Mary's parents had been shocked when she married a Jewish man, more horrified still when she turned away from the faith of her childhood. During a bitter quarrel, they had declared she was no longer their child. Now that her life was at risk, they sought her out and tried to convince her to denounce her marriage and return to them. Mary refused. Torn between their own prejudices and the safety of their only daughter, they broke down and gave her three diamond and gold necklaces, heirlooms, very valuable. "Don't sell these unless you have to," Mary's mother said.
Then came the day she had dreaded more than anything. Her husband went to meet with a friend and did not return. Asking questions was dangerous, but Mary did it anyway and learned that her husband had been arrested. She asked more questions, took more risks, and finally found herself face to face with a priest she had known in childhood. Yes, he said, he did have some influence with the guards. Yes, he had been known to use that influence to help a desperate family. Yes, he would be willing to help her. And yes, it would be expensive. Mary parted with the first of her three necklaces.
A few days later, her husband was returned to her. He never spoke of what happened while he was under arrest, and Mary never asked. They ignored the nightmares that tore into his sleep like jagged fangs.
But Mary had made a decision. One way or another, they had to get out of the country. She sacrificed her second necklace to arrange for safe passage to France.
She and her husband survived the rest of the war in the French countryside, doing what they could to help the resistance. When the war ended, they moved to the United States where they built not one but two successful businesses and lived long, happy lives together. They rarely mentioned their last days in Germany, but Mary never went anywhere without the third necklace. She kept it to honor her parents and to remind herself of how quickly a civilized society could degenerate into savagery.
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