The wandering boy thrust out his rabbit. “Mein Freund.”
“Looks like your friend lost an ear in battle. Might have to send him to the infirmary.” The officer turned to me and gestured to my shirt. “Looks like you lost some blood in the war yourself.”
I nodded. “Shrapnel.” I buttoned up my coat to escape the cold.
“Do you have a medical exemption?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He handed back our papers. “Proceed to the next embarkation point.”
He had looked at my papers, but only glanced at my boarding pass. We walked into the harbor.
Every inch of the dock was covered with soldiers, supply trucks, passengers, and luggage. There were entry lines for each ship and additional lines for each gangway.
The boy bounced on his toes.
“Yes, it’s quite exciting,” said the shoe poet. “And I believe that ship, in basin number nine, the very big one, is ours.”
The Gustloff was the most imposing ship in the harbor. Her build was clearly that of a leisure cruise ship. Several decks, lots of places to hide. I spied anti-aircraft guns positioned on the deck. The ship was armed.
“Hey! Hey, you,” the giant woman yelled, and gestured to us through the crowd.
“Well, hello there, Eva!” The shoe poet waved.
“Boy, you’re lucky ducks. I was just about to throw your bags off.”
The little boy ran and grabbed the shoemaker’s carpetbag.
“Well done, Eva. Thank you,” said the old man.
“You have no idea how I suffered for this stuff, waiting in the cold. And why? None of you cared enough to wait for our wagon.”
“Enough about the luggage. Did you get registered for a ship, dear?” asked Poet.
“Yes, yes. I’m on that one. Hansa,” she said. “Which one are you on?”
The little boy pointed to the Gustloff.
Eva looked at me and laughed. “You too, huh? I wonder how you managed that. I’m going to board. I’m freezing and it stinks like rotten death. Here, take Joana her suitcase. I know she’ll want it. Tell her I said good-bye. She was the only one of you that I liked. Sorry.” She set the case at my feet. “Well, nice knowing you.”
“Wait.” I grabbed her by the coat. “What are the next lines for?” I asked.
“Inspection,” she said. “They’re examining everyone’s luggage.”
joana
Emilia pretended to sleep. I had to raise her spirits. The baby would need to nurse. She had to hold and feed her baby. If she didn’t, the doctors might become suspicious. If they figured out she wasn’t Latvian, Dr. Richter would report her. I would be held responsible for smuggling her on. My stomach turned.
A woman approached. “Excuse me, miss. There’s someone in the hallway who would like to speak with you.”
The sailor Alfred paced through the corridor.
“Hello, Alfred.” I decided to ask: “Have you seen my patient today, the one from the movie house?”
“No, I haven’t. But I’ll keep an eye out for him,” he said.
“Please let me know if you see him.”
He shifted from one foot to another, rubbing the tangle of raw meat that was his hands.
“Oh, Alfred, your hands,” I said.
“Actually, I didn’t come about my hands. I came—well, what I wanted to say . . . I have been informed that you have a suitor, but I’m well acquainted with the long-distance love affair. You would do well to take a stroll with me on the promenade deck later this evening. We can discuss our sweethearts back at home.” He grinned. “Tell me, do you like butterflies, Fr?ulein?”
What was he talking about? Was he asking me on a date? Oh, no. Kissing Alfred would be like chewing a mouthful of crackers. I shook off the thought.
“Well, Alfred, I think we’ll all be extremely busy before we sail. I don’t think I’ll have time to take a walk. Honestly, I’d be surprised if you had time either.”
Dr. Richter approached. “Joana, could you assist me, please? The girls have just arrived from the sanatorium. We need to determine where to put them. Perhaps you could help them get settled?” The doctor looked at Alfred. “What are you doing here?”
“Documenting the medical procedures of the evacuation, sir,” said Alfred. “Someone must verify that work is actually being done.” He turned on his heel and strode off.
florian
The temperature hovered near zero, but I was sweating.
Luggage inspection.