Dec. 26, 1939
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
"Hello Max, mind if I join you?"
Max looked up at his visitor and nodded, "Of course, Sophie. Have a seat."
After settling herself onto the bench next to him, Sophie smiled and asked, "What brings you out here all by yourself?"
"Just grabbing some peace and quiet. I went to a party last night and my head is pounding. You?"
"Sneaking out for a cigarette."
Max frowned and asked, "What do you mean sneaking?"
Sophie lit her cigarette and drew on it deeply before replying, "Helmut feels that smoking is not proper for women."
Max laughed, "You're kidding?" When she assured him that she was not he shook his head in wonderment and said, "You know, Helmut is always saying how uptight his brother is. I can't imagine how he is if that's Helmut talking."
Sophie shrugged, "Otto? I don't think he's all that uptight. At least, not any more than any other career officer you come across."
Gesturing toward her cigarette, Max asked, "And how long do you expect to keep that a secret?"
She smiled, "He hasn't noticed yet, and we've been seeing each other for over a year and a half now. Pretty surprising when you consider he used to be in the intelligence business."
Max chuckled and said, "Well, you can count on me to keep the secret."
"Thanks, Max." Turning to him questioningly she asked, "Max, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you go home to Germany to recuperate close to your family? Why stay here in Amsterdam?"
Max sighed and looked away for a moment before replying, "I didn't have anyone to go home to. My parents died when I was young and I was raised by my grandmother. She died a few years ago."
"Oh Max, I'm so sorry."
Max shrugged, "No reason to be. Besides, I wanted to stay close to Helmut. He was in a real bad way and I figured he could use the company. Not to mention the fact that he shouldn't be allowed to wander around without supervision."
Sophie smiled, "You care about him quite a bit, don't you?"
Max shifted in his seat, and Sophie got the impression that she had made him uncomfortable. She was about to change the subject when he finally replied, "We've been through a lot, you know? Been through some very touch and go situations. He's saved my life more than once and I've returned the favor a few times myself."
Sophie nodded, "I'm sure that being in combat with someone forms a special bond."
Max shook his head, "It's more than that. Helmut's a... I grew up without anyone and...Oh, I don't know how to put it."
Sophie put her hand on his shoulder and said, "It's alright, Max. I understand."
He nodded, grateful that she had freed him from having to say any more. Looking over to her he said, "I'm glad he found you, Sophie. You're good for him."
"Thanks."
"I mean it. Helmut needs someone like you. Any chance that you two will get married sometime soon?"
Sophie frowned, "He's never mentioned it. I've tired to bring it up a couple of times, but the subject always gets changed. I'm starting to wonder if he's doing it intentionally, or if he just doesn't get it."
Max smiled, "He can be remarkably obtuse at times, can't he?"
"That Max, is an understatement.", she replied.
As they shared a laugh, the subject of their conversation approached them and asked, "You ready to head down to the train station, Sophie?"
Sophie stood and kissed him on the cheek saying, "Just let me freshen up a bit and we can head right over."
Helmut frowned, "Don't take too long. You don't want to miss the train."
"We have plenty of time, don't worry."
As she walked away, Helmut sat down next to Max and said, "God, I wish she'd stop smoking those damn things."
"What things?", asked Max in surprise.
"Cigarettes of course. I don't know why she thinks I don't know. The smell is a dead giveaway. I keep bringing up the fact that I feel that women shouldn't be smoking, but she doesn't take the hint." Noticing that Max was laughing, he turned to him and asked, "What are you laughing about?"
"Seems to me that neither of you are really all that good at taking hints.", replied Max.
"What do you mean by that?"
Max smiled, "Nothing."
Sadly, you are correct. The First Panzer Division has suffered 80% casualties by this point. I have pulled them off the line for fear that the division would not survive any more fighting.
