or two. He would then snort them up line by line until his favorite stated of mind arrived. During this time he would let his worries and troubles float away …entering the world of nonsense. Brian thought that by drowning out his problems through drugs and alcohol they would leave, that his numb mind would put up a stone wall to prevent any leakage of his problems. He hope that they would magically leave, but the past had a way of creeping up on him when he least expected it to.

 

 

Married and divorced three times, Brian claims that is the reason he had been declined by so many law firms until he met up with Randal. Because of so many rejections and disappointments he had sustained thus far in life he turned to the one and only friends that would not hurt him back. That of course was grass, cocaine and liquor. There may have been more but he didn’t even know.

 

His first wife had only been one of the town locals down in the small hick town of Zanesville, Ohio. With only a population of fifty people he couldn’t be too picky. He had no desire to leave Zanesville; it was home…where everyone knew everyone else as if they were all one big happy family. There was a one room school house that still resided at the time of the year 1957 small towns don’t grow as fast as larger ones and this particular one wanted to remain small. The year Brian was to graduate there were only twenty student’s total in which eleven would be graduating. Even though Brian was the smartest there, it was a miracle he that he had enough education to qualify him to get in to college. Immediately after graduating from high school he was entrapped into marrying a young sixteen year old. Brian had come into a very large amount of money just before graduation and a third cousin of his wanted to cash in as well. She was poor and felt that since they were related that he should give her some. Her father then decided to get his shot gun and have the two of them get married so they could all share the profits. The marriage didn’t last more than a week because it was found out that Brian was to use a portion for college and the rest he would receive at age twenty two. If you should get married his wife would not be entitled to anything. So the young girl filed for an annulment since they never consummated their married. That was fine with Brian.

 

At eighteen Brian had enrolled in Cleveland State University and began his long climb towards being a lawyer. Being level headed and strong willed he was determined to make it as a lawyer. In his third year at Cleveland State University the Army caught up with him and he was then stationed in Germany where he waited for his orders to go to Vietnam. The army told him that it was his duty and all his college expenses would be paid when he returned to the States.

 

To his surprise he was first stationed in Düsseldorf, which lasted about two weeks. He was then transferred to a small remote village near the East Germany boarder. Life there was simple, as if it were another American day in Zanesville Ohio except that everyone spoke German. He carried his little translator book with him and did attempt to translate what every one was saying, but the disappointment of not being able to communicate with was getting frustrating making get angry. The day he threw his translator book in the river he met a very intelligent and knowledgeable pretty young woman.

 

Her name was Gertrude, but most just called her Gerty. Strangely she had a German father and an American mother. From childhood she was able to speak both languages fluently. As Gerty got into her teens her mama would let her go to the market to get the daily food. To Gerty’s surprise she found out that she was a great asset to all through translating the deals that were taking place in the street for the tourists. As time went on the merchants paid her a small sum for her help and now at nineteen Gerty had earned enough money to buy her some new things that she had been admiring for some time.

 

Brian over heard a young English speaking lady with a German accent arguing with an American tourist and a chubby German fruit merchant.

 

"You have to pay for these." (In German) replied the angry fruit merchant, shaking his finger at the woman. Stoutly the woman screamed into the merchants face.

 

"I will not pay for this rotten fruit." Gerty translated in German to the merchant.

"My fruit is not rotten. It was picked fresh this morning!" insisted the merchant.

 

Looking at the fruit, Gerty could instantly see the woman’s point. The fruit was discolored and oozing its juices on to her hand. Gerty then pointed this out to the merchant and replied,

"Sir, as you can see for yourself, this fruit is a bit spoiled. Why don’t you lower the price? The woman may want to buy it then."

 

"You woman are all alike! You bargain me down to the ground." haughtily yelled the merchant in his thick German accent. "Very well, I will lower the price!"

 

As the woman and the merchant were making their exchange, Brian grabbed Gerty’s arm and gently pulled her to the side.

"Would you mind helping out a poor confused American soldier?"

Startled, Gerty replied blushing from the sudden attraction, "Yes. What can I do for you?"

 

Brian wasn’t going to waste any time being shy, he was just going to ask her. Smiling he stated, "It gets pretty boring around here when you can’t talk to any one simply because you don’t know their language. After a month I feel as though I am the only one around here, but still there are many wonderful faces and laughter. Guess what I am trying to say is that I need a friend to talk to."

 

Returning Brian’s smile Gerty said, "I know what you mean. Everyone my age has gone away, which leaves me, my parents, and their friends to try to communicate with. After awhile you run out of interesting things to say since they are older and have more knowledge about the world around us. There are times when you just can’t tell them your inner most thoughts and feelings. I was sent away to school and when I returned the people my age had gone off to war, married and left to venture to another country or city."

 

Returning her smile Brian hesitated for few seconds then asked, "Would you like to join me and have a cup of coffee?"

