The Air Raid Book Club(92)
Arno’s face clouded at the memory. “1943. We were at Theresienstadt before being sent east. They wanted young men to work in the factory, so I was chosen. We knew it would probably be the last time we saw one another.” He stared at the cup in front of him. Hedy grasped his hand. “Mother wrote letters.” He looked from Hedy to Gertie. “For each of you.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved two faded brown envelopes. “She told me I had to survive so I could find you and deliver them. I think that gave me courage. She said that if we found each other again we must remember that she and Papa are always with us, that all we have to do is look up at the night sky and find them.”
Hedy nodded through her tears as she took the letter. He handed the other to Gertie.
“Thank you for taking care of my sister,” he said.
“Your sister has taken care of me,” she told him.
Gertie waited until she was home before she read the letter. Her cottage was just along the path from Sam and Hedy’s with a magnificent view of the sea. The orange sun was kissing the horizon as she and Hemingway let themselves in through the front door. Gertie made some tea and carried it out into the garden, enjoying the still cool of the early-evening air. Breathing in the scent of lavender, she paused to enjoy a new pink rose, freshly bloomed that day, then sat on the bench that Sam had set up for her in the perfect spot looking out to sea. As the sky darkened, Gertie gazed upward, noticing two vivid stars in the distance. She thought back to Else’s promise and smiled as she began to read.
Theresienstadt, 14 January 1943
My dear Gertie,
I hope you don’t mind me addressing you in such an informal way. It is just that after Hedy’s letters I feel as if I know you like a friend. I’m not sure when or how this letter will reach you, but I have entrusted it to my dear son, as I know that if anyone will bring it to you, he will. I sense that these letters will be the last I am ever able to write. My hands are shaking at this thought because it means that I will never see my darling daughter again. It pains me deeply to think that I will never catch sight of her beautiful face or hold her in my arms or kiss her soft cheek once more. I pray that one day she will become a mother so that she understands the strength of feeling I have for her. Hedy and Arno have brought my husband and me untold joy and love. I have never felt love quite like it. It is as wide as the ocean, as constant as the night sky, and it lives with you forever, regardless of what happens. It is also the reason we decided to send Hedy to England. I need you to understand how difficult it was to make this decision. I spent many sleepless nights questioning if it was the right thing to do and drove poor Johann mad with my fretting. On the day Hedy left, I was inconsolable. I would remember her sweet face gazing out the train window, so brave, so stoical. Every night in my dreams, I saw her crying out, begging us to let her stay. I would wake in a cold sweat, fearful of what had become of her. But then Hedy’s letters started to arrive, and she told us about you and how kind you are. I could picture you both sitting in the garden with Hemingway. It made me think of our darling Mischa. I knew then that we had made the right decision. To lose your child and know you will never see her again is a living nightmare, but the thought that you were taking care of her, acting as the mother that circumstances prevented me from being, is everything to me. I can never thank you enough for what you have done. It is an endless comfort to me as a mother to know that my daughter is surrounded by love and kindness. In hopeless times, when there is nothing but darkness in the world, they are all we need.
Ever yours,
Else Fischer
The Bingham Books Bugle
Christmas 1952
Warmest greetings to all our book club members, old and new.
As you know it’s been a busy year with two new branches of Bingham Books opening in Hoxley and Meerford. We are pleased to report that Cynthia and Archibald Sparrow have assumed the roles of manager and assistant manager, respectively, for the original Bingham Books in Beechwood.
We’ve had a wonderful selection of book club reads and meetings to enjoy, organized by our newest Bingham Books employee, Will Chambers (son of children’s illustrator and local resident Elizabeth Chambers). Notable highlights have been the visit of Miss Barbara Pym to discuss her book Excellent Women and the children’s book club meeting to discuss Charlotte’s Web, where all the children made pig masks!
We were saddened to hear of the death of Thomas Arnold, who ran Arnold’s Booksellers for over fifty years and was greatly respected by everyone in the book world. Our old friend and niece of Mr. Arnold, Gertie Bingham, asked us to convey how grateful she has been for your messages of condolence. She is still enjoying her retirement on the Sussex coast living close to our favourite children’s author, Hedy Fischer. We are excited to report that none other than Walt Disney is planning to adapt her bestselling Adventures of Gertie and Arno (illustrated by the aforementioned Elizabeth Chambers) into an animated film.
In other news, we send congratulations to former Bingham Books assistant bookseller Betty Hardy and her husband, William, who moved to Florida after the war and have recently welcomed their second child, Jimmy, a brother for Scarlet, into the world. We also send best wishes to former Bingham Books orders clerk Mrs. Eleanora Higgins, who recently opened a taxidermy business with her husband, Mr. Horatio Higgins. We wish many happy returns to Mrs. Constantine and Mr. Reynolds, two of our most loyal book club members, who both celebrated their ninetieth birthdays this year. Last but by no means least, congratulations to Mr. Gerald Travers, another book club regular, who won the 1952 Kent Best Allotment Award, and to his wife, Mrs. Margery Travers, who was recently appointed to the national chair of the Women’s Institute. She is looking for someone to take over on a local level and asks that interested parties contact her directly at Beechwood 8153 to arrange an interview.