Page 48 of The Last Safe Place
He let her take the lead and she led him to her apartment on the second floor. Luckily, there was no seal on the door, so she dug the house key out of her purse. When her trembling fingersfailed to hit the keyhole on the third attempt, Lieutenant Ruben gently took the key out of her hands and unlocked it himself.
In the hallway, Leonore stared at the apartment for the first time with the eyes of a stranger: the yellowed wallpaper, detached from the walls in places, the musty smell, the ragged, dingy carpet, with stains that wouldn’t go away even after scrubbing.
“Please excuse the condition.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m familiar with the conditions Berlin Jews are forced to live in.” He looked around and walked through the open door into the kitchen. “Were all the occupants taken away?”
“No. Two had already gone to work. They only caught the woman who lived in the front room.”
Lieutenant Ruben inspected the kitchen, the shared bathroom and all the bedrooms, before asking, “Do you feel safe, or would you rather stay with friends for a while? I’d be happy to accompany you there.”
Leonore thought it over, before she shook her head. “I think it’s safer here. The SS won’t come a second time so soon.”
“I think so too. However, if you’re afraid to stay here…”
A crazy thought occurred to Leonore, though of course, she didn’t say it aloud.I’d have no objection to you taking me home with you. “Thank you. I’ll manage.” She gave a rueful smile. “And if not, I can always call again.”
“That was good thinking on your part, to call me. The call saved you – for now, at least.”
“Actually, it was you who saved me.” She was gradually regaining her composure. “If I can ever return the favor, please let me know.”
Lieutenant Ruben had the decency not to laugh out loud. “That’s a very generous offer, thank you,” he responded with a serious expression. “I’ll be sure to call in that favor if I ever needit.” After offering some advice on precautions she should take, he bade her goodbye.
As soon as he’d left the apartment a terrible trepidation constricted her throat. In her mind, she heard thundering footsteps, fists beating at the door, saw SS officers storming into the hallway and felt them grab her arm – Leonore blinked and the figures disappeared, yet her heart continued to pound furiously against her ribs.
Maybe it would have been better to move in with Birgit for a while. Leonore shook off the fear and walked into her room to take off the nightdress she was still wearing under her summer dress and put on stockings.
Then she made her way to the employment office, to pick up the clearance certificate for her forthcoming departure, never suspecting the nasty surprise awaiting her there.
24
Eberhard was in his office when the door flew open with a crash and a distraught Fräulein Vogel stormed in. She ignored the client, who anxiously shrank deeper into his chair, and stood, her face flushed bright red, in front of Eberhard’s desk.
“Those bloodsucking thugs! You have to help me, Herr Lange!”
“Please try to calm down, Fräulein Vogel. I’m with a client.”
Only now did she seem to notice the man Eberhard had been talking to. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.” Her stance, radiating outrage, gave the lie to her words.
Fortunately, Eberhard was practiced in soothing outraged people. “Fräulein Vogel, would you kindly take a seat in the waiting room. I’ll be able to take care of your concern in just a minute.” Once she had stormed out of his office with as much force as she had entered, he returned his attention to the man sitting in front of him. “You can leave everything in my hands. I’ll handle the correspondence.”
“Thank you very much, Herr Lange. It’s a disgrace, what our country has become.”
“You can say that again.” Eberhard shook the man’s hand and accompanied him to the door. “I’ll keep you informed.” Afterward he turned to Fräulein Vogel in the waiting room.
As soon as she noticed him, she jumped up, her eyes sparking with fury. “Those filthy, lying pigs! They’ve?—”
“Not here,” he interrupted her. He turned the sign hanging on the door to the hallway to “Back Soon” and locked the door. “Come into my office, where we can talk undisturbed.”
She was about to let loose a further torrent of outrage, so he raised his hand. “Just a moment.” He pulled the telephone cable out of the wall. Since his line had been reconnected, he often imagined hearing a click, and was sure the line was tapped by the Gestapo. “So, what’s on your mind?”
“Those filthy bastards from the employment office…” He really wished she’d use fewer swear words, as they were terribly unbecoming for a young lady. “Well, they’ve… they want… I can’t…” Fräulein Vogel put a hand to her chest theatrically, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “They won’t issue me a clearance certificate because my work in the munitions factory is critical to the war effort.” She snorted violently. “Clearly the German Reich cannot win the war without me and therefore I’m not allowed to leave the country.”
It took Eberhard a few seconds to collect his thoughts. “That is indeed unwelcome news.”
“Unwelcome?” Fräulein Vogel’s eyes flashed in his direction, making him recoil. “It’s a catastrophe. Those despicable crooks are determined to make life difficult for me at every turn! This morning, they tried to deport me and an hour later I’m told the Reich cannot do without my labor! If that’s not the most outrageous cynicism, what is?” Her chin jutted out at him.
Despite her belligerent pose, she looked profoundly vulnerable. Eberhard would have liked to put his arm around her shoulder, as he would have done for his daughter. But hewasn’t familiar enough with Fräulein Vogel. At least he now understood why she was so upset. The shock of almost being deported must have gone bone-deep.