In the Shadow of His Wings Read Free Page B

was extremely interested in the hotel business and dreamt of someday taking over the operation.
    For the next three years Hilda ran the house like an army sergeant might. She was strict with her children. From eight o’clock in the morning until four o’clock in the afternoon they worked at their studies. Three of those hours involved independent study so Hilda was free to watch her TV shows. For the first year Gerhard was allowed to leave the house to run errands for the family but other than that, no one was allowed to leave. After completing his high school grades Gerhard then was allowed to go to a near by university to take hotel management type of courses. It was clear that he was to return home as soon as his last class was over. This was an arrangement that Hilda was happy with, Gerhard didn’t seem to mind but Christine loathed it. At first she screamed at her mother and raged out her protests. Her mother locked her in a section of the basement and refused to let her out until she quieted down. It wasn’t a dark and damp basement. This was a beautiful home, so the basement was a modern bright one. There was a large section without windows and with the door to that area locked; there was no way of escape. Hilda would only open the door at meal time, having Gerhard stand guard, so Christine couldn’t leave. When Christine eventually was allowed to emerge from the basement she was told that if she did leave the Bloone household she would be given no money. She would have to make it on her own. At twelve years old she would be too young to get a job and therefore the police would simply bring her back home, so she might as well get used to it. Christine did get used to it, to a point. For three years she put up with it. She plotted and took whatever money she could find. At the age of fifteen she slipped out the door one night and hid in the back seat of her brother’s car. Unaware that his sister was hiding in the backseat he went out the next day to run some errands.
    After he left Hilda noticed Christine was missing. Insane with anger she blamed Gerhard for helping Christine to escape.
    Life in the Bloone household became a nightmare. A day wouldn’t pass without Hilda screaming and yelling at Gerhard. She considered herself a very giving, selfless mother therefore Christine could only have left because of Gerhard. She blamed him.
    Hilda would often have dreams of Christine, walking the streets of Niagara Falls, shivering in the cold. She would then wake Gerhard from a sound sleep and make him drive her around town, certain they would see Christine. Finding her daughter became an obsession for Hilda. After filing a missing person report, Hilda called the police station every day to see if there was any news of Christine, often yelling at them for their incompetence. With each day that passed Hilda’s frustration grew and she channeled that into a rage against Gerhard. Like his father he immersed himself in work at the hotel to escape his mother’s wrath.
    For the next thirty years Gerhard listened to his mother moan about the loss of Christine. He lost count of the times he had driven his mother up and down the streets of Niagara Falls looking for her. He searched on his own outside of the Falls as well but he knew that Christine did not want to be found. His sister had confided to him how much she hated their mother and how badly she just wanted to be free of her. She didn’t care about the family fortune. She just wanted to get away. She dreamt of becoming an actress. Gerhard thought she might possibly head for Toronto first and then perhaps try to get to California. He tried to warn her how hard it would be but Christine wanted so desperately to escape her mother, she didn’t listen to his warnings.
    About three years after Christine ran away Gerhard got a phone call at work. It was Christine! He recognized her voice instantly although she sounded weak and scared.
    “Gerhard, please help me.” She was