Expendable Read online

  And we were right in our fear. We

  didn’t know at the time, but the

  Hungarian government was happy to

  assist in the coming German

  occupation and extermination of

  undesirable citizens. Night after

  night for many weeks this same scene

  was played out in our village.

  EXT. BILKE STREET – DAY

  INSERT TITLE: TWO YEARS LATER

  German soldiers walk through town. Vehicles full of German soldiers pass. Pedestrians walk on sidewalks, cautiously glance side-to-side to see if they are being watched.

  MURRAY (VO)

  When the first Jews were deported,

  they were foreign Jews. We weren’t

  worried about it and it was easy to

  rationalize that they were being

  deported because they were

  foreigners, not because they were

  Jews. The truth, however, became

  inescapable when it came into our

  home. By 1944, the Germans occupied

  Hungary and even non-Jews were unsure

  what the occupation meant. My mother

  tried to keep our lives as normal as

  possible, but the sound of German

  cars and tanks became a regular part

  of our existence. We were frightened

  nearly all the time. My brothers and

  I were sure that at any moment the men

  would come to take us away, just like

  they did our father.

  EXT. BARN BESIDE THE HOUSE - DAY

  Mrs. Leicht milks the cow. Chickens run about. Eli, Alfred, and Herman work behind her. Alfred hoes. Joseph plays near his mother’s feet.

  MURRAY (VO)

  I didn’t understand what was going

  on, but I know my mother did. For

  two years after my father’s

  disappearance, she held our lives

  together. We lost my father’s

  business, so we had to make ends

  meet by tending our small farm. But

  the growing season was very short and

  hunger became a familiar companion.

 

  (beat)

  Mother knew about the mass arrests

  and disappearances of Jews all over

  Hungary, but she tried to shield us

  from that information.

  ILKE runs up the road toward the Leicht barn. She carries a paper in one hand.

  ILKE

  (yelling from far off)

  Rose! Rose!

  Mrs. Leicht rises, looks down the road at Ilke. Ilke yells again.

  ILKE

  Rose! Rose! Have you heard?

  Ilke arrives, panting.

  MRS. LEICHT

  What is it, Ilke? What has you so

  upset?

  ILKE

  (nearly hysterical)

  Rose, it is terrible, just terrible.

  MRS. LEICHT

  What, Ilke? What’s so terrible?

  ILKE

  I was in town this morning and I

  heard talk that they were going to

  send us all away, just like they

  did in Poland and Germany.

  MRS. LEICHT

  Calm down, Ilke.

  She turns to the boys.

  MRS. LEICHT

  Boys, go inside. I’ll be there

  in a minute.

  The boys reluctantly comply and Mrs. Leicht waits for them to go inside. She turns back to Ilke. All three boys enter the house, but can be seen watching from a window.

  MRS. LEICHT

  Who is sending us away?

  ILKE

  The Germans, Rose! At first I didn’t

  believe it, but then I saw this for

  myself.

  She begins to cry and hands Mrs. Leicht a piece of paper with the decree.

  ILKE

  (crying)

  They’ve issued a decree saying all

  Jews must gather in the town square

  at noon tomorrow. Rose, we’ve lost

  our husbands. Now they want to take our families and our homes. What’s to happen to us?

  Mrs. Leicht reads the decree, hugs Ilke.

  MRS. LEICHT

  There now, Ilke. God does not

  abandon his children. Let us wait

  and see.

  Ilke looks Mrs. Leicht in the eye.

  ILKE

  That’s probably what the Jews in

  Poland and Germany said.

  Mrs. Leicht continues to hug Ilke. Alfred’s face is visible in the window of the house.

  MURRAY (VO)

  At that point I knew something

  terrible was going to happen and

  our lives were about to change

  forever. My brothers looked to me

  for answers, but I had none.

  EXT. TOWN SQUARE TRAIN STATION - DAY

  Railroad cars are in the B.G. German soldiers are everywhere. Jews are bundled against the cold, carrying their few belongings in suitcases and bags. German soldiers herd groups across the square to the waiting train.

  MURRAY (VO)

  The next day we gathered with our

  friends in the town square.

  Bewildered women and children longingly take a last look around before they enter the cars. German soldiers harass an OLD MAN for moving too slowly up the precarious ramps. He falls from the ramp, dropping his worn suitcase, and hits his head on the pavement. A SOLDIER yells at him.

  SOLDIER

  Get up old man! You are holding

  up the line.

  The old man rises. Blood runs from a cut on his forehead. He re-mounts the ramp and enters the car. Alfred and his family stand together in the crowd. They approach the ramp of a boxcar.

