Behind the Bedroom Wall (15 page)

“But I do!”

“You don't show it,” Rita said, practically spitting out the words, and she walked away.

When the meeting ended, Korinna didn't bother waiting to be humiliated further, she simply put on her coat and left.

Outside, the air was cooling down, but Korinna
didn't button up her coat. She didn't care if she caught pneumonia. She just didn't care. Maybe she'd be better off like Ruth, she thought bitterly. Then all those awful girls, especially Rita, would be sorry for how they'd treated her!

That was a stupid, childish way to think, thought Korinna quickly, and immediately she regretted it. She knew Ruth would rather be alive today, even if it meant hiding in a hole.

“Korinna, don't stop and don't turn around.”

Korinna recognized the voice. It was Eva. She started to turn around.

“I said
don't
turn around! Keep walking!” Eva's voice sounded hoarse. But then Korinna realized it was because she was trying to whisper loud enough to be heard by Korinna, but not by anyone else.

“What are you doing? What's going on?” Korinna, too, kept her voice down.

“I don't have time to explain,” Eva whispered. “But I have to warn you. Your house is going to be searched tonight.”

Korinna felt weak with fear. She hadn't wanted to think that it could happen again. But she'd known there must have been some terrible reason for the way she'd been treated today. Now she knew. Somehow the Gestapo had found out about the Krugmanns.

“How do you know?”

“Just believe me,” Eva said urgently.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you're my friend, Korinna. Bye.”

“Eva, wait!” Korinna said frantically. She wanted to know more, but there was no reply. She turned around. Eva was gone.

Korinna broke into a run, but just as quickly she stopped. If anyone saw her running home it would look suspicious. If her house were going to be searched tonight, that meant that the Gestapo weren't sure the Rehmes were doing something wrong. If they knew about the Krugmanns definitely, Korinna didn't think they'd wait until dark to search the house. They'd do it immediately to keep the Jews from escaping.

She didn't run, but she walked quickly. She saw no one except for a few soldiers, but they were so common it was as if they weren't even there. And she also saw a small family of three, riding past her on their bikes. They all ignored her except the little girl, sitting behind the father, who stared and waved. Korinna absently waved back.

Finally she was home. She burst through the front door calling, “Mother! Mother, are you home?”

“Korinna!” Her mother came running to her from the kitchen. “How are you? I've been worried sick about you. I would have come out to get you, but Papa wouldn't let me. He said—”

“Calm down, Helga,” Korinna's father said, interrupting his wife as he joined them in the front hall. He took his distraught wife into his arms and hugged her. “Korinna's home now, everything is going to be fine.”

Frau Rehme took a deep breath. “I'm better now. I was just so worried. But now we're all home safe.”

“Then you know?” Korinna said, looking at her parents.

“Know what?” her father asked.

“About the search. We're going to be searched tonight. Eva told me.”

“Are you sure?” her mother said sharply.

Korinna nodded. “I have to go warn the Krugmanns. We have to hide them, Papa! What if the Gestapo finds them?”

“It's okay, Korinna—” began her father, but Korinna interrupted him.

“I have to tell them!” she cried, moving toward the stairs. She knew she sounded panicky, but she couldn't control herself. She had to tell them now, before it was too late!

“Korinna, stop!” her father commanded firmly, holding her gently in his arms. “They're gone,” he said, staring down into his daughter's eyes.

“Gone?” she repeated.

“You may have even passed them on the street,” her mother said softly.

Tears welled up in Korinna's eyes. “You mean the Gestapo already found them? Are they going to shoot the Krugmanns? Are we going to go to jail?”

“No, no,” said her father gently, still holding her. “No police have been here yet. The Krugmanns have escaped. They're on their way to their next hiding place.”

Korinna was confused. “But you said I may have passed them on the street. How could that be? It's still a little light out.”

“Let's go sit down and I'll make tea,” Korinna's mother said, leading them into the kitchen.

While her mother heated the water, her father explained what had happened.

“When I got to school this morning, I was let go. I was told I was no longer wanted as a teacher, so I came home. I knew immediately it was because I was under suspicion for something, and that I was probably being watched.

“On my way home, I stopped by the tailor's to pick up a shirt he was mending, and then I came home. You see, the tailor is a friend, and he sent a message. This afternoon, three people came to visit. They came noisily and happily because we hadn't seen each other for such a long time. They stayed for an hour, and then they left as they came, out the front door.”

“But what does this have to do with the Krugmanns?” Korinna asked, trying to hold back her tears.

“The three who came to visit were of the approximate age and size of the Krugmanns. When they were here they traded clothes with the Krugmanns, and it was the Krugmanns who left by the front door and pedaled away on their bicycles, not the others.”

Stunned, Korinna realized it could have been Rachel waving to her from the back of the bicycle as her father pedaled past.

“So those others are still here. Are they hiding upstairs?” she finally asked.

“They went out the back way,” Frau Rehme said, bringing over hot cups of weak tea to the table where Korinna and her father were sitting.

“If anyone was watching the front, the same people who came in left. Nothing suspicious there. And if anyone was watching the back alley, three people left, all of them staunch supporters of Hitler. Even if they are stopped and questioned, they will be safe.”

No longer could she hold back her tears.

“Korinna, everything has worked out. Everyone is safe,” her mother said, trying to console her daughter. “There's no reason for tears.”

“But they must think I hate them,” Korinna cried.

