| |
––––––––
The Sahara offensive, also known as the "joke war", took place between 7 and 12 September 1939. Although its purpose was to support Poland, a great ally of France, which won with disheartened ease, Laura began to worry about such a situation, since she foresaw a bad end in all this. Even though the French troops retired four days after occupying the zone invaded by the Germans, Laura was still attentive to the radio hearing all the news on the matter. In Spain, the Civil War had ended on April 1, 1939, and it was time to think about returning to the land if things got worse in
France. And so, it was, on October 16 the Third Reich ordered to invade the village and reconquer it after a previous attack by Russia to the Sarre. Things were getting uglier, and Laura feared for their lives. After the conquest of Poland, Germany took a break to regroup during the winter of 1939-1940, while the British and French remained on the defensive. The Second World War had broken out in Europe. In that period, when France was half-speed preparing for the worst, Laura with her husband and children decided to move to Spain. Going home, she had jokingly said when she informed Pedro.
- "Yes. It's time to go back," -Pedro said, looking around at his home. A crossroads of feelings surfaced in him combining into a perfect explosive cocktail. This time the causes were greater, and I had to think about the safety of Laura, Claudio and Adrienne.
Laura on one of the nights of insomnia began to write a new letter to her parents. This time more bare and reflective. I would go to the point. His fingers took the pencil and began to write in a nightgown. Outside the night, it seemed to be calm despite everything, while Europe began to crumble, except Spain.
I'm going to get to the point. I do not know if you know what is happening in Europe and here in France. What has happened there, but much worse. We are at the gates of hell. From a generalized war, the Germans have begun. I am afraid for me that more for Claudio, Adrienne and Pedro and no, I have not been wrong in the order of names. They are my three loves, and I announce that we return home.
I hope this letter reaches you.
See you soon.
Laura deposited the letter the next day in a postbox with her hand on her chest, hoping that mail would still work. Things were very confusing, and everything turned upside down, yet people seemed to go to work and walk around normally. The thunder of the first bombs had not yet heard. She still did not think to feel a sour taste in her throat. Despite, Claudio was at the school, and Adrienne was with her, sprawled in the chair of four-wheeled covered by a thin layer of snow that Laura pushed handiness over the stone pavement ground.
The snow gave small pinches on their foreheads as if small insects were hitting their taut, bruised skin.
- "I'm cold," -Claudio complained over his father's shoulders.
- "I know, son, I know. We are all cold."
Claudio fell silent for a moment and began to shiver, sending the tremor to the shoulders of his father who wrinkled his face in a gesture of pain.
They passed the train and walked away about four hundred meters, forming a small path with their footsteps. The snow softened under the weight of his feet and became a hard, slippery plaque. Pedro continued walking with Claudio on his shoulders; he thought how badly Laura would be passing behind him with Adrienne in his arms.
The night was coming, and so were they. At the end of the route turned out to be shorter than expected. They had been lucky and had walked in a straight line to the border only guided by the reflection of the snow and Pedro´s intuition. But even though they had been walking for more than two hours, their feet were no longer sensitive, and they were numb even they were wearing wool-lined boots and a pair of pairs of socks on.
Suddenly Pedro spotted a military post at the top of the hill, on the road covered with a white robe. They were two soldiers wearing in green who had the white helmet and who walked along the road cut by a fence. In the distance, he saw that they had guns in their hands pointing to the ground. The light of the house was weak and yellow, like a candle flame. The cold was intense, and the wind raised wings.
- "There's a check," -Peter whispered. - "Crouch down."
Laura lowered next to her son Claudio, and Adrienne complained about with a sudden cry when touched the snow.
- "Adrienne, please be quiet," -Pedro spoke quietly, for the military post was a few feet away. They had come too close, but the blizzard and snow had made it impossible to see them before.
Laura put her hand on Adrienne's lips that shut up suddenly as if she understood everything that was happening.
They were crouched for some minutes shaking with cold, while the two soldiers seemed made of metal for their resistance outside the gatehouse. The two men were now two white bundles moving from side to side.
- "We'll have to take a chance," -Pedro said, his face bluish and his lips the same color.
Laura said nothing. She was giving warmth to the little four years old Adrienne.
Then, came the opportunity. The two soldiers entered the dimly lit gatehouse, perhaps to reveal the surveillance post to two other well-armed soldiers. Pedro knew that now was the time to act.
- "Laura, get ready. Let's cross..."
- "Through where? -Said Laura, her eyelashes covered with snow.
- "We will go on the right side, for that kind of road." -The gloved finger pointed to the left, not to the right as he had said.
––––––––
"All right," Laura said under the hat she was wearing, covered with a snow-cover.
Pedro carried Claudio's again and put him on his shoulders. His legs straightened, and he stood up. Suddenly a spotlight illuminated the back of the border as if they had noticed a presence on the side that there was finally peace.
Pedro crouched instinctively, but the light died out a few seconds later. Pedro rose again and began to walk, sinking into the thick snow. Finally turned to the left as he had pointed out, while thanks to a miracle, still no more soldiers or guards had got out.
Laura had Adrienne in her arms and advanced slowly, while she sobbed.
Under the glare of the white snow, they made a little walk around the guardhouse where they could now see the two soldiers drinking something hot in their smoking cups. Pedro had believed that there were more soldiers inside, but it was not like that. It was just the two of them. They bend down now that they were closer to the gatehouse with a cold little light shining on the soldiers' heads without the helmet and they advanced almost squatting. Pedro and Laura finally reached what looked like a narrow road downhill. They had climbed the steep slope, and now they were on top of the hill, or whatever it was, Pedro felt full of happiness.
They advanced a few more meters and now left behind the gloomy gatehouse in the middle of the storm of the night. And they advanced a little more. In silence, except the howling of the wind as they brushed against the white trees.
When they reached the downhill, Pedro tripped over a rock and fell rolling on the snow, leaving Claudio like hastily like a projectile toward one side. Laura's eyes widened in alarm. Now Pedro and Claudio were two snowballs rolling downhill, faster and faster until branches bent by the weight of the snow braked their bodies, impassive and wrapped in snow. The wool cap of both was a snow cone, and their hair was disheveled and untidy from the sides.
And far from crying, they laughed together.
And so, they entered Spain.
Their journey had not ended there, together, rolling in the snow, misleading the soldiers in the snow-covered gatehouse. Nor did it stop an hour later when they reached the first town of Spain, already within Catalonia. But the trip continued, now, by train. Although they caught him too far from where they were, things went around from that moment, and an old man picked them up in his rickety car in the middle of the night to take them to Portbou. Pedro offered him money, but the gray-haired, rough-knuckled man waved his hands like blades. He did not want money; he said he had done it for the children. The same ones, who had spent the whole car ride in absolute silence. But the rattle with old Fiat had not been silent at all.