Page 396 of Edge of Eternity (The Century 3)

They went to a bar in the town center not far from the city hall. For old times' sake, Rebecca asked for a glass of Sekt. "I'll come right to the point," Claus said as soon as they had their drinks. "We want you to stand for election to the national parliament."

"Oh!" she said. "I would have been less surprised if you'd made a pass at me."

He smiled. "Don't be surprised. You're intelligent and attractive, you speak well, and people like you. You're respected by men of all parties here in Hamburg. You have almost a decade of experience in politics. You'd be an asset."

"But it's so sudden."

"Elections always seem sudden."

The chancellor, Willy Brandt, had engineered a snap election, to be held in eight weeks' time. If Rebecca agreed, she could be a member of parliament before Christmas.

When she got over the surprise, Rebecca felt eager. Her passionate desire was for the reunification of Germany, so that she and thousands more Germans could be reunited with their families. She would never achieve that in local politics--but as a member of the national parliament she might have some influence.

Her party, the FDP, was in a coalition government with the Social Democrats led by Willy Brandt. Rebecca agreed with Brandt's "Ostpolitik," trying to have contact with the East despite the Wall. She believed this was the quickest way to undermine the East German regime.

"I'll have to talk to my husband," she said.

"I knew you'd say that. Women always do."

"It will mean leaving him alone a lot."

"This happens to all spouses of members of parliament."

"But my husband is special."

"Indeed."

"I'll talk to him this evening." Rebecca stood up.

Claus stood too. "On a personal note . . ."

"What?"

"We know each other quite well."

"Yes . . ."

"This is your destiny." He was serious. "You were meant to be a national politician. Anything less would be a waste of your talents. A criminal waste. I mean it."

She was surprised by his intensity. "Thank you," she said.

She felt both elated and dazed as she drove home. A new future had suddenly opened up. She had thought about national politics, but had feared it would be too difficult, as a woman and as the wife

of a disabled husband. But now that the prospect was more than a fantasy she felt eager.

On the other hand, what would Bernd do?

She parked the car and hurried into their apartment. Bernd was at the kitchen table in his wheelchair, marking school essays with a sharp red pencil. He was undressed and wearing a bathrobe, which he could manage to put on himself. The most difficult garment, for him, was a pair of trousers.

She told him immediately about Claus's proposition. "Before you speak, let me say one more thing," she said. "If you don't want me to do this, I won't. No argument, no regrets, no recriminations. We're a partnership, and that means neither of us has the right to change our life unilaterally."

"Thank you," he said. "But let's talk about the details."

"The Bundestag sits from Monday to Friday about twenty weeks of the year, and attendance is compulsory."

"So you'd spend about eighty nights away in an average year. I can cope with that, especially if we get a nurse to come in and help me in the mornings."

"Would you mind?"

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