Page 70 of The Tattooist of Auschwitz
‘I have. Don’t look so frightened. We all know what you want.’
Lale looks around. There are two shop assistants and four customers.
‘Well?’ he says cautiously.
‘Show us what you’ve got,’ a customer says.
Lale empties his pockets onto the counter as the girls gather around.
‘How much can we have?’
Lale looks at the girl who has been to the chalet before.
‘How much were you paid last time?’
She waves a diamond-and-pearl ring under his nose, ‘Plus ten marks.’
‘OK, how about I give you five marks now, another five tonight and your choice of a piece of jewellery?’
The girl rummages through and picks out a pearl bracelet. ‘I’ll have this one.’
Lale takes it gently from her hand. ‘Not yet,’ he says. ‘Be at the bakery at six tonight. Deal?’
‘Deal,’ she says.
Lale hands her five marks, which she stuffs down her bra.
The remaining girls peruse the jewellery and choose what they want. Lale gives them each five marks. There is no haggling.
‘Thank you, ladies. Before I leave, can you tell me where I might find some like-minded beauties?’
‘You could try the cafe a few doors down, or the library,’ one of them suggests.
‘Be careful of the grandmas in the cafe,’ one woman says with a giggle.
‘What do you mean, “grandmas”?’ Lale asks.
‘You know, old women – some of them are over thirty!’
Lale smiles.
‘Look,’ says the original volunteer, ‘you could stop any woman you meet in the street. We all know what you want, and there are plenty of us who need good food and drink even if we have to share it with those ugly Russian pigs. There are no men left here to help us. We do what we have to.’
‘As do I,’ Lale tells them. ‘Thank you all very much. I’ll look forward to seeing you tonight.’
Lale leaves the shop and leans against a wall, taking a breather. One shop, half the girls required. He looks to the other side of the street. Fredrich is looking at him. He gives him a thumbs-up.
Now, where’s that cafe?On his walk there Lale stops three young women, two of whom agree to come to the party. In the cafe he finds three more. He thinks they are in their low to mid-thirties, but still beautiful women anyone would want to be seen with.
That evening Lale and Fredrich pick up the women, who are all waiting at the bakery as instructed. They are elegantly dressed and made up. The agreed transaction in jewellery and cash takes place with minimal scrutiny from Fredrich.
He watches as they enter the chalet. They are holding hands, wearing resolute expressions and occasionally laughing.
‘I’ll take what’s left over,’ Fredrich says, standing close to Lale.
Lale takes several notes and a couple of pieces of jewellery from his pockets and hands them to Fredrich, who seems satisfied the transactions have been carried out correctly. Fredrich pockets the goods, then sets about patting Lale down, digging his hands deep into his pockets.
‘Hey, careful,’ says Lale. ‘I don’t know you that well!’
