Berlin blood

Chapter 3 August woke up two hours later. Although his head hurt, he promised himself that today his new life would begin. And he must contain it. Dawn came, soon he and Jens had to go to the organization. August got dressed and took the documents. On the way out Jens asked him: — Are you ready? — Yes, of course, I’m ready. — Okay, let’s go. We still need to fill out paperwork. They left the house and moved in the right direction. It was quite early, people had not yet gotten up and there were no crowds of rushing people on the streets. Windy, almost no snow. Along the way, August constantly returned to the question of whether he was doing the right thing, because he, in essence, became a villain. He changes himself. He might have to kill people someday. However, I didn’t want to think about it. And, pushing doubts into the background, he tried to think about the good. The country is in a terrible crisis, and he needs to save himself. “Well, here we are,” Jens pointed to the gray building. It stood somewhere very far from the rest of the world, and it seemed to him that even the paint here was darker than on the other houses. — Won’t you come with me? — Oh no, why do you need me there? This is your path, and you must begin it here alone, my job is only to show you the entrance and the direction. — Okay, I’ll go. — Good luck. August opened the door and entered. There were even too many people who wanted to join the SS. August saw a window where forms are accepted, next to it there is a medical office, where forms are issued and registration. He went to one window and, leaning over, asked the girl: — Hello, tell me, where can I get a registration form? — Are you new? For admission? — Yes. — Here’s the form for you. Fill it out and go to that window, after which they will explain to you what you need to do. “Okay, thank you very much,” he began to read the form. There was nothing unusual about him. Age, purpose of admission, religion, marital status and family members. There were also columns for doctors: weight, height, attentiveness, reaction speed. One column interested him very much. This column was called “Purity of Aryan blood.” Augustus suddenly thought about how they would test her. However, he had nothing to worry about: he knew that he was a German, or, as it was now customary to say, an Aryan. He quickly filled out all the papers and stood in line at the window, where they were checked and told where to go. Some were sent to the medical office, some were sent to rewrite, some were sent altogether because they did not fit the parameters. The boy standing next to him was worried, although August did not understand what was wrong. I understood when they turned him around and said that he was not suitable due to his religious beliefs. It was his turn. All documents and the questionnaire were in order, so he was allowed into the medical office. He knocked and, having received permission to enter, crossed the threshold. The office was simple. There was no complicated equipment, the only thing that was annoying was the syringes for collecting blood. Oh, how he hated doing this! But, apparently, this is for the “purity of Aryan blood” column. — Are you new? — Yes, I came for admission. — Okay, let’s examine you. Next came the standard measurement procedure. He was one hundred and seventy-five centimeters tall and fit the parameters. Blue eyes, it was perfect. The hair is dark, but it played a lesser role. After this, August had to write a text consisting of three sentences without errors for a while, in one minute, and also catch a falling object from the table — this is how the reaction speed was tested. He coped with these tasks. They took his blood and sent him into the corridor to await the results of the tests. Sitting down on a chair, August came to his senses a little after this, as it seemed to him, unpleasant procedure. A guy of about nineteen sat next to him. He stood out with his hair color: red, like the sun. August met this color in Germany. The last time he had seen this color was on his husband’s cousin Mia, when they were all at a wedding together, but she was from Ireland. She was only half German. “Listen, hello,” the guy addressed him not very confidently. — Is it difficult to go through the medical office? — No, not really, but what? — August looked at the young man clearly with some kind of misunderstanding: why is he asking this? “My name, if anything, is Arthur Lehmann,” he extended his hand. “August Scholz,” he shook it. With this, their short conversation came to an end. They sat for about five minutes until the doctor called August. — So, here are your documents, you have passed the medical examination, now you should go there. There you give it all and receive documents and a form. Congratulations,” he shook his hand. — Thank you bye. — August accepted the documents and, seeing nine points in the “Blood Purity” column — the highest — smiled proudly and headed in the direction he needed. Approaching and holding out the documents that were given to him, Augustus received stamps on them. The man who was watching them began rummaging through the cabinets of his office. And, having found the ones he needed, he opened them. — August Scholz? — Yes it’s me. — You studied at the military academy after school, and graduated very well, with the rank of Rottenführer. — Yes, it seems. — Okay, you will receive the rank of Unterscharführer and will be sent… to the highest SS headquarters, the operational headquarters, people are needed there right now. — Fine. After that, the documents were put in a folder with the others. Then he was given a new uniform and sent with a non-commissioned officer’s certificate. He walked back and realized that his life had started much better than he thought. August suddenly remembered how he did not want to go to this academy, how he asked and begged his father not to send him there. How I sat at night and memorized these complex rules. How I hated it all. However, now, looking back, he understood and said “thank you” to his late father. He paved the way for him. Coming out of the building, August saw Jens, who was already waiting for him. — Well? — he raised an expectant