makinglies | There are no cats in America

Moving to a new country is difficult but if you're a child it seems impossible. True, things had been terrifying with the bombings and soldiers and the news of that their government had been doing behind the country's back. Thirteen years old, but Albert still reads the news, still listens to the radio. Soon after they're on a boat, crammed in with other emigrants chattering in a cacophony of languages, pushing and shoving. There were other children, but mostly Albert opted to keep to himself, helping his mother but otherwise holed up in their tiny shared cabin and waited to see the spines of Lady Liberty's crown welcoming them to what his mother calls "a land of new opportunities". Albert, always a practical child, just hoped it would be a land of fresher air.

It's been a few months since then. They'd arrived at the start of summer with New York City sweltering. With his mother working two jobs and a little saved up, they'd managed to get a small fan and some other things for the little apartment, but despite the hardships they'd managed to make a nice little life for themselves in this new country. Their community on the lower east side is friendly and breathes of home in Dresden, or so Albert feels. He even made friends with the old man who runs the bookshop on the corner, his son having been claimed by the war on the side of the Allies. He'd also been named Albert, and the man would often reminisce in German and sometimes share the haribo candies he'd always have around. He may be the only friend Albert had made, but he was content with that.

Even so, as the weather turned colder and fall set in, Albert's mother enrolled him in school. Albert had always liked school back home, strict as it was, but here in America it seemed all the other boys were so loud and tall and frightening. He'd mostly stayed away from other children since arriving, but now he's been thrown in the front of a class and as the teacher pushes him to introduce himself to the room every eye is on him and he can't help but fidgit and look anywhere except at all the unfamiliar faces.

"Ha-hallo, I-I am Albert Heinrich..." He trails off, brutally self conscious at his accent and flushing a red which he knows reaches his ears. The teacher - Miss Jones - waits for an interminable moment to see if he'll say something else, then simply shoos him to an empty desk with some annoyance and begins to write the day's lesson on the blackboard. Safe for the moment, Albert sinks as low as he can in his seat and pulls his oversized newsy cap down around his ears in an attempt to hide the fact that they're still pink.

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Jet watched Albert messing with his books and finally couldn't keep the question to himself. "Why do you need all those anyway ? Wouldn't it be better if you left 'me in the room?" At least then they wouldn't keep being dropped.

"But yeah, I mean, sure. It 'a just me and this friend of mine, Natalie, but you're welcome to hang with us. At least maybe then they won't bother you anymore." At least for the rest of the day, Jet didn't really think they'd stay away forever. But maybe He'd actually be able to do something about it next time they tried something.

"So, how about it?"

"I was going to read." He just hadn't decided which yet, gosh Jet. Though at this point, he's not sure how much time is left at break.

"Um... They won't pick on you for being friends with me?" Are they friends? Will Natalie be nice too or also have hangups about hanging out with a 'Kraut'? There's a tug in his chest that he shouldn't have to worry about this, that this is probably the same way his few Jewish classmates or the children of Socialist families felt before they'd left school back home during the war. If that's so, would Albert be forced to leave too? His mother says America isn't like that, but it's still a very real fear.

He looks down at his shoes, face falling considerably after the glimmer of hope that he could possibly make a friend. "I-I don't want to get you or your friend into trouble."

Jet shook his head and even scoffed a bit but slung an arm around Albert's shoulders to lead him outside; there wasn't a whole lot of time left, but there was enough to at least let Natalie know he hadn't blown her off and introduce their new friend.

"Naw, man, don't worry about it. Sorry to tell you this, but we're not much better than you on the social ladder, you know? Besides, Frankie, his friends and I have already had a few words, they're opinion of me's not going to get any better if I don't associate with you, so fu- forget them." Right. Still at school, the last thing he needed was for some teacher to get bent out of shape about it and call his Pa.

Once they were outside, he led them to a little grouping of tables where a girl with long dark, almost black, hair sat in a bright sundress and leggings. As soon as she spotted them, her look of annoyance faded to a smile and she waved. "Jet! I thought you weren't ever going to show! It's not nice to leave a lady waiting, you know." The look on her face said that she'd just realized the red head wasn't alone and she looked the new boy up and down curiously. "Who's your friend?"

It's an unconscious thing, but Albert approaches from half behind Jet, as if the taller boy is a shield against the unknown. He may still be hesitant to use the word friend but at least he has a small measure of Jet. This Natalie he has no idea about.

Still, he was brought up to be polite and even though he's half hiding behind the redhead, he nods to Natalie and at the very least makes eye contact for maybe half a minute before looking back down at his shoes. "G-gutt morning fra- I mean... Miss Natalie. My name is Albert Heinrich."

Jet lightly pushed Albert closer to the table before sitting across from the girl himself. "He's shy. Hey, maybe you two bookworms can read together and compare notes."

He smirked as she shot him a half-hearted glare. "Like you don't read all the time too." There was a mumbled 'Not at recess' from the younger boy, but Natalie ignored him in favor of the shy boy. "Hi, Albert, I'm Natalie. Take a seat, I promise I only bite Jet." She smiled kindly at Albert and patted the spot next to her. "You're German, aren't you? Oh, does that mean you're new?"

"Yes. I moved here in June with my mu-" he cuts himself off, making a concerted effort to try and pronounce the English words in an American way. He ends up with some strangely elongated vowels and harsh consonants as his mouth tries to manipulate the unfamiliar way of speaking. "Mother."

Albert blinks between the two of them then sits where Natalie indicated, placing his books on the table top and hoping neither of them comment on how red he knows his face is burning. Meeting new people is so difficult! But their exchange about books has his interest and he shyly looks up at the both of them from under his fringe. "You both like to read too?"

Jet gave a non-committal shrug in response to Albert's question and put his chin in his hands. Yes, he did, but he didn't really talk about it, he didn't want to accidentally say the wrong thing. Besides, Albert's attpts at sounding American were painful at best.

"You don't have to try and not have an accent, lots of people have them, doesn't bother us any, right?"

He looked to Natalie who shook her head and smiled. "What kind if books do you like, Albert?"

"All kinds!" He warms up a bit, posture less closed off as he leans in. "I like history the best, but philosophy too! And poetry. Anything where they write about how people think is interesting to me."

He looks from Natalie to Jet. "What kinds do you like?"

There are no cats in America

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