The Unlikely Allies Read Online Free PDF

missionaries,” Norman commented.
    “Yes, we all came from America originally, but I was born in Kenya and have never been anywhere else—until now.”
    At the end of the meal, Rolf stood up. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go.” He embraced his parents and then said to Mallory, “Walk me out to the car. You wouldn’t want my folks to see you kissing me good-bye.”
    Mallory could not restrain a smile. “I’ll walk to the car with you, and we’ll shake hands.”
    “All right. Have it your way.”
    As soon as they got out to the car, Mallory said, “Rolf, you’ve been such a help to me, and it was so nice of you to work out the arrangements with your parents. They’re lovely people.”
    “Oh yes. We Bjellands are all lovely people. Did you mean that about a handshake?”
    “Yes!” Mallory put out her hand, but Rolf quickly leaned forward and kissed her full on the lips.
    “I’ll be back before you know it. Watch out for these young fellas around here. They’re a bad lot.”
    “I’ll write to you,” Mallory said. She watched as he got into the car and waved as he drove away.
    When she got back into the house, Norman grinned at her. “Was it a nice handshake?”
    “I expect you know Rolf better than that. He stole a kiss before I could even move.”
    “He’s a rash young fellow. Now, why don’t you finish getting unpacked and relax a bit, and tomorrow we’ll give you a tour of the village.”
    “I’d like to see the village, but I’m sure I can find my own way.”
    “No, we’ll go with you,” Hulda said. “I’ve told everyone you’re coming, so I’m afraid you may find that they’ll be staring at you. Visitors are quite a novelty up here. We don’t get many.”
    After cleaning up the next morning after breakfast, the three put on light jackets and left the house for a two-hour stroll around the village of Narvik. The Bjellands knew everyone, of course, which was not saying much in the small village. Many of the people were fishermen, Mallory discovered, and she could not keep their names straight. They were so very different from African names. When she mentioned this to the Bjellands, Norman simply shrugged his shoulders and said, “You’ll learntheir names in time. How long will you be here?”
    “Not very long, I hope. I just need to figure out where the Lapps might be at this time of the year, and then I can get started.”
    Norman shook his head, a doleful expression on his weathered face. “I can’t think how you’re going to make it. People born in this country would have a hard time living way up north with the Lapps, and here you were brought up in sweltering Africa. Are you sure God’s called you to do this?”
    “Yes, I’m sure.”
    “Now, you leave her alone, Norman,” Hulda said quickly. “If God has called her, He’ll make a way.”
    ****
    In the days that followed, Mallory thought often of Hulda’s words— ”If God has called her, He’ll make a way.” She was anxious to get on with her work with the Lapps, but there was one obstacle that was preventing her from doing so: no one knew where they were. She took long walks in the village and got to know some of the shopkeepers by name, but as the weeks went by, the weather continued to get chillier. Mallory noticed that many of the local residents still were not wearing jackets, but she needed to pull hers tight around her to stay warm. Some days, the wind off the sea hit her like an icy fist, and the sky joined with the horizon, making one seamless unit.
    For most of September, Mallory felt cut off from the outside world. Narvik almost seemed like another planet, but rumors from the outside still made their way to the little village, and newspapers—sometimes weeks or even months old—arrived on the fishing boats when the weather permitted. With time on her hands, Mallory pored over the papers, reading in detail how Hitler had promoted himself to military chief earlier in the year and how in