Holocaust Love

The sun began to set, and the family returned home. Yuri and Erika sat together holding hands, Erika's head resting on Yuri's shoulder.

"I had more fun today in so long I can't even remember!" she told him.

"The same is true for me," he replied. She saw he was smiling, which he rarely did. It made him look so much more attractive, she thought.

Ethel didn't speak to Erika until much later, when the two of them were in their shared bedroom, preparing for bed.

"Well, did you have a nice time today?" she asked.

"I had a wonderful time!" Erika replied.

"You'd better get plenty of rest tonight," said Ethel. "We're all going to church in the morning."

"But I've never even been inside a church before!" Erika gasped.

Ethel gave a wry smile. "Well, it's high time you went, then."

My grandmother would be horrified! thought Erika. Yet here she was, a guest in the home of benevolent near-strangers, a beneficiary of their kindness. What other choice did she have but to go along with their wishes?

The following morning, she got up early and put on a frilly white dress with puffy sleeves, a dress she'd borrowed from Ethel. She saw Yuri was well dressed also, in a navy blue suit with a light blue shirt underneath and a matching tie.

In the Hills' Rolls Royce, the family rode to church that morning. It turned out to be a small but tidy white building with a belfry and dark shutters on the windows. It sat on a neatly trimmed lawn with a large shade tree. There was also a slide and swing set, and a chain link fence running around the yard. Erika wondered whether a part of the church might be used as a school for young children on week days.

At the front door, a smiling middle-aged man said hello to her and handed her a printed sheet. She looked at it and saw groups of words she didn't understand.

Inside the church were rows of long benches, and at the front was a podium. Along the sides were panes of glass with multi-colored mosaic art.

Erika gasped and grabbed Yuri's arm. "They're beautiful!"

He gave a wry smile and nodded.

With the Hills, they walked to a bench about halfway down the aisle and sat down. Erika looked around to see mostly families that looked very similar to the Hills. Some had young children, little boys in starched white shirts and black or navy blue polyester pants, girls in dresses with billowy white skirts, lacy white socks, and black patent leather shoes.

A man with white hair came to the podium, welcomed everyone and introduced himself as Reverend Pendleton.

"I see we have some new faces with us today," he announced. "Please stand and introduce yourselves so we can give you a warm welcome."

Erika wished she could fall through the floor. She cast terrified eyes at Yuri.

"It's all right," he whispered in her ear. He clasped her hand, and they stood together. "My name is Yuri Shevchenko, and this is Erika Messer."

His voice rang out clear as a bell. Some of the congregants looked surprised, but they all smiled and welcomed the newcomers.

After that came a couple of songs: 'Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing' and 'Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee.' Erika tried to sing along but couldn't keep up. Yuri moved his mouth to the words.

Following the songs was a long speech by Reverend Pendleton in which he proclaimed the love of God, how He welcomed everyone no matter who they were. Afterwards, dark red velvet purses with wooden handles were passed around. Erika saw Bennett place a couple of bills into one. The purses were collected, and everyone stood to leave. On the way to the door, several middle-aged women shook Erika's hand and introduced themselves. Erika smiled but didn't say anything.

On the way home, Bennett and Janice discussed the sermon while Yuri and Erika sat in the back seat listening. Erika longed for the chance to talk to Yuri alone.

She got it after dinner, when he invited her to take a walk with him. They walked several blocks to an ice cream parlor, where he bought each of them a vanilla cone and they sat at picnic tables outside eating them, napkins wrapped around the cones to catch the melted sweetness running down.

"Everyone seemed so friendly," Erika began, licking the top of her cone where the ice cream was already beginning to melt in the blazing sun.

"They did," Yuri agreed.

"In Berlin, after the trouble started but when we were still allowed to go to school, the Christian children spat at us and called us Christ-killers. I didn't understand. I could never imagine any of my family members or neighbors hurting anyone. One day I asked my grandmother who Christ was, and she told me he was the Christian God and that I wasn't to pray to him because that would be idolatry."

