waiting by the kerb to take her and her colleagues back to the British sector. The sun was shining for a change, the temperature somewhere up around twenty, and by the time they reached Carmer Strasse, she felt more at peace with the world.
Upstairs she found a letter from Russell, and put it aside to read later. Zarah, Lothar and Rosa had been to the American cartoon cinema, and were still laughing at one of the Tom and Jerry sequences. Effi usually picked Rosa up at Zarah’s, and with the childrenengrossed in a game, took the opportunity of her sister’s visit to bring out the offending drawing.
Zarah, rather to Effi’s surprise, wasn’t shocked. ‘You’ve talked to her?’ was all she asked.
‘Of course.’
‘And was she evasive?’
‘Not in the least.’
‘Well, then. These aren’t normal times.’
‘Yes, but given her history …’
Zarah wasn’t having it. ‘We’ve all have things we’d rather forget,’ she said pointedly, as if Effi might have forgotten that her sister had been gang-raped for two days by four Red Army soldiers.
‘But Rosa was a small child,’ Effi protested.
‘I wasn’t making comparisons,’ Zarah insisted. ‘But if I was, then people say that children are more resilient.’
Effi let that go—sometimes her sister was less than helpful. ‘I’m beginning to wonder whether Berlin’s the best place for her,’ she mused out loud.
Zarah looked surprised. ‘We’re more fortunate than most.’
And they were. With Effi’s Grade A actor’s rations, Russell’s income from several sources, and Bill Carnforth’s access to US Army bounties, they could hardly be luckier. ‘I know,’ Effi said, ‘but the whole city’s on edge. It can’t help.’
‘No, I suppose not. And …’ Zarah hesitated, and then smiled. ‘I can hardly advise you to stay when I’m thinking of leaving myself.’
‘You are? What? Oh! He’s asked you to marry him!’
‘Last night.’
‘Oh Zarah!’ Effi said, flinging her arms around her sister. ‘That’s wonderful.’
‘You like him, don’t you?’
‘Haven’t I said so over and over?’
‘Yes, yes, you have.’
The penny dropped. ‘You’ll be moving to America.’
‘I suppose so. What could Bill do here? And all his family’s back there.’
‘All yours is here.’
‘There’s only you now.’ Both their parents had died two years earlier, within a week of each other. ‘And I do find it hard to imagine you being more than a few minutes away. But what can I do?’
‘Nothing. If you love him, go with him. We won’t lose touch.’ Something else occurred to Effi. ‘But you still haven’t got a divorce.’
‘Oh Jens will agree—he’ll be able to marry his schoolgirl.’
‘She’s almost as old as I am.’
‘Pah!’
‘But he won’t like losing Lothar. Have you told Lothar, by the way?’
‘Not yet.’
‘How do think he’ll react?’
‘I don’t know. He really likes Bill, and he’s crazy about all things American, but he’s always loved his father. God only knows why.’ She shook her head. ‘But there’s plenty of time. Bill doesn’t go home for another six months.’
Effi gave her another hug. She was happy for her sister, who seemed, at the second attempt, to have found a man worth having. But America! Ali Rosenthal, the young Jewish woman whom she’d lived with during the war, had moved there more than a year ago, when her husband Fritz had secured a teaching post at a southern college for negroes, and Effi still missed her. Now Zarah. As sisters they had always been what John said the English called ‘chalk and cheese’, but from childhood on the bond had been strong. Not seeing each other for six months in 1942 had been painful enough, and living an ocean apart would be … well, impossible was the word that came to Effi’s mind.
After Bill had picked up Zarah and Lothar, she and Rosa played skat for a while, but Rosa could see that she was distracted. Effi’s usual rule of thumb
Upstairs she found a letter from Russell, and put it aside to read later. Zarah, Lothar and Rosa had been to the American cartoon cinema, and were still laughing at one of the Tom and Jerry sequences. Effi usually picked Rosa up at Zarah’s, and with the childrenengrossed in a game, took the opportunity of her sister’s visit to bring out the offending drawing.
Zarah, rather to Effi’s surprise, wasn’t shocked. ‘You’ve talked to her?’ was all she asked.
‘Of course.’
‘And was she evasive?’
‘Not in the least.’
‘Well, then. These aren’t normal times.’
‘Yes, but given her history …’
Zarah wasn’t having it. ‘We’ve all have things we’d rather forget,’ she said pointedly, as if Effi might have forgotten that her sister had been gang-raped for two days by four Red Army soldiers.
‘But Rosa was a small child,’ Effi protested.
‘I wasn’t making comparisons,’ Zarah insisted. ‘But if I was, then people say that children are more resilient.’
Effi let that go—sometimes her sister was less than helpful. ‘I’m beginning to wonder whether Berlin’s the best place for her,’ she mused out loud.
Zarah looked surprised. ‘We’re more fortunate than most.’
And they were. With Effi’s Grade A actor’s rations, Russell’s income from several sources, and Bill Carnforth’s access to US Army bounties, they could hardly be luckier. ‘I know,’ Effi said, ‘but the whole city’s on edge. It can’t help.’
‘No, I suppose not. And …’ Zarah hesitated, and then smiled. ‘I can hardly advise you to stay when I’m thinking of leaving myself.’
‘You are? What? Oh! He’s asked you to marry him!’
‘Last night.’
‘Oh Zarah!’ Effi said, flinging her arms around her sister. ‘That’s wonderful.’
‘You like him, don’t you?’
‘Haven’t I said so over and over?’
‘Yes, yes, you have.’
The penny dropped. ‘You’ll be moving to America.’
‘I suppose so. What could Bill do here? And all his family’s back there.’
‘All yours is here.’
‘There’s only you now.’ Both their parents had died two years earlier, within a week of each other. ‘And I do find it hard to imagine you being more than a few minutes away. But what can I do?’
‘Nothing. If you love him, go with him. We won’t lose touch.’ Something else occurred to Effi. ‘But you still haven’t got a divorce.’
‘Oh Jens will agree—he’ll be able to marry his schoolgirl.’
‘She’s almost as old as I am.’
‘Pah!’
‘But he won’t like losing Lothar. Have you told Lothar, by the way?’
‘Not yet.’
‘How do think he’ll react?’
‘I don’t know. He really likes Bill, and he’s crazy about all things American, but he’s always loved his father. God only knows why.’ She shook her head. ‘But there’s plenty of time. Bill doesn’t go home for another six months.’
Effi gave her another hug. She was happy for her sister, who seemed, at the second attempt, to have found a man worth having. But America! Ali Rosenthal, the young Jewish woman whom she’d lived with during the war, had moved there more than a year ago, when her husband Fritz had secured a teaching post at a southern college for negroes, and Effi still missed her. Now Zarah. As sisters they had always been what John said the English called ‘chalk and cheese’, but from childhood on the bond had been strong. Not seeing each other for six months in 1942 had been painful enough, and living an ocean apart would be … well, impossible was the word that came to Effi’s mind.
After Bill had picked up Zarah and Lothar, she and Rosa played skat for a while, but Rosa could see that she was distracted. Effi’s usual rule of thumb
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