I can’t take it. It’s yours,” Moses said.
“I want you to take it to South America. Every time you use it, you’ll think of me.” They hugged one last time, and Moses picked up his suitcase.
Magda bent down to kiss Jacob’s cheeks repeatedly. “You’re not a little boy anymore. You’ve grown and are quite the young man now. Don’t forget us. Carry us in your heart. Don’t worry about Anna. God brought you together for a time, and maybe he’ll let you see her again. She would want you to be happy. The people who love us, even if they have to leave us for a while, will always be in our hearts.”
“Thank you for taking care of us, saving us, the meals, everything. Tell your husband goodbye from us someday, and please thank him for everything he’s done for us,” Jacob answered.
“Be smart now. Wait for the right moment, and never stop trusting. Someday you’ll be a great man and can help others find their way in life. Though these months have been very hard, they’ve taught you valuable lessons—the importance of friendship and the power of the common man. Don’t forget what you’ve learned.”
A car drove up the street, crossed the bridge, and parked in front of the church. Jacob and Moses recognized the driver immediately. It was Perrot. Except for more white hairs in his sideburns and beard, he looked practically the same as he had a year before.
After greeting the boys, Perrot loaded their suitcases, and they all climbed in. As the Renault drove away, the boys stuck their heads out the window and waved goodbye to their friends.
The granite houses gave way to beautiful fields starting to yellow in the heat. The forests were as thick and foreboding as in winter, but flowers grew up and down the highway. The sun was hot overhead.
“You’ll miss them,” Perrot said.
The boys looked out the windows in silence. Le Chambon-sur-Lignon had been more than a place of refuge for them, more than a secret valley, more than a village full of brave, generous people. The town embodied the reality that people could always find a way out, and the impact of one good deed was infinitely more powerful than that of evil.
They drove in silence the whole way to Valence, watching the landscape slowly morph into wide plains and cropland. The car came to a stop near Vipond’s house, and they all got out, without taking the suitcases.
“I didn’t know we’d come back here,” Jacob said, puzzled.
“Mr. Vipond wants to speak with you,” was Perrot’s only reply.
They went up to the top floor. The stairway was dark and quiet, but when they got to the landing before the attic apartment, a light shone directly on the door. They knocked, and Vipond answered right away, as if he had been waiting at the door.
“My dear boys, how big you’ve gotten! Moses is practically a young man now!” Vipond managed a smile, but the boys could see he was much older and weaker than when they had left him.
“We’re so happy to see you, Mr. Vipond,” Jacob said, giving the man a hug.
“Come in, come in. I’m sure you’re hungry. At your age I could never stay full, though, truth be told, I still eat too much, but that hardly matters anymore.”
The house smelled closed up, as if the outside air dared not flow through territory so closely guarded by death. Jacob and Moses sat on the sofa, and the old man brought out two passports.
“So, we’ve got you forged passports, authorization from your parents to travel, and a letter of safe passage. Of course, your father’s family lives in Spain, which is why you’ve got a Spanish last name, Alejo. You can get into Spain and go to Barcelona. These are the tickets for a passenger ship headed for Buenos Aires with the Spanish Line. The ship sails in five days. We think that’s enough time, but it’s also not a good idea to stay in Spain too long. Franco’s police would get suspicious.”
Jacob was overwhelmed. “Thank you so much,” he said, taking the papers.
“Mr. Perrot and I think it best that I take you. I hope I don’t slow you down, but we can’t rest knowing you’re traveling alone. It will be very challenging to make it to the Spanish border, but crossing the country and then an ocean is another matter altogether, so we think one of us should go with you. Mr. Perrot has his obligations