'Das Haus' the House and the Son of the Rabbi. Sean Ryan Stuart
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As Cameron sits in this quagmire of pollution and red contamination, he reflects on his ‘New’ truck. There is something magic about the smell of a new vehicle, he thinks to himself. There is nothing quite like it. Many deodorizer manufacturers have attempted to duplicate that new smell, but without much success. The odor is almost addicting, he thinks to himself. He is brought out of his daydream when a bright red Mustang cuts in front of him and slams on its brakes. This sudden maneuver forces him to do the same, and allowing Cameron to find an open lane. Before you can say 7.3 Liter Turbo Diesel, Cameron is cruising along at just under seventy-five miles an hour and listening to his favorite talk show host on KFBK AM 1530, Sacramento, California.
Listening to the afternoon news and talk shows had become a daily routine. As a freelance writer he had the opportunity to pretty much choose his subject matter, and he relied on this popular news station for many of his tips. However today, he had some interesting news for his family. Jerry Kunstoff, the Chief Editor and owner of the Sacramento Daily Recorder, a major local newspaper, and several other newspapers both in the USA and abroad. Jerry had hired Cameron to write a series of expose articles on the “New Germany.” Could a “United New Germany” once again pose a threat to the world?
Sacramento and the surrounding communities had recently been the target of several right-wing/neo-Nazi attacks, and there was a strong belief by Jerry and the newspaper staff, that Nazi sentiments still existed in Germany, and perhaps they were the puppet masters to these many acts of hate and terrorism. Was there a worldwide conspiracy? Were some of the European, American or Muslim radicals somehow united? Was there an international plot? Were some of the prison gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood, (AB), White Order, etc. also involved? Jerry was extremely interested in finding out and he knew that Cameron was his man. After all, Cameron has spent nearly four years “in country” and he was also married to a German girl.
Cameron’s new assignment had many interesting facets to it. It was in a political arena, which greatly held his interest, and he only hoped that he was up to it. His entire prior career was going to be sorely tested by this assignment. Cameron had made an effort to keep his overseas contacts alive and he was convinced they might come in handy one day soon.
This new adventure reminded him of one of those WWII black and white propaganda films. The plot was usually very simple, a tough young reporter is sent to Berlin a few months prior to our entry into WWII. The hero is usually chased by a great film Nazi character, played by such notable actors as Basil Rathbone or Hans Conreid and chased throughout Germany. Of course there always is beautiful girl involved, and it all happily ends on the Swiss border, steps ahead of the evil Nazis. However in this plot, Cameron now had to be worried about his wife and daughter and the reality of our turbulent world.
Cameron was personally very excited, and extremely surprised that his new boss, Jerry Kunstoff, was as ebullient as he was. Jerry, a forty-year veteran in the journalism wars rarely got excited, but today, he was as nervous and feral as a virgin on her first romantic interlude. Cameron was happy to have the opportunity for this interesting and stimulating job. It had been a long time since he had such a rewarding position and he was bound and determined to make the most of it.
The Discussion
After what seemed like an eternity, Cameron pulled into the driveway of his modest two-story home. The drive home tonight had been particularly hectic and longer than usual. Cameron lived in a fairly nice neighborhood and knew most of his neighbors on a first name basis. His stay at home job gave him the opportunity to know everyone on his block, and he took the advantage to develop acquaintances, and most important of all, time with his daughter Jennifer and wife Ingrid.
“Is that you honey?” Asked Ingrid, as he walked through the front door.
“Sure is. Who were you expecting? The mailman?” Replied Cameron, as he walked through the living room entrance towards the kitchen.
Cameron stopped between the living room and kitchen doorway and admired his wife from behind. Ingrid was of good German stock, he thought to himself, and she looked like she would be more at home on a farm, than a Bank Operations Manager. The years had been kind to her. However she was always very secretive about her exact age. When Cameron questioned her, she would become very defensive and say, “It’s none of your business. My age is a secret.” She would then make a joke of it and change the subject. Cameron always wondered why she was being so secretive, but he eventually accepted her coyness, and did not discuss it anymore.
When Cameron first met her in Germany forty-years earlier she had been a tall buxom statuesque blonde. Despite having Jennifer late in life, and a very busy life; both at work and home, she had not gained more than twenty pounds in the past four decades. She was still very beautiful, athletic looking and Cameron was delighted in his wife’s vigor and good looks.
Ingrid took the news of their upcoming trip with both joy and trepidation. On one hand she was very happy to see her family again, but on the other hand she hated to leave her home in Dixon. It had taken many years to decorate and landscape their yard in such a way that she was the envy of the neighborhood. Starting all over again in Germany would be difficult for her, she thought. And yet the excitement of returning to her Heimat (Homeland) excited her more than she expected.
Although born and raised in Germany, she had married Cameron in her early twenties and spent most of her adult life in California; except for her semi-annual trips to the Vaterland. Cameron and Ingrid never really discussed politics, but Cameron could tell that she was very proud of her Germanic ancestry.
Dixon had become her new home and she was positive that her daughter would greatly miss being taken out of school. Jennifer was actively involved in her school and in the community. Ingrid expected that this assignment would not last more than a year or two, and they could always lease out heir home for the twelve or twenty-four months, during their absence.
When Ingrid first met Cameron, while he was serving as a young military intelligence officer in Germany, he had told her that there would be times when their lives could be uprooted on a moments notice, and I guess this was one of them.
Cameron’s daughter Jennifer like most teenagers was very unhappy. Not only because she did not want to leave her friends behind in Dixon, but over the past seventeen years, Jennifer had become very popular, and did not want to leave just now. She had finally made the cheer leading squad and was really looking forward to the football season, and especially spending time with her new puppy love, James “Jimmy” Prepp, the star running back of the football team. Jimmy was the most gifted athlete in the school’s history and was by teenage girl standards a dreamboat.
Jimmy was six-foot tall, muscular and quite intelligent. He had every major college and university hot on his trail with football scholarships. Jennifer was devastated at the thought of losing him. It was her first true love and she was not about to lose him! She thought of devious plots in order to escape her dreaded trip to Germany.
It is easy to understand why young families moved to this community. Dixon is and was a small bedroom community on the outskirts of Sacramento. However it is near enough to the Bay Area and Silicon Valley to make it worthwhile for the diehard commuter.
Ingrid sat in the living room reflecting on their upcoming move and hoped that their decision would be a wise one. There was so little time left and so much to do. Ingrid knew that Jennifer would be her toughest challenge and she feared it the most. Deep in thought, Ingrid drifted off and thought about her happy childhood in Germany.
Just then, a very angry and upset teenager stormed into their house and yelled at the top of her voice.
“I am not going to any ‘Fricken’ Germany! No way, and you can’t make me! I am not a little child anymore. I have rights too!” Stated a rather angry, distraught and emotional Jennifer.
Her young face was beet red. Her mascara ran down her cheeks, and giant