  OLD MURRAY (VO)

  It was all very orderly. The Germans

  told us where to stand and what was

  happening. They said we were being

  relocated to a community about 80

  miles away.

  Alfred steps into the crowded boxcar and looks back over his shoulder.

  MURRAY (VO)

  This was my first taste of the

  boxcars.

  INT. BOXCAR

  The boxcar is moving. Alfred, his mother, his brothers are in the crowded space. No one speaks.

  MURRAY (VO)

  We rode for several hours, but to my

  brothers and me, it seemed much

  longer. We didn’t understand what

  was happening to us.

  I/EXT. RAILROAD SIDING

  The boxcar slows to a stop and the doors open. Visible are barking dogs, rolled barbed wire, Germans, military vehicles and painted lines on the train platform.

  MURRAY (VO)

  When the doors opened, I didn’t

  know where we were since I had

  never been anywhere outside of

  Bilke. We could see barbed wire,

  barking dogs, and guards with guns.

  My brothers clung tightly to me.

  I tried to be brave, but my heart

  was pounding in my chest.

  Alfred, his brothers hanging on to him, walk out the door and down the ramp. Many people spill from the long line of cars, kept behind a yellow line on the platform. A blue line leads off the platform across a short paved area through a gate to the ghetto. A GERMAN OFFICER stands in front of the yellow line and addresses the crowd.

  GERMAN OFFICER

  Juden! You will stay behind the

  yellow line. When you are instructed

  to do so, you will follow the blue

  line to your new homes. Keep your

  possessions with you. You will not

  be separated from your families.

  JOSEP
H

  (to his mother)

  I’m frightened mother.

  Mrs. Leicht she puts her arm around him.

  MRS. LEICHT

  Don’t worry dear. We will stay

  together and make the best of it.

  HERMAN

  Mother, do you think father may be

  here? Maybe he isn’t dead after all.

  Maybe they brought him here and

  that’s why we haven’t heard from him.

  MRS. LEICHT

  I don’t know, Herman, but we shall

  find out soon enough. Come along.

  Soldiers lead the Leichts and the others along the blue line into the ghetto.

  INT. APARTMENT BUILDING STAIRWELL - AFTERNOON

  A GERMAN SOLDIER leads the Leichts and two other families, including RODIN and RODIN’S MOTHER, up the stairs, opens a door at the top. They enter.

  LIVING ROOM

  The families look around. The soldier follows them inside.

  SOLDIER

  This is now your residence.

  RODIN’S MOTHER

  All of us? Surely you must be

  joking.

  SOLDIER

  I assure you I am not joking.

  The soldier leaves, closes the door behind him.

  RODIN’S MOTHER

  This is unbearable. How are three

  families supposed to share such a

  small space? This is too small for

  even one family.

  Alfred looks at Rodin and Rodin returns his gaze. They are about the same age.

  MRS. LEICHT

  We shall have to make do. What

  choice do we have? Come on boys.

  Let’s find a place for us to sleep

  tonight. At least we are together

  and out of the cold.

  Mrs. Leicht picks up her bag and exits. The others follow. Alfred and Rodin stay behind.

  ALFRED

  I’m Alfred.

  RODIN

  My name is Rodin.

  ALFRED

  I have shared a bed with three

  brothers for a long time. I guess

  one more won’t make any difference.

  Rodin smiles.

  RODIN

  I’ve always wanted four brothers.

  They exit.

 

  KITCHEN - EVENING

  Mrs. Leicht and Rodin’s Mother prepare the evening meal. Mrs. Leicht heats soup on the stove and Rodin’s Mother slices bread. Sounds from the others in the other room are heard. The kitchen is dirty. Mrs. Leicht screams and jumps away from the stove as a mouse scurries across the counter. Mrs. Rodin chases it with a shoe. When the mouse slips through a hole in the wall, Mrs. Leicht leans against the wall, exhausted, cries.

  MRS. LEICTH

  I don’t know if I can take this

  anymore.

  Rodin’s mother wraps her arms around her and hugs her tightly.

  RODIN’S MOTHER

  There now, my dear. It’s not so

  bad. We have food, our children

  are with us. We’ll be alright.

  Just wait and see.

  Mrs. Leicht dries her eyes with her apron.

  MRS. LEICHT

  I’ve lost everything. I’ve tried

  to be faithful, but it seems as

  though I’ll eventually lose

  everything I care about. I’m even

  afraid to love my children, for if I

  love them too much, I fear God will

  take them from me as well.

