Chapter 11 First Inspection
First Inspection
Berlin
Life in Germany was becoming suffocating. Every morning Helene woke with tightness in her chest and the feeling that things
were going from bad to worse. Her wedding was just over a week away, but she felt no excitement. How could she start a family
in the kind of place her country had become? She looked to the other side of the bed and saw Kaiser, who had recovered his
typical energy after a few days of rest. That morning he had been licking his paws contentedly for some time, and Helene was
jealous. Animals were beyond the reach of the diseased atmosphere of the human struggle for power, money, and prestige. Their
natural world was so far from Helene’s.
The cat lazily sauntered over and began licking Helene’s skin, as if intuiting her need for comfort. She embraced him and
wept into his silky fur.
Since the book burnings that had occurred throughout Germany, dozens of Helene’s colleagues had been dismissed from their posts, to the great indifference to the vast majority of German citizens.
Prestigious authors had gone into exile: Thomas Mann to Switzerland, Bertolt Brecht to Denmark, Alfred Dobblin to France.
Helene had once heard that the real reason books were written was to keep people from being destroyed by loneliness.
And now she felt lonelier than ever before.
The door opened, and Derek entered with warm croissants. He wanted his fiancée to feel something like hope again and to enjoy
the small things in life.
“Good morning, my love,” he said, kissing her forehead.
“Good morning. Thank you for breakfast.”
“They’re still hot.”
Derek took off his mess jacket. He had to wear his uniform every day now to avoid problems. Even so, the SA would jeer at
soldiers, whom they considered bourgeoisie.
“I’m going to the library today, but I don’t have to be there early. Lena and Klaus should be there. Sometimes I wonder if
it’s worth keeping up with this work. Nothing will be the same ever again.”
Derek stroked her hair, and a tingle ran down her scalp from where his fingers had touched her. The pleasant sensation reminded
her that she was alive.
“Next week we’ll be man and wife. I’ve planned a honeymoon to Austria. We’ll be in the Alps, visit traditional villages, and
get out of the heaviness that’s here in Berlin.”
“But is that a good idea? Maybe we should go to Switzerland. My parents have some friends there.” She paused before moving her thoughts in another direction.
“I’m trying to get my aunts, uncles, and grandparents to get out of Germany, but the Nazis have put up all sorts of restrictions, like how much money they can take with them.
Most of them don’t want to sell at a loss what it took them several generations to acquire. ”
Helene was dragging her words out slowly. Derek had never seen her so lethargic and glum.
“You’ve got to get your spirits back up. Better times will come. You’re always telling me that you’re not ashamed to choose
happiness.”
Helene wiped the tears from her eyes. “You’re right, Derek. I should stand up and fight. If everyone gave in, there would
be no hope for Germany.”
She went to get dressed, and over breakfast they talked through some final details about the wedding. That afternoon Helene
had her last fitting for her dress. Her mother, grandmother, sister, and mother-in-law would be there.
Derek drove her to the library. Patrons no longer dared to visit. The book burnings were fresh on their minds, and it was
safer to be a good German than to read. Mothers no longer brought their children by. The elderly men and women who used to
come in were now wasting away in the parks, sad to have lived to see such barbaric days. The city was like the backdrop to
a bad Wagnerian opera, just a stage of uniforms and flags.
Derek gave Helene a long, slow kiss in the car, wishing to transmit to her all his strength, though in truth he was nearly
as discouraged as she was. They really were becoming one: When her arms drooped, he stood and lifted his.
He watched her cross the street, then turned the key in the ignition.
His boss, von Blomberg, had been named Minister of War and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
Derek accompanied him every day to his interminable meetings, with a mission to expand the army and build up a Germany that would prevail throughout Europe.
Watching her fiancé drive away, Helene’s spirits sank again, but she turned to the library and tried to act normal with her
colleagues.
Lena welcomed her with a big hug. She knew what a hard time Helene was having. “How are things today?” she asked, walking
with Helene back to her office.
“All right. Are you coming this afternoon to my dress fitting?” Helene was counting on Lena’s presence.
“I’m supposed to meet up with Gabor, but I’ll be there for a little while.”
“Oh good! That’s the first good news of the day.”
Klaus was busy shelving books to fill in the dismally large gaps. He caught Helene’s eye, and gave her a wink.
“Can’t I come too?” he asked.
“Oh, Klaus, you lout. Men can’t be there—it’s bad luck,” Lena joked.
Before she finished speaking, they heard the door. So few people entered the library anymore, and they all three turned at
the occurrence. They were surprised to see two men in long black trenchcoats. One removed his hat upon entering.
“Good afternoon, I do hope we aren’t interrupting. I believe we’ve met before,” he said, holding out his hand to Helene.
“Herr Kummer, I didn’t know you had planned to visit today.”
The man studied the three librarians with a penetrating stare before barking to his men, “Search the place from top to bottom!”
He then turned back to the librarians. “I’ve compared the register of destroyed books with your holdings, and they don’t fully
align. Some books are missing.
“I’ve been quite benevolent with you up to now, Miss Nathan.
I have overlooked your Jewish blood, the fact that you’re a pacifist, and the fact that you’ve not joined the Party.
Herr Krüss encouraged lenience. The old man is too soft on Jews and communists.
It doesn’t hurt that your fiancé is the personal assistant to the Minister of War, but everything has a limit.
” His tone grew increasingly angry. He glanced toward Klaus and Lena.
“You, Miss Nathan, are endangering your colleagues. I understand you are to marry in a few days. Go on with your husband. Think long and hard about whether you should come back to the library or become a good Aryan woman and bring many children into the fatherland. Lena could take over for you with no difficulty—that is, once she joins the Party.”
Helene thought carefully about how to respond, took a deep breath, and then spoke. “I understand that there are new rules
and that Germany is changing. I request that you do nothing to my assistants. I take full responsibility.”
Lena, fearing that Helene was going to confess, jumped in and said right in Kummer’s face, “If she goes, we all go!”
Kummer wrinkled his nose and stepped back at her outburst. Before he could respond, one of the Gestapo agents called, “Boss,
we found something!”
They all turned and watched the agent pull the lever that opened the secret room. Helene’s heart raced. She licked her lips
in preparation to give an explanation.
Then the agent said, “It’s empty.”
Helene’s heart stopped again, and she looked at Lena, who gave her a subtle wink.
“What is the purpose of that room?” demanded Kummer as he stormed toward the space and saw with his own eyes that it was completely
empty. Yet the scent of old books still hung in the air.
“That’s where we used to keep rare books, but now it’s just storage,” Lena said with a smile.
The three Nazis sported lips pursed in annoyance, but they had no proof to implicate the librarians.
“As I’ve said, you would be well served to join the Party—better a latecomer than never. I will return personally to see that
everything is in order.” Kummer spat out his words with hatred shooting from his eyes.
When the Nazis had gone, Helene, Lena, and Klaus stayed frozen in disbelieving silence for a moment, then burst out laughing,
though they knew that Kummer was no joke.
Catching her breath, Helene asked, “What in the world did you do with the books?”
“We took them to the old butcher shop, the one that closed a few weeks ago when the owner left the country. The only downside
is that now the books will smell like meat,” Klaus joked.
Helene checked the clock. It was time to leave for her fitting. Lena grabbed her purse, and together they headed downtown.
That minor victory over the Nazis energized her with a strength she had never felt before.