Chapter Thirty-Six

Despite the hazards, the trip down the mountain had been faster than the struggle up had been. Once the sun had taken away the darkness, their path was even more sure. The train station was packed already with travelers waiting for the first train.

“Tourists,” Lidka said. “Zakopane is nice vacation town.”

“Do you have enough money?” Kate asked.

Lidka nodded. “Tony was generous.”

They stood in line to buy tickets. Lidka handled everything, and it reminded Kate of the last time she’d let Lidka handle everything. This time she stuck by her side and tried to understand as best she could the fast Polish being spoken.

They managed to be among the last set of passengers allowed on the crowded train. Kate smiled as she settled into her seat. “We made it.”

Lidka stared out the window. “We got on train,” she whispered. “That is all we have done. We are last passengers, but here we sit not moving.” She never took her gaze off the platform.

Dad crossed and uncrossed his legs. He shifted back in his seat.

“You two are making me nervous,” Kate said.

Ten more minutes went by before Lidka stood. “We getting off.” Lidka grabbed their bags and shoved them at Kate. She took off down the aisle and started banging on the locked door, yelling to be let off, that she was sick.

“What’s happening?” Dad asked.

“I don’t know. Follow me.”

By the time they had made their way to Lidka, everyone was staring. There would certainly be enough witnesses if Malwinka started asking questions.

“When they open door, we rush out. They not stop us all. Get lost in crowd, then meet me at corner near boy selling papers. The porters are so used to hearing boy’s voice they ignore him. If they take you, leave behind something from your bag and I will know. I will try to contact Fyodora for help.”

The door opened and Lidka tumbled out, purposely crashing into the porter. Kate jumped out, then spun around to help her dad down. As soon as her father’s feet touched the ground, she pulled him into a trot, keeping her hand in front of him to push people aside. Lidka kept the surprised porter occupied, but a second porter noticed Kate and her father.

Taking her cue from Lidka and using her best Polish, Kate called back, “He’s going to be sick,” hoping that would make the man pause. It did, but only long enough for Kate and her dad to duck into the nearest building and try to blend in. She spotted an abandoned newspaper on an empty chair as the porter outside pushed his way through the door.

“Sit here, and pretend you’re reading the paper. If we separate, he might not notice us. I’ll be back.” Kate worked her way toward the ladies’ bathroom. Inside was a girl standing near the sink tying her hair back in a red-and-blue kerchief.

“That is pretty,” she said in Polish. “Will you sell it to me?” She held out what she hoped was a reasonable amount of money.

The girl’s eyes brightened, and she handed over the kerchief. When the girl left, Kate could see her father tucked behind the newspaper and the man who was chasing them working his way through the room. It looked like he had already passed by Dad.

Agonizing over each second, Kate waited until she couldn’t stand it any longer. She casually walked out of the room with her new kerchief tied over her head. There was no sign of the porter. “Dad, I’m back,” she said, standing at his side.

She had never felt so lost in her life. It must be worse for her dad, who knew even less of the language than she did and couldn’t see any danger until it was too late. Her heart pounded so hard it was a wonder she wasn’t calling more attention to herself.

If only she had never noticed the royal crest on Aunt Elsie’s steamer trunk, how different her life would be right now.

“Let’s go to the corner so she can find us.”

Lidka was already at the rendezvous spot. She was pacing back and forth and running her hand through her hair. She motioned for them to follow her down the street and around the corner, where she slowed and let them catch up to her.

“I overheard men talking. Malwinka got to them. They are checking all trains. I could maybe blend in enough to pass, but an American girl who speaks such little Polish and blind man who speaks none will be easily caught. We have to find another way. I used to have some contacts in this place. It may take some time to find them again.” She turned her back, looking for something. A safe place for them to wait, maybe.

Dad cleared his throat meaningfully, and his hand went to the spot she had sewn in the diamond.

He was right, but she wasn’t going to let him give up Elsie’s diamond. That hospital she was in was expensive. “I have something that might help us.”

“What can the shoes do for us now?”

“Not the shoes.” Kate lowered her voice. “I have the blue diamond.”

Lidka’s eyes grew wide. “You telling me this now?” She sounded angry.

Immediately, Kate’s ire shot up. “I couldn’t trust you before. I barely trust you now.”

“Show it to me.”

“No. Decide what to do with it first. I won’t let you have it until the last minute.”

Lidka made a face. “Fine. Come with me to bar mleczny. You can eat while I take care of the things.”

The milk bar was extremely plain, just tables, chairs, and bare white walls, but it was well-frequented. They sat at a cramped table near the back where they could keep an eye on the door. After Lidka left, they bought omelets and two glasses of milk. They came with straws.

“This is not how I imagined vacationing in Poland,” Kate said, taking a sip.

Dad chuckled. “It’s not how I expected to end my time in the war, either.” He took a bite of his omelet. “Mmmm. That’s surprisingly good.”

“A good appetite needs no sauce,” they both said at the same time. Kate grinned at her dad. This was what their reunion was supposed to feel like.

Kate continued to fill him in as she watched customers come and go. The Burgosovs would have had time to hike down the mountain by now. If they got hungry, they could walk through the doors and see them.

“I think I should try to send Floyd a telegram,” she said to Dad. “He can contact Mom, and I’ll let him know where we are. Will you be okay to stay here?” She tried not to think of how scary it would be to not see who was coming in the door, to not know you were found out until it was too late. “I’ll get you a paper before I leave. That seemed to work well in the train station.”

“I don’t trust that girl, either. Do what you need to do.”

Kate scanned the room and saw a man get up, tucking a paper under his arm. She went to him and asked in Polish, “Are you finished with the paper?” He nodded and handed it to her. “Thank you.”

Dad taken care of, she wound her way back to the train station. She hoped she could find it again and not get lost. The next obstacle would be to not bring attention to herself.