Arnoldus survived his wounds and mended slowly. When he could finally leave his bed, he sat by the window staring out into the garden. He so regretted that he hadn’t given the bulbs to his family sooner. The war was over and spring was coming, but life remained very hard. Many houses had been bombed. There was little food and few jobs.
Finally the weather warmed, and Arnoldus was able to sit outside. Albertha stayed close to him, attending to his every need, rarely leaving him even to play with her friends. She had become quiet and reserved, although she had been a happy, bubbly child before the war.[17] Sometimes she would try to cheer her father by pointing to the pile of rubble[18] next door, all that was left of their neighbors’ bombed house. She reminded her father that at least their family still had each other and a roof above their heads. Arnoldus realized the truth in her words and often glanced over at the ruins to remind himself of how lucky they had been.
One day, he noticed something sprouting among the broken bricks and concrete.[19] He pointed out the green leaves to Albertha. Suddenly, all her reserve left her. She began to cry hysterically.[20] Between convulsive[21] sobs, she told him that these were his black tulip bulbs. He held her close and listened with amazement as she told her story.
Just before her father was shot, Albertha had been in the garden when a friendly German soldier had approached her. Carl Meier was stationed in the family’s neighborhood during the Occupation. He had Van der Velde bulbs in his own garden back home in Germany, and appreciated their value. Carl had watched as Arnoldus gave away the precious bulbs to feed his neighbors, and he suspected that there were more hidden away. The soldier warned Albertha that a band of German looters was on its way down the street. He urged her to hide the remaining bulbs away from the yard, which would surely be searched. And he begged her not to mention his name to anyone, as he could be court-martialed[22] for his warning.
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