A Woman in Berlin

On to Wednesday. For the first time in all these nights of men I sleep into the morning and when I wake up the major is still by my side. Evidently he doesn’t have any duties; he can make his own assignments. We talk a bit, very friendly and rationally. Out of nowhere he confesses to me that he is not a Communist, not at all – he’s a professional officer, trained at the military academy, and hates the young stool pigeons from the Komsomol. By which I understand him to mean that even higher-ranking officers have reason to be afraid of party watchdogs. I’m amazed at how openly he speaks to me. On the other hand, there are no witnesses. Then, just as abruptly, he wants to know if I really am healthy. ‘You understand, I mean, you understand what I’m saying.’ (The first ‘you’ is formal; the second time he uses the familiar form – as a rule he mixes the two when he talks to me.) So I tell him the truth, that I’ve never had anything like that, but of course I can’t be sure that I haven’t caught something from one of the Russians who violated me. He shakes his head and sighs. ‘Ach, these hooligans!’ (Pronounced khuligan, a loan word very common in Russian, used for scoundrels, louts, ruffians.)

He gets up, dresses and calls for his orderly, who waddles in, still in his stockinged feet, carrying his shoes. The lieutenant is nowhere to be seen; he is probably gone for the day. From the room next door I can hear the widow.

Outside, the May morning is chilly. Chains are clinking, horses neighing; the rooster has long since crowed. But no katyushas, no gunfire, nothing. The major limps around the room and stretches his leg, singing one song after the other in a beautiful voice, including the magical ‘Linger with me, my lovely one’. Then he sits on the edge of the bed, pulls a little harmonica out of his pocket and plays a march, with amazing verve and skill. Meanwhile the Asian – who when I ask tells me he’s from Uzbekistan – helps his superior put on his soft leather boots. Taking pains to spare the injured leg, he gazes adoringly at his musical major and sighs in foreign-accented Russian: ‘Ech, is so beautiful!’

Later, after both are gone, the widow hears in the stairwell that Berlin surrendered around 4 a.m. – someone heard it on a crystal set. ‘Peace’ – so we think, and are happy. Until we find out there is still fighting going on north and south of the city.

Still Wednesday, the hours are creeping along. People are constantly interrupting me as I write. But no one has objected; the most I’ve heard was one soldier saying, That’s right. You all need to study hard and learn Russian.’

A steady stream of Russians, liquor, kitchen work, fetching water. We hear there’s a wooden beam lying around somewhere. I rush to get it before someone beats me to it. Two of Anatol’s men come running out of the abandoned apartment they’ve commandeered for the past few days, carrying mattresses and bed covers. Where are they moving to? Not a trace of Anatol himself. Evidently the lieutenant wasn’t lying. And the major promised in parting that he would take good care of me, bring me something to eat. Fine with me. For days I’ve had misgivings about the butter Herr Pauli brought from the Volkssturm. This is definitely a different life from my hungry existence in the attic, where everything had been stripped bare and eaten. First we had the end of the German rations, then what I managed to steal – the loot from the police barracks, the potatoes. And the widow had a few stores of her own – potatoes, beans and peas, bacon. Next we had everything that Anatol and his men left in the way of bread, herring, pork rinds, canned meat. (though the alcohol was always drained to the last drop). And the two cans of meat from the white hands of Stepan-Alyosha. A life of plenty. Actually I haven’t eaten this richly in years; it’s been months since I was so full after eating. It can’t go on like this. But for the moment I’m stuffing myself, to build up my strength.