Mother and Me by Julian Padowicz Page B

truck?
    Lying on the ground now with Mr. Dembovski kneeling over him, the man held his hands up in surrender. He was breathing hard and I thought he looked very frightened. Mr. Dembovski got to his feet shaking his head. The other man didn’t try to get up. He had on a gray tweed suit with knickerbockers and high socks, a common fashion at that time. He had a longish face and straight dark hair parted on one side and pomaded in place. Now some of it hung over one eye, not unlike the pictures we had seen of Adolph Hitler, except for the little mustache. I saw that he was talking quickly. Our driver said something and jerked his head to one side in a gesture clearly directing him to leave. The man got to his feet, pulled a cap of the same gray tweed from an inside jacket pocket, placed it on his head with both hands, and proceeded to brush off his knickered trousers. He said something more to the driver, who made the same head-jerking gesture as before. The man said something again, and I saw our driver make a fist and shake it at the man.
    â€œWhat is it, Dembovski?” I heard my mother’s voice behind me. She and Auntie Edna were standing by the back of the truck. I saw Fredek and Sonya standing together and laughing.
    The man in the knickerbocker suit turned his head towards my mother. He whipped the cap from his head and quickly walked towards her. “My name is Herman Lupicki, Missus,and I am the second assistant manager in the Shoe Store of Goldfarb,” he said. “I thought your truck had been abandoned. I simply desire transportation with you, esteemed ladies, because my home, as well as the store have been bombed.” He spoke quickly, without pause, as though afraid of providing an opportunity for a negative response. “I have no money to pay for such transportation, but I can provide additional protection, since there are unscrupulous people who are forcing their way into vehicles along the way.”
    â€œWho is this man?” Auntie Paula asked. She and Miss Bronia had just come up.
    The man turned to face them. “My name is Herman Lupicki, Missus, and I am the second assistant manager of the Shoe Store of Goldfarb,” he repeated. “I desire transportation with you in your vehicle. I will sit up front with your driver and provide added protection against ruffians who are right now forcing their way into slow-moving vehicles and taking them over.”
    â€œI was sitting up front,” Auntie Paula said.
    Mr. Dembovski, I saw, was standing by the front of the truck, lighting another cigarette and keeping a watchful eye on this Mr. Lupicki.
    â€œIt is really dangerous for fine ladies like yourselves, and with small children, to be traveling in such a truck with just one man to protect you,” Mr. Lupicki went on. “They see just one man, and they try to take advantage. I, myself, thought your truck had been abandoned.” The women were surrounding him now, and, crushing his cap in both hands in front of his chest, he turned from one to the other as he spoke.
    â€œWe had another man with us,” Mother explained, “an army major even, but he was under orders to report to Lublin.”
    The man waited patiently while Mother spoke, but went on again as soon as she had finished. “Just my presence in the front seat, Missus, will be a deterrent. I am also skilled at driving an automobile. I can assist your driver, and in the event of a burst tire I can be of quite valuable help as well.”
    â€œWhere is it that you want to go?” Auntie Paula asked him.
    â€œEsteemed lady, I want to go where everyone is going, far enough from the city to be out of the way of the bombing. They are bombing the cities, you know, to make people leave and fill up the roads so the army can’t travel. They bomb and strafe us along the way to keep us moving. Your truck can’t move any faster than people on foot right now, which, of course, is exactly the goal