“Not yet,” he said.
“Too bad Nia’s paw isn’t healed,” she said.
“Maybe I should defer school and come back when Nia is ready to train with a veteran,” he jested.
“That would be nice. Unfortunately, veterans only have one chance at training. There are hundreds in need of a guide dog.”
If I don’t pass, I’ll be on my own, he thought.
“Well,” Anna said, “we better get some sleep. I’ll be getting you up early again tomorrow to practice with Nia.”
“Why?”
Anna paused, wringing her hands. “I overheard one of the trainers make a disparaging remark.”
An angst grew in his belly. “About me being a Jew?”
“Ja,” she said. “I think he’s the reason you’re boarding with me.”
“Waldemar?”
“How did you know?”
“Let’s just say that he isn’t easy to work with,” Max said.
“Perhaps we should inform Fleck.”
“Nein,” he said. “In the military, little good can come from a Jewish soldier protesting to superiors about anti-Semitic behavior. I expect it to be the same with veterans. Besides, I can handle Waldemar.”
“All right,” Anna said. “But we’re not taking any chances. You’re going to need to be at the top of the class, and that means you’ll need more practice time than the others. Be prepared to wake at five a.m.”
“Okay.” He rubbed Nia, located her collar, and stood. “How about I get a little extra practice by taking Nia outside to do her business?”
Anna smiled. “Downstairs, make a right to the back door leading to the garden. I’ll leave my bedroom door cracked open for her when she comes upstairs.”
Max, guided by Nia, made his way to the stairs. At the threshold he paused. “Dankefor your help, and the nice evening. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed listening to music.”
“I’m glad,” she said.
Nia guided Max to the garden, dormant and covered in a layer of fresh fallen snow. The dog padded over the ground. A moment later, Nia nudged his hand, and then guided him inside and upstairs to his bedroom.
Max kneeled and whispered, “Good night, Nia.”
The dog licked his face. She walked, her toenails clicking over the hardwood floor, to Anna’s partially open door and slipped inside.
In his room, Max undressed and crawled into bed. Wind whistled through a crack in the window frame. Unable to sleep, his mind stirred with thoughts of training. He dreaded working with Waldemar, but he needed to withstand the man’s wrath to pass training.If I’m kicked out, or if Fleck deems me to be an unsuitable match for any of the shepherds, I’ll be alone.
To bury his angst, he turned his thoughts to Anna.She’s kind, committed to helping the blind, and she refuses to allow me to fail. I’m fortunate to be boarding with her and Norbie.He slowly drifted toward sleep with the echo of Anna’s and Norbie’s voices singing “Hänschen klein” in his head. But he was roused by the sound of scratching. Opening his door, Nia trotted inside and plopped on the floor next to his bed.
“Does Anna know you’re here?” he whispered.
Her tailed brushed the floor.
CHAPTER16
LILLE, FRANCE—DECEMBER6, 1916
Bruno, cold and sleep deprived, emerged from his bunker after a night of fierce enemy shellfire. The artillery guns had paused, but echoes of shockwaves reverberated through his blood and bone. An acrid scent of cordite lingered in the air. He buttoned his wool trench coat and squelched through a muddy trench leading away from the front lines. Although he was glad to have a two-day reprieve from the fight, he was reluctant to leave the front. Haber had summoned Bruno to meet with him to jointly inspect a supply of phosgene shells that had been delivered to a supply depot in Lille. But Bruno suspected that Haber, who usually delegated such menial tasks, had far more crucial matters to discuss. And the prospect of seeing Haber resurrected Bruno’s sense of foreboding.If Anna learns of my secret, our relationship will be over.
