She watched him put on his uniform and gather his things as if he knew exactly what he was doing. She couldn’t comprehend what had happened. “I-I don’t understand . . .”

“Remember how Hitler invaded Norway and Denmark last month? Now it’s our turn.”

“Oh, Pieter! What are we going to do?”

“Fight back. We’re not giving up without a fight.”

Lena closed her eyes. It had been bad enough when he’d gone off for training and she’d worried endlessly about him. But this wasn’t training. This was the real thing. She longed to cling to Pieter and never let go, but their homeland, their very existence was being threatened. She couldn’t beg him to stay. Lena yanked him into her arms, holding him tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Lena. Pray for our soldiers and for our country.” He pried her arms away and hurried downstairs again. Lena followed and wrapped bread and cheese and an apple for him to take. “I’ll ride my bike into town,” he said. “They’re sending a vehicle to pick us up.”

“No, take the truck. It will be faster. I’ll ride my bike there when the children wake up and drive it back home. I don’t think they’ll have school today, do you?” She wouldn’t send them even if they did, unwilling to let her children out of her sight with the Nazis invading. Yet she knew it was a delusion to think she could protect them or that they would be safer with her. “What should I tell them, Pieter?”

“The truth.”

“What’s going to happen to us? Do you think we’ll be able to stop the invasion? Will England and France help us, do you think?”

“They weren’t much help to the other countries the Nazis invaded.” He seemed distracted. She knew he was eager to leave. She started to cry, unable to stop her tears as fear engulfed her. “Lena . . . don’t,” he said. “You have to be strong. We both do.”

“I’m sorry . . . I’m sorry . . .” She wiped her eyes but couldn’t stop crying.

He held her again, kissing her one last time. Then he was gone. She heard the truck’s sputtering engine start up. The headlamps shone briefly into the front windows as Pieter turned and drove away. The house was quiet again except for the ticking clock. The hum of distant airplanes seemed louder, closer. Lena went upstairs to get dressed, feeling chilled. She saw the rumpled sheets where Pieter had slept only a few minutes earlier, and dropped to her knees beside the bed to muffle the sound of her weeping as she prayed.