Liberté: A Croatian's Search for Freedom

By Katherine Maria Pinner

In Liberté, the reader is taken on a historic journey to discover what happened to one of countless Croatian immigrants who were forced out of their homes, away from their families, and into the uncertainty of life in the West.

Follow the story of Mirko, a Croatian born in the small village of Rodoč, located in the heart of central Europe, as he escapes communism with no money and a warrant out for his death.

In his quest for freedom, Mirko traces the footsteps of his older cousin throughout Europe in a series of fortunate and seemingly unfortunate events, that lead him to some of the most beautiful and often some of the most dangerous and difficult places.

Based on actual events from 1962, this book is an epic adventure told with humor and wisdom that shows the importance of staying true to yourself, no matter where life takes you and no matter how difficult the journey. Liberté is a must-read for anyone interested in the lessons of the past and how we can each foster the precious gift of Liberté in our world today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9780990982197

Book preview

Liberté

A CROATIAN’S SEARCH FOR FREEDOM

Katherine Maria Pinner

Liberté

A Croatian’s Search for Freedom

Katherine Maria Pinner

Published by Katherine Maria Pinner, St. Louis, MO

Copyright © 2022 Katherine Maria Pinner

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Author.

Author Katherine Maria Pinner

Liberté: A Croatian’s Search for Freedom

978-0-9909821-8-0 (softcover)

978-0-9909821-9-7 (e-book)

979-8-9855645-0-1 (hardcover)

2022

Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction

This book is a combination of some facts and many embellishments. Names, dates, places, images, events, and details have been removed, changed, invented, and altered for literary effect. Artistic and creative liberties were taken for the interest of the reader and cohesion of the narrative. The views and opinions expressed are fictionalized and dramatized for literary purposes. They are intended as narrative only, not the views or words of the author, publisher, sources, or any persons living or dead. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locals is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

This disclaimer pertains to the entirety of this book, and it includes all related commentary pertaining to it.

For updated information, new releases, special offers, interviews,

events, and more, please visit the author’s website at:

www.kmpinner.com

To contact the author directly or to subscribe to our newsletter,

please navigate to the Contact form on the author’s website.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to God,

our eternal source of life, liberty, health, and happiness

LIBERTÉ

Liberté is book two in a three-part trilogy.

Because of what happened in Croatia throughout the centuries, Croatians live on different continents throughout the world and speak a multitude of languages. The book has been originally published in English for ease of distribution and for linguistic reasons. A Croatian translation of this book may be published and distributed in the future.

A NOTE TO THE READER

The following story is written as a dialogue between the main character and the reader. Because of this, stylistic choices have been made in order to preserve dialogue in matters concerning word choice, word order, and logical flow. The reader may notice at times that the word order may not follow the convention of formal written English. This choice is intentional. It has been made in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the book’s main character.

Table of Contents

INTO THE UNKNOWN

FAR FROM HOME

TRIESTE

WHEN IN ROME

THE VATICAN

DURAKOVIČ

A LITTLE SWEETNESS FOR

A BLUEPRINT TO FREEDOM

PIZZA

THE FARMHOUSE

MENTON

THE EXCHANGE

NOW WHAT?

NICE

LA GARE

THE FOUNTAIN

SEVEN DAYS

GOING BACK

IF WALLS COULD SPEAK

THE REPORT

BRZO! BRZO!

BRICK AND MORTAR

AGAIN?

DESTINATION: MARSEILLE

MIŠKO

BROTHER-IN-LAW

PARLEZ-VOUS FRANÇAIS?

MARSEILLE

SOCCER

THE DREAMER

HOMELAND

NOVEMBER 22, 1963

SHINY RED VESPA

FROM RODOČ

AU REVOIR

ANOTHER BORDER CROSSING

FRÜHSTUK

THE BARTENDER, THE GROCER, AND THE NURSE

TIME TO GET SERIOUS

LOOKING AT A NEW HORIZON

TOUR DE FRANCE

SANTÉ

CITY OF LIGHT

BONNE VIE

GOD PROVIDES

BIG CITY. SMALL VILLAGE.

LIFE, LIBERTY, AND HAPPINESS... IN FRANCE

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

BON VOYAGE

THE NEW WORLD

GALLERY OF PHOTOS

In Honor of Saint Joan of Arc Patron Saint of France

In Honor of Saint Raphaël Patron Saint of Healing

Acknowledgements

Other Publications

Coming Soon

About the Author

INTO THE UNKNOWN

Today is August 20, 1962. I am twenty-two. I am leaving Rodoč.

I’m on the Chiro train, the choo choo train that my dad and his brothers used before I was born. They used this train to transport vegetables throughout Europe. That was when times were good, before communism. It’s the train that Franz Joseph built. It’s the train that took me to Belgrade for two years of mandatory service in Tito’s army. It’s the train that brought me home again. The train is faster now than when the Emperor of Austria and Hungary built it. The Chiro train is taking me far from home, far from Rodoč, far from my family. I am leaving my homeland. Chuga. Chuga. Chuga. Chuga.

