Ilona Cole, Guest Author, Story 156

A Party for Hal and Ilona

This was the year 1954 and a big “going away” party was planned by my friends. I was leaving my home in Germany as soon as my visa and entry permit would be granted. My Hal had to leave already, which was a law, after marrying a German National. This celebration was in honor of Hal and me since we were leaving Germany for a “far away” land, unknown to Europeans, then still. A large part of the country is of course less developed, since it has vast areas of open land. On the East coast are some large cities, like New York, Washington, Boston and the beautiful New England area. In the State of Florida are some cities, right by the ocean. There are large cities like New Orleans and Miami. On the West Cost of course there are big, beautiful cities too, my Hal tells me, like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. Now, after air travel has become the mode of travel, it seems so much closer and it only takes hours, not days.

The United States of America is a highly industrialized nation that helped the British Empire win the war, which Briton could not have won on their own. The US not only contributed men, soldiers, to WWII but transported all materials necessary on ships to Europe, including planes, like the B17 bombers and fighter planes.

Such commitment, such fast industrialization, after the bombing attack of Pearl Harbor.

I was of course not concerned or worried about the travel time.  My worry was more:

“Will my Hal’s family like me?”

“What is the big state of Washington like?”

“What is Seattle like?”

 Germany just emerged from a brutal, uncultured and uncivilized war, that Hitler had started, every city involved in the bombing raids will have to start over, it is a wasteland.

Not having air travel, as we know it now, before the war, America was unknown to Europeans and tourism. I worked for Northern Area Command of the American Armed Forces, General Eisenhower’s Supreme Command Headquarters as secretary to the communications officer in Frankfurt, Germany. I heard conversations about some cities like New York, Boston or San Francisco etc. I realized how big and modern they are. They called San Francisco the Jewel by the Pacific Ocean.

It was the evening of the party, and the guests were arriving. Mostly friends of my parents, a few of my sister Friedl’s and my friends. My dear professor, Dr. Stern and professor Dr, Eckhart, both from the University I had attended and graduated.  Mr. Espenschied, the pastry chef of Café Espenschied, was a very good friend of my dear mama’s who no longer is with us. He brought for me a beautiful present he himself created. In a fine wooden box, five pink roses, long stemmed, beautiful green leaves, looked like they were real and had just been picked. They were of course of eatable material, sugar, finely ground almonds, water and color. They were beautiful! Some friends brought lovely gifts, small, easy to pack into my suitcase.

It was a memorable evening with wonderful piano music, champagne and… tears. Going so far away no one knew when or if I would come to visit again. This was 1954 February and my first visit back to Germany was September 1957.

So much had changed with rebuilding the cities. Friends had married and some had moved away. Time had passed and time moved on. But it was always wonderful to see my dear sister Friedl and her family, when my Hal and I planned our vacation and went to Germany. Years later, my sister, and sometimes her husband and their boys would spend time here with us and they loved it.

The evening ended with tears, goodbye is a hard word to say, especially when there is no guarantee of a HELLO, again.