“Did he have any family left?” William asked. “Did he ever reach out? Do you know what became of them?”
Ruth shook her head. “Only once. Years after the war, a letter arrived from his father. It was bitter. His father called the desertion cowardice. He said a son who ran was no son of his. Heinrich never replied.”
William looked down. He realized his father had been holding onto that rejection for his entire life. He wondered if his father ever truly forgave himself, or if he just kept moving forward to avoid the silence left behind in Germany. He likely never asked if his parents and family had survived the fighting.