Meeting Rachel

Two Americans meet at the German Christmas Market.

December 1988
Bad Hersfeld, Germany

The fire crackled in the bonfire pit in Linggplatz, and quite honestly, I was enthralled by it. There was a deep hickory scent coming from it, and not only did it remind me of home, that fire was keeping me warm. The night was cold, but there was a hint of humidity in the air and I suspected it was going to start snowing in an hour or two. My friends had dragged me down to the town center because they wanted to check out the Christmas Market. Most German towns had these markets during the holidays. There were booths with Christmas decorations, food, clothing, you name it. Heck, over near the old Rathaus, there was a German quartet singing songs. Who knew? We didn’t really have anything like this in the states, and honestly, I was impressed.

“Hey Jack, let’s get some gluhwein at the booth over there.” My friend, Dave Williams came over and gave me a light pat on the arm. We were both second lieutenants, stationed with the third squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment over at McPheeters Barracks.

“Give me an extra second. I’m enjoying the bonfire.”

“Sure,” Dave paused. “Just a sec though. Anke’s over there and I want to go say Hi.”

I chuckled and turned my gaze back to the fire. Every man with a pulse who was stationed here wanted a date with Anke. I mean, who wouldn’t? Anke was a local German girl. She was friendly, kind, spoke English fluently, and honestly, was good looking. She was petite with long, wavy brown hair and hazel eyes that sparkled. Don’t get me wrong. I liked Anke. I’ve talked to her on several occasions, but I’d rather be friends with her.

Bad Hersfeld has about 30,000 people. It’s a good sized small town. There’s about 1,000 soldiers stationed here. We’re only ten kilometers from the Fulda Gap. If the Soviets came, I’m sure we’d just be a speed bump to them, but my vibe tells me the times are changing and there’s a wind of peace in the air. Anyhow, 1,000 soldiers is a good contingent to be stationed here and I don’t know everyone. Heck, I’ve only been here five months. I don’t have enough leave or seniority to go home quite yet for the holidays so I’m trying to make the best of it.

“Jack.” David pointed to the booth. Two other women joined Anke. All of them were holding mugs around their hands and they seemed engaged in a good conversation. Anke wore an off white beret and had mini-Christmas wreaths dangling from her ears.

I motioned for Dave to head in that direction and joined him.

“Hey Anke, fancy meeting you here,” Dave walked right up to her. Her friends grew quiet.

A teasing smile crossed Anke’s face. “You knew I was going to be here.”

I tapped my buddy on his arm. “I’m going to get some gluhwein.”

He nodded and I got in line. It wasn’t bad, about five minutes. I gave the barista my Marks and got my mugs. Barista? Haha. I had to laugh. Somehow gluhwein and coffee weren’t quite the same thing. Gluhwein’s a warm mulled cider and depending where you get it from, there might be a little hooch in it. I returned to Dave and Anke and handed my friend his mug.

“Jack, these are my friends, Rachel and Sabine.” She pointed to her friends. Both appeared around her age.

“Hello, Jack.” Sabine had an accent, much like Anke’s. She held out her hand and we exchanged a pleasant handshake.

“Happy Holidays, Jack.” Rachel said. She also held out her hand, but her accent was American. I noticed she had thick curly brown hair with auburn highlights, but no longer than the bottom of her neck. I wondered if she was stationed here. Her blue eyes seemed to glisten in the firelight. Her cheeks were rosy red and her dark navy peacoat was a perfect on her.

Anke smiled at the girls. “Jack and Dave are up on the hill at McPheeters barracks. What do you do again?” Anke snapped one of her fingers. “Artillery or Infantry?”

“We’re field artillery,” said Dave, grinning. “Second Lieutenants.”

I inwardly groaned. Just the tone of his voice hinted at subtle bragging. We’re officers. I don’t like to brag about that. Sure, I’m young. I’m good looking, but I don’t want to be thought of like a piece of meat, and some girls look at American officers as a ticket to the states.

I noticed Rachel flashed Anke a look - just a hint of apprehension? Worry? Hard to peg it down. Now I was curious.

“Sabine and Rachel work at the substation, too,” said Anke.

Dave just nodded, as if that was enough for him. “So, Anke, what do you like most about these Christmas markets?”

“Well, I like the gingerbreads,” she answered.

Rachel reached over and placed a hand on Anke’s elbow. “Speaking of markets – I wanted to get a Weihnachten candle for my apartment, and I see the seller at that booth might be starting to close up. I’m going to check it out right quick.”

Anke nodded and Rachel turned to walk off.

“Do you mind if I come?” I asked.

A small smile tipped the corner of her lips. “All right.”

I sipped my mug and joined her as we crossed the distance to the booth. It was quiet at first, and I didn’t quite know what to say, but honestly, Rachel intrigued me. There was something in her demeanor that spoke of quiet strength and… curiosity. I’m not quite sure where what word curiosity came from, but yeah – curiosity. I think it was a curiosity I shared being stationed here in Germany.

She approached the booth and seller’s face lit up. In halting German she talked to him, and thankfully, he replied back in English that he would stay open long enough for her to look at the candles.

She paused in front of one that caught her eye, and looked at me. In that moment, the warmth of her smile teased me. “So, Jack where are you from in the states?”

“Michigan,” I paused. “You?”

She grinned. “Vermont.”

I drew in a breath. I wanted to get to know her better. A lot better. “So what do you do on the substation?”

She sipped from her mug, and her eyes grew a bit serious. Then she placed the mug down on the table next to the booth. “I’ll tell you, but not tonight. For now, let’s just get to know each other as Jack and Rachel.”

She had a secret. She was attractive, curious like I was, and I couldn’t help but want to know more about her. “All right,” I agreed. Her expression lighted and her perky smile only intrigued me more. A snowflake or two began to fall between us and she giggled.

Word Count: 1157