The door opened just as she reached for the handle.

  “Oh, good morning, Anya,” Reverend Forsythe said. “Here, let me help you.”

  She smiled as he helped her step inside. “Thank you, Jonathan. It’s nice to see you.”

  He let the door close behind them. “Nice to see you too‍—‌or should I say, nice to see you two? How many more weeks now?”

  She placed her hand on her swollen belly. “Three, but I just came from Dr. McGinley’s office. He said dates on calendars are for expectant parents. Babies come when babies come.”

  Jonathan laughed. “I guess that’s sage advice coming from someone who’s delivered a few hundred of them in his lifetime. But you didn’t come to talk about due dates with me. Are you here to see your father?”

  “Yes, is he busy?”

  “No, I just stopped by his office as I was leaving. He’s between appointments, so you can go on back.”

  “Good. Thank you.”

  As he opened the door again, he paused. “By the way, have I thanked you lately for loaning your father to us?”

  She smiled. “Only every time I see you.”

  “I make no apologies. He’s a tremendous addition to our staff. A day doesn’t go by that a church member doesn’t tell me how much his counseling has helped them. He’s truly a gift from God.”

  “Yes, he is. In a thousand different ways.”

  “My point exactly. Good to see you, Anya.”

  “You too, Jonathan.”

  She made her way down the hall in the church office to the last door on the right.

  “Anya, I thought I heard your voice,” Huub said, rising to greet her. “What a nice surprise. Come in and have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

  She lowered herself onto the sofa and leaned back with a long sigh. “No, I’m fine.”

  He took a seat in the wingback chair adjacent to her. “What brings my lovely daughter to see me at the office? How was your appointment with Dr. McGinley?”

  “Good. He seems to think this little one will make a grand entrance before the due date, which I was relieved to hear. I don’t know how women do this‍—‌especially more than once. My back hurts, everything feels like gravity is pulling at it, and all I ever want to do is sleep.”

  His smile widened. “I suspect once you hold that little one in your arms, all of that will fade from your memory in a heartbeat.”

  “You think so?” She folded her hands on top of her abdomen. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, Father. What if something goes wrong? What if my body can’t handle the delivery? I’ve heard so many horror stories about women who were malnourished during the war. How it makes it hard to conceive in the first place, but often results in difficult births or causes birth defects. I don’t know what I’d do if there’s something wrong with the baby. What if‍—‍”

  “Anya, stop.” His voice firm, he placed his hand over hers. “You don’t have to be pregnant to be filled with fear and let the worries consume your every thought. But this much I know is true. You are loved. You are healthy. And you’re surrounded by people who would lay down their lives for you. Which includes me, ironically, since you saved my life not so long ago.

  “Think how far we’ve come,” he continued. “Both of us.” He patted her hand then leaned back in his chair. “We survived a horrible war. With all its nightmares and atrocities and heartache. But look at us. We’re still here. And for that we must never stop thanking the Lord. He’s seen us this far in our lives; He’ll see us through this hour, this day, this week … always watching over us and protecting us.”

  “Look at you,” she said. “After all you’ve been through, here you sit, day in and day out, helping broken people find answers, listening to them for hours on end. Who could have imagined?” She shook her head. “But then I still can’t believe you’re actually here and living with us. In America. All these months have passed, and I still have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

  “Our God is full of surprises and miracles. His wonders never cease. Now, tell me. What brought you here today?”

  She glanced down at her hands, refolding them as she chose her words. She’d kept it bottled up inside as long as she could. Any longer and she might lose her mind, which certainly wouldn’t be good for the baby.

  “You’ll think I’m a little crazy. But I have no one else I can talk to about this.”

  “What is it, sweetheart?” he asked, his smile giving way to concern.

  “I think … that is, I overheard something.” She glanced up at him quickly. “But I wasn’t ease-dripping, Father.”

  He smiled again. “I believe the word is eavesdropping. But go on.”

  “Yes, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t trying to listen. I just happened to be going down the stairs when I heard Danny talking to someone on the telephone below. I stepped aside so he couldn’t see me above him.”

  “Anya, why would you‍—‍”

  “It was the tone of his voice. All hushed as though he was trying very hard not to be heard. And he talked of some planned meeting … he even said, ‘She’ll never suspect a thing.’ And hearing it‍—‌especially the way he said it‍—‌well, it felt as if someone pulled a plug and all the air from my lungs rushed out.”

  Her eyes teared. “I know I’ve been wretched to live with lately, but I never dreamed that Danny would …‍” She looked up at her father as the tears began to fall. “I can’t believe he would do this to me now. When we’re about to have a baby!”

  When she wept so freely, her father quickly moved to her side on the sofa, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. When his easy laughter fell over them, she jerked back to look at him.

  She cried harder. “How can you laugh at a time like this? My world is falling apart, and yet, you sit there laughing at me?”

  He drew her into his arms, holding tight. “Anya, my child, take a deep breath, will you? A nice long breath, then release it nice and slow.”