eyebrow. “I passed and was sent to…” he looked at the documents. — To the highest SS headquarters, to the operational headquarters. “Are you… serious now?!” — it was clear that Jens did not expect this. — This is a new headquarters, and the most prestigious one, too. Wait, what rank were you sent there with? — Unterscharführer. — Ah, well, then it’s clear. Okay, I’m very happy for you! Come on, you need to go home, tell Rudolf, change into a new uniform and go to be accepted at headquarters. “Okay,” August smiled. Having caught a taxi on the street, they got in and drove off. “You’re taller than us now, it turns out.” — And why is that? — Well, Rudolph got an ordinary private, and I just got a navigator. Even this title had to be earned. — Well, I was at the military academy, where, if you remember, my father sent me after school, that’s why I received such a title. — Oh, that’s right, you also reached out to the Rottenführer there. Now it’s clear why you got it. Okay, here we go: We have a lot to celebrate tonight. When they arrived at a building that did not stand out from the others, Jens stood in the same way at the stairs, and August, with documents and already dressed in uniform, took a deep breath and opened the front door. There were guards at the entrance, they looked at the documents and let us in, telling us where to go. The building was huge and bright, it was easy to breathe here, and it seemed that complete peace and quiet reigned here. Arriving at the personnel department, he sat in line. There were a lot of people there and we had to wait. While August was sitting in line, he managed to notice that there were a lot of girls here. I wonder why they come here? — Madam, hello, tell me, why do girls go to this organization? — He turned to a girl of about twenty-two. A blonde with blue eyes and a pleasant, sweet appearance looked up from her conversation with her neighbor. At first she didn’t even realize that he was addressing her specifically. August examined her figure: in a black jacket and skirt, gloved hands, high-heeled shoes. — Hello. For many reasons. Here is the personnel department, where you will be distributed further, so everyone comes here, from Wehrmacht soldiers to signalmen, secretaries and staff assistants. — I see, what position did you come to apply for? — I’m referring to Heinrich Himmler’s secretary. — My name is August. August Scholz. “Very nice, my name is Joanna Schneider,” and that’s where their conversation ended. As soon as August discovered a ring on the ring finger of the girl’s left hand, he politely and tactfully stopped the conversation so as not to make enemies. He waited in line for two hours and realized from Joanna’s happy face that she got the position she wanted. And finally, it was his turn. August walked into the office and sat down on a chair, holding out the documents. — Hello, August Scholz, are you assigned? — Yes, I was sent here. I just passed the commission. “Yes, I see,” the Untersturmführer looked at the documents; he was a good-looking man. — Well, you have been accepted to the headquarters. They stamped his documents and took them away with the others, who were still lying on the table. — Where should I go now? “I’ll take you to your department,” the Untersturmführer got up from the table and, leaving the office, headed up the stairs to the second floor. Having walked a little deeper and turned left, he opened the door for Augustus, and they found themselves in a small room where several guys and girls were sitting and working. “Ladies and gentlemen officers, introduce yourself: now this is your immediate superior, Unterscharführer August Scholz, introduce him to his immediate responsibilities,” with this the Untersturmführer finished his speech and, turning around, walked away. For about five minutes everyone stood and looked at August, then one guy came up to him and extended his hand. — My name is Franz Braun. — August Scholz, very nice. They shook hands. “Our responsibilities include the distribution of equipment and SS troops, as well as logistics, payment of salaries, transportation of letters, repair of equipment and much more. We have just been formed, so for now this is the only work we have to do. I hope you enjoy working with us. — I think so too. August noticed a fair-haired lady with gray eyes in the room, who seemed familiar to him. She’s wearing a jacket. She sits in the corner and endlessly types something. She didn’t look up from her work, even when he was introduced. — And who is it? — August pointed to the stranger. — Oh, this is my sister, Charlotte. She is very strange, not like other girls, and works a lot. Girls rarely get jobs in the SS, so she’s here as a secretary. And an accountant. Here is your place,” Franz pointed to the table, which stood separately from the others and was separated from the common room by a door with walls. — I have a whole small office. — Yes, you command us now. Okay, get settled, I’ll go to work,” Franz left, waving his hand. August began to settle into his new place, and so far he liked everything. There was a knock on the door, and after receiving a short “come in,” Charlotte appeared on the threshold with a bunch of papers. “These are financial reports, as well as salaries, stamp them,” she was not in the mood for conversation, and it was clear from her. “Oh, yes, of course,” seeing the required stamp, Augustus put it on all the documents and signed where she showed it. After all the work was done, they looked into each other’s eyes for a minute. Charlotte looked away first and left, closing the door behind her. The rest of the day, which wasn’t that long, flew by. And, leaving the building, August noticed Jens, who was already standing and rubbing his hands. And Rudolph, who stood with bottles of beer. — Well, my old friend, let’s celebrate your entry into a new life? “Just not too violently,” August smiled. “Come on, today we should have a blast just like before you left for the academy,” Jens patted August on the back, and they walked through the night Berlin. They had fun all night and, having shown Jens to his apartment only in the morning, went to bed. How good it was for August. His soul sang and rejoiced.