Vigilance without anxiety
My friend in Germany called the night after the election. He was upset.
Thomas called the night after the election. My penpal of almost 44 years lives in Germany, so it was 7 p.m. in Chicago but midnight for him. His wife Monique was asleep, which was unfortunate as she’s trilingual and helps us with our odd but entertaining mix of three languages. I don’t speak German, and Thomas’s English is limited. This time we’d have to muddle through on our own. To make matters worse, Thomas was upset. The U. S. presidential election results were keeping him awake.
I first met Thomas in his parents’ home near Stuttgart, Germany, in the ‘70s. I was with an American friend who, like me, was spending a college year abroad in France. She and Thomas were penpals, and he had invited her to his family’s house for Christmas. I was glad to tag along. Thomas’s father greeted us with great enthusiasm—but no English. He pulled out a bottle of Riesling immediately and beamed with joy as he raised a toast to us. Later Thomas explained to me that he’d fought in World War II, but reluctantly, and held Americans in great esteem for having liberated his country. Our glasses of wine and warm welcome were expression of his gratitude.
Thomas’s father died many years ago, but Thomas remembers the past thanks to his parents, and along with many Germans, he insists on keeping the difficult memories alive. That makes him alert to others’ expressions of hate and exclusion.