"My grandmother was a Christian, an Orthodox," said Yuri. "She told me of the pogroms in the time of the Tsar, how the Cossacks would raid the Jewish villages and kill them all, every one. By the time I came along, all that nonsense had come to an end, but when I grew to be a young man, the Nazis came along, rounding them up and shooting them. In Babi Yar alone, more than thirty three thousand of them were killed." He snorted. "That's where being religious gets you."

"But the people at church this morning seemed so nice," said Erika. "Certainly not all Christians are bad people."

"Perhaps not," Yuri replied. "Time will tell."

On the way home, the words they'd exchanged kept going over and over again in Erika's mind. She decided she'd ask Janice about it at the first opportunity.

"That's right," Janice told Erika. "No matter who you are, you're a child of God, and He loves you."

"Did the Jews really kill the Christian God?" asked Erika.

"No. He sacrificed Himself out of love for all of humanity. There's nothing for you or anyone else to feel guilty about," Janice told her.

"What do you mean, He sacrificed Himself?"

"He allowed Himself to be put to death as atonement for the sins everyone throughout history committed," Janice replied.

Erika swallowed. "I've never heard anything like that before!" She wondered whether she should tell Yuri what Janice had said and decided against it.

The next couple of weeks passed swiftly and pleasantly. Every morning Yuri left for his factory job, while Erika cooked, cleaned, and performed various household chores for Janice. On Saturdays, the family usually went shopping or on outings, and they always went to church every Sunday morning. Erika felt awkward about it at first but quickly got used to it. Every night, she heard Ethel say her prayers before turning out the light, and one night, she silently said one of her own in the dark.

God, if you're really up there and you can hear me, I have a confession to make. I've been going to a Christian church with this nice family called the Hills. I wouldn't, except they've been so nice to me, taking me in and caring for me when I had nowhere else to go. I hope it's also all right that I love Yuri, even though he doesn't believe in You at all. Please tell Bubbe I'm sorry and I hope she understands.

Feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she quickly slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Friday evening, Yuri came home with a big grin on his face.

"Come on, I have a surprise for you," he told Erika.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You'll just have to wait and see!"

Bennett drove them to the subway station, where they boarded the subway and rode it into the city. When they reached their destination and emerged out into the bright sunlight, Erika found herself gazing at a row of identical red brick buildings that were eight floors each.

"Come on!" Yuri took her hand and led her toward the second building, then through the front door and across a white-tiled lobby to an elevator. He mashed the button for the fourth floor. A few moments later, they were stepping out into a hallway which was also made of white tiles.

The walls were painted white, and several doors lined each side. Yuri led Erika to the door in the middle on the side facing the street. He unlocked it, and they stepped inside.

Erika looked around to see she was standing in a tiny but immaculate living room. The floor was made of wood, and wallpaper with a floral design covered the walls. A brown sofa was against one wall, and across from it was a fireplace with a shelf above it.

"Come see the rest." Yuri took her hand and led her into the kitchen. Its walls were painted light blue. One side of the room contained a wooden table with three matching chairs, and the corner diagonal to it held the stove. A long shelf was above the stove, and across from the table were several smaller shelves.

The bedroom also had a wooden floor, and the same wallpaper covered the walls. The bed had iron posts and was covered with a white quilt, and across from it was the dresser and wardrobe.

"Well, do you like it?" Yuri asked when the tour was finished.

Erika frowned. "It seems rather small."

"It's bigger than Marek's house," Yuri pointed out. "And more importantly, it's mine!"

Erika gasped. "Really?"

"Yes. I used my first paycheck to make the down payment on it earlier today. Next paycheck, I'll get the utilities turned on, and it'll be ready for us to move in!"

"Us? But we aren't even married!"

"That's easily fixed." He dropped to one knee.

All the way back, Erika felt as if her heart had wings. In just two short weeks, she and Yuri would be husband and wife! She couldn't wait to tell Janice the news.

As it turned out, the Hills were thrilled for them.

"I'll speak to Reverent Pendleton about performing the ceremony," Janice promised. "I'm sure he'll be happy to."

Erika thought it would be nice to have a rabbi as well, but she suspected the Hills probably didn't even know one.