I hear the wheels as they hit the tracks. The whole country is flying by me. I’m going to Trieste. Trieste was part of Croatia, before Tito gave it up. Now it’s part of Italy. Tito gave up that city and let those people go without so much as a bullet. Why? Why does anything like that happen? Politics. Power and money. The Western powers made him do it. Move a line on a map, and there you go. One day it’s good for them. The next day it’s not good for them, and they change it. They move the border just like that. It’s like moving another pawn on the chess board. One day you wake up in Croatia. The next day you are standing in Italy.

That’s how Trieste became part of Italy, but today this is good for me. I am using that to my own advantage.

There are a lot of Croatians living in Trieste. It’s a big city, and I will blend in. I’m just another Croatian in a city of Croatians, and I have a valid passport. My papers get me into Trieste and, through that, into Italy. From there, I can get to Rome. I will find the church where my cousin Dominik was a priest. The church will help me. Dominik’s priests will get me out of communism and away from Tito. That is my plan. It’s a good plan, and it has been done before. I know the stories. After all, Dominik was able to get out that way.

After World War II, he went through Hungary, then Austria, and into Italy. He was writing us from Rome. But this is 1962. Dominik left Rome in 1955 to go to America. He’s in Chicago now. He was in Rome at that church for ten years, and now he’s in Chicago. I have both addresses: Rome and America. Before I go to America, I have to go to Rome like Dominik did. He was living at a Czech church in Rome. There is no Croatian church in Rome. That’s too close to Yugoslavia and Tito, so he moved in with those Czech priests and lived there. I need to get to that church first. They will be able to help us.

There is a big risk, though. If I get caught, I get punished. They’ll have my head. They’ll make an example out of me. Not just me but my whole family. They’ll make me suffer. That’s a bad deal. But I won’t get caught, not if I can help it. Mostar to Trieste to Rome. That’s it. After that? Freedom.

I grew up listening to those words about freedom on Voice of America. That was broadcast out of Italy on the homemade radio my dad and brother pieced together. We heard the stories from people living outside of the Iron Curtain. We heard about freedom from the broadcast and from people I talked to. You want that freedom. You want that more than anything. That is what drives you. It’s like a bird leaving a cage. That system is corrupt. Everything about it is rotten. It holds you down with a hammer and grinds you like an iron fist. It punishes you with the sword. That is communism. I’m done with that. I can’t take it anymore. I can’t stay. I can’t change it, but I can get to Trieste. So that’s it. My mind is made up.

They kicked us off our land. They took our jobs. They made me wear their uniform and fire their gun. I love my country and my family. I love my Croatia, and as much as I love them, I hate communism. I hate Yugoslavia, Humpty Dumpty. They want me to be one of them. They want to force me to spy and snitch, and I won’t do it. I won’t betray my people. God put me in Croatia. I am a Croatian. My family is Croatian. Croatia and Croatians go way back, but they want to break that. They want me to love their party instead of my family and my country. They want me to work for them instead of for myself and my family. They want me to serve them and believe in them instead of God and my church. And I won’t do it. With every fiber of my bones, I won’t do it. I won’t work for thieves. That’s what they are. Criminals. Robbers. Spies. Snitches. They want to take everything you have, and I hate that system.

They want you poor. The only way to get ahead is to do what they want. Be a good communist and get a reward. But that is not my way. That is not my version of good. That is bad. Stealing is bad. Snitching is bad. Spying is bad. Lying is bad. That might get you things in that system, but you will be punished. God does not like spying, snitching, lying, and stealing. I am Croatian. I am Catholic. I believe in God. I do not believe in them and their system. I am Mirko, named after my cousin, the priest. I won’t do it. That is bad. Communism sounds good. Everybody equal. But that is a big lie. All it does is put someone else over you to keep you down, then make you do things you don’t want to do. Turn you against your conscience. Lie. Cheat. Steal. Snitch. It’s a big lie. I don’t know what kind of demon created that, but it’s a big lie. Very bad.

So I’m leaving. I’m leaving with love in my heart for my family and my country and my God, and I am going to freedom. Lijepa Naša Domovino.

Ja sam Hrvat.

Ja sam Mirko.

Croatian.

Catholic.

Peaceful.

Survivor.

Mirko.

