Buffalo Seminary - Seminaria Yearbook (Buffalo, NY)

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12 SEMINARIA 1948 Aftermath ALL SCHOOL PRIZE STORY The recept1on room of the adm1n1strat1on bu1ld1ng of the Hanover D1splaced Persons Camp was a small rectangular room Its colorless walls were vo1d of decoratlon except for a deep lagged crack a remnant of the too well remembered a1r ralds wh1ch ran IH severe forty hve degree angles down one wall At the far end 1 glant radntor hlssed and coughed llke 1 rheumatlc grandmother as 1f loath to g1xe offlts he It On the floor lay a worn carpet whose color had been erased by t1me and the leather seats of the stuff strught backed ch urs lxke the people who sat on them had seen better days Those people were a mlxed lot 1 man swart from h1s black halr to h1s ohxe skln a woman whose fa1rness stopped just short of hemg albmo a lad who wore the frayed unxform of the Luftwaffe and a legless g1rl who rested ln a home made wheel cha1r bes1de wh1ch a gray halred man kept constant v1g1l They seemed a pass1ve group as they bent over the magazmes wh1ch had been prov1ded for them and yet 1f you looked closely IHIO thexr saddened eyes you would see a bnght flame a spark representmg hope or fear or longlng or perhaps all three They had started arr1v1ng at e1ght o clock that mornlng an hour before the ofhce opened and now at eleven they were st1ll waltlng But they were patlent When one had wa1ted thzs long a few more hours m 1de no dlfference The latest dfF1VHlWlSAl1l11VOlk She s 1t1n the corner farthest from thewxndow wlth her woolen shawl drawn partly over her face Her hands lay folded on her lap and from t1me to t1me she caressed the sllk of her dress w1th her fmger She had purchased that dress a long time ago on the occas1on of W1lhelm s last fur lough The blue had then been X1V1d and the whxte flowers l1fel1ke Wxlhelm had hked IC He had not sa1d so but he had stood mot1onless IH the doorway of the httle k1tchen for tlmeless mlnutes h1s strong lean face glowmg w1th love She had wa1ted breathlessly by the wooden table her heart poundmg as 1f It would leap from her chest to h1m Then at last h1s mouth had wldened 1n a broad grm and crow s feet had appeared at the corners of h1s eyes the pale blue eyes that had both teased and soothed her Anna stlffened suddenly m her chalr She must not thmk of W1lhelm He was gone He had taken a tram to France w1th a one way tlcket to Hell m h1s hand V , 5 L? T . ff- - f 1 . . 2. Q. 1 1 . . , f z. . ' . ga . . . ,Q f' 2, . , ,I I.. r zz t ' , . . , , , , , . , , , , ,. . , 1 . K ' 2 1 . 2 ' ' 1. , . K , Y.. . .. . - . 1 S ' 1 f 9 , . S Q I I 1

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SEMINARIA 1948 But he was not completely lost There was Magda She seemed more Wxlhelm s child than hers She had h1s thxn face h1s yellow hzur h1s blue eyes ex en h1s soft VOICE Magda was Anna s last l1nk wlth hun But what 1f Magdl would not accept her? Anna s1ghed and turned her eyes to the crippled gxrl She was whlsperxng somethxng to her comp mxon 1nd she was srmlmg Annl enued her youth She had once been elghteen too and l1ke that glrl she had been beautxful Her long tawny braxds wound txghtly xbout her head had set oil the perfecuon of her fa1r skxn her deep almost purple eyes had flashed excltedly at ex ery prospeet of adventure and her nostrlls had qu1y ered when she laughed and she had laughed often then ah1gh trllllnglaughter that floated on the a1rl1ke 1nar1a The door ofthe receptlon room opened A umformed woman stepped lnto the room and beckoned to the dark halred man Anna watched them lene her eyes remamlnv on the door long after If had closed Yes she had been the belle ofthe v1ll1ge At ex ery dlnce the boys had fought ox er her And oh how she h ld lox ed to dance' It seemed xn age slnce the towns people hld held 1 festlval lI1 eternlty SIDCB th rt nlght on whleh they had eele br Lted the hxrvest and 1 till stranger hmd nntrodueed hunstlf 1 Wllhelrn Volk I have watched you for a long t1me Anna he had sud I hope you don t mxnd nfl call you Ann 17 I don t mlnd Good But as I was sxyxng I hue wxtched you for 1 long t1me md But how could you7 she h 1d lnterrupted I h me never seen you before I know I come here to NISII my grandmother and I Im wlth her most ofthe tlme but I have seen you p1ss1ng by You Ire xery be autlful you know and I thmk I tm go1ng to lxke you My you re bold Her eyes h 1d gllstened as h swung her through the throng of dancers Tell me lf you thought you would lxke me why d1dn t you speak to me before' Grandmother sald you were praetxeally engaged to Fran Sv. xrt Th xt farmer' Oh pooh What s wrong mth 1 farmerj Too poor I want to marry somebody who omebody I , , , , . ' K' U 7 1 , 2 . 2 I . . i , z . , I f ' I . , I f 7 - 1 3 K . . . ' ' , , , , g . , 1 . ' z ' . . , , . . . ' .K I . , , e . 3 I 1 1 : ' ga ' : 1 ' ' ' f 1 1 1 ,L 1 L : ' - 1 ' :X Qs and asked her to dance. M a 9 ' I. . . Q , 1 ' z L 1 . L . I V 5 , . . , , . . . , , . ' . . I . , . f 1 I . e , I ' 1 u 2. . S 5 .