Hanna faced the man squarely. “I would like your help getting him back into Russia safely.”
The aide was surprised. “Whatever for?” he asked.
“He had nothing to do with what happened there. Furthermore, it will ruin his life if he comes with us.”
“How do you know the Russian police are not looking for him, too? For having helped you?”
For a moment she was brought up short, and then she pressed on. “Nobody saw him. If he gets through the border safely, he can go to the university as if nothing happened. I will not move until he goes back.”
The man stood up a bit straighter, preparing himself for a problem. “I will have to ask. I will return in a little while.”
When he left the room, Hanna sank back into the chair. Her heart was breaking at the thought of leaving Stephen, but her mind was as clear as day. She knew what had to be done, and she set her jaw with determination not to flag in her duty.
In about half an hour, the aide walked in. He was obviously perplexed. “All right, we will get him into Russia. Do you want to say goodbye?”
“Yes. May I see him alone?”
“Of course.”
He went to the door and told the guard to send in Stephen, then left.
Stephen’s face was red with anger and resoluteness as he stepped inside. “I won’t go back to Russia,” he exploded even before the door was closed behind him.
She stood straight, looking directly at him. “You have to, my beloved. If you came along and could not manage, it would break both our hearts.”
“Of course, I can manage,” he snapped. “Are there not farms I can work, or drafting in an office, or shoveling earth if I must? I love you, Hanna. You are my whole life. With you, I can do anything. What makes you think that learning German is that hard? In a few months I will speak it.”
“But will you ever become the engineer you want to be so badly?”
“Is that more important than you and me?”
“No, my dearest, and it will never be. But we have a choice. I could no more think of life without you than you, yourself. But there is a way we can have both.”
“Go to the university, become an engineer, then come here,” he growled.
“What is wrong with that? Look, my darling. You have only two years to graduate. In that time you can learn German, and then you can come here for the kind of future you know is so important to you–and to me. And to the children we will have.”
His face suddenly grew so sad that Hanna instantly regretted mentioning children. “I am still so sorry about the baby,” he said softly, all the anger gone.
She came into his arms. “And I, too. It would have been a good, strong boy for you to fish with.”
“Or a girl to give me twice the love.”
She began crying, her tears soaking the shirt on his chest. “Go, my beloved,” she said brokenly. “Do what must be done. I will count every day. And when you cross the border, Mr. Engineer Stephen Viktorovitch Timoshinkov, I will be waiting.”
He sighed, his arms closing tightly around her. “Two years is a long time,” he said, his nostrils breathing in the clean scent of her hair.
“But not as long as the rest of our lives,” she replied in a muffled voice.
He sighed again. “I would like to stay here a few more days with you before I go.”
“There is no time. You must get to school at once. You will have to prepare a story for your absence.”
“That won’t be any trouble. I often go camping in the woods.”
She stepped back and looked deep into his eyes. “Goodbye, my love. I shall love only once, and it is you.”
Tears clouded his blue eyes. “Goodbye, my love. And I shall love only once, and it is you.” He pulled her tightly into his arms. “Wait for me,” he whispered desperately. “Wait for me.”
“I will wait forever,” she whispered in return.
A knock came at the door, and the aide entered. “Let’s go,” he ordered Stephen. “I have everything organized to take you over tonight.” Grasping Stephen by the arm, he led him outside. Hanna sped to the window and watched as Stephen mounted a horse. Accompanied by two police, he started down the road and was soon out of sight. She leaned her tear-streaked face against the window-pane until the aide came in.
“It is time to go now,” he said, not unkindly.
She wiped her eyes. “I will wait until Jakob can travel. I will take him with me.”
“God in Heaven!” exclaimed the aide. “I was told to get you started off. Enough is enough.”
“I will not go without him,” she said stubbornly.
The man sighed. “All right. I will have to ask.”
CHAPTER 22
November 18, 1904
Königsberg, Prussia
Dearest, darling Stephen:
I received your letter today, and I have read it a hundred times–maybe a thousand. I love you! I adore you! My heart is jumping so madly that my hand trembles, and I can hardly write. Every line you wrote told me more each time I reread it. I can feel you so close to me that my body aches at not being able to put my arms around you. Oh, my wonderful dearest, I love you and I miss you as fully as you miss me.
How can I write of what is happening when all I want to say is how happy I am that I received your letter? It took a month to come, but it was like a breath of Spring. First of all, thank you for checking on the children. I agree that it was wise to take Larisa into your confidence to help me learn what was happening. But only a week ago I received a letter from Rabbi Warnitski through a cousin of his. He said that Uncle Sam was jailed for over two months, beaten quite badly, then released the end of September. Tante Katie, his wife, had a terrible time feeding the family, but some of the neighbors helped. It seems that most of the Jewish men from Gremai were beaten and questioned about Hershel, Jakob, and me, and a large number from Slabodka and Kaunas also. I guess you know about that. I still cry at the thought of Mr. Wilson taking care of the children during those first terrible weeks. Please ask Larisa to tell him that I kiss his hand, and I will pray for him the rest of my life. Gitel has moved from Mr. Wilson’s house and is working at the home of old Mr. Katzman’s son in Kaunas, and Reba is working in Mr. Feldman’s store in Gremai. It makes my heart overflow at the kindness of people. Do you know that Mr. Feldman is doing this because he was once a friend of Papa? Even after all those years of Papa being a cripple, he was respected as much as when he was a successful businessman. I still worry about the children, but at least they are in good hands. Zelek is bragging to his playmates that his sister killed a Cossack, and Mr. Wilson just laughs. I wish he would be more careful. Young or old, the police may beat them.