“I'm sure they don't think that,” her father soothed, stroking her back.

“They saw how you cared for Rachel, Korinna. They knew how you felt,” her mother said.

“But I never even hugged her. I—I never told her I cared.”

“She knew,
Liebling,
she knew.”

The family sat silent for a few minutes.

“I fear it is not safe for us here,” her father said quietly.

Korinna's heart thudded painfully. “But the Krugmanns are gone.”

Herr Rehme shook his head. “If the Gestapo finds the hidden room, they'll know what we did to help Jews, even though the Krugmanns are safely away.”

“What will we do?”

Her mother covered her hand with one of hers. “We will have to leave as soon as possible.” She glanced at her husband. “Tonight?”

He nodded slowly. “As soon as it is dark ... if the Gestapo doesn't come first.” He turned to his daughter. “Go upstairs and rest now,
Liebling.”

Korinna rose on trembling legs. It was hard to believe that little Rachel wasn't waiting for her behind her bedroom wall. And that Sophie, with her suspicious eyes, and Herr Krugmann weren't there, ... and that Ruth was gone.

Her room didn't look any different, but it felt empty, silent, lonely.

She would never forget them, she vowed fiercely as she retrieved Rachel's drawings from under her mattress. She would not forget what they looked like, the way Rachel had forgotten what her sister looked like. She would never forget. Roughly, she wiped the tears from her eyes. If the Gestapo were coming tonight, perhaps any minute, she had a lot of work to do. She could rest later.

Holding the packet of Rachel's drawings, she looked around the room for a suitable hiding place. She didn't want anyone to find them.

After she'd hidden the drawings, she picked up the packet of
Jungmädel
pamphlets she had received last week. She opened one and looked through it. She felt as if she had aged years since she had first held these pamphlets in her hands. Then the shiny paper and the
photograph of Adolf Hitler on the front had so impressed her. Now they just made her palms sweat. But they would do, she thought, standing up. For what she wanted, they would do perfectly.

As soon as the sky turned dark, the Gestapo came. This time they didn't bother knocking on the door, they just broke the lock and stomped right in.

Korinna tried to swallow past the lump of fear that closed her throat, but it was impossible. She saw that one of the officers was Hans Damerau. Oh, how she despised him for hitting her father. She couldn't believe she had ever looked up to him.

This time there were four men. They started in the front room and destroyed it. They knocked holes in the walls, and ripped open the sofas, and pulled up floor boards. The only thing they didn't touch was the framed picture of Adolf Hitler, hanging above the ruined couch.

Turning on every light, they worked their way through the kitchen. Again, they destroyed everything. Korinna's father had warned her and her mother not to say anything when the Gestapo was here, no matter
what they did. And Korinna could see her mother biting her lip until she drew blood. Korinna could taste the metallic tang of fear in her own mouth.

The Rehmes followed the officers upstairs. There was barely enough room for the three of them with the four men tossing things about. They started in Korinna's parents' bedroom. First the bed was ripped open, and the feathers danced merrily around the room, oblivious to the seriousness of the situation. Then their wardrobe was dismantled with an ax, as were the chair and Herr Rehme's desk, which had been in the family for three generations. It was priceless. Now it was worthless.

Korinna watched everything as if she were watching a play. She felt involved, yet somehow removed. She felt angry, yet on the verge of hysterical laughter. This was not happening to her or to her family. How could it be? They were good, loyal Germans. They loved their Fatherland, didn't they? They wanted Germany to prosper and succeed, didn't they? What more was needed? Only that they had to hate Jews, love their Führer, and obey the party at all costs. Not too much. Maybe she could convince her parents before it was too late, she thought frantically. She could convince Hans it had all been a mistake. Her parents weren't traitors, they were just ignorant. They didn't know better. She knew she could explain everything. Hans would understand. After all, he was her best friend's brother.

“Hans!” she cried.

“Korinna, silence!” her father commanded.

Her mother put a firm arm around her and said quietly, “Hush,
Liebling.
It'll be over soon. Hush.”

Korinna could feel her mother's arm shake, and it flowed through her own body until she could feel her legs quiver with fear. What had she almost done? She had almost ruined everything! She had almost turned in her parents!

Her legs trembled uncontrollably. Two officers were now in the bathroom. She heard a grating noise, and then the sound of flowing water. As her mother led her into her bedroom behind Hans and one of the other officers, she saw a flood of water flowing out of the bathroom. Their house would be ruined.

Her bedroom received the same treatment as her parents' room had. Only the picture of the Führer above her desk remained untouched.

They destroyed the wardrobe, but still the back of it stayed in place over the damning hole in the wall. Hans lifted the ax one last time.

“Stop!” Herr Rehme said.

Hans turned to look at Korinna's father. “I thought you learned your lesson last time,” he said viciously. “But I guess I was wrong,” he added as he nodded to one of the other officers.

The other officer grabbed Herr Rehme from behind and pinned his arms behind his back. The third officer punched Korinna's father in the stomach, just below the ribs, leaving him gasping for breath.

“Stop it!” Korinna cried. “Leave him alone!”

“Get back there,” Hans said, easily pushing Korinna back into the corner of the room. “Don't interfere,” he said menacingly. Again he lifted the ax and it came down hard, splintering the back of the wardrobe. The ax came down again and the back of the wardrobe fell away in two parts, exposing the hole in the wall.