There was an expected silence at the train station at Ruhr. Only one train travelled to Berlin and it was always full when it came back but not so while going. Many had gone to Berlin in hopes of better opportunities and for escaping the war but one can not escape the effects of war that wreaked havoc upon the German economy. The train's horn went off signaling its departure. 'Eric, Thomas hurry or you'll miss the train', I said.
The train was in better shape than the station. Not great but in better shape. We boarded the train quickly and sprawled out on the seats. I had heard that the train halt at Ruhr would be stopped soon. ''Eric tell dad what you do on a daily basis and why you can't help me out at the factory'', said Thomas. Eric explained how he studied from the books he "borrowed indefinitely without consent" and occasionally hunted rabbits in the nearby forest or collected fruits but I was thinking about how I would arrange the money for Thomas's treatment. Maybe I could take a loan and work at the factory to pay it off and I slowly dozed off.
A few hours later I awoke to the sound of intense coughing. But thankfully it wasn't Thomas, rather a man sitting close to us in uniform. I went to check up on him and he collapsed suddenly with blood pooling out of his mouth. There were screams and shill cries with people yelling for the train conductor who rushed towards the scene.
The train was stopped for his final rites. I helped in digging the grave as the world said goodbye to another brave man. There was an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the ride and couldn't go back to sleep. The scene of him suffering and coughing out blood right before he died left a deep imprint in my mind. It made me paranoid. Put me on edge. A thought circled around in my mind, what if?
I have never been to a city with more unanimously miserable men than Berlin. I saw more corpses at the train station than I did living people. Trains unloading corpses was not something I wanted Eric and Thomas to see because of how young they were. I had a letter of introduction from the mayor of the city who had fought alongside me for two years before being discharged due to an injury. As we walked out of the Berlin Bahnhof, the vibrant sunshine along with the polished cars available for rent seemed like a new and different world. The loud crowds chattering and walking unfazed made me realize how common such sights of death had become.
I asked a cab driver the way to the Mayor Cole's house and if he could drop us and he happily agreed. It took us around an hour to reach the mansion but oh my god was it stunning. A beautiful cathedral like design with hollow statues made of marble surrounding it. The backyard was practically a botanical garden with gleeful flowers dancing to the tune of the wind and the trees looked majestic covered in snow
The difference in the lives of the rich and the poor was made very evident by this. I had talked to the cab driver almost the entire ride and he had told me how the few top executives in Berlin controlled almost everything. The food and housing prices along with even the medical costs all fluctuated on the Mayor's desire to buy a new diamond necklace for his wife.
A guard stopped us at the gate of the mansion and asked us to show our invites. He was quite skeptical of my letter of introduction so he went inside to get it checked and soon we followed suit. The mayor was a plumpy man with a shaved beard. He smiled heartily when we entered the room and I realized that this wasn't the man who I once knew. I barely remembered his face but I could recognize him anywhere. He had lost all his passion, his fire and his desire to change the world in exchange for money. He had lost his soul
"You have changed Cole", I said
"There are roads not taken, armies not attacked, fortresses left undefended, crops not harvested, promises not kept, trust not broken and similarly there are offers which can't be refused"
I was stunned into silence, what offer?
The chamber he sat in was absolutely majestic Though. There a beautiful polished semi-circle shaped table at the heart of the room paired with a leather seat. There were many paintings on the wall. One young man who was in many of those paintings rang a faint bell. Maybe that was him but I wasn't sure.
"How has life treated you old friend?", he walked towards us with a menacingly wholesome attitude.
"Just right, I believe, better than many and worse than many", I replied.
"The grass is always greener on the other side comrade, and these are?" he asked pointing to Eric and Thomas
. After a brief introduction and some small talk, I decided to ask him for the help I needed. "Of course, whatever you need" he replied. A sense of relief washed over me as we both smiled at each other. Seeing how awkward my children had been for the entirety of this interaction, we decided to send them on a little tour of the place.
"But it isn't going to be free",
"ah there it goes", I thought to myself but I tried to maintain my composure but knowing that I had nothing of value to offer him made it very difficult.
"I shall owe you my life but first I require my son gets treatment", was the most heroic thing I could muster up. He burst out laughing and said, "your son will receive the proper treatment however what would I do with your life?'
I had no response because it was all I had to offer. But letting her only legacy go without a fight felt like treachery
I am no traitor