The next two weeks seemed to crawl by. Yuri and Erika spent every spare moment talking together, making plans.

"My mother taught me how to sew," said Erika. "I could make curtains for the windows, tablecloths, and pillow cases for the bed." Her eyes dropped, and her smile faded.

Yuri lifted her chin to look into her eyes.

"Are you having second thoughts?" he asked, his voice heavy with concern.

She shook her head. "Oh, no, not at all! It's just that my parents would have wanted to much to be at my wedding, and Tonia - " She choked back a sob.

"I know." Yuri took her into his arms and held her. "I wish my parents and Natasha could be there as well, but I'll never see them again. They can never leave the Soviet Union, and if I returned, I would be arrested and executed for deserting the army."

Thinking of the sacrifice he'd made to rescue her, Erika was ashamed of her selfish thoughts. Knowing your family was still alive but separated from you forever would be almost as bad as knowing they were gone.

"Never mind," Yuri continued, giving her a tight hug and kissing her forehead. "We have each other, so we'll be all right." They cuddled together, holding tightly to each other for comfort.

"Reverend Pendleton wants to meet you beforehand to get acquainted with you," Janice told Yuri and Erika. "Everything will be all right."

Yuri and Erika entered the small office to see the minister sitting at his desk, his head bent over some papers. As they entered, he looked up and smiled.

"Well, hello!"

"I'm Yuri Shevchenko, and this is Erika Messer," Yuri told him. "The Hills said they told you we were coming."

"Indeed they did." The minister stood, motioning to the two seats across from his desk. "Erika Messer. Hm. Did you know your name would be 'Erika Knife' in English?"

"Erika the Knife. Yes, I did." She remembered the Kurt Weill song from her childhood.

When they were both seated, Reverend Pendleton addressed them. "I hope you both understand the enormity of what you are about to undertake. You are joining your two lives together, before God and man, for all time."

Yuri took Erika's hand, clasping it firmly to his side. "We understand."

"The Bible says, it is not good for man to be alone. That's why He created Eve for Adam, to be his companion and helpmeet, to share his joys and sorrows for the rest of his life - for the rest of their lives."

"I remember the story. My grandmother told it to me when I was little," said Erika.

"She must have been a Godly woman," said Reverend Pendleton. He asked Yuri and Erika a few questions about their backgrounds and how they'd met. When Yuri described the conditions of the concentration camp he'd rescued Erika from. the minister tried his best not to look shocked.

"You're so blessed to have survived," he told Erika. "The Lord must have had a special plan for you."

"I lost my entire family," she replied. "There's nobody left but me."

"I'm so sorry," said Reverend Pendleton.

Janice took Erika shopping for a wedding dress. The one they decided on was long and white, with a full skirt and lacy top with short sleeves. Simple but elegant.

The big day finally arrived. Erika had butterflies in her stomach as she rode to the church in the back of the Hills' car. Her life was about to change forever again, but this time, it would be for the better.

Still, doubts besieged her. What kind of wife would she turn out to be? Would she be able to make Yuri happy?

Memories of what the Nazi soldier had done came back to haunt her. He'd made her feel so soiled, so worthless. What would it be like to be alone with Yuri as husband and wife for the first time? Had she be marked in some way so that no man would ever want her?

She tried desperately to push the thought from her mind.

All the pews in the church had white flowers tied with white ribbon on the end, and at the front of the church was an arched trellis with white flowers entwined in its wires. Organ music played as Erika walked down the aisle to meet Yuri at the front.

"Do you take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife, to honor, love, and cherish her, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health and, forsaking all others, cling only to her, until death do you part?" Reverend Pendleton asked Yuri.

"I do." Yuri's voice was solemn and sure.

"Do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honor, and cherish him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health and, forsaking all others, cling only to him, until death do you part?" the minister asked Erika.

"I do," said Erika.

"Do you have the ring?" Reverend Pendleton asked Yuri, who fished around in a pocket for several seconds before producing it. Erika held out her hand, and he slipped it onto her ring finger.

"By the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," the minister announced.

