She loved that he called her Soph. “Nothing. Just trying to sneak in a few more calls to you-know-who before class.” She clutched her notebook to her chest.
“Oh. I’ll come with you.” He tossed the towel in the garbage can and fell in stride beside her. Sophia could feel the back of her neck heat up. Was it because she had jogged over, or was it her proximity to Max McBay?
His arm brushed against hers. “Any luck so far?”
“None. I have two dimes left, so fingers crossed that I get lucky.”
Max reached into his pocket and pulled out a ball of lint and an eraser. “Sorry.” He laughed. “I’m not much help either, but I’m here for moral support.”
“Here goes nothing.” Sophia stepped into the telephone booth and slid the accordion door closed. Max leaned against the wall, and she knew that he was close enough to hear. She dialed the next number on the list, Alan Gathers, and as the telephone rang, she held her breath that this was the one.
CHAPTER 31Mannheim, Germany, May 1952
ETHEL
Ethel clutched the mail to her chest. She wanted to scream and stomp her feet but contained herself because Julia was in the girls’ bedroom, putting her daughter and Anke down for their afternoon nap. Instead, Ethel reached into her apron pocket for her rosary beads, got down on her knees smack in the middle of her kitchen floor, and prayed a single decade of the rosary—an Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be.
Julia entered the kitchen just as Ethel was using the table to pull herself to stand.
“What in the world?” Julia reached for Ethel’s hand. “Why are you down on the floor?”
“Just giving thanks. God is so good all the time.” Ethel held up the correspondence.
“And all the time God is good. Now spill the beans, will you?” Julia put her hands on her hips.
“Scandinavian Airlines agreed to take four adopted children to America for mere peanuts.”
Julia pumped her fists and then threw her arms around Ethel.“Congratulations. You’ve worked so hard for this. What a blessing you are for those children.”
“I’m speechless. I’ve only been harassing the airlines for the past seven months.”
“Persistence is your middle name, honey. This calls for some celebratory sugar. What do you have?” Julia opened the pantry.
“Just a few ladyfingers and maybe a bit of ice cream.” Ethel moved to the radio sitting on the kitchen counter and turned the knob. Big-band music played, and she set out glass bowls and silver spoons for their treat.
Once they each had a dish of vanilla ice cream and two ladyfingers in front of them, Julia asked, “Do you have the kids picked out, and how’s the paperwork approval going?”
“I have selected the children, yes, but the authorized documentation is still up in the air.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Well, at my last petition, the judge was asking about the American fathers and why they can’t support their children.”
“He has a point.” Julia waved her spoon.
“You’d think, but it’s nearly impossible for a German woman to file paternity or child support against an American father. In the meantime, the German government does nothing to support her. Most of these poor women are fired from their jobs.” Ethel clucked her tongue. “But don’t get me started on that. This is supposed to be a celebration. And now we have a solid date with the airline.”
“When are they leaving?”
“First week of August.”
“Well, isn’t that something? The babies will be delivered just in time for the holidays. Brava, Ethel! You have truly outdone yourself.”
Ethel let the cool ice cream melt on her tongue, then she remembered the caveat and pushed the letter across the table toward Julia.“There’s one issue. The airline won’t let the children fly alone. They need a guardian to accompany them.”
Julia scanned the page. “Who better to chaperone than you? I don’t see an issue at all.”
“But what about my own children? I’m a mother now, I must think of them first.” Ethel frowned.