 

"I’d love that! After translating all morning I sure could use a break. Where would you like to go? There is an out door café down the road that I am sure you have seen or even gone into." Gerty said as she pointed down the old worn brick road.

 

Eagerly Brian nodded his head and they both strolled toward the empty café. Without thinking he just automatically put his arm around her shoulders as they walked. It was uncanny to Gerty that she even allowed a complete stranger to do such a thing, but today it seemed so natural to her so she said nothing about Brian’s arm over her shoulder. It felt warm and comforting as well, something she had not felt in a long time.

 

They walked slowly along the worn out brick road that she knew twenty years ago there was military fighting and war going on. Her mother had told her that bodies and body pieces would litter this street until troops came to gather them up, only to repeat the same scenario a few days later. They lived just about at the end of the street on the third floor apartment building where her parents and grandparents hid under floor boards. Sometimes they were hidden in the floor for more than a day as the Nazi soldiers walked about them. They were able to lock themselves under the boards so that the Nazi soldiers could not accidentally kick or try to get the boards open. Well that was before her time and when she was six years old her parents sent her to England to go to school. After returning over a span of many years she hardly recognized her home town. Her mother and Father did get away to visit her in England every six months or so. It was rough not being with her parents during her primary years and teens. They seem like strangers as they sit and say nothing. Very little communication has ever been exchanged but her grandmother told her much about what was. Some how she could sense that her Mother was very embarrassed to talk about the past so her Mother would not say anything. Now Gerty has met some one close to her own age and she had many questions about the world beyond her prison walls. Once she had come back from England last year at almost eighteen years old she had not been allowed to go any where. Things were the same in England. The couple that she lived with had other children living with them as well. There were a total of sixteen children, she was the eldest. One of her duties was to teach the younger children math and some of the arts, of course that was after she learned the English language. She mastered that in about a little over a year. Gerty kept reminiscing until Brian broke her spell by asking a question.

 

"Is this the café you were referring to?" questioned Brian.

 

Startle from the jolt back to reality she quietly replied, "Ah, yes. This is the famous Fir Café that has been here for many years, even before I was born. I love it here. You get to meet so many different people from all over the world."

 

Without a spoken word they simultaneously chose the same table which was near the road. The table was in a sunny spot to warm them and no one would over hear what they were saying.

 

"Would you mind ordering for the both of us? Every time I try it’s never what I imagined." Brian asked in a disgusted baritone voice.

 

 

Gerty laughed and could only imagine what he had ordered when he did not know the language. The illumination of her sparkling blue eyes sent a spark of warmth throughout his body. It felt good. Was this love he wondered? Or was it some sort of virus? He was never in love before so these feelings and hot flashes, giddiness and spur of the moment decisions were all new to him. Yes! This must be love he thought….he had never acted this strange before.

 

Neither one bothered to count the endless hours that they spent talking nor that the day was dimming as dusk approached. Hours had slipped by as they exchanged their life’s history so far. A sudden chill ran down Gerty’s spine as the country air had turned cooler.

 

"Oh my, I must be getting home. Mama and Papa are probably worried sick thinking that I might have been kidnapped or something. Since I am their only child they worry about me all the time! Besides, I have never stayed out this late before." stated Gerty as she took in a gulp of air.

 

"Please let me escort you to your home. I wouldn’t want my one and only friend to get kidnapped. Who will then teach me to speak German?" laughed Brian.

 

"What about you?" asked Gerty?

"What about me." questioned Brian?

"Don’t you have to get back to your station by now? Don’t you have some type of curfew?" Gerty asked.

"Yes I do have a specific time to get back to my station, but it has to do with time, not whether it’s light or dark out side. The Army is not that harsh on a man over here. All one has to do not to get in to hot water is to obey a few simple rules, salute the big man, and you’re do just fine." Brian replied as he took off his jacket and placed it over Gerty’s shoulders.

She smiled a thank you and continued to talk as they walked toward her home. ""Oh I see. Well then perhaps you should walk with me." She had not even noticed that they were already walking towards her house.

"My supper will be waiting for me and there will be enough for a robust young man as you. You are hungry aren’t you? She questioned.

His stomach growled at the mention of food, so he accepted without any hesitation." Sure, I should get fueled up." Brian smiled at her shyly.

 

Gerty’s house was only half a block down the war worn brick road from the café. The building was worn out as well, never having been repaired from the war.

Outside of the building many large chunks of once very elaborate architectural concrete had been obliterated from the bombings during the war. The building was only three feet from what was once a beautiful red brick laid street which was now a dirt road with remnants of the brick scattered along the road. Inside the flat there was just enough room for the three occupants. There were two bedrooms with open door ways to reveal crisp made beds a kitchen while in the center of the flat was an area that served as a living room, dining room all in one, then one small bathroom off to the opposite side off the bedrooms. The aroma of a roast filled the flat as Brian’s stomach began to grumble. When was the last time he remembered having a roast?

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