November 1, 1989 East Berlin
I doubt you will ever read this, but I need you to know what happened that day. It was August 5 when you left; I was to leave on the 15. You told me that everything would be ready by then. We knew it was getting bad in the East and you told me that the West was safer. It meant leaving my family and going away. We never knew the wall would be built, two days before my departure. I couldn’t get past the guards; I couldn’t get out of East Berlin.
You remember when we met? I was 16, you were 19, and the world was ours. I was a shy little school girl and you were a polite young man. It was the beginning of the 60’s and everything was new, but in Berlin it was strained. Communism was falling fast and hard on our beautiful city, and we were stuck in the middle. My parents were pro-communism, unlike many in Berlin, but I wasn’t.
When we first met by that fountain in West Berlin you annoyed me, do you remember that? You teased me and you picked on me, and I fell for it. I loved every second of your craziness. You loved me and when you asked me to marry you, I said yes. My parents were outrages, but you came from good blood, so it was allowed.
We were so happy, so young and then things got worse. People starting fleeing to the West, for safety, I knew we had to go too. You thought that I would be safe in the East for a few days, while you prepared things. Things didn’t work out well, though. I woke up on August 13, and no one was going anywhere. They blocked any traveling and they cut off communication. I cried night after night, I wouldn’t be able to see you again, my dearest.
Only a short time later I found out I was pregnant. Only 9 months later and I had a beautiful little girl. I named her Arabella, you always loved that name. For some reason I believed that there was a chance they would take the wall down, just for me and you. Everyone on our side of the wall was mourning the loss of their family on the other side, even to this day they still mourn. I would like to say that we were happy, but we weren’t. Every day Arabella would ask about her father, she has never stopped asking.
Our little girl is 28, married with children. I may be 45, but I’ve never loved again, I will never love again. As for Arabella her husband and amazing, and our grandchildren are darling. She has a 6 year old named Mila and a 4 year old named Lara. They are two adorable little girls. It hurts to think that you have never met them. It hurts to think that this god forsaken wall has kept us apart. I can’t fight it anymore to write to you. I’m sure you will never see this letter. If you do, know that the day that allow us to I will see you in the West.
Waiting in the East,
Your Darling Lenore
My mother wrote this letter only 8 days before they allowed us into the East. When we made it into West Berlin my father was waiting for us by the fountain where they met. He locked at mother and embraced her, holding tight. He looked at me awestruck and mom told him the story. She cried, I cried, dad cried, our whole family was elated. We watched the wall fall to the ground. Communism had fell and we had survived.
Dad had never married, his love always remained, and we never separated again. Until the day my mother died she never went back into the East. I think she was afraid they would build a wall again, to keep her there. Dad left us only months after mom, after years apart, they had to be together. Someday when my girls are old and grey, I’ll tell them about grandma and grandpa. Maybe someday I won’t be afraid to cross that border and maybe I’ll face the remains of the forsaken wall and I will write My own graffiti on that wall.
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