I have been in Königsberg for a month now. Jakob was doing well in the hospital at Tilsit at first, and then suddenly he became worse. The doctor said it was pleurisy, then it turned into pneumonia, and now they think his old case of tuberculosis has come back. He was moved here a month ago to a sanitarium, and they are feeding him a lot of fresh milk and cream and butter. He is like a scarecrow–he doesn’t seem able to gain ten grams. I had to fight with him about eating other foods, but he refuses because they aren’t kosher. I spoke to the local rabbi, who visited Jakob. They argued for over an hour whether the Lord allows people to eat non-kosher foods to save a life, and although both of them knew quite well that the answer is ‘yes’, they had to argue anyway just to show how much they know. It ended up with the rabbi making arrangements to have kosher meals delivered to the sanitarium, but Jakob still doesn’t gain weight. The pain in his chest is a little better, but when he coughs or speaks loudly, he turns so white that I am sure he will die right there.
The police have been very helpful. Herr Eric’s assistant told me the name of an officer in Tilsit to whom I reported weekly. He gave Jakob and me identification papers. Then each week he gave me enough money for a small room and food. When I suggested that I look for work, he said we would discuss that later on. Most of the
day I studied German, visited Jakob, and took long walks. When Jakob was transferred here to Königsberg, I was allowed to come also, and was given the name of another officer to whom I have to report. He also gives me enough money to live on. I have a room in an old Jewish widow’s house. Her spinster niece takes care of her, and the old dragon treats her miserably. I’ve been sewing some clothes for the niece, and she comes up now and then with a slice of hot bread or a piece of cake.
Thankfully, the police are paying all the bills for Jakob’s care. It is hard to understand why, but I think it is because Hershel must have been an important person. I told Jakob about my talks with Herr Eric, and he agrees completely with your belief that Hershel was a spy. He also said that we are being treated well because the work Hershel was doing is probably still being carried on, and they don’t want anybody bringing attention to the situation.
I am so glad you are doing well at the university, and that you had no trouble starting classes. I laughed with relief when you said that once you were across the border, you ran to the railroad station in Kaunas to prepare your story for being late. You will never really know how much we owe you. Not just my love and devotion–you had that long before the death of Hershel–but risking your life for us over and over again, and working so hard to rescue us. Jakob told me that he says a prayer for you every day, and I say mine with every waking breath.
I will be starting work next week in a men’s shirt factory. The doctor told me that Jakob will be at the sanitarium for at least six months, and I do not like the idea of taking money for nothing. The officer I report to gave his permission. It will not give me as much time to visit Jakob, but I will go as often as I can. The dragon has allowed me to use the kitchen for a little extra money each week, so I will be able to cook some food for him.
Goodbye, my dearest one. It is almost three months now since we parted. In just about eighteen more months, you will be finished university and on your way to me. I count every second, and each beat of my heart says how much I love you.
Forever yours,
Hanna
April 7, 1905
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
My wonderful, dearest Stephen:
Your letter dated five weeks ago just arrived. It was forwarded from Königsberg, so I knew you had written while my own letter was on its way. I told you I had received the lovely earrings you sent for Christmas, but I told everyone it was a Chanukah present. I will not explain Chanukah, as I would much rather tell you how much I love you. I was so happy to get a letter from Larisa giving me up to date news about the children. It is a great relief of mind to know they are well and growing. I was also very proud of your fine grades at university, especially in German.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I am ready to shout with joy at the thought that you may come to Germany during your summer vacation! Oh, Stephen, I shall pray very hard that you can make it. I am so excited that I must daydream before each sentence.
Jakob and I moved here to Garmisch two weeks ago. It is in the Kingdom of Bavaria in the south of Germany, on the Austrian border. The doctor thought it would be better for him near the mountains, so he was sent to a sanitarium just outside this village. It is beautiful here. We are at the foot of a mountain called the Zugspitze, over three thousand meters high, and the air is so pure that it tastes sweet. We came down together on the train, so I was able to nurse him a little. He is still very weak and thin as before, but I bully him into eating, and he laughs saying I am preparing him for the sacrifice. It has helped a little, I think, for each time I force him to eat a little more, he seems to take more the next meal. I have a room in a small pension about a kilometer from the sanitarium, so visiting Jakob is not difficult. Our greatest problem is food. There are no Jews nearby, so we have no meat to eat. But as we do get plenty of fish and fruit and milk, both of us get along. I am also permitted to use the kitchen and bake cakes for him every week.