Yuri lifted Erika's veil and kissed her lips, the warmth of her touch sending quivers down to her toes.

The Hills had hired caterers for a lavish reception in the church's fellowship hall. There was a three-tired wedding cake with white icing and a miniature bride and groom on top. Yuri cut off a piece to feed Erika, and she cut off a piece to feed him but dropped it on the way to his mouth. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, but Yuri just laughed.

"it's all right," he told her.

Erika and Yuri mingled among the Hills' friends, none of whom they knew very well. Roger and Ethel congratulated them and wished them the best.

"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you've done for us," Yuri told Bennett and Janice. "I wish there were some way I could repay you."

"You can repay us by working hard and making a life for yourselves here in the land of opportunity," Bennett replied.

There were tears in Erika's eyes as she hugged Janice goodbye.

"I hope you'll stay in touch, darling," Janice whispered into her hair.

"Of course I will," Erika whispered back.

Upon arriving at the apartment, Yuri unlocked the door, then lifted Erika and carried her inside. He carried her through the living room and down the hall to the bedroom, where he laid her on the bed, then joined her.

"At last I have you all to myself," he murmured as he began to kiss and caress her. Her fear quickly turned to passion as he touched her in places she'd never been touched before, his hands wandering over every inch of her body. As she clasped him tightly, she felt the evidence of his arousal pressing into her, and as he released her to remove her clothing, a hard, cold ball of panic settled deep in her stomach.

"Is something wrong?" he whispered.

"N-no," Erika stammered.

"Don't be afraid," he soothed. "It's all right."

With the warmth of his touch, she felt herself slowly relax, and when they finally became one, there was no pain, only ecstasy, and after it was over, he held her and whispered endearments in Russian to her until he heard her even breathing and knew she was asleep.

Erika blinked awake and looked around in the darkening room. Then she felt the warmth of Yuri's skin against her cheek, and it all came flooding back to her - the wedding, and then what had come afterwards. She'd seen a man naked for the first time, had been seen naked by a man other than a doctor for the first time.

She thought of her grandmother, wondering what she would have said about a Christian wedding inside a church to a Gentile, followed by its consummation. She knew the elderly woman wouldn't have been happy about the situation at all.

"Bubbe," she whispered.

"What?" asked Yuri's soft voice.

"Nothing." She yawned. "I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep."

"I must have worn you out." He laughed. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes, of course. Did you?"

"Of course I did. It's made me hungry, though."

Erika sat up. "I suppose I should cook something."

"Oh, no. No." Yuri pulled her back down into his arms. "We just got married, and that calls for a celebration. I'm taking you out to eat."

"Where will we go?"

"There's a place on the corner called Jake's. They sell food I think you'd like."

They left the apartment hand-in-hand. In the fading sunlight, hot dog vendors beckoned to passing pedestrians as shops began to close for the day. Attached to a wall was a fading poster which proclaimed 'Uncle Sam Wants You.'

In about fifteen minutes, they arrived at Jake's Deli. The door made a tinkling sound as they entered, and inside were were a group of tables and chairs with a long bar featuring a variety of foods in front. At one of the tables, a family of four chatted in Yiddish.

"That's the language my grandparents spoke," Erika told Yuri.

"Do you understand it too?" asked Yuri.

Erika shook her head.

They got their food and sat down across from the Yiddish-speaking family. Glenn Miller played softly on a radio on the counter. Yuri picked up a piece of fried potato and fed it to Erika. She giggled, then did the same for him.

"Tomorrow, I'll write to my family and tell them we're married," Yuri told his new wife.

"I hope they approve," Erika replied.

"I wrote and told them about you as soon as I had an address for them to reply to me at," said Yuri. "I haven't heard back from them yet, but I know they'll be relieved to know I'm alive and safe, and as for who I marry, I'm a grown man and capable of making my own decisions, and they'll just have to accept that." His fingers caressed her cheek. "If they met you in person, I'm sure they'd love you."

Erika had to swallow a lump in her throat. She knew that, except for the Hills, she and Yuri were alone in the world, and to her, it seemed incredible they'd met for the first time less than six months ago.

