Ruth smoothed her hands over her skirt. Her mother and grandfather have perished, and the whereabouts of her father’s army unit is unknown. It’s far too much heartache for anyone, especially a child, to experience in a month’s time. “I wish I knew the answer, but I do believe that hearts heal with time. Someday, your bad dreams will fade away, and they’ll be replaced by blissful memories of Pierre and your maman.”
“Do you really think so?” Aline asked, her voice faint.
“I do.”
Aline leaned back and rested her head against the well.
A recollection of discussing Aline’s welfare with Lucette and Jimmie entered Ruth’s brain. “I’ve told you this already, but I think that it’s good for you to hear again—you need not worry about being alone. You’re going to stay with me and Lucette until your father returns from the war.”
Aline nodded.
“After we get Jimmie on a boat to England, you’ll come with me and Lucette to her parents’ home in Toulouse. The city is far to the south, near the border with Spain, where it will be hard for the German Army to reach us. You’ll be safe there.”
“Oui.” Aline crossed her ankles. “I overheard you and Lucette talking last night. You both want to find a way to help the fight.”
“We do.” Ruth turned to her. “We feel that we need to do something to aid Allied forces, or support resistance fighters. We cannot accept Nazi occupation, and we won’t give up until the country is free. I hope you understand.”
“I do, but I’m worried you’ll get hurt or—” Aline pursed her lips.
“I’ll do everything I can to be safe.” Ruth placed a hand on her shoulder. “If serving France should require me and Lucette to leave Toulouse, you’ll stay with Lucette’s family until we—and your father, Leopold—return home.”
The anxiety on Aline’s face softened, as if hearing her father’s name had strengthened her spirit. She leaned in and hugged Ruth.
Ruth squeezed her tightly and kissed the top of her head. “The sun is nearly up. If we get an early start, we’ll arrive in Saint-Nazaire by this afternoon. How about we wake Lucette and Jimmie and get on the road?”
Aline nodded and slipped away. They stood, picked up the canteens, and walked—water sloshing inside the containers—to the barn and crept inside.
* * *
By midmorning, Ruth and her group reached Donges, a village on the Loire River, approximately fifteen kilometers upriver from the sea. Ahead, their path merged onto a main road, filled with throngs of refugees and hundreds, if not thousands, of French soldiers and BEF troops.
“Mon Dieu,” Lucette said, her eyes wide. “So many have given up.”
Ruth fought back an angst, rising in her chest. “Non. If they intended to flee the war, they wouldn’t be here. They’re headed to the evacuation point, so they can reassemble and continue to fight.”
“Let’s find out,” Jimmie said. “How about we split into two groups and mingle in to find out what they know?”
“Okay,” Ruth said.
Jimmie looked at Aline. “Would you like to come with me?”
Aline nodded and scurried ahead with Jimmie.
Ruth and Lucette worked their way forward, weaving around slow-moving pedestrians and a disabled wagon with a broken wheel. They approached a group of seven haggard French soldiers, most of whom were unarmed and missing their helmets.
“Can you tell us what’s happening?” Ruth asked of a soldier, his left eye covered with a bandage.
“We were ordered to go to Saint-Nazaire for evacuation,” he said.
“Do you know if it has started, or how long it will last?”
“Non.” The soldier lowered his head and continued his slog, his boots scraping over the pavement.
Ruth and Lucette maneuvered through the crowd and spoke with several more French soldiers. In addition to French and BEF troops, they encountered Polish, Czech, and Belgian soldiers making their way toward the sea. And word began to spread through the masses that a British evacuation was currently underway at the harbor.
A wave of hope surged through Ruth. “We’re going to make it in time.”
“We will,” Lucette said.
Ruth adjusted the strap of a bag, digging into her shoulder. She looked at Jimmie, twenty meters ahead and keeping Aline close to him as he conversed with two BEF soldiers. He’ll be evacuated soon, she thought. A strange mix of joy and sadness flowed through her.
“You miss him already,” Lucette said, as if she could sense Ruth’s feelings.
“Is it that obvious?”
“It is,” Lucette said. “Have you told him how much you care about him?”
“A little.”
“That is not enough,” Lucette said.
“There’s no time for us,” Ruth said. “We’re going in separate ways.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Lucette gazed over the people on the road. “I can’t stop searching the crowd for Paul, and any sign of a soldier wearing a tank battalion badge so I can ask if they know anything about his group. I pray that he’s safe, but the longer we travel and the more devastation we see, the less sure I am that I’ll see him again.”
“He’s going to come home—you must believe that.”
Lucette swallowed. “What I’m trying to say is—I wish I would have said more to Paul before he left for the army. At the time, we both didn’t think the war would happen. If I could go back in time and do it over again, I would have said so much more to him before he got on that train and left.”