FAR FROM HOME

This is the farthest I’ve been from home. Oh, there were those times the soldiers took us to the coast. We swam in the ocean. They broke the rules for us, but what did they care. We were kids having fun. Rules should be broken if they are bad rules. When no one questions the rules, they can do whatever they want with you. I’m not breaking the rules yet, but I will. I am approved for Trieste, only Trieste, but I’m going farther. I’m not stopping there. Once I break the rules, I have to go all the way and keep going, or I will be punished. Tito has spies and snitches everywhere. You don’t know who to trust. If I get caught, I get punished. I remember my friend who stood up to the general. They made him sleep on the ground in a cage like a dog. I remember Dragica’s husband. He made one comment and spent a month in jail. I remember Iva’s husband. He said he was Croatian, and they put him in jail for that. She brought him food every day. Then one day he’s gone. They killed him. What did they care? One guy? His life was cheap to them, but that was her husband. That was my cousin’s father, my uncle. You know. That man is somebody’s brother, uncle, father, and now he’s gone. Why? For the party. For the agenda. I made that comment in school, and they held me back a year, made an example of me. And now? Now I’m leaving that system. What I’m doing is worse, and if I get caught, I might get killed. I’ll definitely get punished. You’re not supposed to leave. That’s against the rules, not God’s rules but their rules. You need their permission to leave. They don’t want you to leave. You’re the slave. Slaves can’t leave. You’re the pawn. Pawns can only move a little bit and only if someone else moves them. But I’m not going to be the pawn anymore. I won’t be their slave. I’m going to Trieste, and I have permission for that.

Trieste was part of Croatia until Tito gave that up. It’s a big city, a trade port. I’ll blend in. I’m just a Croatian in a sea of other Croatians, and I have papers. No one will even notice. When Tito gave that up, it was 1952. I was twelve years old at that time. There was talk that my brother would have to fight in a war, but Tito surrendered without even a bullet. He just moved the line on the map, and that’s it. They wanted that in Italy. Why? Because that is trade. That is freedom. It doesn’t fit with communism, so they moved it out. They got rid of it. Now it’s Italy.

Okay, bastards. Do with it what you want, but I still consider it in Croatia, and so do a lot of Croatians living there. I’ll get to Trieste and then on to Rome.

Dominik’s priests have to get me out of Italy. I can’t stay there. Even Germany and France are too close. They will hunt me like a rabbit and send me back. Tito has spies everywhere, and I remember what my brother-in-law told me. My sister Ruza’s husband said, Do not stay in Italy. They will send you back. They will put you in jail. You have to go farther away, to France or Germany, or even farther than that. Even if you stay in Austria, they will find you and send you back. They have spies and connections everywhere. If you leave, get as far from Yugoslavia as you can because, if they catch you, they will send you back. Once I’m in Italy, no one can know I’m there. Only Dominik and the church can know, and Dominik’s priests will make sure I get out. They are Catholic. They care about God and people. Those priests know the government is corrupt. They see what happens in the world, and they are educated. Boro, Pero, and I will find them. We’ll get out. The priests will help us get out.

My friends Boro and Pero are on the train, the midnight train out of Rodoč. We’re leaving our families. I’m leaving my mother. My dad doesn’t know I’m leaving. He’s still asleep. My brother and sisters are at home sleeping. They don’t know I’m on a train to Italy. Only my mother knows. They don’t know where I’m going or what’s going to happen to me. I couldn’t tell them. If they knew, the communists might find out, and it would be bad for everyone. I kept that to myself. If my dad knew, he’d keep me there. I couldn’t tell him.

My mother had tears in her eyes tonight. The rest of my family doesn’t even know. What happens when you leave your family and your land? I don’t know. Only God knows. But I can’t stay. That I know. If I stay, I can’t work. If I can’t work, I can’t eat. If I can’t eat, I can’t live. This is about survival. That system is meant to break you. Whatever is in front of me is better than being broken. It’s better than being a slave, working for them to do God knows what.

Yugoslavia. Communism. Tito. Injustice. It’ can’t last forever. I’ll be back, but right now this is the best I can do. The West won’t let this go on forever. It can’t. It’s wrong. Then I’ll be back. Once Tito is out, I can move back with my family. A passport, my clothes, a little money . . . It’s all I own in this world. My family, my Rodoč, my Croatia . . . I love them, but the train keeps moving. The Chiro moves no matter how I feel about it. It keeps flying to Trieste, to freedom.

And this night is a beautiful night. The weather is clear. It’s a full moon. The moon is so big, and the stars are so bright. It’s just like that night my cousin and I slept outside wishing on the stars. Hit that one and land in Australia. Bounce off that one and go to Canada. If you hit that one just right, you end up in America. You look up at that night sky, and the world seems bigger. It’s a big place, and anything can happen. The stars and moon shine no matter if I look at them. They sparkle, no matter what I’m thinking. The wind blows in my face. It doesn’t care how I feel about it. The wind just blows, and the train keeps moving down the tracks. It’s a straight shot. The train keeps going on the track no matter what.

I’m escaping. I’m leaving. My land, my parents, my family, my home, my friends . . . everything. Everything I know and love is behind me. It’s a sad deal, but that’s how it is. The stars, the wind, and the moon are with me. My friends Boro and Pero are with me. I’m on the Chiro.

God will provide.

TRIESTE

There is a divide between east and west. In the east is Russia, Serbia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, East Germany, and Romania. That is worse than where you are living. Those dictators are all connected, and Tito is getting his orders piped in from Russia, the USSR. Turkey and Bulgaria are in that too. That is obvious. No one would ever think to go there. No person chooses to live without freedom. But it’s also obvious how that spread to the