“It seems as if it’s been two months since I’ve seen you last,” Ingrid says, a red silk curl bouncing against her forehead.
“Yes, it has been a while. They must have kept you busy at the sick bay,” Helga says.
“Are you going to tell us what it is our husbands truly do all day at work?” Ursula adds, her cat-like eyes peering over her shoulder, seeking out eavesdroppers.
I had full intention of reporting back to them on the life they weren’t a part of while their husbands are at work all day, but if I tell them the truth, I’ll void the reason for agreeing to be here tonight, and I’ll ruin their marriages too.
“To be fair, over the last two months, I never spotted any of your husbands, not even once. The medical building is large and divided up into several sectioned off areas. There was little intermingling.”
“I guess they were telling us the truth,” Helga says to the other two.
“Emilie, could I borrow you for a moment,” Otto says, approaching the group of wives. He waves me over and though I would rather refrain from running to him like a lovesick mistress, I have to follow his lead.
“If you’ll excuse me, ladies. I’ll return her to you shortly.” The way he speaks makes me feel like a shared object. I’d rather just return home.
“My vater and Uncle Dietrich would like to have a word with us—a congratulations of sorts.”
I might need to bite off my tongue.
The room isn’t large enough to steal more than a few seconds before we’re in the presence of his father, mother, uncle Dietrich and wife, Ginny. Dietrich and Ginny have only been married a couple of years and have been eager to grow a family in a brief time, especially considering their older ages. She looks quite uncomfortable to be standing here in heels. In fact, the longer I gaze at her, I consider the thought that I’ve never seen a mother-to-be carrying their baby so high before. I can’t imagine she’s comfortable whether sitting or standing. Hopefully, she was given more of an option to be here tonight than I was. She never says much, but Otto heard a rumor from his parents that she used to be close with high-ranking members of the Reich. I can’t help but wonder if she’s quiet because she’s shy or quiet because she knows more than she’s able to let on.
“Well, if it isn’t the golden child and his wife,” Dietrich says.
His wife has a name.
“Heil Hitler,” Otto regards him with a salute.
“Heil Hitler,” I say, begrudgingly.
“Heil Hitler,” he responds.
I wish I could refuse to salute him, but it would be a “sin” to do so.
“I’ve been told you two have accomplished quite a bit,” Herr Berger says, holding up a glass of champagne. Frau Berger clinks her glass to his.
“That’s wonderful,” she agrees, clearing her throat as she eyeballs me from the corner of her eye.
“That’s wonderful,” Dietrich repeats quietly. “Emilie, I do hope you will continue to work with us in the lab. We have another study coming up that you would be quite useful for.”
The fire inside me burns up through my throat and I know if I open my mouth to speak, flames will shoot out.
“Oh, that’s kind,” Frau Berger says. “But?—”
“Brother, I think we’ve taken enough of Emilie’s time. In fact, I think I might like to see the two of them finish their medical classes before moving any further into a long-term career path,” Herr Berger says.
Otto’s parents take my breath away, shocking me like never before. I’m not sure what has changed their mind, but their rebuttal is welcome.
“That does sound like a wonderful option for us,” Otto says, swallowing hard as he peers at his father’s unreadable face. It’s clear he’s as taken aback as I am about this sharp change of agenda.
No one appears more stunned than Dietrich. “A wonderful option,” Dietrich grumbles. “Well, why bother with that if they can have hands-on experience with us? The work we’re doing is life-altering. What more could someone with our knowledge ask for?”
“A good conscience,” Herr Berger says, speaking quietly beneath his breath. “Dietrich, you hid many of the details from me, masking my awareness from an office building outside of Dachau. Had I known what Otto and then Emilie were stepping into, I would have?—”
“A good conscience?Enough,” Dietrich says. “I’ve been nothing but honest with you. I didn’t realize I needed to define the conditions of our country and confirm what it is we’re working toward. You won’t find yourself in many places where there isn’t a war in the background. It’s something we must all live with. To put our lives on hold—well, it’s a waste of time.”
“Human experimentation was never mentioned to me,” Herr Berger utters, stabbing his finger toward Dietrich’s nose.
I have so many questions I want to ask Otto’s parents. Most importantly, how long they’ve known about what we were subjected to—what we’ve been forced to subject others to.
