“Emi, where are you going?” Otto jumps up from his seat and follows me.
“To bring Danner a piece of the apple fritter he’s missed out on because he’s being held responsible for a failing economy, and the future of what could continue being a failing economy. It makes little sense, doesn’t it?”
“I—I can bring it over there. He might be embarrassed if you?—”
“Danner wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of me,” I tell him.
“What if he isn’t here right now because he needed time alone after school? Shouldn’t we respect that?”
“No,” I say. Maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to deny his statement because Danner was upset at the door, but friends aresupposed to be the people who are there with you even when you want to avoid the world. We are supposed to hear the quiet thoughts that would go unheard if we didn’t pay attention.
“I’ll come with you,” Otto suggests.
“You don’t have to do that. You have friends over.”
“Well, are you going to return? You’re my friend, aren’t you?” Otto takes my hand, something he’s done a few times recently. His eyelids become heavy, and he appears hurt as he stares into my eyes.
“Of course we’re friends, but Danner is?—”
Gerty clears her throat and smirks at me, forcing me to glare with a plea to stop whatever she’s about to say about Danner and me. I’ve told her what he said to me and what I said to him, but asked her to keep it just between us.
“Danner is going through a lot,” Gerty says, changing direction.
I pull my hand out of Otto’s and reach for the front door. “I’ll see you later.”
“Sure,” he says, forcing a smile. “Tell Danner I said hello.”
We live within a few steps of each other. There’s no reason for such formality when we can walk out of our houses and shout each other’s name to get a response. I guess there’s something more bothering Otto too, but the changes in our country affect us all in one way or another.
I storm across the street, eager to talk to Danner. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting me to return so soon. I rap my knuckles on his front door, a bit gentler this time in case he isn’t the one sitting right by the door like I saw earlier.
Heels clomp across the wooden floors, and I’m not surprised to see Frau Alesky answer the door. “Emilie, sweetheart, you look like something has just scared you half to death. Come in, come in. Is everything all right?”
Frau Alesky is like my mother, a second mother to all the children who live in this little block. She wraps her arm around my shoulders and leads me into their living room. “Sit down. Do you want tea or cocoa?”
I shake my head. “No, thank you. I just wanted to come check on Danner.”
“Of course. I’ll find him,” she says, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Their house is much colder than Otto’s and I’m not sure why. “Have a seat, sweetheart.” She waves her hand toward the sofa.
Just as I ease down onto their floral upholstered sofa, a ruckus storms into the living room. “Emilie,” a young voice squeals as David soars in with a cape around his neck, blubbering like a jet plane. “What are you doing here?” David, the slightly smaller version of Danner, reminds me of the way he used to look and act just three years ago. It’s strange to think we’ve all grown and matured so much over a short span of time. “Something smells good. What’s in your hands? What’s in the paper? Is it for me? Can I share?”
It’s no wonder he arrives at school minutes before the rest of us do every morning. With the amount of energy he has, I can’t imagine him sitting still for long.
“Your brother will share with you,” I tell him. “How was school today?” I’m unsure if David had a similar day to Danner. I would think he might be less aware of changes if he weren’t sent home, but it’s hard to predict.
As if someone drained the energy straight out of David’s body, his shoulders slump forward and he plops down on the sofa beside me. “Today wasn’t a good day. My friends were sent home from school, and they won’t be returning. And also, my teacher moved my desk, and I can hardly see the chalkboard from where I’m sitting now. Then Danner was in a bad mood on the way home too, so I think something sweet could cheerme up,” he says, stretching his neck to peek over my arm at the paper wrapped goods.
“David,” Danner hollers from down the hallway. “Leave her alone,” Danner continues as he walks out from around the corner. “You’re already back?”
“I’ve been worried. I couldn’t stay away.”
Danner drops his head and scuffs his feet across the room to take a seat beside me. “David, go play. Emilie and I need to talk.”
“But I want to stay, and she has something sweet in her hands.”
“David,” Frau Alesky calls his name. “Come see me in the kitchen, please.”
David groans in defeat. “Fine, but save me some of what Emilie brought.”
