I approached her desk, desperately rehearsing every line
Before I was even half way there, a blond , strikingly handsome man, still in his leather flying jacket beat me to it. His Luftwaffe uniform was immaculately pressed underneath.
"Shall we go, Heidi? We have the first dance, don't you remember, I made you promise two days ago?"
"Yes Gustav," She cast an anxious glance at the stinking, dishevelled tramp that was me.
"I must attend to the Kapitan-Leutnant, first though"
The pilot turned to face me.
"Oh, one of your sea bed-crawlers." He sneered. "And where have you been hiding when the real war has been going on, Leutnant?"
He stroked the Iron Cross at his throat. I had the sudden urge to tighten it for him. Mine, with the clasp, was still in the baggage from Kiel.
'Sinking English ships, strangling their war effort, and without much help from you fly boys!"
"And if you mean by a real war, killing civillians and bombing them out of their homes...."
"...I'm a fighter pilot. An Ace. How many planes have you shot down?"
"One...."
It wasn't much of a retort. But I was immediately thinkng of Ernst.
He'd stood there and manned the gun when we were caught out on the surface. Me and Christian desperately and clumsily manhandling him down the hatch afterwards, blood spurting everywhere. And then the sad, slight shake of Oscar's head from the Med Bay...
"Pah! That's nothing!" Gustav exclaimed
My fists clenched, and I took a step forward.
"Sirs! Please stop! Remember where you are!"
Heidi's cry stopped me in my tracks
"Come Heidi. That dance you promised me"
Gustav took her by the hand and led her out of the Chateau.
She turned her head at the door and gave me a pleading look.
And then I was alone.
I filed my logs and reports with another young clerk.
"Get me the duty driver, corporal"
"Where to, Sir?"
"Home"
"Sorry, Sir, where's that?"
"St Nazaire. U-46 quarters. That's home."
Lt de Bunsen, U-46
|