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Authors: Anna Smith
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‘that I saw him with Katya. He introduced her to us as a cultural representative of the East Berlin Department of Education. So, you could take it for granted she was a member of Stasi, the secret police. All government officials were part of Stasi,’ Mari said, matter-of-factly.
‘Can you explain a bit more?’ Rosie asked.
‘At that time,’ Mari said, ‘in East Berlin, and in fact all over East Germany, there were about seven Stasi government spies for every single person in the country. Everyone was spying on each other and informing on each other. It was that kind of climate – even in places of work or in apartment blocks, there was always someone informing on their neighbours or workmates. So when this woman Katya was introduced as some kind of educational attaché, we kind of assumed she’d be a spy. The students joked about it during the few days we were there, because she stuck to us like glue.
‘But all the time we could see the little looks and secret glances between her and Tom. It was as if they shared something that none of the rest of us did, and we suspected it wasn’t just their love of all things in the USSR. We’d be taken to various areas within the education system and the workplace and given demonstrations of how hard the people worked and strived for their country, and Katya was at the forefront of that. But we could see there was more. Or I could. Maybe it’s because, by the time of the field trip, I’d been involved with him, so I was perhaps more sensitive. But to me they were lovers, and my heart sank every single day I saw her.’
‘But you knew Mahoney was married, surely? Did you really think more would come of the . . . er . . . situation you had with him?’ Rosie didn’t want to call it a fling, which is clearly what it was – for Mahoney, anyway.
‘Of course I knew he was married and we could never be more to each other than lovers. Look . . . I know it sounds stupid and naive, but I thought we had something special.’
Rosie didn’t want to say any more and make her feel worse.
Mari went on to tell her that the week passed with dinners, outings and lectures, visits to historical sites. But she’d sensed that the whole city was shrouded in secrecy and suspicion, and everywhere the people had a glum look of resignation. They’d kept on being shown buildings where industrial innovations were apparently taking place, but the truth was they were far behind everyone in the West. Except in gymnastics and some other sports.
Rosie had nodded, as if she knew all this. She didn’t want to admit that her knowledge of Eastern Europe didn’t go much deeper than what she had seen years ago on the vests of athletes of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) during the Olympics, and it had often been hard to distinguish the men from the women. She recalled shot-putters with arms like hams who walked like John Wayne, and how everyone had looked miserable, even when they won a gold medal.
‘So was that only time you went on a field trip like that?’
‘Yes. When we got back I was with Tom only one more night, and it was then that I asked him straight out about Katya. He was furious. He told me to mind my own business, that anything he did was nothing to do with me. He became completely indifferent to me after that. But I was in love with him. Long before anything ever happened between us he had made me feel like I was the only woman in the world. I never saw him after we left university, and hadn’t heard anything about him in years, because I moved away. But when I read about his murder in the newspaper it took the feet from me. I cried all day. It was like a part of my life – which I realize now was part of me growing up – like part of my life had been ripped away. He was such a big influence in so many people’s lives.’
Chapter Seven
Ruby came off the slip road for Glasgow Airport and drove to the car-rental place, where she dumped the car and quickly dealt with
‘Can you explain a bit more?’ Rosie asked.
‘At that time,’ Mari said, ‘in East Berlin, and in fact all over East Germany, there were about seven Stasi government spies for every single person in the country. Everyone was spying on each other and informing on each other. It was that kind of climate – even in places of work or in apartment blocks, there was always someone informing on their neighbours or workmates. So when this woman Katya was introduced as some kind of educational attaché, we kind of assumed she’d be a spy. The students joked about it during the few days we were there, because she stuck to us like glue.
‘But all the time we could see the little looks and secret glances between her and Tom. It was as if they shared something that none of the rest of us did, and we suspected it wasn’t just their love of all things in the USSR. We’d be taken to various areas within the education system and the workplace and given demonstrations of how hard the people worked and strived for their country, and Katya was at the forefront of that. But we could see there was more. Or I could. Maybe it’s because, by the time of the field trip, I’d been involved with him, so I was perhaps more sensitive. But to me they were lovers, and my heart sank every single day I saw her.’
‘But you knew Mahoney was married, surely? Did you really think more would come of the . . . er . . . situation you had with him?’ Rosie didn’t want to call it a fling, which is clearly what it was – for Mahoney, anyway.
‘Of course I knew he was married and we could never be more to each other than lovers. Look . . . I know it sounds stupid and naive, but I thought we had something special.’
Rosie didn’t want to say any more and make her feel worse.
Mari went on to tell her that the week passed with dinners, outings and lectures, visits to historical sites. But she’d sensed that the whole city was shrouded in secrecy and suspicion, and everywhere the people had a glum look of resignation. They’d kept on being shown buildings where industrial innovations were apparently taking place, but the truth was they were far behind everyone in the West. Except in gymnastics and some other sports.
Rosie had nodded, as if she knew all this. She didn’t want to admit that her knowledge of Eastern Europe didn’t go much deeper than what she had seen years ago on the vests of athletes of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) during the Olympics, and it had often been hard to distinguish the men from the women. She recalled shot-putters with arms like hams who walked like John Wayne, and how everyone had looked miserable, even when they won a gold medal.
‘So was that only time you went on a field trip like that?’
‘Yes. When we got back I was with Tom only one more night, and it was then that I asked him straight out about Katya. He was furious. He told me to mind my own business, that anything he did was nothing to do with me. He became completely indifferent to me after that. But I was in love with him. Long before anything ever happened between us he had made me feel like I was the only woman in the world. I never saw him after we left university, and hadn’t heard anything about him in years, because I moved away. But when I read about his murder in the newspaper it took the feet from me. I cried all day. It was like a part of my life – which I realize now was part of me growing up – like part of my life had been ripped away. He was such a big influence in so many people’s lives.’
Chapter Seven
Ruby came off the slip road for Glasgow Airport and drove to the car-rental place, where she dumped the car and quickly dealt with
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