Chapter Nine

Wilhelm lingered in the backyard garden. He was enjoying the warm sunshine kissing his face. It was the only place where a cherry tree and sweet-scented lilies grew luxuriantly. It all seemed like a little paradise to a simple soldier like him, who had been sent off to the war where he saw the atrocity for quite a long time. He was weary of the brutality he'd witnessed. He longed for peace. He no longer cared about his leaders' ambition in world domination and the notion of racial superiority he constantly heard during their speech. He was just a human being who craved peace and happiness, just like everyone else. "Because all mankind deserves this," he thought.

Wilhelm glanced toward the house. He saw two figures through the window that gave on to the backyard. It was Adeline and Jeanne conversing in the dining room. Shortly thereafter, they went away. He headed back home, passed through the dining room and the kitchen. As he walked toward the front door, he saw Jeanne stepping out of the house. At this moment, it was just Adeline and him in the house. He was looking for her and then found her in the sitting room where she was reading a book.

"Your garden is beautiful. It reminds me of my house," Wilhelm said.

"You must be homesick," Adeline stopped reading, gently put the book aside.

Wilhelm smiled. Indeed, he missed his house and his family in Germany but he was also happy to live alongside her in this house. Not that he was happy to take over her house as a conqueror but the opportunity to meet her was a blessing for him. If it was not the war, he would have never met her. "We're destined to meet in wartime as the occupier and the occupied. It was such a shame!" he thought to himself.

"Your mother and your wife are probably thinking of you now. They expect to welcome back you," Adeline said.

"I have neither a wife nor a lover. I am looking forward to get my leave so I can meet my mother soon. She has been waiting for me since the beginning of the war."

Wilhelm looked closely at a cabinet that displayed a vinyl collection. Above it, a black gramophone stood between a table lamp decorated with coral-style carving and a framed photograph that showed Adeline, Louis, and Jeanne celebrating New Year's Day in 1939. The vinyl collection caught his attention. He found a good subject to talk about. He was elated whenever he had a reason to make her speak so he could hear her voice. "You like listening to songs from various languages. French, English, German and . . . I found classical music here. It's Canon in D Major, one of Pachelbel's finest works. He's my favorite composer."

"Words can't describe how magnificent this piece is."

"Yes, it's indescribable." Wilhelm browsed another vinyl collection again, shifting it sideways one after another. His face lit up when he found Waltz music. "Les Patineurs by Émile Waldteufel. He's also my favorite French composer. I didn't know you like waltz."

"I took a waltz class two years ago. I really adore this dance. The flowing rhythm of the waltz makes it easy to float across the dance floor and move in elegant spins. I always feel like I am at a royal ball with all of the couples floating, swirling and circling the dance floor," Adeline paused for a moment and then asked, "Can you waltz?"

"I can waltz like a pro," Wilhelm smiled. "It's been a long time since I waltz. Oh . . . I miss its music when I sway to its rise-and-fall rhythm," Wilhelm looked nostalgically toward the gramophone.

"If you want, you can play it on my gramophone."

"Thank you for your kindness." Wilhelm took Waltz music out of the record sleeve, placed it on the platter of the gramophone and the music played. "Would you like to dance with me?" he extended his hand, a silent invitation hanging in the air between them.

Adeline felt torn between the desire to dance with Wilhelm because he'd been kind to her and the fear of getting a bad reputation because he was the enemy. But Wilhelm's gentle gaze melted her reservations. She placed her hand in his, her fingers intertwining with his.

The music filled the air. They danced, moving gracefully across the floor. A wave of happiness washed over them as they twirled in a beautiful harmony. Everything seemed to fade away until only they remained in this world. There was softness to their gaze that they could feel deep in their souls. Love embraced them, warm and peace. They wish they could freeze time so this moment will last forever. With a final, breathtaking flourish, the music and the dance ended.

They stood close, their eyes locked.

"I'll never forget this moment," Wilhelm whispered.

"Nor will I," Adeline replied, her voice barely a breath.

