Kind: a Christmas short story of post-WWII Munich

By Kellyn Roth

Lt. Neil Hudson is sure to have a rotten Christmas.

 

How can he have anything but a rotten Christmas when he's stuck in war-torn Germany away from his family, friends, and all hope of a decent turkey dinner?

 

That's when the Slades come into his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kellyn Roth
• Release date: May 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393506225

Book preview

Dedication

For Erika, Hannah, and Andrea, whose names slipped into this story.

Thanks for being such great friends and sisters in Christ!

Kind

November 1945

Munich, Germany

Lt. Neil Hudson mumbled words his mama would wash his mouth out for as snowflakes began drifting down from the gray sky to the cobblestone streets. Back home in Arizona, snow was a unicorn-like anomaly. He liked it that way—hot sun, dry air, and wide open spaces.

There were a few whoops of pleasure from the other G.I.s at his table. Chief among them was his best buddy, Lt. Kelly O’Malley. Kell ought to be cheerful; he hailed from Minnesota. This was June weather for him, as they’d often joked.

Say, ain’t there a song for just this occasion? Kell shouted. He jumped up on his chair and waved a crushed cap about. Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful ...

The next words rang in Neil’s ears before he even heard them. And since we’ve no place to go ... His meaning for the lyrics were different than the writer’s intention, but it worked either way, he supposed.

No place to go. Stuck in Germany, probably through the winter, maybe even into the spring. The summer. The fall. And the stupid winter again.

Hey, get off that chair before you break something, won’t you? he growled at Kell. Last thing these people need is an American soldier bustin’ up their place.

Kell slid back into his seat. He threw an arm around another soldier’s shoulder and sang, When we finally kiss goodnight—

You ain’t kissin’ no one goodnight, let alone me!

The table erupted into roars of laughter. Kell simply laughed it off. "I wouldn’t think