Page 29 of Who We Think We Are
“ W HERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU OK? I’M WORRIED! CALL ME! IF YOU’RE NOT DEAD, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”
The voicemails and texts from Mikelia, Jake, Kelli, Paige, Grandad, Anne, and even Tamara all say variations of the same thing. Kate sends out a mass text to everyone: “Don’t worry! I’m OK. I’m in The Hague at a hotel. I had my phone turned off while I was traveling.”
Kate starts to call Jake but stops herself. What do I tell him? I don’t want them all to freak out and worry.
Why not? They should be worried. But then they’ll want me to come home, and I’m not doing that. I am not going to let whatever it is that’s going on stop me. I’ll tell them a sliver of the truth .
Kate calls her family’s landline. Jake picks up on the first ring. “Kate! Thank God! We just got your text. Hang on a sec. Girls! It’s Mom!”
“Hi, Mom!” says Kelli, picking up an extension.
“Hi, Mom!” says Paige, picking up the third extension. “What the hell is going on?”
“Hi, everyone,” says Kate. “I ended up taking the train to The Hague instead of flying. I got into an argument with the agent at the airline when she wouldn’t let me on the plane because I was late.
They were giving me a hassle, and I got pissed off, so I took the train instead and forgot to turn on my phone. ”
“Seriously, Mom?” says Paige. “We have been worried sick about you, imagining all kinds of horrible things, and you’re going to feed us a bullshit story?”
“Come on, Mom,” says Kelli. “No more secrets, remember?”
“Kate,” says Jake, “We’ve spoken to Mikelia several times over the past eight or nine hours, and she told us about all the incidents with your passport. She is as worried as we are. You need to tell us the truth.”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Too late! We’re already worried!” yells Paige.
“I know. I’m sorry. OK. I’ll tell you the truth. I had my phone turned off because I was concerned that I might be being followed.”
“By who?” asks Jake.
“That’s just it; I have no idea.” Then Kate tells them everything, except how afraid she was.
“You’re coming home now, Mom,” says Paige.
“Have you even met our mom, Paige?” says Kelli. “She’s not coming home. She never backs down from a fight.”
“You should come home, dear,” says Jake.
“Kelli’s right. I’m not coming home. I will see this through, and I will not be scared off, if that’s even what’s going on. Nothing definitive has happened to me. What if it’s nothing more than a bunch of weird travel drama?”
“Nice try, Mom,” says Paige.
“OK, but nothing has happened since that man on the train. I was not followed on the rest of the train ride or while I drove, and I showed my passport when I checked in at the hotel here, and it was fine.”
“But …” says Jake.
“Hear me out. I believe I’m safe now that I’m in the Netherlands. I really do.” As she says it, Kate realizes it’s true. She does believe she’s safe here. “I chose the hotel I’m in because it’s across the street from the Canadian embassy. I’m going there first thing in the morning.”
“What good will that do?” asks Paige.
“I’m not sure. Maybe it won’t do any good. But their job is to help Canadians while they’re abroad. I’ll find out what they can do for me. The other thing I promise I will not do is to step foot back in Germany on this trip.”
“I’m coming over there then,” says Jake.
“You’ll be my knight in shining armor? Thanks, Jake. I don’t know whether to be flattered or angry.”
“Don’t be flattered or angry,” says Jake. “I know you’re not a damsel in distress. You just shouldn’t be doing this alone.”
“Thanks, Jake. How about this? I’ll go to the Canadian embassy, I’ll discuss it with them, and then with cooler heads, we can decide from there, OK?”
“OK,” says Paige. “But don’t go anywhere except the Canadian embassy.”
“Yes, boss. I’m going to try to get some sleep now. I’ll text you after I’ve been to the embassy. It’ll be the middle of the night for you.”
“Nice try, Mom,” says Paige again. “Call.”
“Alright. I love you all. Now, good night.”
When she hangs up, she sees she has a text from Mikelia: “Thank God you’re safe! Call me. No, I’m not sleeping.”