  RODIN’S MOTHER

  I fear the same, Rose. But what can

  we do? Our children still need us to

  love them. The Germans took our

  husbands, their fathers. They took

  our homes and force us to live in this

  place. Don’t take away your

  children’s mother. Stay with us.

  She takes a deep breath and straightens up. She smiles.

  MRS. LEICHT

  You’re right. I’ll be fine. Let’s

  feed them, shall we?

  NIGHT

  It is dark in the apartment. People sleep all over – on the floor, sitting in chairs. Rodin, Herman, Joseph, Eli and Alfred lay on the floor together. Rodin and Alfred are still awake, unaware the other is also awake. Everyone sleeps. Rodin’s Mother sleeps in a chair, snoring. Shouting voices from the stairway are heard as people walk up the stairs. Rodin leans over to see if Alfred is awake.

  RODIN

  Alfred? Are you asleep?

  ALFRED

  Are you kidding?

  RODIN

  (laughs quietly)

  I don’t know what’s worse – your

  brother’s elbows in my side or the

  smell of this filthy apartment.

  ALFRED

  It’s so noisy, I can’t sleep.

  RODIN

  My mother has always snored. She

  even wakes up our chickens.

  Both boys giggle.

  ALFRED

  What do you think will happen to us,

  Rodin?

  RODIN

  I hope they’ll let us go home, but

  even if they do, things will never

  be the same.

  ALFRED

  I keep thinking that this is some

  kind of mistake. What have we done

  to deserve this?

  RODIN

  The Rabbi says some questions have

  no answers. He says that only God

  knows and He will explain it to us

  when we get to heaven.

  Alfred lies back, pauses.

  ALFRED

  I’d like to believe that, but

  sometimes I think the Rabbi just

  says that but doesn’t really believe

  it. I think maybe the Rabbi is as

  confused and angry as we are.

  RODIN

  My father used to tell me that if I

  worked hard and stayed out of trouble,

  that life would be easier for me. I

  guess he was wrong. This doesn’t

  seem fair.

  ALFRED

  I suppose he believed it at the time.

  My father told me that education was

  my hope. My mother tells me that God

  is my hope. I’m beginning to think

  that my only hope is what I do for

  myself.

  Rodin turns, looks at Alfred.

  RODIN

  I’m glad I met you, Alfred. It

  doesn’t seem so bad when you’re

  with someone – a friend, I mean.

  ALFRED

  I’m glad I met you, too.

  They smile and pull the blankets up around their necks, lying on their backs looking at the ceiling.

  EXT. APARTMENT STOOP - DAY

  Herman, Eli, Joseph, Alfred, and Rodin sit in front of the building with several other boys. It’s cold. The boys are dressed in worn, but warm winter clothes.

  JOSEPH

  How long do you think we’ll have

  to stay here, Alfred?

  ALFRED

  I don’t know, Joseph.

  RODIN

  We’ve only been here two weeks and it already seems like forever.

  ELI

  I keep thinking that maybe it’s all a

  very bad dream and I’ll wake up back

  in Bilke.

  RODIN

  I heard my mother talking with your

  mother last night after we went to bed.

  She said that a train came yesterday

  and took some people away.

  JOSEPH

  Wonderful! Maybe we can get a new

  apartment with more room!

  ALFRED

  I wouldn’t count on that, Joseph.
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  Maybe they will come and take us away,

  too.

  ELI

  Where would they take us? Back to

  Bilke?

  RODIN

  I don’t think so. My mother said

  something about a camp.

  HERMAN

  What kind of camp?

  RODIN

  A work camp. She sounded very

  worried.

  ALFRED

  What could be worse than this place?

  It stinks here, there’s no food,

  there’s nothing to do and it’s

  crowded.

  JOSEPH

  I don’t want to ride on that train

  again. It scared me. It was too

  dark and crowded.

  His eyes widen.

  ALFRED

  Just stay with me little brother.

  I’ll take care of you.

  Rodin looks up and shushes them. A GERMAN SOLDIER approaches on the sidewalk. As he walks past the boys, he stops, pulls a package of cigarettes out of his coat pocket, sneers at the boys.

  SOLDIER

  What are you looking at, you little

  bastards?

  He lights a cigarette and walks on. He looks back.

  ELI

  Why are they so angry all the time?

  RODIN

  My mother says they are grumpy all

  day because they keep their rifles

  crammed up their asses at night when

  they sleep.

  The boys laugh.

  ELI

  Why do they hate us? I mean, why do

  they hate us because we are Jews.

  What did we ever do to them?

  RODIN

  They hate anyone who isn’t like

  them, Eli.

  ALFRED

  I hope I’m never like them, even if

  it means I have to live here the rest

  of my life.