By the time they'd left the deli, it was almost dark. Erika thought of how frightened she'd be if Yuri wasn't with her. His hand in hers was so warm, so comforting.

'I know this apartment's a lot smaller than the Hills' house," Yuri said as they cuddled in bed together that night. "I hope you'll be happy living here."

"With you here with me, how could I not be?" she replied.

The couple soon became adjusted to their new routine. Yuri took the subway to work every morning, while Erika cooked, did laundry, and kept the apartment neat and tidy. Some days she walked to the grocery store a couple of streets over. It was similar to the one she'd visited before with Janice but had a large section that sold kosher food with both English and Yiddish writing on the packages.

When she entered the nearest department store for the first time, Erika felt as if she were entering paradise. The interior was divided into different sections, each of which contained rows of hanging clothing and tables of folded clothing of every description. Long counters displayed jewelry and cosmetics, and in the very center was a moving staircase taking customers to an upper floor.

Eagerly she dashed to it, stepped onto the bottom step, and felt herself begin to move while standing perfectly still. When she reached the top, she found another area almost identical to the lower one, except in addition to clothing, there was also a housewares section.

Time seemed to stand still as she moved from one section to another, marveling at the wonders which were literally at her fingertips, until she noticed the time and, alarmed, hurried home to make dinner for Yuri.

One Saturday in July, a B-52 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building, killing fourteen people and starting a fire which was quickly extinguished. Yuri and Erika weren't close enough to witness it, but they heard about it on the radio that evening. On Sunday they took the subway into Manhattan to see the building, which now had an 18-by-20 foot hole in the north side between the 78th and 80th floors.

One morning in August, Yuri and Erika awakened to the sound of blaring car horns, sirens, factory whistles, and church bells.

"What on earth is going on?" Erika's voice quivered as she clung to her husband.

"I'll find out." His voice was grim as he went to the front door and opened it just a crack. When he saw people running up and down the hallway, he opened the door wider. Their next door neighbor, an elderly man named Tuvia, grabbed Yuri and pulled him into the hallway, kissing his cheek.

"Haven't you heard? The war is over! Japan surrendered!" Tuvia told the bewildered young man.

Yuri turned to Erika with a huge grin on his face.

"At last the world is at peace!" he told her.

Erika just stood there, tears of joy glistening on her cheeks.

Soldiers returned from overseas, and their ecstatic families and sweethearts rushed to greet them. Women who'd taken jobs in factories to replace them now returned home, and Erika suddenly found the grocery and department stores much more crowded than before.

She and Yuri continued to associate with the Hills on a regular basis, and every Saturday, Janice never failed to invite them to church on Sunday.

Most of the time they accepted, out of politeness and a sense of indebtedness. The people were always very polite and friendly to them, and no one was ever unkind to them about their accents.

The last Thursday of November, Janice invited them over for dinner.

"It's Thanksgiving Day," she told them. "The day we Americans thank God for our many blessings."

Yuri had the day off from his factory job, and they took the crowded subway to the station, where Bennett picked them up and drove them to the Hill home.

They entered the house to find two additional guests who'd arrived ahead of them.

"This is my fiancee, Pauline," Roger told them. "We plan to get married next June."

"Congratulations!" said Erika.

"Thank you." Pauline had dark hair and eyes and a sweet smile. Erika knew right away she'd like her. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Erika replied.

"And this is my boyfriend, Frank," said Ethel.

Erika and Yuri shook hands with Frank, and then Bennett prayed over the meal.

Friendly chatter commenced as the family began to eat. Erika could hardly believe that, less than a year ago today, she'd been starving to death in a concentration camp, yet today, the table was laden with much more food than even a whole family could eat in one sitting.

"Where are you from, Erika?" asked Pauline.

"Berlin," Erika replied.

"Oh?" Pauline frowned.

"Erika was a prisoner in Auschwitz," Roger explained. "Yuri was with the regiment which liberated her and her fellow prisoners. I found them alone and on foot in the rain and offered them shelter."

