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22
15thFebruary 1943
It took Mama a week to get the things she’d promised Magdalena’s boyfriend, but she finally managed it.Every single day, Jan helped her at the market, took care of Danuta and went with her to look at apartments.And every day they got further and further away from a reconciliation with Jadzia.She could be processed at any moment and there was nothing they could do about it.
Finally, Mama had every item they needed and had given it all to the SS officer.She stood outside at the curb with him while Jan and Danuta watched through the window of their apartment.
They couldn’t see his face, but his black uniform and cap sent a shiver down Jan’s spine.Having an SS officer so close to their home made him nervous.And putting his sister’s life in that man’s hands was the last thing he wanted to do, but they had no choice.
They had to trust in aSchutzstaffelofficer, a member of Hitler’s elite guard.The most cruel and inhuman group of men on the face of the earth.Otherwise, they might not see Jadzia again in this lifetime.He prayed to all the saints he could think of, one by one, and recited the Hail Mary in his head over and over as he watched the officer drive away in a shiny black staff car with a Nazi flag flying from the tip of the bonnet.
Mama came inside and slipped out of her coat, hanging it carefully on the wall.Then she pressed a hand to her chest.
“Oh, my heart is racing.”
Danuta ran to her, throwing her arms around her mother’s waist.“Mama, I was so scared.”
“Me too, my darling.But he’s gone now, and he says he will do what he can.If she hasn’t been processed, he promised to bring her back to us.Now it is in God’s hands.”
“And a Nazi’s hands.”
Mama swallowed hard.“Yes, and that too.Heaven help us.”
Jan stared out the window again, his head light.Nacha was out there, in the Otwock ghetto with her family, abandoned by society and afraid.Now Jadzia was a prisoner in an extermination camp.The world didn’t make sense anymore.And maybe it never had.
“This is no good,” said Mama in a bright voice.“We can’t all stand by the window and wait.Who knows how long it will take?Let’s get some supper together and play a game of cards.I bet I can beat you, Danuta.”
Danuta grinned.“No, you can’t.I win every time.”
“Maybe this time is different.”Mama winked and hurried away to the kitchen with Danuta close behind.
Jan wandered to the cupboard where the pack of cards was kept beside the few books they owned.Mama and Danuta took the cards, while he flicked through the pages of the books.It was time to build up the fire and bring in firewood from outside.But when he got outside, there wasn’t enough cut, so he cut firewood until the stack was high against the side of the apartment.He carried an armful inside and piled it in the hearth, then prodded it with the poker until it burned just right.
By that time, supper was ready, and they all ate at the kitchen table.Mama and Danuta chatted quietly together, but Jan ate in silence.He’d been so hungry lately, it was often difficult to think about anything other than helping his sister, rescuing Nacha’s family, and food.Even now, while he was eating, he wanted more, and his thoughts wandered to visions of pastries covered in whipped cream and custard, or mountains of fresh bread dripping with butter and honey.
After supper, they cleaned up and then played a hand of cards.Followed by another and another.Soon, Danuta was yawning, and the hands on the clock passed her bedtime.But Mama didn’t say a word about sleep.Jan’s eyes blinked shut and he almost drifted off where he sat, but jerked himself awake and slapped his own cheek.
“Getting tired?”Mama asked in a kind voice.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Me too,” replied Danuta, with another gigantic yawn that threatened to split her face in two.Her golden hair fell in two straight plaits on either side of her face and her blue eyes were hooded.
Just then, a car pulled up outside the apartment and a door slammed.There were footsteps on the path, and a loud knock at the door.Jan leapt to his feet and Mama hurried to answer the door.
She flung the door open and there stood Jadzia.She was dirty and dishevelled.Her clothes were torn and stained.She looked thin, with strands of soiled hair hanging down either side of her gaunt, wind-burned face.
Mama thanked the SS officer, who hung back.He murmured a few words then hurried away.Once he was gone, Mama pulled Jadzia into a bear hug.Jan and Danuta rushed to join in.Jan shut the door behind the officer and locked it, then threw his arms around Jadzia and Mama.Danuta did the same.
All three of them stood there, embracing Jadzia and crying together while the fire crackled in the hearth.Jadzia didn’t cry.She stood in silence, her arms by her sides, her eyes vacant.She didn’t look like herself, but she was home.And Jan had never felt so relieved.
