We Happy Few | Band of Brothers

Chapter 49: When the Birds Stop Singing

With the sound of a frantic woman shouting echoing throughout the building, Margot made her way up the first flight of stairs and into the small apartment of one of the German residences that she and the rest of Easy had been ordered to clear out. 

"Tell her she's got five minutes," Speirs ordered to anyone within the company that was able to speak German. 

The woman, who looked maybe only a few years older than Margot herself, stood her ground between the soldiers and her young son. She wasn't backing down, and although Margot had no idea what she was saying, it was obvious from her body language and tone that she was very upset. How could she not be? A hoard of American Paratroopers had just barged into her home and ordered her to leave. Anyone would be on edge when faced with a situation like that.

Liebgott groaned slightly as he began trying to persuade the woman to leave, but no matter how many times he repeated the same thing over and over again, she was not giving in. "Sir, she says she's got nowhere to go." Liebgott translated.

Running his hands through his hair in frustration, Speirs groaned. "We're only gonna be here one night," he yelled at the mother. "You've got four minutes!"

The woman backed up even more, her thigh now pressing into the chair that her son was sitting in. Her eyes darted between Liebgott, who was still speaking in German, and Margot, who was standing a few feet back and watching the whole thing go down. Her hands moved to grab hold of her son as she silently pleaded with the fellow female to help her. 

Throwing her rifle over her shoulder, Margot stepped between the male Paratrooper and the German mother. "Okay, let's just take it easy here, okay." She placed a hand on Liebgott's chest and pushed him back a little. "Joe, explain to her one more time—nicely —that she just has to find somewhere for tonight and that we will be gone by morning. Tell her I will watch her son while she packs."

Liebgott rolled his eyes before complying, his voice gentler and less authoritative this time around. Slowly, the woman seemed to calm down. With a slow, cautious nod, she grabbed Margot's arm and directed her to stand next to her son before turning and taking off to pack up a few things as quickly as she could. 

"I know it may be hard to believe," Margot looked down at the boy and flashed a comforting smile, "but not everyone in Germany is a Nazi. Jus .try to remember that."

With a huff, Liebgott stomped off, presumably to go yell at some more residents and get all of that ever-lasting pent-up anger out. Never before had Margot seen such a skinny man hold so much rage inside of him so consistently. To be completely honest, she had no idea what Annie saw in him that made her want to be his friend. 

After another minute or so, the woman came out of her bedroom with a full bag slung over her shoulder. With a curt nod, she grabbed her son's hand and dragged him past Margot and out of the apartment where she and the rest of the tenants were pushed down the stairs and out of the building. 

Margot watched as family after family hurried out of their homes, panic on their faces as they worried about where to go and what was going to happen to them. Fishing a cigarette out of her pocket, Margot placed it between her lips and lit it with a single flick of her lighter.

Ever since she had received her letter from Joe and Bill she had been trying to work out what to write back. Like Joe, she had so many things she wanted to say, but nothing seemed to make sense when she put it down on paper. Margot wanted to vent to them—to tell them all the horrible things she had endured since she had last seen them—but she also didn't want to burden them with her problems; they had enough of their own as it was.

With a long inhale of the nicotine, Margot decided that she would not include evicting innocent families from their homes in her letter. Joe and Bill didn't need to hear about that.