Years of Revelation B1, Ch 3

Book 1: February 4th, 1939   Warsaw, Poland

        'Ring,' the bell guarding the doorway to the café rang as a young women and her daughter led by the hand entered the door. Her daughter wore a small purple jacket buttoned up, with purple tights and black shoes. She smiled to Jozef and Celestyn, who were sitting at a table for two near the door. They both smiled back to her, as she waved to them with her small hands.

        The young mother looked over as she shut the door to see the couple waving back to the young girl. She smiled to them, then walked over to the table with the little girl by the hand. "Could you please watch her for a moment while I order us some food," the young mother asked Celestyn. "Of course," she replied with a smile.
The little girl stood at the end of the table with her hands in her coat. Celestyn moved her cup of chocolate to her side and lead on the table toward the little girl. Jozef sat back in his chair, intrigued by the conversion that was about to unfold.

"Hi," said Celestyn to the little girl quietly with a grin. "Hi," replied the little girl in a shy voice. "What's your name?" "Erika," said the little girl in to herself.

"Erika? That's a very pretty name," Celestyn said in a peaceful voice. The young girl smiled shyly, and then looked down to the floor.

"My names Celestyn." The little girl continued to look at the floor.

Celestyn sat back up in her chair, and then reached down into her brown leather bag sitting on the floor next to her. She pulled out a chocolate bar wrapped in foil and peeled the foil back to expose the delectable treat. She broke of a small piece and handed it to the little girl. "You want a piece of chocolate?" The little girl looked back up to her. "Yes, please," replied the young one in a quiet voice as she grabbed the chocolate from her hand.
The single mother then walked away from the café counter and sat down at one of the tables on the far side of the café. "Erika. Come here," yelled the mother from the table across the café. The young girl began to turn away with the chocolate held tightly in her hand. "Bye," she said in a childlike voice, waving to Celestyn.

"Bye," replied Celestyn with a smile and a wave. She looked over to the young mother sitting at the table, who mouthed the words 'thank you' to Celestyn. She gave her a smile back and waved.
Her attention turned back to Jozef, who was still sitting in his chair with his hands behind his head with a big grin. "What?" "Nothing," replied Jozef," I was just admiring how great you are with kids."

Celestyn smiled back to him, "I guess it's just a girl thing." She smiled to him, and then took a sip from her hot chocolate.
"I really enjoyed having dinner with your family the other night," she said to him with a smile.

"They are a real loving family." Jozef laughed to himself.

"You should see them when there isn't company around." She laughed then took another sip of her cup. Jozef lead forward once more and took a drink from his hot cider.  They both placed their cups back on top of her saucers, and then looked back to one another.

"I never knew your family was Jewish," she said to him with a concerned voice.

"Well, I grew up in a Jewish family.  I'm more of a Christian really. I just can't tell my family, since they wouldn't understand." Celestyn gathered a shocked look on her face. "Why can't you tell them?"

"They have always been Jewish. My dad's, dad was Jewish, same as his dad, and my mom's mom was Jewish same as her mother." Jozef looked back down to his cup.

"I'd have to tell them some day." He picked up his cup and began to swivel the left over cider in the cup.

"I don't know. Life's confusing being a Jew," said Jozef to his cup as he picked it up and swallowed the last bit of cider. "Is life confusing when your with me," asked Celestyn. Jozef smiled then placed his cup back down on the table.

"Not as much." He smiled to her. She smiled at him, then picked up her cup and swallowed the last bit of chocolate.

"Well," Jozef stood up from his chair and grabbed his coat hanging from the back of it, "shall we?" Celestyn place her cup back on the table and stood up from her chair.  She grabbed her dark grey coat off her chair and put it on. She noticed the chocolate bar still sitting on the table. She grabbed the chocolate bar and placed her bag on her shoulder. Jozef watched as she walked over to the young girl sitting with her mother. She bent down on her knees to the young girl sitting at the table and handed her the chocolate bar. She stood back up and waved to the young mother and turned back to see Jozef watching her with a grin. He placed his arm at his side as Celestyn walked over to him. She slipped her arm in between his, as they both walked out into the snow covered streets of Warsaw arm locked together.