Kate calls Mikelia and catches her up on everything that happened, finishing with, “Figures, the guy at your embassy pays for your passport out of his own pocket, and I get hunted down like a rabid dog!”
“I’ve already transferred him the money,” says Mikelia, “but I get what you mean. What are you going to do now?”
“Sleep and then go to the Canadian embassy in the morning. We’ll see from there.”
“Let me know,” says Mikelia.
“I will,” says Kate.
“Sleep well, Warrior Goddess!” says Mikelia.
“Thanks for everything, Mikelia. You sleep well, too.”
But instead of going to sleep, Kate checks her email, which she immediately wishes she hadn’t done. There’s an email from Bob Brown at Canamine:
Dear Kate,
I have been trying to reach you by phone all day, but it went straight to voicemail every time. I wanted to tell you this instead of emailing it, but I can’t wait any longer.
When I saw you at the office, I told you that you could have two weeks, and then I needed you back. But you have not respected my timeline. It has been six weeks, and all I’ve heard is that you need more time.
I wasn’t kidding when I said important things were going on. We are acquiring a lithium mine in Argentina, and I’ve really needed you. So, I’ve had to replace you. I don’t know what’s going on, but it must be important because you’ve never shown this level of disregard for your work or me before.
You’ve used up all your leave, so you can’t stretch this out any longer. Effective today, I am giving you two weeks’ notice. I’ve laid you off rather than fired you, so it won’t be a black mark on your record.
I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Sincerely,
Robert Brown
Chief Operating Officer
Canamine International
“Damn!” But he’s right; I didn’t respect him or his timeline. I would have done the same—weeks ago, if I’m honest. But I can’t worry about this or deal with him right now. I’ll go see him when I get home .
Kate sends Bob an email:
Dear Bob,
I totally understand. You’ve been more patient with me than I deserve.
You’re right. What I’m doing is important to me and my family, but I never meant to disrespect you. And for that, I am truly sorry.
You did what you had to and should have done. I’ll reach out to you when I get home, and maybe we can grab a drink or a cup of coffee.
Sincerely,
Kate
“Jake is not going to be happy,” she tells herself. “But I can’t worry about that right now, either.” Kate does worry, though.
By laying me off, Bob has done me the kindness of allowing me to apply for employment insurance. I’m not sure I want that job anymore anyway, and besides, we have savings. Even she can hear her pathetic justifications.
Kate wakes up with a start. She is still sitting up in bed. Her head is hanging down, and she has drool on her chin.
“Charming,” she says, wiping off the drool. “What time is it?”
It’s 8:30 a.m. She managed to sleep for about ninety minutes. Good. The embassy opens at nine.
Kate pulls on some clean clothes, blow-dries her still-damp hair, and is out of the door by 8:45 a.m. She crosses the street and is at the door of the embassy with a tea she grabbed from the breakfast bar in the hotel lobby in hand when a man wearing a navy pinstripe suit, who looks to be in his late forties with dark hair turned silver at the temples, unlocks the door at 9:00 a.m.
“Good morning, miss. You’re a Canadian abroad needing some help?” asks the man, as though it is a joke between them. Kate nods. “Well, you’re at the right place. I am at your service. My name’s Jonathan Knight. What’s yours?” He reaches out to shake Kate’s hand.
Kate takes his hand. “I’m Kate Hathaway.”
“Well, come on in, Kate Hathaway. Let’s go to my office.” Kate follows him into a large, plush office with bay windows looking out onto a garden. He must be a pretty senior staff member to have an office like this .
“Now, how can I help?”
“I have a rather long story to tell. Are you the person I should be speaking to? I mean, do you have any decision-making power or authority? You see, I do need help. At least some good advice, and I’d hate to waste both our time.”
“I’m your man, Kate. I see you brought your own coffee; I’ll pour some for myself.”
Kate doesn’t bother to correct him. With his coffee poured, he sits on an antique sofa in a corner and invites Kate to have a seat. Kate chooses a wingback chair opposite him.
“OK, tell me your whole story, and start at the beginning.”
“That’s easier said than done, Jonathan.
Because the beginning is not clear. OK, I’ll start when I arrived in The Hague to do research on my grandmother and her family.
