Oranges for Christmas by Margarita Morris

Author:Margarita Morris [Morris, Margarita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Margarita Morris
Published: 2013-12-18T05:00:00+00:00

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Chapter 5 - Mother Courage

Sabine

October arrives and brings with it a blustery wind that shakes the leaves from the trees. I haven’t seen Hans for a couple of weeks now. I’ve been hoping that he would call round and tell me he’s changed his mind about the tunnel; that he’s happy to wait for it to be finished. But there’s been no sign of him. And deep down I’ve still been cross with him for being so mean about Astrid. So I’ve gone to school each day and tried to carry on as normal. For a while the white Trabant followed me everywhere, but I haven’t noticed it in the last few days. Maybe the Stasi think I’ve learned my lesson.

By the end of the week I realise that I’m missing seeing Hans at school and decide to pay him a visit. I want to try and patch things up between us. I call round after school on Friday. Frau Fischer answers the door to me.

“I’m sorry, Sabine,” she says, drying her hands on a tea towel, “but he went out a couple of hours ago. I don’t know when he’ll be back.”

She’s going about her daily chores and doesn’t sound at all worried, but a knot tightens in my stomach. I was so sure of finding him at home that I can’t help thinking the worst when I find he’s not here. What if he has decided to flee to Czechoslovakia without telling her? He could be on a train right this moment. I don’t know if she knows anything about his plans. Presumably not, otherwise she wouldn’t be so relaxed at the idea of him going out.

“Can I give him a message?” she asks, smiling at me. She really isn’t at all worried so I try to relax a little.

I shake my head. “No. No message. Just tell him I called, please.”

“Of course, dear.”

I return home and try to put Hans out of my mind by fetching Harry’s last letter from its hiding place inside the pages of my notebook. It’s the letter Brigitta gave me the day I was released from Stasi Headquarters. I haven’t acted on it yet because I was worried about being followed by the Stasi. I take it into the kitchen and re-read it carefully.

It contains a set of instructions, a list of three names and a couple of photographs. Harry wants me to contact the people on this list and they in turn will contact other people who want to escape from East Berlin and who can be trusted to keep the tunnel project secret. That way we’ll be able to spread the word about the tunnel without the need for Harry to get in touch with everyone individually. If he tried to do that he could put himself under suspicion and the whole project would be in jeopardy.

Re-reading the letter now, I notice with some alarm that Harry has appointed me the primary contact in the East. If I don’t pass this information on, then no one will know what the plans are.

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