Jakob had some terrible news before we left Königsberg. A rabbi in his home town wrote to Rabbi Warnitski. It seems that Jakob’s father and mother were arrested for deportation to Siberia. His congregation rebelled, demanding to go along, and there were savage beatings, and a few killed before the police took his parents away. They have not been heard of since. Jakob did not speak to anyone for a week, just prayed day and night. I think that is one of the reasons the doctor decided on the transfer.
I enjoyed my job at the shirt factory very much. It was the first time I ever saw such a way to make clothes. Like stamping out metal parts. Right after I last wrote you, I was promoted to supervisor, in charge of seven girls, and the owner increased my salary to six marks a week. With my first week’s salary, I went right out and bought a goose that weighed four kilos, and baked it so well that Jakob ate a double portion. I gave some to the dragon and her niece, too, and every morning and evening after that the dragon said hello.
Like before, I must report to the police each week, but the one here is stern. Jakob says it is because they are Catholic and, therefore, more opposed to Jews, but the Lithuanians were also Catholic and we got along. The policeman told me that they would pay for Jakob only until October, but I have not told him yet. I do not want him to worry. I have saved enough to hold out for a little while, but I am looking for work here. No, my dearest one, I will not allow you to send me money. You must save for your trip here, and I can manage. I have been told that people come here to climb the mountain in the summer and to ski in the winter, and the goods I see in the shop windows are very well made. That is good for me, for I can do that kind of work easily. And the experience I had in Königsberg on sewing machines is very useful.
I managed to send some money to Uncle Sam. My cousin, Zelda, wrote back for him to say that he was now getting along so well, what with Zelda working and me sending him money, he will be able to retire soon. Uncle Sam always joked, no matter how hard the times were. Apparently, the situation with the Jewish families has calmed down a little, and they are not being molested like before. But he says there has been much union activity and unrest with the government. Maybe the ghost of Hershel is carrying on.
Goodbye for now, my beloved. I will dream of you every night until I am in your arms again. I kiss you very tenderly.
I love you,
Your Hanna
It took Hanna only a few more days to see that mountain clothing would be in demand once the spring rains stopped, so she went directly to a store which had the largest display of material in the window. The owner was a big bellied, red-faced man in lederhosen, a wool shirt, and wearing a green Bavarian hat with a long bird feather in the band. He had two men working in the back room.
“Sure I can use another tailor,” he said loudly in the rich Bavarian accent. “But there aren’t any good tailors left in the kingdom. They can’t sew a straight seam, and when they stitch by hand, you can wait your dinner hour before they get in the pins.”
“I will make whatever you want, quickly,” she said quietly. “If you are not satisfied, do not pay me.”
He wiped his large nose while he peered at her from under the brim of his hat. He did not like working with women. Every time you raised your voice, they would cry or scream or make a face that would sour the milk of a Bavarian cow. But, Jesus Mary, he always talked loudly, so his wife had said about a thousand times since their marriage. But that is the Bavarian nature, he always answered back. We eat loud, we drink loud, and we laugh with our bellies.
“Can you cut, too?” he probed.
“Yes. I can even make my own patterns.”
He picked up his ears. She was young, but seemed confident. Not cocky, mind you, for he would never tolerate a cocky employee in the store, yet sure of her work. “Come in the back,” he finally said. He had two extra machines, she saw, both for straight stitching. On the cutting table, he laid out a pattern. “It’s a jacket,” he told her.
“I can see it is,” she replied courteously. “Do you have a model?”
“That one,” he said, pointing to
a finished jacket hanging on a rack.
“What material will be used?”
He led her to a shelf and held up a bolt of cloth. “This material. over there,” he motioned towards another shelf, “is the lining.”
“The trim and buttons?” she asked levelly.
The two tailors had not looked up from their work, but she felt their eyes on her.
The owner gave her the information, and then walked back into the store.
Without a word, Hanna slipped out of her coat, brought over the bolt of material for cutting, and set to work. At noon, the two men took up lunch pails and went to a small table at the rear of the work area. One stepped out for a pitcher of beer, and then both munched on bread and wurst, talking quietly. After eating, they cleaned the table, put aside the pails, and sat smoking. Hanna had kept on working. After a half hour break, they resumed their sewing. The only disturbance during the afternoon was the sound of a customer coming into the store, and then a little later, the owner entered the work area and gave measurements to one of the tailors for another job. On the way out, he stopped briefly by Hanna’s machine, glanced at her work, then continued on. In late afternoon, storm clouds gathered, and soon it was raining. The owner switched on electric lights. He had not skimped on proper lighting, that was evident, and Hanna was grateful, for bad lighting was fatiguing, even to her clear, sharp eyes. When the tailors stopped and cleaned up their tables, Hanna did the same. She followed them from the store, saying good night to the owner, and then hastened toward her pension.
As soon as she was out of sight, the owner inspected her work. The jacket was three quarters finished, and he recognized quality when he saw it. He nodded his head in approbation, and then mounted the steps to his living quarters above the shop. His ample hipped wife and teen-aged sons were seated at the dinner table waiting for him. He washed his hands, sat down with a sigh of contentment, said a quick prayer over the bowed heads, and then dug into a roast that was baked to the crispness he liked.
Enemy of the Tzar Page 23