C'est La Vie

Who: Anton ot anyone
Where: Jardin du Luxembourg
When: May 07, 1941


Having secured a few days furlough for a job-well-done, Anton dressed in plain clothes and looked for a quiet place to enjoy the day. He settled on the Jardin du Luxembourg, where the flowers were in bloom and the grass was green and lush. A perfect place to unwind and enjoy the day. He'd brought a bit of lunch with him, and some writing supplies and postcards he'd picked up in the city. While eating his sandwiches, he'd write a few notes on the back of them to send home.

He unwrapped his first sandwich, and chose a postcard he'd picked up on his visit to the Eiffel tower. He chewed thoughtfully on the ham-and-cheese while pondering who would like this card best. Maybe his sister, though he had to admit to himself that he didn't much know her tastes in things. Growing up, he hadn't had much time for the little-tag-along. He vowed that if they both survived this war, he would be a better brother and spend more time with her.

Dear Hannah, he wrote. Paris is interesting. Food is okay, language is dreadfully hard. He was studying the language, and making a bit of progress - but communication was still difficult at best. Hope you are well and happy. Love from your brother Anton.

He eyed the card critically, wondering if he should have written more.

Who: Viveka ot anyone
Where: outside her house, sitting on the porch
When: sunset

Viveka watched the sun setting over the houses in the city. All the neighbors that surrounded them, and she knew not a single person but Adi. She was too afraid to make friends, the way things were. Any neighbor, even one who seemed friendly, could notice something suspicious and make a report. If they were investigated, would her papers hold up? She didn't want to take a chance. Still, when Adi was at work, she was so lonely. How she longed for the friendliness of the village she'd grown up in, where everyone had known each other. People visited daily there, and if someone walked down the street - they were greeted by everyone they passed.

Not here in Paris. No one waved, or stopped to say hello. No one had come to welcome them to the neighborhood. The isolation of the city seemed ironic - that a population so large should be so unfriendly. But maybe they were all afraid - after all, Adi was a Nazi. An architect, granted - but when he wore his uniform to work, he looked the same as any other. Perhaps this more than anything kept the neighbors away.

The colors of the setting sun reflected in the windows of the building across the street and caught her eye. At least the sun was still the same - that was some comfort. The same sunset, no matter what the crazy state of the world it set upon.