Chapter 1, Only the Start
As
I get out of the car, and walk though the rain, I think of all that
happened here. I stepped into the shop that holds my past in its broken
glass. Only one clock stands unbroken. The shop belonged to a man named
James Becker. His father had run the shop, as had his grandfather before
him. It is still here; no different than the last time I had seen it.
My name is Beth Schmit, my mother named be after her American friend who
had come to help her while she was pregnant with me. I am back in Germany for the first time since I was 20 years old. I am a World War II survivor. I am back and it is time for me to let go of my pain and anger.
I remember being 11 years old at the time and lived with my mother and father. I am an only child. My
mother made bread for our town; there were only about 400 people that
lived there. My father was in the army; he said it was “his calling”. We
lived in a big red brick house it had been in my fathers’ family for
many generations. We rented out the top part of our home to my friend’s family. My parents had been friends with them since
childhood. They had three kids, Anne, Paul & Andrew. They were my friends too, and even now I think of them. I will never forget them.
However, my real reason for being here was my special friend Mr. Becker. He
is the one that really tried to make a difference, he gave his life
trying. I saw him die. I can never forget. But wait, I’m getting too far
ahead of myself.
Every
day after school I would go to Mr. Becker’s shop. He would teach me how
to wind and polish the clocks. He was my second father, although at
that time no one could take the place of my real father, in my heart or
in my life. My Father and I were best friends. Every evening we would sit around and talk about our day. He would tell me how his day went, and I would tell him of how I did that day at school. I loved my father more than the whole world itself. Whenever I had a problem he would always put away what he was doing and listen to what I had on my mind. He was everything to me.
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