Page 73 of Winter's End
“His name is Jacob Rood. It is the name his mother gave him. He is Jewish. Do you see? He is circumsised.”
Evi was not sure she knew what that meant, but it clearly meant something to her mother. She stared into the tiny face.Jacob…..?
“You can see why I could not leave him in that cave, Evi. He needs to see a doctor. But a doctor here, how can we be sure he would not be reported to the Germans?”
Evi was speechless.
“There is nothing for it but to get him across the border into Belgium, where he can safely get the medical care he needs. He has an aunt there, I was told in Limburg, his mother’s sister in Antwerp.”
“Mam – “
“I know the route to Middleburg, you know that, Evi. How many refugees have I transported? From there, if he survives, there will be other volunteers who can help to get him across the border.”
Mam bustled over with the bottle of warm milk. “Here.”
She handed it to Evi, who held it for a moment as though it might sprout wings, then lowered it to the vicinity of the tiny mouth and gasped as the infant squirmed and wriggled and sucked until the rubber nipple was plugged firmly between his lips.
His little eyes were tightly closed, but it seemed to Evi that she could feel in her bones his utter bliss in that instant …the sheer will of this tiny being to survive.
Jacob,she whispered solely to herself…..Jacob…baby Jacob...Lieve god…
ZOE
Zoe placed twenty of the ration books that had been appropriated by Leela’s sister on top of Gerritt’s desk. He looked up, his drawn face questioning.
“They are perfectly legitimate, cousin – procured by someone in the rations office who took a great risk to keep us fed.”
Gerritt stared at them, riffled the pages, then rose slowly and placed them in a locked file cabinet.
“Our cooks are becoming quite skilled at making something from nothing,” he said. Whatever we can get with these will help.Danke.”
It seemed to Zoe there was more of a grey streak in Gerritt’s dark blonde hair. “You look troubled, Cousin.”
“I am…” Gerritt sat heavily in his chair. “For one thing, it is getting increasingly difficult to maintain quiet in our sanctuary. People are people after all, Zoe, and after so many weeks in close quarters – no exercise to speak of, no way to vent – squabbles break out, the children especially, but even adult tempers flare…”
Zoe bit her lip. “I can imagine…”
“I do not think you can, cousin. Men, women and children, virtual strangers, sequestered together day after day. There is always – always something, a crying child, a missing toothbrush…”
Gerritt leaned forward, his hands clenched on the desktop. “I feel as though I am forced to be a summer camp instructor these days rather than a hospital administrator. I am aware every moment of every day that the slightest noise, the smallest altercation, may be all that stands between safety and discovery…”
“I know, Gerritt. I don’t know how you manage -”
“I don’t know either, Zoe.” He looked at her closely. “And there is more.”
He reached into a desk drawer. “I hesitate to show this to you, Zoe, because I think I can see where your feelings lie. But yesterday I received a missive from Gestapo headquarters. It is a list of co-called ‘enemies of the Reich,’ people of interest to the Germans… people who are to be reported immediately should they turn up at the hospital for treatment.”
He handed over the letter. “Would you care to read it?”
Zoe took the letter, unfolded it, began to read the alphabetized list of names. “I am afraid I do not know these people by name, Gerritt,” she said after a moment.
“Then I can tell you that seven of the names on this list are Jewish physicians who have been in hiding with us for months,” he said. “Since before you came to me, in fact. Four others, who are with us now in our ‘renovating’ top floor, are among the Dutch families suspected by the Reich to be hiding Jewish children…”
He paused. “And look toward the bottom of the list, Zoe, among the names beginning with S…”
Zoe read, and the name leapt out.Schneider, Kurt…Lieve god…the storyteller.
PART FOUR
