Ilona Cole, Guest Author, Story 148

My Realization

It was February 14^th, 1954, Frankfurt/Germany. I, Ilona, had gotten married to a wonderful American gentleman, Halvor Le Grand Cole on November 14^th, 1953. My new husband, Hal, had served his three years and according to a law of the Armed Forces, marrying a German national, the soldier then must leave Germany. Hal’s three years were up, December 6^th and he was shipped out from Bremer Haven with a troop ship going back to the United States, Seattle, Washington, his home.

I had to wait until after we were married for my Visa and entry permit into the United States, which sometimes takes six to eight months. But my waiting time should be shorter, since I worked for the American Armed forces, General Eisenhower’s Supreme Allied Command Headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, and for that job I had been cleared for classified and top-secret work.

The call from the American Consulate came in on February 14^th for me to come by, that my application was approved, my Visa was ready, and my voyage could now be scheduled.

I asked my Colonel if I could have an hour off and told him the reason. He of course said yes, and had his Aid drive me to the consulate, and the Aid waited and brought me back to the office. I had a wonderful boss, a very nice Colonel I worked for, for over five years. My interview at the consulate went well in the beginning, all my paperwork was complete, but when it came to my “travel plan” I was told that the first dependent ship that would have a space for me would sail in May and if an American dependent would want it, I would be bumped.

I called my Hal with this news and told him that it would be a while. He was not happy, and we decided that I would get a ticket with TWA and fly from Frankfurt to New York and a domestic flight to Seattle in the State of Washington, my Hal’s home and my new home. The first flight I got a seat on was February 26^th leaving from Frankfurt International Airport.

On a Friday afternoon I received a phone call from the TWA office, here in Frankfurt, to come by to pick up my ticket and seating assignment. I left work and, to relax a bit, I walked from the headquarters building through a beautiful park through the center of the city and right before the train station was TWA.

As I entered, a nice lady waved at me to come to her window.

I suddenly, like a bolt of lightning struck me, realized what I had done!

I could not believe what I had done!

I started crying and the lady, thinking I feared flying, came out from behind her window, put her arm around me and walked me over to a seating area to sit down. She wanted to give me assurance that flying would be safe, not to fear, “it is safer than driving on the Autobahn (Free Way) every day.”

 I assured the nice lady that I would be alright and asked her if it was fine with her if I walked to the train station to take my train home. She asked if I was alright to go by myself or she would send someone with me to accompany me to my train.

I left with my ticket, still crying, saying to myself “What have I done?” Everything seemed to move so quickly, getting to meet that wonderful man, Sgt. Halvor LeGrand Cole, getting to know him, becoming great friends, falling in love, a very touching proposal, designing my wedding dress, getting married, all are wonderful happenings. A beautiful long dream!

Now comes the reality: I must leave my home, I must leave my beloved sister behind and my dearest father, who not long ago returned from a prisoner-of-war camp in Siberia. My heart was shattering and hurting, I kept crying all the way home during my train ride, I could not stop.

When I arrived at the Darmstadt train station, I stopped at the flower shop to purchase some dark purple “March Violets,” my dearest sister’s favorite little flower. The lady put a beautiful Biedermeier bouquet together, tied with a dark purple silk ribbon and big bow. The fragrance was heavenly. My dearest sister, my Friedl, will love them.

I was walking home; it took longer, and I needed the time to compose myself. When I arrived at my sister Friedl’s home and rang the bell, my Friedl opened the door, and I could see in her eyes and on her face that she too had been doing the same, crying, all day. We both looked at each other, put our arms around each other and cried. I told her how sorry, how

heartbroken I was to leave her behind.

That evening was very quiet, my dearest sister Friedl nor I spoke a word, we just sat together holding hands, looking at the sweet bouquet of dark purple violets in a little Asian vase, letting our tears dry. Each in our own thoughts.