  “But‍—‍”

  “Shhh,” he murmured, holding her tight. “Just do it. Nice and easy.”

  It took a couple of ragged attempts before she could do as he asked. But slowly, slowly, she calmed down.

  He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her tears.

  “I’m not laughing at you, sweetheart. I’m just one hundred percent sure that what you heard was not what you thought it was.”

  “But how can you say that? You weren’t there. I heard him.”

  “But stop and think who it is you’re talking about. This is Danny. Your husband. Who loves you as much as any man has ever loved a woman. That may sound a bit grandiose, but I believe it with all my heart. And because I know that to be true, I think you need to forget what you think you heard, and trust your husband who loves you, adores you, and wants nothing more from this life than to make you happy.”

  She knew all that, but she also knew what she heard.

  He wiped away one final tear, then handed the damp handkerchief to her, and slid a few inches away to give her space. “Anya, you said yourself the other day that your emotions seemed a little wobbly right now. You also said both Betty and Millie have told you that’s perfectly normal. So if that’s the case, can you just take my word for it and trust me? You have nothing‍—‌absolutely nothing‍—‌to worry about where Danny is concerned.”

  She nodded, knowing he was probably right. “I just want this over with. I’m tired of feeling so frail and weepy all the time. This baby is ready, and so am I.”

  “There. You see?” he said, helping her to her feet. “Why don’t you let me walk you home? I’ve got another hour before my next appointment.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “In fact, I could use the fresh air. Your good friend Cosmos is next on my appointment list today. You can’t help but love the guy, but my goodness, what a character.”

  Anya smiled as they stepped outside. “The stories I could tell you.”

  “Yes, well, I could say the same, though it would be unprofessional for me to do so. I take the confidentiality oath that goes along with my job quite seriously.”

  “Let me guess,” Anya added, tucking her hand in the crook of her father’s arm. “He’s complaining about his father-in-law again; how he came to visit but stayed longer than expected and still hasn’t left. Six months now, I believe. Am I right?”

  “You didn’t hear it from me.”

  She laughed then continued. “And how the cabbage he insists on having for dinner every single evening makes the whole house stink. And how nothing Cosmos ever does is good enough to please him, and how Patsy won’t defend him against her father.”

  “That might or might not sound familiar,” he said with a wink. “Now, can we change the subject?”

  “If we must. Oh, here’s your handkerchief. I’m sorry it’s so messy.”

  “Keep it. Plenty more where that came from.”

  “Yes, I remember the dozen or so you were given at your birthday party last year.”

  “What a night that was,” he said as they turned the corner. “But surely a miracle, if ever there was one. Sure as I’m standing here beside you.”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “Speaking of miracles, can you believe how well Jacob’s done in school this semester? For a child his age with such a difficult history, he’s done a remarkable job catching up.”

  “That’s because he has you there to help him. You taught him to read and write before his first day of school. You’re so wonderful with him, Father.”

  “I don’t know about that, but I do enjoy helping him learn. With his mischievous personality, I never would have dreamed he’d do well at school. But he’s like a little sponge, soaking up every lesson he’s given. You should see him do his arithmetic. And as you know, I’m no help to him in that department, so I’m grateful Danny can help out.”

  “He’s delighted to help,” Anya said. “Many an evening I’ll fall asleep on the sofa while the two of them are at the dining room table working on Jacob’s lessons.”

  “Your Danny will be a wonderful teacher when he starts teaching in the fall.”

  “Yes, I believe he will. He’s eager to carry on Lara’s traditions in the classroom. Already he’s asked to borrow her costumes for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.”

  “Important men in American history. Do you remember when I taught you and Hans about the United States? Some of the things we talked about?”

  “Yes, though it all seemed utterly useless to me at the time, to study a country so far away. And now here we are, two Nederlanders living in Chicago, America. Could you ever have imagined?”

  “Jacob said something similar to me just last night.”

  “He did?”

  They climbed the two steps to the front porch of her house, and he opened the door for her. “Come sit and let me make you a cup of tea to ward off the chill.”

  “That sounds perfect,” she said, following him back to the kitchen. “What did Jacob say?”

  “Oh yes. I had just finished quizzing him on his spelling words when quite suddenly, he got very quiet. Most unusual for our Jacob, as you know.”

  “Most,” she said, taking a seat at her kitchen table.

  “When I asked what was on his mind, he said he was wondering about his mother, and if she would have helped him with his homework. If you recall, the only thing he remembers about her was that she taught at university. Then he asked if I thought she was still alive.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him I had no idea. And then, without even thinking, I asked if he had any memory of his father. Anya, he looked straight at me and said, ‘But you’re my father, Papa.’ And I realized, he must have been too young to remember how we met.”

  “You’ve never told me. I just assumed it was because you both worked for that awful commandant.”

