Battle of the Rhine

Michael felt pretty bad, and not just because of those pretty roses.True, the roses did make him depressed.Before he ran away in a hurry last time, there hadn't been any decent plants growing in this small garden.He had planted a few weak red flowers, and tangled grass and vines, but none were as fresh, delicate, and beautiful as this rose.Quinnessy was definitely not home at a quarter past three on a weekday.Michael sat on the side of the street with his head down, his temples throbbing.

He felt like a dog waiting for its master to come home, embarrassed and anxious.Mary was right, he was a complete idiot who only now made up his mind to come back.It will be at least two and a half hours before Quincy can get off work, Michael rubbed his neck, fatigue gradually fermented under the tireless fumigation of the sun.

You can't expect complete rest on a long road trip.From the United States to Europe, along the way, Michael had nightmares.In the dream, he attended the funeral, and the deceased seemed to be one of his comrades in arms, and the national flag was covered on the coffin.There were bursts of low-pitched weeping in the crowd, and Michael was extremely depressed, as if a boulder was pressing on his chest.

A little girl sits outside the crowd.It was a pretty little thing, brown hair, green eyes, wearing a black dress, yawning boredly.

"Hello, Uncle Mike," said the little girl, "my father is dead, isn't he?"

Michael squatted in front of the little girl, "Hello, Lily." It was strange, he obviously didn't know this girl, but he firmly believed that her name was Lily, "Your father went to heaven... God will bless him."

"There is no God in this world, and there is no heaven." Lily said, "Everything you say is a lie, but you don't believe it yourself."

"You can't say that," Michael couldn't help touching the end of the little girl's hair, "Your father is a good man, he just went to heaven."

"If Dad really went to heaven, why is Mom still so sad?" Lily raised her head and looked up at the sky, "You always say that heaven is the best place, where you can have whatever you want, no sickness, no war, Always be safe and happy. So why are you all crying when Dad went to such a good place?——Because there is no heaven at all, and when Dad dies, he is dead. I will never see him again, and neither will Mom him, right?"

Michael couldn't answer that question. "You're right," he muttered, as if a hurricane was blowing through his chest.Tears flowed down his cheeks, "You're right...I'm not sure if God and heaven really exist, but I have to believe in heaven, there must be such a place...I have to believe."

"Did your loved one go to heaven like Dad?" Lily asked.

"I..." Michael was stunned, he was in pain, a cold hand clutched his heart, "yes, he went to heaven..."

"Okay, I see." Lily showed an elusive smile, "Does it make you feel better to believe that he has gone to heaven?"

"Maybe," Michael nodded laboriously, curled up into a small ball in pain, while Lily grew taller and became a giant, "yes, it'll make me feel better."

"If it makes you feel better, believe it," said Giant Lily, rumbling,

When Michael broke free from this dream, he found that the fat man sitting next door had an arm on his stomach.He pushed away the fat arm and touched the military badge.He had a dream about the military registration card, there was no image, only sound. "When I die, they will be able to confirm my identity through the military registration card." The voice brushed gently, "You will be able to find me then..."

annoying nightmare.Michael dozed off, but fortunately he had no dreams this time.After four o'clock, pedestrians gradually appeared on the street.The housewife carried the basket, and the children after school chased and played.A girl of seventeen or eighteen was passing by on a bicycle, and suddenly the brakes squeaked. She stopped and stared at Michael with her brown eyes rolling around.

"Are you... American?"

Michael was groggy, he didn't have time to shave, he must look terrible, "Yeah." Thank God he still speaks German, not fluent, but not so blunt, "Are you——Hanna?"

"It's me! Are you Mike?" Hannah Muller jumped off the bicycle lively, "Long time no see, Mr. Mike! Didn't you go back to America? Mr. Von Quincy told my parents that you went back to China , never come back."

Hearing Quincy's name, Michael's heart couldn't stop beating wildly. "Is he okay? Oh, no, I wanted to ask—"

"Mr. von Quinnessy is on vacation." Hannah twitched his braids, "Do you have something to do with him? At least he will come back next Sunday. However, he probably has no plans to rent out the house right now. I guess you have to rent it elsewhere." house."

On this day, Michael waited until nightfall, but Quincy was still not there.He left sadly, and came back the next day. After waiting for a long time, he was still only accompanied by the garden rose.Quincy was really away, not Hannah lying to him.The Muller family didn't like Michael very much, and Mr. Mueller paid attention to his every move like a thief all day long.Michael decided to come back next Sunday, he had to report to the factory first.The workplace is in Bavaria, and it takes more than two hours to drive to Munich.The factory allocated him a single dormitory with a single bed, and the bed board was as hard as compressed biscuits that had been stored for several years.

"God." Michael knelt by the window and prayed. He didn't know if he would see Quincy next Sunday, so he could only pray to God.But that's a wrong wish, and God wouldn't have helped him, would he?

Uneasy, Michael started a new job.There is one advantage of busy work, which can make people forget their worries.Time flies, the weekend is coming, and in a blink of an eye, the next weekend is here.Michael took the train to Munich on Saturday and found a hotel to stay.Maybe he was too excited, he tossed and turned until dawn before he felt a little drowsy.As a result, I overslept as soon as I fell asleep, and when I opened my eyes again, it was already 03:30 in the afternoon.

Michael packed himself up like a war haste.Without a car, traveling is a hassle.He galloped down the road, wondering if Quincy had returned home.Not seen for more than a week, the roses in the garden have opened new flowers.It occurred to Michael that he should bring something to his college student... at least a bouquet of flowers!Just as he was panting heavily and about to turn around, the door opened, and Quincy walked out slowly, holding a little blond boy in his arms, followed by a huge wolfhound, barking and wagging its tail affectionately.