***

Wilhelm gave Jeanne a box of tea and the golden round breads this morning. She thanked him with a nod of the head. She felt torn between feelings of kindness toward him because he always behaves well and feelings of anger when she thought of Louis who was a prisoner of war in Germany. She would always regard him as an enemy as long as her son was still not liberated. Nevertheless, she would never forget about his help, the moment he asked a French doctor to cure her daughter and paid his fee.

One afternoon, Adeline and Jeanne were in the dining room. They were eating the bread Wilhelm gave. They thought it was delicious and nourishing. It was different from any bread they had eaten all this time which was made with a mixture of bran and poor-quality flour. Sometimes they felt guilt when they thought of the French people who couldn't get what they had at all.

Wilhelm had just arrived at home. When he went inside, he heard voices coming from the dining room. He paused once he heard his name mentioned. He intentionally eavesdropped on conversations behind the wall.

"Wilhelm likes you," Jeanne said to Adeline.

"How do you know that?"

"I have eyes. I can see that from the way he looks at you. Don't let him get too close to you. I know he behaves properly but he's still our enemy."

Wilhelm fell silent, standing in pensiveness. He waited for Adeline's response, curious with what she thought about him. "So this is the war and the occupation. The defeated will never forget about all suffering. Just like what we felt when Germany was defeated and vanquished in 1918," He thought. Up until now he didn't hear a single word from Adeline's mouth. He stepped into the dining room and greeted Adeline and Jeanne. His French accent was progressively getting better over time; it rather sounded like a Parisian accent now. He looked at Adeline with a soft look in his eyes and she looked at him in return. Jeanne noticed him with an icy stare; her maternal intuition justified her prejudice. She could sense he was into her daughter. After a moment, he went back to his room.

Jeanne was prepared to go to her sister's house. Adeline tidied up the dining table and did dishes. A while later Wilhelm came in, carrying a brown violin case in his hand.

"Would it inconvenience you in any way, if I ask your permission to play a violin in your house?" Wilhelm asked with excessive politeness.

"You're allowed."

Wilhelm walked toward the backyard garden. He didn't wear his Wehrmacht cap; his blonde hair shone in the afternoon sunlight. Through the kitchen window, Adeline watched him play the violin. The melancholic melody echoed through the air and filled their hearts with a sense of sadness. They longed for peace. Yet, it remained very elusive. The war not only brings death but also pulverizes dreams and hopes of those who are caught in its grip. It's tragedy orchestrated by the insatiable greed of those who justify bloodshed for their own selfish gains.

Adeline stepped out of the kitchen and watched Wilhelm playing a violin from a distance. He didn't notice her presence because he was plunged in a somber and contemplative atmosphere. The melody went haunting as if it expressed strong emotions. He let the music speak what he felt: "This war isn't mine but it belongs to the power-hungry and to those who crave control. I gain nothing but the loss of my comrades who were forced to leave their homes and family to fight on distant borders. Their lives were sacrificed on the altar of ambition."

The sound of the violin grew softer and calmer like a comforting embrace. Slowly, its peaceful and majestic sound came to an end.

Adeline approached Wilhelm. "That was incredibly moving," she said, her voice hushed with emotion.

"I apologize if my music brings out the emotions."

"You seem to hide so many feelings that burden your heart."

Wilhelm nodded, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Sometimes I use music to express my feelings that the words can't convey." He paused and then gestured toward his violin with a quiet grace, "Can I play something?"

"What piece are you playing?"

"Canon in D Major by Pachelbel."

"I'd love to hear that," Adeline smiled.

The sky was shining with a brilliant, silvery light. The branches of a cherry tree, pink with blossoms swayed in the soft wind. As Wilhelm drew the bow over the strings, the sound of the violin danced through the air with a rich and melodious tone. Adeline and Wilhelm smiled at each other. Every moment they spent together filled their heart with love and happiness. The warm melody washed over their souls like the flow of the endless peace. How beautiful it was. They were drowned in a romantic atmosphere.