War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 327

Chapter 46: Ursula

Berlin, July 1946

S

ummer had arrived with scorching heat and Ursula spent most of her leisure time with Evie and her nephew Jan at one of the lakes in Berlin. It was nice and tranquil out there, quite the change from the still depressing sight of a city in rubble.

She and Tom managed to see each other once or twice a week in public places. Sometimes he even surprised her with a clandestine overnight stay in a hotel that didn’t ask questions. It was the nearest they could have to a normal family life.

Evie didn’t seem to miss him when he wasn’t around, but squealed in delight whenever he accompanied them on one of their walks. They had decided not to tell her that he was her father for now. Not until either things changed or she was a schoolgirl and wouldn’t accidentally let the truth slip out. For her he was just Tom.

While Ursula looked forward to seeing Tom every time, she also hated skulking around like their love was a dirty thing. But whenever she complained to Tom about it, he told her to be patient.

One day, toward the end of July, Tom visited her at work, which he’d never done before.

“What are you doing here?”

“Can you take your lunch break now?” he asked instead of giving an answer. His nervous smile gave her a sense of foreboding and she glanced at the clock in her office. “Give me five minutes. I’ll meet you outside.”

She went to the adjacent office with the doctor on duty and informed him that she’d be taking her lunch hour a few minutes early today. Grabbing her handbag, she walked out the main entrance, all while she worried herself sick about the reason he’d come to see her at work.

When she saw him standing beside the only remaining tree in the hospital front garden, her heart leaped the same way it always did. Whatever bad news he’d come to tell her, as long as they still loved each other there wasn’t a thing she couldn’t bear.

She walked over to kiss him, but he was unusually tense and pushed her away, saying, “I need to ask you something.”

The queasiness in her stomach intensified, but she put on a brave face and nodded.

Much to her surprise he went down on one knee and looked up at her with his amazing green eyes. Before she comprehended what was happening, he took her hand and asked, “Ursula, my love, will you marry me?”

She shrugged, slightly embarrassed at the spectacle of Tom proposing marriage where onlookers could see. “Of course, I’ll marry you… one day.” It was her fondest wish to become his wife, but there was a ban on marriage between German women and Allied servicemen.

“What about right now?” The nervous tension had left his body and a boisterously happy smile appeared on his face as he got up to kiss her.

Ursula still thought he was pulling her leg. “What’s gotten into you, Tom? We both know it can’t happen.”

“It can. And it will.” He pulled a pamphlet from his pocket and handed it to her.

She could only decipher the title, before tears streamed down her face and the letters swam before her eyes.

The conditions under which British Service men may marry German women in the British Zone of Germany.

“What’s wrong, Ursula?” Tom asked with worry. “I thought you’d be happy.”

“I am. Terribly happy. Is this real?”

“Yes, it’s real.” He wrapped his arms around her and continued in a soothing tone, “It’s a lengthy process, and there are conditions. But we can apply right now, if you want.”

“Yes, I want. You can’t imagine how much I want to be your wife.” She dabbed the tears from her eyes and cheeks. “What do we have to do?”

“I can file the application for us tonight on the base, but shouldn’t we first tell your family?”

“Oh… I totally forgot.” Ursula’s brain was mushy with the news and she was going to let him handle everything.

“I’ll pick you up after work and bring you home. Then we can tell your family.” Tom beamed with joy and gave her a kiss on her lips – in public no less – before he left her at the main entrance to the hospital.

In the evening he held her hand as they climbed the stairs to her apartment. Her heart thumped so loudly in her chest, it drowned out her footsteps and she was sure her nosy neighbor, Frau Weber, must certainly hear it. Any moment the vile gossip would swoop out of her door like a looming dragon and tell her

such a thing

would not happen in this decent building.

But nothing happened and they reached their landing without incident. Ursula fumbled with the key in her trembling hands until Tom took it from her and said, “Calm down, sweetheart. It’s just your family.”

Just my family. My mother will not be amused

.

Her mother shouted from the kitchen, “You’re late, Ursula. Dinner is ready.”

She took a courageous step into the lion’s den, Tom’s comforting presence right behind her. The entire family was assembled around the kitchen table about to have dinner.

“Mutter, I have—” All heads jerked around, gaping open-mouthed at Tom, who looked quite dashing in his dress uniform. Ursula’s voice creaked off and refused further service. Thankfully, Tom came to her aid.

“Frau Klausen, please forgive this unannounced visit, but we came to tell you that your daughter has graciously agreed to marry me.”

“I thought that wasn’t allowed?” Jan blurted out, which earned him a glower from his grandmother.

“In fact, it wasn’t until today.” Tom beamed at the family and Ursula saw that all of them sat thunderstruck, unable to move.

“I heard there are rather stiff requirements to getting an intermarriage application approved,” Peter finally said.

“There are,” Tom answered. “But they’re not really that hard to fulfill. Apart from a security and background check, a medical certificate, and a certificate of good character signed by a relevant official for the prospective wife, the hardest thing will be that we have to wait at least six months from the date of application, during which I’ll have to return to England for at least three weeks.”

Ursula leaned against him. Three weeks without him? He hadn’t mentioned that part to her.

“Well then, congratulations!” Peter said and stood to slap Tom on his shoulder and hug the future bride. Evie beamed at Tom, Anna and Jan were genuinely happy for them and even Mutter managed to smile and mumble something similar to congratulations.

Lotte was the only one who couldn’t hide the sadness in her eyes, as she must be thinking of her boyfriend Johann, who was suffering somewhere in a POW camp in Russia.

“He’ll come back to you soon, you’ll see.” Ursula tried to cheer up her sister, because she couldn’t stand anyone being sad on this happy day.