She shook her head. ‘No. I was too late for that. The accounts I worked on were in case of future trials... and for historical documentation. I didn’t do it for long.’
‘Why not?’
She thought of the many harrowing accounts she’d translated and her eyes began to smart. ‘I don’t think there are many people who could do that job for long.’ She turned to look at him. ‘I didn’t know about what they were doing, Sam. PerhapsI should have — the signs were there. But no sane person can comprehend such systematic torture and killing of men, women and children. It is not comprehensible or believable... but it happened. I did not witness it, but the testimonies cannot be denied, ignored or forgotten.
‘And it scares me to think that if this happened here, in my own country, it can happen in any community and in any country in the world. My family and I left Bremen before the war, but Gollnow had a Jewish community and I saw what they did to their property on Kristallnacht. I knew things had taken a sinister turn then, but my apathy—’
‘Naivety.’
‘My fear that I would be punished in some way... stopped me from questioning or wanting to know more. A few years after Kristallnacht, I did help to feed a family in hiding, but I never truly grasped where they were taken when they were found. What they must have done to them. I don’t think even they knew... until it was too late.’
‘You helped Klara.’
‘When that task was forced upon me.’ Her eyes brimmed with tears.
‘You are being too harsh on yourself. What happened to her? Did you find her family?’
‘She lives with me now. I am her mother. I used tracing services, newspaper notices and searched survivor registries. I found out that the Jews from Stettin were transported to Lublin ghetto. After a while they were taken to Belzec, Majdanek and Sobibor concentration camps. I found her parents’ names on the Sobibor register. It was a killing camp. They all died there.’
‘Poor Klara.’
‘She is Miriam now.’
‘How is she?’
‘She’s well. Tall. I don’t know where I would be without her.’
‘She probably doesn’t remember me.’
‘She remembers you, Sam.’
Her words surprised him, but she could tell they meant a lot to him. He looked around as if to give himself time to compose himself.
‘Where is she? Can I see her?’
‘She is at a friend’s house for a birthday party. I expect she will be full of cake by the time I collect her.’
‘Can I see her later?’ he repeated.
‘She would never forgive me if I refused.’
Their glances met and they shared a smile.
‘And now you are helping to build relations between the occupying forces and the German population so that Germany can rebuild. You are doing well for yourself.’
He was being too complimentary in his awkwardness. The flat must seem so small compared to what he must be used to.
‘You make me sound heroic. I’m not. I need to work and I can speak the language they need.’
‘It’s a positive thing to do.’
He was trying to make her feel better about it all and she loved him for it.Loved him.
She turned her attention back to the soup and realized it was bubbling far too furiously. She turned off the burner. ‘What happened to you?’
He indicated one of the wooden chairs at the table. ‘May I?’
She realized she hadn’t offered him a seat and became flustered. ‘Yes. Of course.’ She hurried to fetch a cushion, placed it on the chair and retreated a step. ‘Please sit.’
