Page 27 of The Last Safe Place
Eberhard licked his lips. Jews hadn’t received meat ration cards for a long time, so this was a special treat. Once Selma had laid the table, he said, “I was at R’s office at the Bendlerblock today. He presented me with a rather bold plan. He proposed that we, the Seiferts and some other people known to him personally should be recruited as Abwehr agents, to enable us to emigrate to a neutral state.” Eberhard had long been accustomed to mentioning clients and business partners only with their initials in order to protect their identity. R was Lieutenant Ruben.
Selma’s eyes widened in surprise. “You want us to emigrate?”
“Yes.” He sighed. “It’s not what we wanted, but honestly, there’s nothing left to keep us in this country. Our lives are made more difficult every day, the threat of deportation hangs over us constantly, and my practice will soon be completely ruined due to a lack of clients.”
“What about our daughter?”
Eberhard frowned. “Johanna is protected by her Aryan husband.”
Selma took a deep breath. “He told her last week he wants a divorce.”
The shock hit Eberhard deep in the pit of his stomach. “Why don’t I know about this? Iama lawyer, dammit.”
“She just told me this morning when we met at the grocer.” Selma was gracious enough not to point out that in cases where the Aryan partner in a mixed marriage demanded a divorce, there was no need for a lawyer. The divorce would always be granted without exception, probably with glee.
“Hm,” grunted Eberhard.
“As soon as the divorce is granted, she’ll be obliged to wear the star and can be deported at any time.”
“Did Fritz say why he suddenly wants a divorce?”
“Apparently, it was strongly suggested he should if he wanted to keep his job and position.”
Eberhard forcefully clutched his fork. He had always regarded his son-in-law as a spineless worm. “That son of a bitch! He’ll pay for this!”
“You have to see it from his point of view. He’s in a predicament.” Selma slid her hand across the table and gently touched his fingertips.
“Predicament? Don’t make me laugh! Fritz must know what an awful situation he’s putting Johanna in. Without him, she’s…” He fell silent, because he didn’t want to imagine the dangers threatening her.
Eberhard’s privileges didn’t extend to his adult daughter.
His frown deepened as he thought aloud. “This kind of divorce is like throwing prey out for the Nazi vultures to descend. Johanna should have consulted me right away, instead of waiting until it was too late.”
“I think she was aware of the hopelessness of her situation, and didn’t want to put an additional strain on us. She knew you’d want to help her, and that it would put you in an extremely precarious position.” As always, Selma was right.
“Regardless, I’m her father, I have to take care of her.”
“Johanna will be thirty next year.”
“That doesn’t alter the fact that she’s my daughter.” He gazed at Selma for a long time. He had loved this woman for thirty-five years; he couldn’t imagine spending a single day without her. “Very well, then we’ll take her with us.”
Astonished, Selma laid her fork aside. “Aren’t you going to ask her first?”
“Nonsense. She will surely have enough sense not to object.”
“I’m not so sure. Johanna has always been strong willed.” She smiled. “She inherited that from you.”
Now Eberhard had to smile too, because that was true. Although in himself he preferred to call that particular trait “tenacity”. It had won him many legal disputes.
“All right. You’d best ask her, since she knows very well that I won’t accept no for an answer.”
“Then it’s already decided? Just like that? I thought you wanted to discuss the plan with me first?”
Eberhard drew his eyebrows together in confusion. “We’ve just done that. You agreed to Johanna coming with us. I will inform R tomorrow that he should add her to the list.”
“I hope everything turns out fine.” Selma shook her head.
“It will, don’t worry.” He had no concerns about Selma, she would be sure that he was acting in her best interest. He wasn’tso certain about Johanna; while he was tenacious, he would describe her as stubborn, which often led her to do things just because her parents, teachers or the authorities did not approve. Marrying that maggot Fritz, for example, who dropped her like a hot potato as soon as trouble appeared. He had warned her about exactly this before their engagement, but the young madam had – yet again – refused to listen to her father.