"My!" Pauline gasped.

"Roger brought us to America, where we have started new lives, thanks to him and his family. We will always be indebted to them," said Yuri.

"So where are you originally from?" Pauline asked him.

He sighed. "I cannot say. If I am ever found by the army I deserted, I will be shot to death."

Pauline turned pale.

"Yuri is a very brave man," said Bennett. "He risked everything for the woman he loves."

Yuri felt Erika's hand slide into his own underneath the table, and he grasped it firmly.

After Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations began to appear in stores and on the sidewalks, which puzzled Yuri.

"They bring back memories of my childhood in Berlin," Erika told him. "In school, we would always have a Christmas tree in the classroom, and the teacher taught us Christmas carols. I sang along so the other kids wouldn't make fun of me, but I always felt guilty about it, since my family didn't celebrate Christmas."

"Neither did mine," Yuri replied. "On New Year's Day, Father Frost and his granddaughter brought presents for all the children."

"My grandparents celebrated Hanukkah," said Erika. "Every night, my grandmother would light another candle on the menorah and say the blessings, until on the last night, eight candles were burning, and Toni and I would play with dreidels and eat gelt." She sighed. "Those were such happy times."

Yuri's arm slipped around her, and he held her tight. "You have suffered much, darling. I want to do whatever it takes to make you happy again."

"I'm happy just being with you," Erika told him. "But if it's not too expensive, and wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd really like to have a menorah, to remember my grandmother by."

"Of course that will be all right," Yuri replied. "We will go shopping for one this weekend."

That Saturday, they went to Woolworth's to look for a menorah. It was chilly and breezy outside, but nothing compared to the concentration camp from the year before. Christmas carols were playing over the intercom, and the department store was decorated with red and green streamers.

They found a large section with Hanukkah decorations right beside the even larger section with Christmas decorations. There were so many lovely menorahs, Erika had a hard time choosing just the right one, until she finally saw one which was similar to the one her grandmother had owned.

"It's beautiful," Yuri agreed.

They'd returned to the main aisle of the store when who should they meet up with but Ethel and Frank.

"What's that thing?" Ethel demanded.

"It's a menorah, like my grandmother had," Erika told her.

"What do you do with it?"

"It's for celebrating Hanukkah. You light one candle every night for eight nights."

"Well, I never heard of such!" Ethel snapped. "I don't know what they do back in Poland or wherever you're from, but here in America, we buy Christmas trees and celebrate Christmas!"

"But I'm Jewish!" There were tears in Erika's eyes.

"You need to give your heart to the one your people killed." Ethel's voice was cold. "He wants to save you." With that, she stalked away, Frank following her.

"This is exactly why organized religion is such a terrible idea," Yuri remarked.

"But I don't even care about that!" Tears flowed freely down Erika's face now. "I just wanted to remember my grandmother!"

"I know you did, darling." Yuri held her and comforted her. "Let's go to the diner. I'll buy you a nice milkshake, and we can laugh and be happy again."

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting across from each other in a booth, drinking their milkshakes and chatting.

"She never said anything unkind before, when we still lived with her family," said Erika.

"That's because you never did anything unusual," Yuri replied. "In my country, it is much worse. You risk arrest and labor camp for being bold enough to do things that are too different. Here, all you face is ridicule and scorn."

"But I thought she liked me." Erika stirred her milkshake with the straw.

"I don't think she dislikes you. I think she just believes that she is right and you are wrong. It takes courage to be true to yourself, and for that, I admire you."

After his comforting words, Erika felt much better.

The rest of the shopping trip went well, and Erika bought some really nice things, but she still wasn't able to shake Ethel's unkind words. Although they'd been mild compared to the ones she'd heard from German Christians right before the war had started, she still couldn't help but feel as if she were reliving the past.

They took the subway home, and Erika found a place of honor on the mantel for her new menorah. Later, she lit the candles and said the blessing for that night. She and Yuri sat on the sofa holding hands as they watched the candles burn like a beacon in the dark.

"It looks so lovely," said Yuri. For the first time, he thought perhaps something had been missing from his childhood.

