War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 184

Chapter 39

W

ith Gerlinde’s help Lotte had been inquiring about the whereabouts of Agnieska and Jan. Most civilians had been sent to a transit camp in Prsuzkow, some fifteen kilometers west of the city center, where further selections and distributions were made.

“This could be them,” Gerlinde said with excitement, her finger pointing at one of the endless lists. She scrunched up her nose and read the remark scribbled in tiny letters, the enthusiasm fading from her face. “It says Agnieska has been sent for forced labor into the Reich and Jan is destined for Auschwitz.”

Lotte tore the paper from her friend’s hand, to see for herself. It was the horrible truth. Agnieska had already boarded a train to Dresden, while little Jan – without papers or relatives – was supposed to be deported with the rest of the dangerous, useless or Jewish elements to Auschwitz later that month.

“Still looking for Alexandra’s cousin?” Johann asked, sneaking up on them.

“We found him,” Lotte said with a shrug.

“Then why so depressed, beautiful doll?” Since nobody else was loitering about the office, he pressed a kiss to her lips.

“He’s earmarked to go to Auschwitz,” Gerlinde explained.

A barely audible hiss left his throat and he waved sheets of paper. “Then you’d better hurry. Here’s a travel permit and a temporary identity card for a German national named Jan Wagner.”

“You’re the best.” Lotte didn’t care that at any moment another officer could enter the room; she flung herself into his arms.

“I guess I should do this more often.” He grinned after returning the passionate kiss.

“I’ll go to the

Dulag

camp first thing in the morning – will you cover for me?” Lotte asked Gerlinde.

“Naturally. My shift won’t start until noon.”

“What if I invited the two of you to have dinner with me in the officers’ mess?” Johann asked with a grin and linked arms with the two women.

The next morning

Lotte made sure her uniform was immaculate as she approached the gate of the compound, her entire body trembling with nerves.

“What do you want?” one of the young SS men asked.

“I’m here to find my cousin, Jan Wagner. He’s been captured by the partisans and I believe he was mistakenly brought here,” Lotte said.

“Look, doll, we wouldn’t have any German nationals here. This is a camp for Poles,” a second guard said.

Lotte squared her shoulders. She hadn’t expected this to be a piece of cake. “I know, but he’s without papers and someone might have mistaken him for a Pole.” She waved the temporary identity card in her hand. “Leutnant Hauser from the Warsaw garrison was kind enough to expedite new papers for my cousin.”

The two men scrutinized the identity card and the travel permit but shook their heads.

“His parents were killed by a grenade and he’s the only one left in my family.” She steeled herself for her performance, and pushed her lower lip forward.

“You’re not going to cry now, are you?” the younger guard asked her in horror.

“But I must find him!” Lotte begged.

“It’s not that we’re not willing to help,” the older one said. “But there’s a hundred thousand people in the camp. We can’t possibly go and search for your cousin. It could take hours and we can’t leave our position unattended that long.”

“Oh, I’m so stupid.” Lotte pressed a hand to her mouth and batted her eyelashes. “Of course, you have more important things to do. And I wouldn’t want to get you into trouble for leaving your post.” She cast them a dashing smile. “Why don’t you let me in to look for him?”

“Do you have a pass?” The wavering look on his face told her he just needed a bit more of an incentive.

She moved closer to the men. “I’m being transferred to Norway next week. If I don’t drop off the child with his grandmother in Berlin…” Her eyes filled with unshed tears.

“Norway? Is that where they send all the peachy girls these days?” The younger man was obviously smitten by her flirtatiousness.

“Are you trying to flatter me?”

“Maybe,” he said with a wink.

“You look quite dashing yourself.” Lotte broke out into a huge smile, although she was holding back the urge to vomit at the mere thought of an SS man touching her. But since her flirting seemed to be working, she continued to suffer.

The older guard inspected Jan’s papers again and then nodded for the gate to be opened. “Good luck. And be careful in there. Those Poles cannot be trusted.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll be back before you know it.” She smiled and waved at them.

“Anything for a peachy lady,” the younger guard said with a jaunty salute.

Lotte slipped through the gate, anxiety crawling about her skin. The terror caused her limbs to tremble and she could barely keep on walking. She hadn’t counted on the deep-rooted fear of being inside a camp again. If it weren’t for Peter’s pleading face when he’d begged her to take care of his son, she would have turned on her heel and run away.

