Keep It To Yourself
This story is based off material in the book, TV series, and my own ideas. I will be expanding on how the Axis fell as the story continues.
Munich suburbs, German Federal Republic
"So Emily," her mother said, passing her a plate of lamb. "I hear there's someone at school whose caught your eye." She winced as her father and sister turned to look at her. The brunette girl grit her teeth in agitation. Did her little sister Angela squeal on her? She only hoped that word didn't spread through the rest of her middle school class. It made her even angrier that her parents now knew. Especially her mother.
"A crush?" her father said, laughing. "Have you already decided you don't need me as much as you used to?"
"So, who is he?" her mom asked. Emily kept silent.
"It's nothing."
"I beg to differ," her mom replied. "Why didn't you tell me? This is wonderful."
"I wanted to keep it to myself." It took a lot of self restraint to spell out exactly why.
Emily didn't think very highly the women in her family ever since she turned 11. It produced Party members since Hitler took power. Both her parents had some level of involvement in it even though they were still young when the Reich fell. Her grandmothers, mother, and aunt all went through the BDM-NS-Frauenshaft pipeline and believed in the idea of children, church, kitchen. Emily hated the kind of homebody the party promoted so much. The ideal German woman seemed so empty headed, so void of ambition, so dependent on her husband for any sort of self worth. She knew that it wasn't healthy to have this kind of contempt for her family members but she couldn't help it. The ideology they grew up with made her stomach churn. Useless eaters? Subhumans? How could any belief system be so...anti-human?
It made her reluctant to confide anything to the women in her family. Crushes were something she already hated the idea of talking to them about.
She'd never trust them not to freak about the fact that her crush was a Jewish boy. Emily felt there was still too much Nazi in them to tell them. Luca Taub was a quiet boy but one whose intelligence quickly got her attention. He helped her with some of her science homework and was excited to find out he wrote in his spare time.
"Because I wanted to avoid being interrogated, that's why," she said flatly. "Isn't that what the party taught you? If you want to find out something from your kids you don't stop asking questions till you find out what you want?" Her mother's face fell.
"Dear, I don't want to pry. I'm just so excited! Young love is something beautiful and I want you to enjoy as best you can. What the party told me when I was your age has nothing to do with this. I want to help you figure things out if you don't know how to talk to this boy."
"Apologize to your mother," her father said.
"No."
"Emily, please, she's so happy for you. This isn't necessary."
"How did you find out?" Emily asked her mother. Her mother opened her mouth to talk but looked uncertain.
"Tell me!" she shouted.
"Angela just...said you seemed interested in a boy in your class. That's all. I don't know who he is." Her mother looked crestfallen.
"Do you really think that you can't tell me something like this?"
"Yes." Her mom sighed.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I guess I should've...asked in private." Her father's eyes narrowed.
"Emily, tell her you're sorry. Now." Emily sighed. She assumed she staved off future prying for at least a little while.
"Fine. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Can we just eat now?"
"Of course," her mom said with a nod. Emily started cutting up her lamb, making a mental note to make Angela pay later.
Munich suburbs, German Federal Republic
"So Emily," her mother said, passing her a plate of lamb. "I hear there's someone at school whose caught your eye." She winced as her father and sister turned to look at her. The brunette girl grit her teeth in agitation. Did her little sister Angela squeal on her? She only hoped that word didn't spread through the rest of her middle school class. It made her even angrier that her parents now knew. Especially her mother.
"A crush?" her father said, laughing. "Have you already decided you don't need me as much as you used to?"
"So, who is he?" her mom asked. Emily kept silent.
"It's nothing."
"I beg to differ," her mom replied. "Why didn't you tell me? This is wonderful."
"I wanted to keep it to myself." It took a lot of self restraint to spell out exactly why.
Emily didn't think very highly the women in her family ever since she turned 11. It produced Party members since Hitler took power. Both her parents had some level of involvement in it even though they were still young when the Reich fell. Her grandmothers, mother, and aunt all went through the BDM-NS-Frauenshaft pipeline and believed in the idea of children, church, kitchen. Emily hated the kind of homebody the party promoted so much. The ideal German woman seemed so empty headed, so void of ambition, so dependent on her husband for any sort of self worth. She knew that it wasn't healthy to have this kind of contempt for her family members but she couldn't help it. The ideology they grew up with made her stomach churn. Useless eaters? Subhumans? How could any belief system be so...anti-human?
It made her reluctant to confide anything to the women in her family. Crushes were something she already hated the idea of talking to them about.
She'd never trust them not to freak about the fact that her crush was a Jewish boy. Emily felt there was still too much Nazi in them to tell them. Luca Taub was a quiet boy but one whose intelligence quickly got her attention. He helped her with some of her science homework and was excited to find out he wrote in his spare time.
"Because I wanted to avoid being interrogated, that's why," she said flatly. "Isn't that what the party taught you? If you want to find out something from your kids you don't stop asking questions till you find out what you want?" Her mother's face fell.
"Dear, I don't want to pry. I'm just so excited! Young love is something beautiful and I want you to enjoy as best you can. What the party told me when I was your age has nothing to do with this. I want to help you figure things out if you don't know how to talk to this boy."
"Apologize to your mother," her father said.
"No."
"Emily, please, she's so happy for you. This isn't necessary."
"How did you find out?" Emily asked her mother. Her mother opened her mouth to talk but looked uncertain.
"Tell me!" she shouted.
"Angela just...said you seemed interested in a boy in your class. That's all. I don't know who he is." Her mother looked crestfallen.
"Do you really think that you can't tell me something like this?"
"Yes." Her mom sighed.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I guess I should've...asked in private." Her father's eyes narrowed.
"Emily, tell her you're sorry. Now." Emily sighed. She assumed she staved off future prying for at least a little while.
"Fine. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. Can we just eat now?"
"Of course," her mom said with a nod. Emily started cutting up her lamb, making a mental note to make Angela pay later.