A few nights later, Bennett and Janice invited them to a candle lighting ceremony at the church.

The church's interior was almost completely dark as they entered the sanctuary. Each of them took a candle from a box beside the door. When everyone was inside, an usher walked up and down lighting all the candles, and when they were all burning, Reverend Pendleton led the congregation in singing 'Silent Night.'

Erika recognized the tune right away. It was a song she'd sang in German many times with her class mates in school.

The next song was called 'O Holy Night'. Erika had never heard it before, but she thought it was beautiful.

In the glow of the candles, with the cadence of voices singing in English, Yuri was transfixed. It was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. The closest he'd come likely would have been the military hymns he'd learned in the Soviet army. The candles made him think of Erika's menorah. He'd never associated candles and music with entering a sacred space before - in fact, the whole idea of a sacred space was totally foreign to him. He didn't quite know how to explain it, but when the service had ended, he felt a vague sadness.

"Did you enjoy the service?" Bennett asked him as they were leaving the church.

"It was nice," he told the older man.

"How did you like it?" he asked Erika.

"It took me back to my childhood," she told him. "I remember my classmates and I holding candles and singing "Stille Nacht' in the school cafeteria. I wasn't the only Jewish child in my class. There was also a boy named David and a girl named Gretchen. All of us sang right along with the others. We knew it didn't really belong to us, but other than that, we never thought anything of it."

On Christmas day, the Hills invited Yuri and Erika over for dinner again. After the meal, the family exchanged gifts. The Hills gave both Yuri and Erika warm coats.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Erika said as she ran her hand over the soft white faux fur. "But we haven't anything to give you."

"That's all right," Janice said with a smile.

"If we'd known ahead of time, we would have brought presents for you as well," said Yuri.

"They don't even celebrate Christmas," said Ethel.

"That doesn't matter," said Pauline. "All that matters is we're together."

Roger smiled as he gave her hand a squeeze.

In January, the Hills took Yuri and Erika to Broadway to see a musical called 'The Show Boat'. They both enjoyed it very much. Later that month, Erika was putting away the clean sheets and towels when a wave of dizziness overtook her. She felt as if her bones had turned to jelly as she slid toward the floor.

Right away, she felt Yuri's strong arms around her, supporting her. She rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her to the bed and gently laid her on it.

"Are you all right?" he asked anxiously.

"I don't know what happened." Her voice was almost a whisper. "All of a sudden, I just felt so weak!"

"Why don't you just stay here and rest for a bit," Yuri suggested.

"I need to get dinner started - "

"I'll take care of dinner," said Yuri. "You rest."

He prepared a delicious dinner of chicken Kiev, but she could hardly eat any of it at all, and she went to bed early that night.

The following morning, she awakened feeling nauseous. She made her way into the restroom and vomited into the toilet. She flushed, then rinsed her mouth out and washed her face.

She turned and looked into Yuri's concerned eyes.

"I'm taking you to the doctor," he told her.

"But you can't miss work," she protested.

"I'll tell them it was an emergency," he said.

They took the bus and subway across town to the office of the physician the Hills used, Dr. Downs. It was located in a four-story building. They took the elevator up to the second floor and entered the waiting room.

It was immaculate, with walls painted white. Two comfortable sofas with a lamp in between them were against one wall. Several paintings adorned the walls. The receptionist sat at a desk across from the sofas. She looked up as they entered.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"My wife needs to see the doctor," Yuri told her. "She isn't well."

The receptionist took down their information, then told them to have a seat.

"The doctor will be with you shortly," she said.

Erika sat beside Yuri on one of the sofas, feeling awkward. She hadn't been inside a doctor's office in years. While in Auschwitz, she'd tried desperately to hide every cough or case of the sniffles that came upon her. She'd known that any sign of illness was a virtual guarantee of selection. She'd performed heavy physical labor while suffering from slight fevers. It was amazing I never fainted, she thought. The only thing that kept me going must have been my strong desire to live.

Suddenly Yuri nudged her.

"They're calling you," he told her.

Eagerly she jumped to her feet and looked around.