” Kate tells him about what she learned doing the research, the archives, Oma’s journals from Oom Dirk, the troubles with her passport in Berlin, and her harrowing trip back to The Hague.
“That is quite a story, Kate. Oh, I mean nothing by that. By story, I don’t mean fiction. Are you afraid?”
“Yes and no. I was afraid yesterday, that’s for sure. I feel safer now that I’m back in the Netherlands. Do you think I’m imagining things?”
“No, quite the opposite, Kate. I believe you. We have spoken to Canadians who have had hellish experiences looking into World War II family history. They are in a heightened emotional state after learning family secrets and are very stressed. I’ve seen it happen before, where there are people who don’t want their family secrets uncovered.
But I’ve never heard of anything like this.
It sounds like you’ve hit a nerve. Let me ask you something: where are you staying? ”
“At the hotel across the street.”
“Did you show your passport when you checked into that hotel?”
“Yes, I did. And I didn’t have any trouble at all.”
“That’s what I thought. Whoever it is that doesn’t want you to know the truth is in Germany.
They must have enough power to put a “flag” on your passport.
But that power is limited to Germany. For that flag to extend past Germany, they would have to go through Interpol, and that would not be easy to accomplish without a verified legal reason.
“Let’s test my theory. May I have your passport?
” Kate hands it to him. Jonathan opens his laptop and enters her passport number and name into the Interpol database.
“Just as I thought. Nothing comes up. You’ve ruffled someone’s feathers, and they, whoever they are, have left the threat vague enough that nothing can be proven, making you feel like you’re crazy, never knowing for sure. ”
“But why would someone be after me? I’m just a nobody trying to dig up he truth about my grandmother’s past.”
“Well, that’s a question for the ages, isn’t it, Kate? ‘Why?’ is the most unanswerable question.”
“OK, let’s leave that question to the philosophers, then. Here’s a more practical question. Am I safe in the Netherlands?”
“There are no guarantees, of course. But your passport is not flagged here. You say you were not followed here, so at this point, they don’t know where you are. Now I want you to think very hard, Kate. When do you think your passport was flagged?”
“When I arrived in Berlin.”
“No. That’s when you realized it was flagged. It had to have been before that. When did you give someone your passport number?”
“I showed it at the National Archives, but that was weeks ago, and I went back to Canada for a visit. Since I returned to the Netherlands, I’ve only shown it when I’ve checked into hotels. I can’t think of another time.”
“When you’re not so tired, you might remember more.
But for now, my best advice is to stay in the Netherlands.
As a country, Germany is very good at remembering its past and prides itself on its Erinnerungskultur, its culture of remembrance, with mandatory Holocaust education, museums, and memorials. ”
“It’s funny you say that. I didn’t have the language for it, but I said something similar to my friend the other day in Berlin.”
“On the other hand, as you have also experienced, while the country and most people are willing to face Germany’s past in general terms, some individuals still don’t want their personal family history brought to light in the present.
“Finally, as a precaution, don’t show your passport as ID anywhere.
Use your driver’s license. I suggest that you lock your passport in the safe in your hotel room and not use it until you go home.
” He writes something on the back of a business card and hands it to Kate.
“Here is my card. I’ve written my personal mobile number on the back, which I’m not really supposed to do.
Call me any time of the day or night if you need help. ”
“Thank you, Jonathan. I appreciate that. I won’t use it unless I absolutely have to.”
“I know that, Kate. I can see that you are a very independent person, and you’re not easily spooked. Contact our office when you leave for home in case you have trouble with passport control, which I doubt will happen. In the meantime, keep your wits about you, and good luck with your research.”
“Thanks, Jonathan. I really appreciate your help.” Kate shakes his hand.
“No worries. You’ve made my day interesting. You take care out there.”
When Kate gets back to her hotel room, she takes Jonathan’s business card out of her pocket to put it in a safe place. She looks at it and laughs out loud. “What an idiot I am! Now I can one-up Mikelia. Jonathan Knight’s the frickin Canadian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands!”