War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 246

Chapter 24

I

t took them less than an hour to reach the crossing point into the American sector. Shortly before the checkpoint they witnessed a group of young German soldiers held up and frogmarched over to the Russian officer on duty.

“So it’s true. They’re sending everyone back,” Richard murmured, hot and cold shivers running down his spine. After everything they’d been through, he didn’t know if he could withstand another setback. Disguised as a civilian he might not even receive the courtesy of being handed over to the Ivan. The Ami might shoot him on the spot for being a spy. Just like the road signs had warned.

“We need to come up with a plan,” Katrina said and pulled him away from the road leading to the border patrol. They settled in the shadows of a destroyed building, and she handed him some leaves to chew on.

He eyed the greens distastefully, but at this point he was too grateful for the tiniest morsel to eat. Teasing her about feeding him rabbit food would have to wait until better times.

“What now?” he asked, observing the queue of refugees lining up at the border control station.

“Pretending to be Polish slave workers won’t cut it.” She chewed on her leaf, furrowing her brow in deep thinking.

“Right. We need to be Germans, or we wouldn’t have a reason to flee into what’s left of the Reich,” he said with a cynical smirk. Personally, he could have done without the war and stayed with his family in Berlin, completing his high school education with the

Abitur

, and going to study German language and literature at the University of Berlin.

“I can easily pretend to be German,” Katrina said. “I don’t think the Amis will notice my accent. If they do, we can tell them I was born in Lodz to German parents and have lived there all my life.”

“I’m sure that giving the soldier in charge one of your charming smiles will help as well.”

“Like this?” She batted her eyelashes at him, and he suddenly felt a deep-rooted jealousy taking hold of him.

Fighting the unwelcome emotion he said, “Maybe that’s a bit too much. You don’t want him so smitten he steals you away from me.”

“Nobody could steal me away from you. I love only you. But you know that, don’t you?”

He knew, but it still warmed his heart to hear it coming from her lips.

“I love you, too, Katrina, and I’m planning to marry you as soon as I have proper papers again.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him.

“Nothing but talk,” she giggled. “You’ve been telling me that for more than a year.”

“And it worked, didn’t it? You’re still by my side, hoping I’ll make an honest woman of you one day.” He proceeded to kiss her, but after a few short moments, she pushed him away.

“Mister, we need to think.”

“About what?” He loved to tease her, and he loved even more the way her brown eyes sparked with delight when she giggled at him. It erased some of the anxiety he felt about the imminent border crossing.

“Well, for one, we need to come up with an explanation why you, a twenty-year-old German male, has never been drafted into the Wehrmacht.”

He gulped, the slashing pain reminding him of the cut on his throat. “I could have been wounded?”

“Wounded? No. But sick maybe. Too sick to serve.” She scrunched her nose, no doubt digging into the memory of every medicine book she’d ever read.

“My pal Klaus wasn’t drafted, because of his severe asthma. He never could play sports with us and at times he’d turn blue in his face from the lack of oxygen.”

Katrina nodded. “Yes. That might work. I could give you oleander to make your lips turn blue…”

His eyes widened. “Oleander is poisonous.”

“Yes but eating only the tiniest bit of it won’t do you serious harm. And it would make your asthma look more real. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can find it around here.” She made a sad face, and Richard wondered whether she’d actually be willing to poison him to make their ruse more believable. In any case, he was glad that he wouldn’t have to find out.

“I’ll just cough a bit and pretend to be short-winded.”

Katrina shook her head. “I don’t know if that will work.”

“It has to. I know it’s a flimsy story, but it’s the best we have. Ready to tackle the bull?” Richard stood up and pulled her to her feet.

Katrina nodded and slipped her arm through his. “As ready as I’m ever going to be.”

Trepidation slowed

down Katrina’s steps as the border checkpoint loomed ahead. Only the hope of reaching safety on the other side propelled her forward – and Richard’s calming hand in hers.

“Good day,” she said in her best school English to the soldier and bestowed a smile upon him, just like Richard had suggested.

“Good afternoon, miss,” the soldier answered, apparently delighted that she spoke his language. “Papers please.”

“I’m sorry, Czech partisans attacked us last night and robbed us of everything, including our papers.” She had tucked away her identification deep inside her brassiere, thinking it best not to let the Amis know she was a Pole.

“Aha.” He raised a brow, the smile disappearing from his face. “What’s your name?”

“Katharina Klausen.”

“Where are you headed?”

“To Kleindorf near Munich, where the aunt of my husband lives.” She turned to point at Richard, waiting next in line.

The pleasant expression on the soldier’s face completely disappeared and he waved Richard forward. “Papers?”

“I don’t have any, we were robbed last night.”

“I get it. You were robbed. The Czechs stole your papers, but didn’t otherwise harm you, right? How many times do you think I have heard this story from German males your age?”

Richard grimaced and pointed to the dressing around his neck. “They almost killed me, cutting my throat.”

“They don’t take kindly to Wehrmacht deserters posing as civilians,” the soldier said.

They don’t take kindly to anyone German or believed to help the Germans

. “Sir, please, believe us. My husband was never drafted.” She cast the man an apologetic smile. “He doesn’t like to mention this, but his asthma at times is so bad, he turns blue in the face and he never could participate in any sports.” She felt Richard’s stare bore into her back, but now wasn’t the time for false shame. At least he had the good sense to press out some ragged huffs.

“He looks healthy enough. Tell your lies to the Russians,” the GI said.

“Please, you can’t be serious. You know what will happen to me, a young German woman, if you send me back?” Katrina didn’t have to playact to make her voice sound frightened.

“I’m sure our Russian counterparts will treat you with the respect you deserve.”

“My wife was abducted… cough… by the Czech partisans last night… cough… and only by a twist of fate she wasn’t hanged at the gallows,” Richard said.

At least now a glint of empathy entered the eyes of the soldier and he said, “You can pass, but not him. I’m mighty sure he’s a Wehrmacht soldier, and according to our agreement with the Soviet Union he is their prisoner and has to be returned to their territory.”

“You go; you’ll be safe with my aunt,” Richard said, motioning for her to cross the border. But Katrina couldn’t imagine doing so without Richard by her side. Without him, there was no reason for her to live in Germany and she couldn’t fathom a world where she might never see him again.

She appealed to the GI. “We have walked more than four hundred miles across two countries to be safe from persecution. Please don’t send us back.”

“Where do you originate?”

“Lodz, Poland,” Richard answered, trying his best to look and sound weak.

“You must have been walking for weeks,” the American said.

“More like months. We’ve been on the road so long I can’t even remember how it feels to sleep in an actual house,” Katrina added. “Please, won’t you believe us and let us pass?”

The border patrol looked at Richard and then shook his head, “Sorry, but your case is above my payroll. I’m going to have to take this up the chain of command.”

Katrina wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she dutifully thanked him with a big smile.

He grumbled something beneath his breath, and gestured for two more American soldiers to step forward. “Take these two to a holding cell overnight.” He turned to Richard and Katrina saying, “We’re going to detain both of you for the night and tomorrow we’ll see about getting to the truth. You’d better come up with a believable story or my superiors will return you to the Russians.”

Richard inclined his head in agreement. “What about my wife?”

“She’s free to pass, since we’re only on the lookout for Wehrmacht stragglers trying to avoid Russian captivity.” Then he motioned for them to follow the two other soldiers, who locked them into a cell.

Despite being imprisoned, Katrina sensed a peace and calm she hadn’t felt since they’d fled Mrs. Jaworski’s ruined farm. At least in American custody they were protected from the harassment of the Czechs.