Upside Down: Book One

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Chapter 1

Phillip and Anna

It was the softness in her face that Phillip noticed as she cradled baby Jenny gently in her arms. Dressed in the designer silk nightgown that she found in a wonderful store in New York on their last visit there, Anna looked lovingly at her bundle of joy. Phillip approached her from the single door leading to the baby’s nursery and wrapped his arm gently around her waist. It was a beautiful room. They had spent hours and hours choosing just the right wallpaper and the perfect contrasting color for the opposite wall. It was furnished with the most unique baby furniture along with all the necessities they could find in catalogs and in the finest stores. They had taken every suggestion from their wonderful interior designer to create the perfect room for baby Jenny.Anna had dreamed of this moment of motherhood for a very long time. Growing up, she was an only child and longed for a sister or a brother that never came. She compensated by collecting friends everywhere she went.

On a family trip to Italy one year with Mom and Dad, Anna was playing all alone on the beach. Soon she met a small frail little girl named Lilly. Hi, Anna said, as she approached the girl, who was dressed in the brightest red swim suit she had ever seen. Lilly looked up pleasantly and blinked as she saw Anna’s long blond hair shimmering in the sunlight. Anna was wearing her favorite green one piece swim suit that Mom had bought for her in New Haven just for this trip. Since Anna’s hair was very long, she usually held it back with a hair clip. At eight years old, Anna was a beauty, with fair skin, long legs and an exuberant spirit. The little girl named Lilly was also eight, but was small for her years. She had cold black hair and her skin had begun to darken by the sun. Her teeth showed white as snow against her bronze skin as she smiled back at Anna.

Hi, she said as she tugged at her red swimsuit. You speak English. Are you from the States?

Yes, Anna answered. Her bright blue eyes widened and she smiled happily. You speak English too?.

Yes, Lilly replied. I’m from the States too!

It was a coincidence that they were from the same town in New Haven.

Why are you here? Anna asked. Are you on vacation?

My dad has business here.

Mine too! replied Anna excitedly. Is he attending the conference?

Yes, Lilly answered.

What a coincidence! exclaimed Anna.

Let’s build a castle, suggested Lilly excitedly. They worked all afternoon and built the biggest castle in the world, as Anna would later exclaim. They grew to become best friends after returning to the States and remained friends to the end. They shared their hopes and dreams, performed in the same dance recitals, attended the same schools, attended the same college after high school graduation and served as maid of honor at each others’ weddings.

I wish Lilly was here to see the baby, remarked Anna. She’d have been the best auntie in the world, Anna said as Phillip squeezed her waist.

I know you miss her, he said as he drew her closer to him. I miss her too!

Lilly, her long time friend and her husband Frank had gone on a ski trip to St Moritz in the Swiss Alps. A surprise snow storm appeared and they, along with about a dozen more skiers were trapped on top of one of the runs at the Matterhorn ski resort. An unforeseen avalanche came rushing down on them just as the ski resort was closing as they were probably readying to make their final ski run down the mountain. The rescue ski workers were not able to make it up to rescue them in time. Since the chair lift was shut down because of the blizzard conditions, all the skiers were stuck at the top of the mountain. It took almost a week to find all the bodies. The Swiss government did all the correct diplomatic maneuvers that governments do, but all the diplomatic maneuvers didn’t bring her best friend Lilly and Frank back.

Anna had come to depend on Lilly for moral support and for being her biggest cheerleader in all her life endeavors. Anna was a happy child but she always had a nagging feeling of insecurity about herself. She was brilliant in many ways, especially in music. She loved playing classical piano but she always had a longing for something. For what? She simply didn’t know.

Standing in the nursery at that moment, Anna felt so much joy holding baby Jenny and the genuine love for Phillip as he stood by her side. She always enjoyed his touch, the smell of him, the softness of him, and his comforting strength whenever they were confronted with major problems. It was at that moment she actually understood what had been missing in her life. It was baby Jenny. Anna finally felt complete.

Phillip was born into a family who made their way in life doing simple honest work. He ended up owning one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Anna always noticed Phillip’s detachment from the high society scene. He genuinely cared about common folks, which is what attracted Anna to him. Anna’s family was from old money and was very well off. Phillip’s family became well known for their generosity and for helping other people in need. Anna’s parents were gentle loving people and while they loved society life, they too were big contributors to worthy causes. Phillip and Anna traveled extensively. By the age of eighteen, Anna herself, had traveled to more than fifteen countries around the world and could speak five languages. Despite this, Anna never seemed to fit in anywhere, especially after she lost her best friend Lilly. Now little baby Jenny filled that void.