  “No, we met before that. It happened a couple of months after I arrived at Bergen-Belsen. I had recovered from the gunshot wound to my shoulder, and one day I returned to my quarters for my cap. It was winter and much too cold to be out without the woolen cap to pull over my ears. I hurried to my bunk‍—‌the bottom bunk where six of us slept like sausages in a tin. And as I leaned over to look for my cap, there he was. All curled up in the corner at the back. He was such a scrawny little thing, like all the young ones were. Just bony arms and legs and eyes set deep in their sockets.

  “He was shivering and crying with tears streaking through the dirt on his face. Such a pitiful sight. He curled up tighter, so afraid of me. I told him I would not hurt him and asked him what was wrong. He said his best friend was gone, and he was all alone.

  “I said, ‘No, you’re not alone. How could you be alone with me standing here?’ Then I slowly crawled onto the planks of the bunk and asked him to tell me what happened.”

  He lifted the tea kettle off the stove and poured the steaming water into the teapot. “He said he’d been friends with a boy named Günther. They’d met at another camp before they were brought to Bergen-Belsen.”

  “Oh yes, now I remember. Günther was Carolien’s nephew.”

  He joined her at the table while the tea steeped. “Carolien? From the bakery?”

  “Yes. The day we found you there, she told Helga all that she knew about Jacob. That Günther had been his best friend who talked about his aunt’s bakery all the time. That’s how the two of you ended up there in Amersfoort after the war ended. Jacob had nowhere else to go, and you had no memory at the time. But go on. Tell me what you know.”

  “Only that Jacob and Günther never left each other’s side. Günther was a couple of years older, so I supposed he took care of Jacob.

  “Then one day, Günther went to the latrine and never came back. Jacob looked everywhere for him, asked everyone he could. But such a huge camp it was. Days passed and Günther never returned. Then one morning, bright and early at roll call, the guards led a group of people to the firing wall, as was often their custom. They were chained together like dogs, naked, and badly beaten. Jacob and dozens of other boys were placed on the front rows and forced to watch. The commandant stood before them, his back to those lined up against a wooden fence topped with razor wire. He was ranting about those who disobeyed and what their punishment looked like. Whenever Jacob and the other boys kept their eyes on the ground, he screamed at them to look up, to watch, or they would be dragged to join those at the fence.

  “Jacob said he looked up, so afraid to watch. And right there, not six meters from him, stood his friend Günther.” He shook his head. “I can’t even imagine. A child that young forced to witness such a thing.

  “Jacob said the moment he recognized his friend, he shouted his name. But it was too late. The rifles took aim and riddled their bodies.”

  “Oh Father, do you suppose that’s why Jacob was so terrified at the fireworks display last summer?”

  “A fireworks display?”

  “Don’t you remember? How the loud explosions made him scream? How frightened you were as well?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t remember anything like that.”

  She reached over and placed her hand on his. “Just as well. Now continue. What happened after those prisoners were shot in front of Jacob?”

  He shook his head as if to clear the confusion. “Yes, well, it had happened that same morning, the day I found him. That’s why he was hiding. That’s why he couldn’t stop shaking. And that’s why I gathered him to my side and just held him. I have no idea how long we were there, and but for the grace of God, no one found us there. No guards, no officers, no other prisoners. Not another soul bothered us for an hour or more. Most unusual, but I knew it had to be the hand of God wrapped around us, hiding us. I believe that with all my heart.”

  “I believe too, Father,” she said quietly, with reverence. “Only God could have protected you in such a situation. The same God who brought you to Amersfoort, to that bakery his friend Günther had talked about. The bakery where Helga first saw you.”

  “Yes, the same God.”

  “Help me to understand,” she said. “Are you saying that Jacob honestly believes you are his father? Or perhaps, at least in his mind and under those intense circumstances, that he just adopted you in that moment?”

  “I can’t say for sure. Perhaps when he’s older, we will have that conversation. But now? I think we must constantly strive every single day to affirm his place in our family. To make him know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is ours, and we are his. I believe that’s why he’s doing so well in school. He feels secure here, Anya. He feels valued. Cherished. Loved.”

  She squeezed his hand in hers. “It occurs to me how very blessed Jacob was that day. That it was you who found him. You have given him a happy ending to a story that didn’t have many happy endings.”

  “We were both blessed that day.”

  “Yes, you were. I want to ask you something. Something Danny and I have been discussing. What would you think about adopting Jacob? Making it official?”

  He smiled then laughed, his eyes warm with compassion. “I was waiting to find the right time to ask you myself. I’ve been praying about it for some time now, and I believe God would have me make it official, as you say. I should like very much to legally adopt Jacob as my son.”

  48

  After a long day of classes, Danny always used the duration of his home commute to study so he could free his evenings to spend with Anya. With graduation only a couple of months away, he felt downright giddy at times. He marveled how the puzzle pieces of his life were finally falling in place. At times, it almost spooked him, how well things were going after years of war and family drama and everything in between. As if waiting for the other shoe to drop, he couldn’t quite shake the idea that life was going too well. That calamity might be waiting around the next corner.