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Authors: Jim Shepard
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trample everyone’s goods.”
“That was before they started rounding up everyone too poor to buy themselves out of a trip to the labor camps,” my father said.
“Yes, that was before,” my mother said. And then the party really was over. Later she asked my father again if he could get me back into the factory and when he said he was lucky to still have a position there she losther temper and asked what he was going to do on the day when I didn’t come home. He told her they weren’t rounding up children for the labor camps and reminded her that at my size I looked even younger than I was.
“If something happens to him I will never look at you again,” my mother said.
“You never look at me now,” my father said.
“We’re trying to sleep out here,” one of my brothers called from where we were lying in the hallway.
“They fight like my parents,” Boris said, and in the dark it sounded like he was waiting for me to agree.
“I think he’s asleep,” my brother finally said.
“He’s not asleep,” Boris told him.
B ECAUSE MY MOTHER WAS SO UNHAPPY I INTRODUCED her to Zofia and Adina, both of whom she liked more than Lutek, as I knew she would. Adina said, “Why are we meeting your mother? Are we getting engaged?” but Zofia said she understood and told Adina that doing something nice for someone wouldn’t kill her. We met in a café and my mother insisted on buying the girls tea even though I could see how upset she was at what she spent. She asked after their families and made her such a shame face when she heard their sad stories. Then when ourvisit was almost over she said that her friend who was Czerniaków’s sister-in-law had told her about the performances at Janusz Korczak’s orphanage and would we all like to go?
Adina looked at me and my expression told her I’d had no idea that my mother was going to do this.
“I don’t think the girls want to see children’s puppet shows,” I said to my mother.
“They’re not puppet shows,” she said.
“I saw their parade when they had to move into the ghetto,” Zofia told her. “It was quite the circus.”
“I saw that too,” I said. “Did you see the wagons with the geraniums?”
Zofia said that she’d heard all sorts of rumors about him: he’d been taken into the forest and shot; he’d been taken away to one of the camps; he’d been put on a boat to Palestine. The problem had been that he’d gone all the way to the Gestapo to protest the confiscation of some potatoes and showed up there having refused to wear his armband. It turned out that he’d been beaten and thrown into a cell but then after a month they’d let him go.
“They let him go?” Adina asked, interested in that part. “Why?”
Zofia held her hand up and rubbed her thumb against her fingertips.
“Is he rich?” Adina asked.
“He has rich friends,” Zofia told her. She said she’d also heard that his Polish janitor had been beaten almost to death on the same day because he’d applied in person to go into the ghetto with the rest of the orphanage but Aryans could no longer work for Jews.
The four of us listened to the conversations at other tables. I could see my mother’s disappointment in her eyes. “Working and stealing, working and stealing, that’s what times are like now,” she said. The girls just looked at her and finished their tea. Zofia kept the sugar cube pressed between her lips and her tongue poked out only once it had completely dissolved. My mother stood up and wiped her eyes. Well, she told us, if we were interested, the new orphanage was now on Chłodna Street, in the small ghetto.
“We’ll go,” Zofia said. “Sure. It could be fun.” Adina looked at her. “It could be fun,” Zofia repeated.
My mother was pleased and left before we could change our minds. Adina said, “You’re not going to get Lutek and Boris to agree,” and Zofia said, “I’m not going to try.”
That night at dinner my mother told everyone the good news and Boris’s
“That was before they started rounding up everyone too poor to buy themselves out of a trip to the labor camps,” my father said.
“Yes, that was before,” my mother said. And then the party really was over. Later she asked my father again if he could get me back into the factory and when he said he was lucky to still have a position there she losther temper and asked what he was going to do on the day when I didn’t come home. He told her they weren’t rounding up children for the labor camps and reminded her that at my size I looked even younger than I was.
“If something happens to him I will never look at you again,” my mother said.
“You never look at me now,” my father said.
“We’re trying to sleep out here,” one of my brothers called from where we were lying in the hallway.
“They fight like my parents,” Boris said, and in the dark it sounded like he was waiting for me to agree.
“I think he’s asleep,” my brother finally said.
“He’s not asleep,” Boris told him.
B ECAUSE MY MOTHER WAS SO UNHAPPY I INTRODUCED her to Zofia and Adina, both of whom she liked more than Lutek, as I knew she would. Adina said, “Why are we meeting your mother? Are we getting engaged?” but Zofia said she understood and told Adina that doing something nice for someone wouldn’t kill her. We met in a café and my mother insisted on buying the girls tea even though I could see how upset she was at what she spent. She asked after their families and made her such a shame face when she heard their sad stories. Then when ourvisit was almost over she said that her friend who was Czerniaków’s sister-in-law had told her about the performances at Janusz Korczak’s orphanage and would we all like to go?
Adina looked at me and my expression told her I’d had no idea that my mother was going to do this.
“I don’t think the girls want to see children’s puppet shows,” I said to my mother.
“They’re not puppet shows,” she said.
“I saw their parade when they had to move into the ghetto,” Zofia told her. “It was quite the circus.”
“I saw that too,” I said. “Did you see the wagons with the geraniums?”
Zofia said that she’d heard all sorts of rumors about him: he’d been taken into the forest and shot; he’d been taken away to one of the camps; he’d been put on a boat to Palestine. The problem had been that he’d gone all the way to the Gestapo to protest the confiscation of some potatoes and showed up there having refused to wear his armband. It turned out that he’d been beaten and thrown into a cell but then after a month they’d let him go.
“They let him go?” Adina asked, interested in that part. “Why?”
Zofia held her hand up and rubbed her thumb against her fingertips.
“Is he rich?” Adina asked.
“He has rich friends,” Zofia told her. She said she’d also heard that his Polish janitor had been beaten almost to death on the same day because he’d applied in person to go into the ghetto with the rest of the orphanage but Aryans could no longer work for Jews.
The four of us listened to the conversations at other tables. I could see my mother’s disappointment in her eyes. “Working and stealing, working and stealing, that’s what times are like now,” she said. The girls just looked at her and finished their tea. Zofia kept the sugar cube pressed between her lips and her tongue poked out only once it had completely dissolved. My mother stood up and wiped her eyes. Well, she told us, if we were interested, the new orphanage was now on Chłodna Street, in the small ghetto.
“We’ll go,” Zofia said. “Sure. It could be fun.” Adina looked at her. “It could be fun,” Zofia repeated.
My mother was pleased and left before we could change our minds. Adina said, “You’re not going to get Lutek and Boris to agree,” and Zofia said, “I’m not going to try.”
That night at dinner my mother told everyone the good news and Boris’s
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