Palms slippery with cold sweat, she took a few tentative steps inside, a fake smile plastered on her face.

How on earth am I going to find him?

But she shouldn’t have worried, because out of nowhere a boy came rushing at her, yelling, “Alexandra! You found me!”

She pressed him against her chest, grateful for his almost perfect command of the German language. He didn’t even have an accent. Anyone watching would have seen a young boy falling into the arms of a long-missed family member. Pressing a kiss on his hair, she whispered, “You’re my cousin Jan Wagner from Berlin in Germany.”

He looked up at her with wide eyes, giving a silent nod. The poor boy had plenty of experience with hiding and pretending to be someone else. “My aunt said to stay near to the gate, because that would be my only chance to leave this place.”

“A wise person, your aunt. I’m sorry she was sent away.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the gate. Her own hand felt icy against his warm one. She closed her eyes for a moment, mustering confidence and willing away the images of whip-cracking guards.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” he whispered. “I know what to do.”

“I found my cousin,” she told the guards with a ready smile. “Thank you so much for letting me look for him.”

The two SS men showed a stupefied expression, but soon smiled at both of them and even gave Jan a sweet.

“

Vielen Dank.

” Jan thanked them in perfect German, not showing the tiniest bit of fear he must be feeling.

On the way to the camp Lotte had caught a lift with a military vehicle, but for safety reasons she opted to return on foot. The long march took them almost three hours, but it gave her the time to fill him in on everything that had happened since she last saw him, and her plans to leave him with Anna and Mutter.

She left him in her quarters and went to work. In the evening she and Gerlinde returned to the small room they shared, finding Jan curled up on the bed sleeping.

“Hey, sleepyhead, I want you to meet a friend,” Lotte said.

Moments later a knock on the door indicated the arrival of Johann, who stepped inside the room, glancing between Jan and Lotte and saying, “The family resemblance is striking.”

“You think so? I couldn’t find any similarity,” Gerlinde said, scrunching up her nose and scrutinizing the two of them.

Lotte cast Johann a stare, but he only smirked at her.

“I’m here to tell you that I secured transport on the first train to Berlin tomorrow morning for the three of you. A vehicle will wait outside at six a.m. and bring you to the train station,” he said.

Gerlinde clapped her hands and pulled Jan into a hug. “We’re getting out of here.”

Lotte laughed at her antics and shared a meaningful look with Johann. He took himself off a few moments later to give them time to pack. Not that they had much. It took less than ten minutes to gather all their belongings and the biggest delay was finding a suitable container, since their suitcases had stayed behind when the insurgents captured the dormitory building more than two months earlier.

Later that night she tucked Jan into her bed and entrusted Gerlinde with his care. Then she snuck out of the room and made her way across the courtyard to Johann’s quarters. As expected, he was waiting for her and pulled her into his arms the minute she slipped through the door.

“God, I missed you, sweet woman,” he murmured, pressing her up against the door and sealing her lips in a hot kiss, before picking her up and depositing her on his bed.

Both of them knew it would be their last night together for a long time, perhaps forever. Thus, they took their time removing each other’s clothing, and when they came together, it was as a testimony to the love they had for one another. A promise of a future together.

Before sunrise, Lotte slipped into her uniform and kissed him goodbye. He wouldn’t be able to accompany them to the train station because they didn’t want to draw attention.

“I’m going to miss you,” she said, holding back tears.

“Not as much as I will miss you, but I’m counting on seeing you again soon. I’ve put in for a furlough just as soon as my job here is done. There’s no reason to believe they won’t approve it.”

“How long?”

Johann pulled her into his arms and hugged her close. “I don’t know, but we can get through this.”

She tipped her chin up, kissing him and committing to memory the feel of his lips against hers, his unique smell, and the feel of his body against her own. During times of loneliness she would simply close her eyes and remember this moment and it would give her the strength to carry on until they’d be united again.

“You have to leave….”

“I’ll go wake up Jan and Gerlinde. Johann…”

He placed a finger over her lips and shook his head with a soft smile filled with love. “Don’t say it, my love. This isn’t goodbye; it’s just a small pause. I’ll be with you before you know it. Have a safe trip and get word to me that you have arrived in Norway safely.”