Look at her smile, Phillip remarked. She’s a real beauty.

Yes, she’s lovely and I plan to make sure she is just as lovely inside as she is outside. That blonde hair makes her look like an angel. I’m so glad that she’s our little angel, aren’t you Phillip?

As Phillip squeezed Anna closer, he smelled the sweetness of her and he quietly whispered, I couldn’t be happier, especially for you because I didn’t think we would ever have a child.

Anna’s body stiffened and she became silent. She never wanted to think about the past events and they both agreed they would never speak of them. Phillip lightened up the mood by suggesting they take a walk in the park with the baby since it was such a lovely day.

Anna’s mood immediately brightened as she gave the baby to Phillip to hold while she got dressed. Overjoyed, Phillip bounced baby Jenny in his arms, smiled and gooed and felt such tremendous love for her.

Oh, Phillip, don’t forget to call Susan, Anna yelled from her bedroom. I’ll need her this afternoon to take care of Jenny, and to get the baby’s clothes and things washed and put away. I really wanted to run over to The Lollypop Baby Shop to pick up a few things this afternoon while Susan’s here to help. Phillip laughed as he held her and said, She sure grows fast, doesn’t she?"

As Phillip placed the baby in the crib, Jenny grinned up at him. Phillip was amazed as he discovered that each time she smiled it made his heart swell. He felt so much love and joy inside himself for this little child. He tried to erase the unease he always felt whenever that feeling came over him.

Phillip had always been a driven, confident, competent and enterprising person, which made these feelings for baby Jenny so amazing to him. Except for his feelings for Anna, he never let emotions overtake his good sense. Running large overseas and domestic projects, he was always at the top of his game, but now there was more to life for him. Phillip wanted both Anna’s and Jenny’s happiness more than ever. He vowed he would do everything in his power to make sure there was always love, happiness and security in this little family of his.

As Phillip was looking at the baby, he felt the pang of an old memory. He remembered the time when his parents had very little. He remembered that he felt somewhat embarrassed to be around the other kids in class because he had to wear clothes purchased from second hand stores, had a meager lunch of bread and cheese that he bought from home, and could never keep up with the latest clothing fads like the other kids. His clothes were faded but always clean. His mom made sure of that. Everyone around him seemed to have more than him but he remembered his mother’s words. Money doesn’t make the person, she had said. At that young age he was proud and even now he remembered her words. Phillip always held his head high, worked diligently and became the brightest student in his class. He garnered respect from his peers because he was kind to everyone. His teachers adored him, his friends trusted him completely and his classmates respected him. Although he didn’t fit with the in-crowd, they always looked up to him for his integrity and willingness to lend a hand and offer a suggestion when asked. Phillip graduated from high school with honors, receiving scholarship offers to some of the most prestigious colleges. He majored in science, and after graduating college, he was offered a job at Merk Industries. Merk was famous for being the leading firm in advanced medical technology. Phillip excelled at his very first low level job and eventually worked his way up to Director of Research and Distribution, overseeing development and testing of products in over seven countries. His stock holdings began to grow steadily over the years, until as luck would have it, he eventually became the primary shareholder. Phillip Holman’s picture was constantly pasted on the cover of some of the top business and pharmaceutical journals in the US and abroad. The Holman’s name became an important household name in society pages. During those moments, Phillip remembered his mother’s words of wisdom. Phillip took pride in keeping himself humble and grounded.

Chapter 2

Phillip met the gorgeous Anna Stevenson in 1951. Her parents were well respected in high society, their money going way back to the days of the railroad boom. It was not love at first sight because Anna had her own ideas of who would be her ideal man and Phillip Holman certainly was not it. Phillip was tall, lean with an athlete’s body and had an easy friendly manner. He was perfectly groomed at all times, suave, tall in stature, slightly tanned with chiseled cheekbones and symmetrical features. His eyes and hair were as black as night and he had a mockingly mysterious smile. Phillip was attracted to this blonde beauty, with long slender legs, voluptuous creamy breasts, and a tiny waist which accentuated her slender hips. She had the bluest eyes he had ever seen. She seemed friendly toward people, but he had the feeling she was purposely trying to avoid him. Phillip continued to run into Anna at social events and eventually she softened to his approach toward her. It was his easy manner, authentic charm and sincerity that she hadn’t found in most of the other young men in her circle. Love eventually blossomed after several faulty starts.

