The smell was intoxicating. Marta has a sweet tooth, so whenever she smells the sweet aroma of chocolate and sugar, her mouth is instantly salivating. She continued down the street, the smell getting stronger as she neared the bakery. She looked into the window, where there was a display case of all sorts of pastries. They were different, she has never seen pastries like this before. But to her, the didn’t matter, if they taste as good as they smelled, they didn’t have to look like something she is use to.

Marta grew up in a bubble. Her mother has kept her on a pretty tight leash most of her life. So when Marta gets the opportunity like she did today to walk alone to her uncle’s estate, she didn’t hesitate to do it. There were so many parts of Frankfurt she has never seen, and she has lived here her entire life. Marta’s mother, Greta, didn’t like to speak much about her past. But last year, Marta questioned her father why mother was always nervous. Marta’s father, Henry, told her that when Greta was a little girl, her and her mother (Marta's grandmother) were robbed at gunpoint. It shook Greta to the core, and as a result, she is constantly checking behind her shoulder. 

This fearful behavior translated into keeping her daughter as sheltered as possible. Only letting her go down to the corner market on Sundays and to school alone, anywhere else, Marta had to be accompanied. Living in this bubble meant Marta only knew people who had similar lifestyles as her parents. Rich Christians who have cars and big houses. Marta knew there were different types of people out in the world, and she wanted to get to know them. That is why when she convinced her father to let her go to Berlin next year, she sent her first semester of tuition the day after she was accepted. 

Despite having an overbearing mother, Marta grew up very open-minded. She believed everyone was good, unless proven otherwise. It did not matter you religion, social status, race or anything. Her mother didn’t discriminate, but she definitely wasn’t reaching out to people who were different from her. When she went to the pharmacy, she would smile and nod at the pharmacist, who was Jewish, but she would never associate with him outside of there. Marta, however, loved starting up conversations with strangers. She learned the pharmacist’s name was Abraham and he had two daughters that were 10 and 8. 

Marta was much like her father. Henry could get along with anyone he meets. That is how a poor farm boy is now a wealthy businessman. He worked hard in school, sparked up conversations with the businessmen who visited his family’s farm stand in town on the weekends, and made a name for himself. Henry had pride, but was never arrogant and never felt himself to be better than others. Which is why the past year, with the changes in the government that have happened, Henry has become less like the man he always has been. Not agreeing with [i]him[/i], that man, meant certain harm to him and his family. He had to put on a facade. He couldn’t let anyone know he was completely against Hitler.

Marta couldn’t stand it anymore. Her uncle’s birthday nearly forgotten about as she stared at the desserts through the window. [i]Maybe if I bring something with me, mother will forgive my tardiness [/i]. Giving in, Marta took a step to the left and opened up the door that lead into the bakery, a little bell ringing as she did. The smell was even more intense and even more amazing inside. She looked around and say a young man standing behind the counter. He looked to be her age. Marta stepped up to the counter and smiled brightly. Marta was always smiling.

“Hi” she said in a sweet, gentle voice. “Everything smells so delicious in here.”

Little did she know, Marta had entered a bakery owned by a Jewish family. And the boy standing in front of her was going to change her life.