Ultimatum
Chapter 7
"Me!?" Donny exclaimed, pointing his large finger at his own chest.
Daniela could see that he was pondering this, and a self-satisfied smile curled into the corners of his mouth. It seemed to Daniela that she had just delivered the first bit of personal good news to him since the war began.
Daniela nodded, smiling too, this man's smile appeared to be contagious. "Oh yes, he's terrified of you, sir."
The sudden sound of loud snapping fingers forced Daniela's and Donny's attention back to Aldo. "As great as that is to hear, you need to do some story tellin', missy."
"Of course, but first may I make a request?" she asked.
Aldo huffed dramatically. "Yer turnin' out to be needier than an infant."
Her eyes narrowed at the insult. "I vas only going to ask if anyone has an extra jacket zhey're villing to share; but, since I vould very much like to live up to your image of me, I vould like somezing to eat and drink."
There were some quiet chuckles that traveled through the group of men. Aldo was the only one not finding this funny as he pouted his bottom lip, placed his fists sternly on his hips and ordered for someone to give up their jacket and then quietly told Omar to start cooking dinner.
Donny was the first one to peel off his jacket and hand it to Daniela.
"Danke," Daniela said, flashing him a brief smile before passing it to Hugo who helped her into the jacket.
The sun was nearly set now, there was only a sliver of red that could be seen through the trees as the stars began to twinkle above their heads.
Daniela was seated around the campfire while the rest of them gathered around to fill their bellies and listen to her story.
"Get talkin'," Aldo ordered, staring down his nose at her. He was seated opposite of her on a tree stump with one fist resting on his hip. Daniela was beginning to assume that it was a comfortable position for this man.
Daniela pulled Donny's jacket closer to her as a gust of wind passed through the campsite and pulled the collar up to cover her exposed neck.
"Why did they whip you?" a short man seated to her left asked, Daniela later found out his name was Private Utivich.
Daniela inhaled deeply and then exhaled before answering.
"My parents and I had been helping Jewish families escape into Spain and other unoccupied countries. I worked in a building on the base where I had access to printing machines and I drew up new documents of legality for Jewish families. I created birth certificates and identification cards for people, giving them new names and birthdays in hopes of evading capture.
"Someone very close to us, who my parents thought we could trust wholeheartedly, told Hans Landa about us."
"Colonel Landa, the Jew Hunter?" Utivich asked. "We've heard a lot about him."
"Zhe one and only." Daniela nodded. "Landa vas a good friend to our family. Alvays kind to us despite his obvious sadistic nature. But after he found out, he killed my parents and zhrew me in jail, deciding zhat I should be made an example of."
"Example?" Aldo asked.
"Yes, I assume zat Landa did not vant to damage his reputation by dealing with zhe situation by simply killing all of us so he took me into custody. He vanted to prove zat he vas devoted to Germany's cause by punishing me."
The men were quiet when Daniela stopped talking, even Aldo averted his eyes to the flames. She could tell that her words were unexpected, and not one of them knew a story so brilliantly sad.
She watched as Aldo finally looked from the fire and back to her. His eyebrows stitched together and he frowned. "Your daddy and Landa were friends?"
"Zhe very best," she replied.
Daniela spent most of the night explaining how her father and Landa went to university together, training to be private investigators. They soon became the best of their class and went into business together. And that when Hitler called for people with extraordinary skills in finding missing persons Landa jumped on the opportunity.
"Why did your father join the military?" Donny asked, looking very intrigued by Daniela's story.
"My fazer alvays believed in zhe saying 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer'."
Daniela could see that he was pondering this, and a self-satisfied smile curled into the corners of his mouth. It seemed to Daniela that she had just delivered the first bit of personal good news to him since the war began.
Daniela nodded, smiling too, this man's smile appeared to be contagious. "Oh yes, he's terrified of you, sir."
The sudden sound of loud snapping fingers forced Daniela's and Donny's attention back to Aldo. "As great as that is to hear, you need to do some story tellin', missy."
"Of course, but first may I make a request?" she asked.
Aldo huffed dramatically. "Yer turnin' out to be needier than an infant."
Her eyes narrowed at the insult. "I vas only going to ask if anyone has an extra jacket zhey're villing to share; but, since I vould very much like to live up to your image of me, I vould like somezing to eat and drink."
There were some quiet chuckles that traveled through the group of men. Aldo was the only one not finding this funny as he pouted his bottom lip, placed his fists sternly on his hips and ordered for someone to give up their jacket and then quietly told Omar to start cooking dinner.
Donny was the first one to peel off his jacket and hand it to Daniela.
"Danke," Daniela said, flashing him a brief smile before passing it to Hugo who helped her into the jacket.
The sun was nearly set now, there was only a sliver of red that could be seen through the trees as the stars began to twinkle above their heads.
Daniela was seated around the campfire while the rest of them gathered around to fill their bellies and listen to her story.
"Get talkin'," Aldo ordered, staring down his nose at her. He was seated opposite of her on a tree stump with one fist resting on his hip. Daniela was beginning to assume that it was a comfortable position for this man.
Daniela pulled Donny's jacket closer to her as a gust of wind passed through the campsite and pulled the collar up to cover her exposed neck.
"Why did they whip you?" a short man seated to her left asked, Daniela later found out his name was Private Utivich.
Daniela inhaled deeply and then exhaled before answering.
"My parents and I had been helping Jewish families escape into Spain and other unoccupied countries. I worked in a building on the base where I had access to printing machines and I drew up new documents of legality for Jewish families. I created birth certificates and identification cards for people, giving them new names and birthdays in hopes of evading capture.
"Someone very close to us, who my parents thought we could trust wholeheartedly, told Hans Landa about us."
"Colonel Landa, the Jew Hunter?" Utivich asked. "We've heard a lot about him."
"Zhe one and only." Daniela nodded. "Landa vas a good friend to our family. Alvays kind to us despite his obvious sadistic nature. But after he found out, he killed my parents and zhrew me in jail, deciding zhat I should be made an example of."
"Example?" Aldo asked.
"Yes, I assume zat Landa did not vant to damage his reputation by dealing with zhe situation by simply killing all of us so he took me into custody. He vanted to prove zat he vas devoted to Germany's cause by punishing me."
The men were quiet when Daniela stopped talking, even Aldo averted his eyes to the flames. She could tell that her words were unexpected, and not one of them knew a story so brilliantly sad.
She watched as Aldo finally looked from the fire and back to her. His eyebrows stitched together and he frowned. "Your daddy and Landa were friends?"
"Zhe very best," she replied.
Daniela spent most of the night explaining how her father and Landa went to university together, training to be private investigators. They soon became the best of their class and went into business together. And that when Hitler called for people with extraordinary skills in finding missing persons Landa jumped on the opportunity.
"Why did your father join the military?" Donny asked, looking very intrigued by Daniela's story.
"My fazer alvays believed in zhe saying 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer'."