The wedding, of course, made the pages of high society news. By this time, it was the early 1960’s. Anna was bewildered by her inability to conceive and began feeling diminished. Phillip stood by her side and suggested a vacation in Frankfurt, Germany. He had managed one of their overseas facilities in Frankfurt, and developed a friendship with one of his counterparts there in Germany. A man named Striker. One day Phillip received a call from Striker and soon their business discussions turned to talk of their families. Striker mentioned that he and his wife would be out of the country for at least a year and he thought it would be a great idea for Phillip and Anna to plan a vacation there. Striker went on to invite Phillip and Anna to stay at their home for as long as they liked during that time. Phillip immediately thought a year in Frankfurt could help rebuild Anna’s morale, and she could be treated by a well known fertility doctor who was based there. Without hesitation, Phillip happily decided to put the plan into motion but first, he had to get Anna to agree.

I don’t know what to pack. How will you run the company from Frankfurt? Anna asked. I can direct operations from anywhere in the world, Phillip replied. Don’t worry Anna, it will work out. You need to get away. I’m really worried about you. "

I’ll be fine, Anna said while scanning her closet. As long as I’m with you, I’ll be OK. As she pondered the trip she thought, I think the change would probably do me some good.

She could feel herself beginning to be hopeful again. As Anna was packing her favorite Mertin Holt gowns, exquisite designer suits, shoes, purses, and a box of precious jewelry items that she had collected over the years from some of the finest shops around the world, Phillip smiled and watched her intently. Hold it, he said sternly. We’ll be taking it easy while we’re there. I didn’t plan for us to go to those kinds of events. We’ll just be touring, visiting sites, eating out in local restaurants and basically living the way the locals do. My dear Anna, we won’t only be changing scenery but the plan is to change the way we live too. Let’s live like the locals and enjoy the folklore, local food, local customs, you know all the things we don’t do now! What do you say? We won’t have a maid either, he added.

Oh my, said Anna. This will be different for me.

No, it won’t, Phillip said as he helped her put some of her clothes back in the closet. In a melancholy moment he said, Just think back in time and remember how we lived when we first got married. We didn’t have maids, remember?

Oh my goodness, Anna exclaimed as she was putting her jewelry away. This will certainly be quite interesting, since we will be there for such a long time.

Phillip exclaimed, See, you’re relaxing already. It’ll work out. Ok?

Oh, Phillip, I just love your spirit, but sometimes you’re quite a character and at times you really surprise me, which is why I love you so much. Ok, Let’s do it your way! Anna relented.

Chapter 3

Germany 1962

It’s time, said Hans.

I don’t want to do this, cried Ursula.

I know it’s hard, but what is the alternative? Hans said. We have to go.

I don’t want to leave everything behind. It’s part of my life, Ursula said.

We won’t have a life if we don’t get out of here, Hans replied. We agreed that when it came to this point, we would leave, Hans pleaded.

Where will we go? Ursula asked with deep concern.

I’ve got it all arranged. Joerg has made all the arrangements and it will be OK, you’ll see.

How did this happen? Ursula pleaded. Those things happened so long ago, way back in the 1940’s. We were just kids then, Hans. War is so stupid. Your family didn’t know any better than to agree to the Nazi’s demands. Why involve us?

It’s what they do, Ursula, Hans said dejectedly. They take revenge on entire families for a failure by just one person.

Where will we go? Why now? Life was good for us, now it’s turned upside down. How did you find out about all of this? Ursula demanded.

Do you remember Omar? Well, it turns out that he was a cousin of my father’s. Omar worked with the Nazi’s years ago during the occupations. Now with so much pressure on the old members, some, including Omar, provided details to the international authorities about a lot of the atrocities committed during that time. Once they found out that Omar reported Krause’s brother, the order came directly from Commandant Krause. That order required our cousin to identify all living members of his family which he did. He was eventually killed. Omar gave them our names too. We must leave Ursula. It’s not safe here anymore. They will be looking for us too!

But what about our baby? Ursula pleaded. They wouldn’t take this baby too, like they did before. Nobody would hurt this baby would they? Please tell me that nobody will hurt our baby.

Ursula, Hans pleaded, get ahold of yourself. This is very serious. We have to go. If we don’t go, they will hurt the baby too!

NO, I don’t want my baby hurt! It’s not her fault. She has done nothing. Hans, don’t let them hurt the baby, Ursula sobbed.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, Hans said. "We should leave the baby