Robert A. Webster - Blue Flame

Steffi told George that she wanted to be a surgeon and had spent several years at an English university. Her mother was English and her father German, which posed a quandary during the commencement of hostilities. With her family living in Germany, she returned there after completed half of her surgical training because the country needed nurses. They had been talking for some time, so hadn’t noticed that the other customers had long since gone from the café. The waitress leant against the counter, staring at the couple. Time seemed to have stood still for George, and he didn’t want the night to end, unlike the pig in knickers, who kept coughing and looking at her watch.

Steffi smiled and whispered, “I think she wants us to leave.”

George looked at the waitress and asked for the bill.

“That’s okay, there’s no need to pay here,” said Steffi and stood up and held out her hand. “Thank you for a great evening lieutenant. It’s a pity it has to end,” she said.

George did not quite know what to do with her hand: shake it, kiss it, slap it… what?

He decided to be gallant and kiss it. Steffi chuckled and put her hand over her mouth.

“What did I do wrong, ma’am?” asked George.

“Nothing,” said Steffi still giggling, “Nothing at all.”

George also started to laugh.

“I was only supposed to shake it, wasn’t I?” he said, looking embarrassed, “I was being gallant, like an English knight.”

“Thank you Sir George,” said Steffi as she curtseyed.

“Can I have the pleasure of seeing you again m’ lady?” asked George, smiling.

“I would like that very much,” replied Steffi as they stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments. Steffi said goodbye and started to walk out of the café. She looked back at George, smiled, and said, “I finish work at 4 o’clock. I will meet you here at 5.” She never waited for the reply and left the café, closing the door behind her.

* * *

A happy Lieutenant Sykes pulled up to the small café at 4:45 pm the following day. With a spring in his step, he hopped out of his jeep and went in. He had spent the day doing more paperwork that was monotonous and thinking about Steffi.

Steffi was already at a table. George looked at his watch, thinking it had stopped. “Sorry, am I late?” He said tapping his watch.

“You’re not late George, I am early, I was missing you,” said Steffi and giggled.

A smiling George sat down, and Steffi ordered him a coffee.

“What have you got in your bag?” Steffi asked, noticing that George was carrying a brown paper bag. He pulled out two sets of nylon stockings and two blocks of chocolate and handed them to Steffi.

The waitress brought over his coffee. He brought out a smaller block of chocolate and gave it to her. The veritable pig in knickers looked puzzled. “Danke,” she said and walked away.

“Damn,” George said and then joked, “I thought that would make her smile. Do you think anything would make that woman crack a smile?”

Steffi laughed and said, “Try asking her to marry you. That may work.”

They both broke into childish laughter.

These daily trysts continued over the next few days. Steffi and George met at the same time and place. After eating, Steffi would then take George on a Guided tour around the ruins of Berlin. She showed George where she used to go dancing and her local shops. Although the buildings were now just burnt-out shells, the detail in which Steffi described the city, made it easy for George to imagine what it was like in its former glory. Their meetings were short, as curfew was in place for the Germans. After 10 pm, the only people remaining on the city streets were the military.

George’s feelings for Steffi grew. They had kissed several times, usually a peck on the cheek when he dropped her off at the hospital. She told George she wanted a relationship, which suited George, now besotted with this beautiful and intelligent woman.

Steffi occasionally mentioned the Schuler’s, especially the baby, but George had always reiterated what he had told her at their first meeting about not divulging his work. Steffi explained why the baby was a miracle, telling George that after Martina was sterilized, she fell pregnant.

One afternoon, George met Steffi as usual. She seemed excited about something, asking George to skip his coffee. They got into his jeep and Steffi directed him to a street of derelict buildings. The streets during that time of day were full of workers, military men, and machines clearing away rubble. With loose debris already cleared from that street, apart from a few people squatting in their old wrecked homes, the street was deserted. Steffi told George to stop halfway down the street, and they stopped outside a bombed-out house.

“This was my aunt and uncle’s house,” said Steffi, and the couple went inside.

Steffi led George into the living room and after removing a little rubble left on the floor, she opened a large wooden hatch. George helped her lifting the hatch open to reveal a set of steps. Steffi went down first, flipping a switch on a dark wall mid-way down. There came a slight rumble and whirring sound like a car motor starting. She tried several more times until the generator kicked into life and illuminated the stairwell and a cellar at the bottom.

“My uncle was an engineer. He made this bomb-shelter,” Steffi told George as they walked into a small, well-lit room. George noticed a sofa and a single bed, along with various cupboards containing tins of food and water in the brick cellar. It looked similar to his room at the barracks.

George looked around the room and asked, “What happened to your uncle and aunt? This place appears secure enough.”

“The allies shot them when my uncle tried to surrender,” said Steffi sounding nonchalant. She then walked up to George, threw her arms around him, and kissed him passionately.

They lay on the small bed, embracing and caressing each other. Steffi got off the bed and, with George gazing at her, removed her clothes, revealing her luscious, slender body. She gave George an impish smile while she took off his uniform. The rest of the world would be slow to accept or trust the German people again. However, Lieutenant George Sykes had passed the acceptance stage. Although surrounded by destruction and violence, he had found an inner peace being in love with Steffi. Oblivious to the outside world, they shared themselves.

“I could murder a cup of coffee,” joked George, as they lay entwined in each other.

“Oh, I think you want to go see the waitress at the café. I know you like her; you bring her chocolate.” joked Steffi.

“Yep, you’ve caught me: I love the veritable pig in knickers,” said George, as he gave Steffi another lingering kiss.

George had never considered his future before. It had never been a big issue until now. He was unsure how long he would remain in Germany. He knew Steffi would never leave, as she had already told him that she wanted to help rebuild her tattered nation. Feeling both happy, and melancholy, he said, “I know I have only known you a short while, but I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”

“Are you going to propose George Sykes?” Steffi interrupted, looking enigmatic.

George laughed, and mumbled, “No, I just want a coffee.”

They laughed again and Steffi feigned anger.

“You want the pig in knickers to have your babies, don’t you?” she frowned.

“Caught me again,” teased George.

“Baby George Sykes,” said Steffi and giggled.

“Then there would be two babies George’s walking around,” said George and chuckled.

Steffi furrowed her brow and said, “You never mentioned that you had a child… or that you were married,”