War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 100

Chapter 12

S

abine walked the two blocks with her heavy suitcase in hand. Should she consider herself lucky that Becker had given her the opportunity to rescue her dearest things before torching her house?

The cold gusts of early March crept beneath her greatcoat, making her yearn for the warm knitted blanket handed down from her grandmother. Gone up in flames.

Sabine shrugged. It didn’t help to wallow in self-pity, because she needed to stay strong for Werner. She stopped in front of a huge apartment building, so different from the street of little row houses where she lived –

used to live

, she corrected herself.

Most of the buildings in the area still stood upright, although even the best-looking ones showed obvious signs of bombing damage. It was such a shame. And why did those damned Allies have to bomb Berlin to rubble? Couldn’t they fight this war the old-fashioned way, soldier against soldier? Leaving the civilian population out of it?

Sabine pressed the bell and the electric buzzer sounded. She wondered that the door opener still worked with all the blackouts and shaky electricity in the city. The Klausen apartment was on the third floor, and Sabine dragged the heavy suitcase upstairs, heaving like a locomotive by the time she finally reached the landing.

As if by magic, a door opened and an elderly lady stepped out asking, “And you are?”

“Sabine Mahler, the new lodger,” she said and extended her hand.

The woman eyed her suspiciously, blatantly ignoring Sabine’s extended hand. “Who sent you?”

“The housing office assigned me to live here,” Sabine said, fumbling the official sheet of paper from her purse.

“Not with me.” The unfriendly woman stepped back and slammed the door in Sabine’s face. Only then did Sabine notice the door sign that said

Weber

. She turned to look at the two other doors on the landing and finally knocked on the one that said

Klausen

.

It took a while, before she heard footsteps and the clicking sound of the metal plate behind the peephole. Several seconds passed and Sabine feared the door would never open, but it finally did.

“You?” Frau Klausen asked, an expression of utter disbelief on her face.

“I’m sorry, Frau Klausen. I was bombed out and the housing office assigned me to live with you,” Sabine recited her rehearsed charade.

“Well, if that

isn’t

a coincidence. Come in.” Frau Klausen stepped out of the way and pointed at the small couch, worn to threads by many years of heavy use.

Great! She doesn’t buy my cover story

. Despite groaning inwardly, she plastered a smile on her face. “I’m so sorry for the inconvenience… Believe me, I didn’t ask for this. I’d rather have stayed in my own place.”

“When did you say your house was destroyed?” Frau Klausen asked, as she closed and locked the door.

When? Truth be damned.

She hadn’t thought about that part of the story and searched her brain for the latest news about air raids in Berlin and hoped to get the location right. “Four nights ago, in Steglitz.”

“You told everyone your husband was in an accident. But in fact, your house was bombed? Where is he now?”

God, why does this woman have to be so perceptive? And suspicious?

Sabine’s palms dampened as she realized that from now on she had to guard every single word she spoke and keep track of each and every lie. “He…he got injured during the raid and…” Sabine squeezed a tear out of her eye. “He…died…”

“When did this happen?” the older woman asked, her eyes narrowing. Thankfully, the appearance of a young blonde woman, who was the spitting image of Frau Klausen – and sporting a pregnancy bump – rescued Sabine from answering. A wave of hurt and jealousy engulfed Sabine and for a moment she pondered turning on her heel and running away.

She couldn’t possibly live in the same place with a happily expecting woman. Not when her own…she shook off the sad thoughts and forced a smile on her face when the other woman said, “Hello, I’m Ursula Herrmann. Frau Klausen is my mother.”

“Sabine Mahler.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Ursula said, giving her mother a stern look. “Please make yourself at home and don’t hesitate to ask should you need anything.” After the animosity shown by the usually kind Frau Klausen, it was refreshing to see a genuine smile on Ursula’s face.

“Thank you for making room in your apartment for me. I really appreciate this,” Sabine said.

“We are always eager to comply with the requests the Reich imposes on us to best serve the war effort,” Frau Klausen said in a stilted manner, and Sabine got the impression the older woman would just as soon strangle whoever had assigned a stranger into her home.

“Follow me,” Frau Klausen said, leading the way through the sitting room and opening a door on the far side. “This is where you will be staying. I’m going to say this once and I hope I don’t have to say it again. It would be better for people to believe we have never met prior to today.”

Never met?

Sabine thought that a strange request, but she didn’t ask for an explanation and agreed, “Your house. Your rules.”

A small smile appeared on Frau Klausen’s lips and she said, “I see we understand each other. And since we’re talking about rules. I expect you to keep your room tidy and share in the cleaning of the common areas.”

Sabine nodded.

“And…” Frau Klausen gave a side glance at her daughter in the sitting room, before she continued, “This is a decent household and there will be no male visitors in my house. Is that clear?”

“Very clear,” Sabine said, wondering why the older woman was concerned about male visitors with a woman who supposedly had been widowed the day before. And did that rule apply to Ursula’s husband as well? She bit her tongue to keep from asking questions, since Frau Klausen’s thinned lips indicated this was a non-discussable topic.

Not that she intended to receive any other man than Werner – and for the official record he was dead. Were dead men allowed to visit? She suppressed the small smile that wanted to spread, and called herself to order. His situation was too dire to joke about.

Frau Klausen left her to her own devices a few moments later and Sabine retired to her new bedroom, lying down on the bed fighting the cold hand of desolation forcing its grip on her.