A Night Divided by Nielsen Jennifer A

Author:Nielsen, Jennifer A. [Nielsen, Jennifer A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Young Adult, War, Childrens
ISBN: 9780545682435
Goodreads: 28823322
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: 2015-08-25T07:00:00+00:00

One today is better than ten tomorrows. — German proverb

The next day was a Sunday, which gave us some much-needed time at home to rest, bathe away at least five layers of caked-on dirt, and gulp down the food from Anna’s mother as if we hadn’t seen anything edible for weeks.

The tunnel had made us both noticeably thinner, but we were also both more muscular in our arms and shoulders. While I liked feeling stronger, I also knew it was important for us to eat enough to avoid looking like we were in the process of starving. People had begun staring at us lately, and stares invited questions. Questions led to gossip, which surely ended up in the form of reports at Stasi headquarters.

Fritz and I had chosen to dedicate the day to pleasing the hidden microphones. We talked about how grateful we were to have the allotment of land, and how much we were learning about gardening. We spoke of missing our mother, but being proud of her for taking care of Oma Gertrude and not burdening the state. We discussed Fritz’s enthusiasm to join the military at the end of the month, and my hopes to get more responsibility from the Pioneers this fall.

Maybe we laid it on a little thick. No doubt some of what we said brought groans from whoever was tasked with listening to us. But these conversations were only a game now. If there were any consequences for our overworked chatter, we didn’t care. We wouldn’t be around to face them.

Fritz and I worked together to get the apartment cleaned up, but we were both delaying the worst job of all: the laundry. It had piled up over the last week and a half to something on the scale of a small mountain. Our clothes were dirty and smelly and so stiff with sweat that they practically held their shape after we had removed them. The sheets from our beds were even worse. It was bad enough now that I sometimes woke up in the morning with new dirt on my face from having slept on it in the night.

“We have to wash these,” I said. “But if we hang them up now, they won’t be dry by bedtime, and once we return from the garden tomorrow, they’ll only get dirty again.”

“It’s too bad the washing can’t get done for us while we’re gardening.”

“Yeah, we —” Then I stopped as an idea snapped in my head, like someone had flipped on a light. Suddenly, I knew exactly how we’d get rid of the dirt. I looked over at Fritz and saw a mischievous gleam in his eyes. We had the same solution in mind, I was sure of it.

“The pond next to the garden!” Fritz said.

I grinned. That was exactly my idea.

On our way to the Welcome Building the next morning, Fritz and I stopped by a lumber shop for more wood and rope, and a handful of nails, all for a clothesline. It would take much of the day to build, but it was absolutely worth it.

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