Berlin blood

After work, Charlotte, as always, went to sit with her friends at the bar. She didn’t particularly like people, but sitting and washing someone’s bones was a sacred thing. Especially when, as Joanna said, “such a handsome man came to you.” She was heading to her house, which was a ten-minute walk from her work. Not to say that her family was different from most Berlin families. She has an older sister, Agnet, who is also her best friend, and an older brother, who got her a job in the SS. Agnet was engaged in sewing and worked in an atelier, which was located almost on the other side of the city. She got up before everyone else and, already leaving, woke up the others. Her brother Franz, to be honest, is a bit of an ass: he likes to joke and play around, Charlotte wouldn’t say he was a good student at school. Rather, he wanted to make a military career, and therefore joined the SS back in '25, as soon as they were formed. His parents, of course, did not approve of his choice. He then came with this statement to his father — he was well versed in politics. Well, there was a scandal at their house then! Later, when Charlotte turned twenty-one, she herself left her parents' home. And, with the help of her brother, she managed to get a job as an accountant at SS headquarters. Of course, there were few girls there, they were not accepted for official service in the SS, but she was glad to leave. Living with her brother, she often found him with prostitutes in the morning. However, this is much better than enduring my father’s strict regime. A month after Charlotte left, Agnet also ran away, since the father took it out on his only remaining daughter, became even more tyrannical and told her that the girl would marry someone he liked. At first she spent the night with friends, but then moved to live with them with her brother. Entering home, Charlotte thought that no one was there, and began to change clothes and put on makeup. “I didn’t know you were so early today.” “Agnet,” Charlotte shuddered. “You scared me, why the hell are you here?” — Today I had few orders, that’s why I’m at home. Why are you going somewhere? — Yes, we agreed with Ioanna, Eva and Lina to sit in a bar behind the alley. — Okay, just don’t be late. It is still unclear what time Franz will arrive. — If you are talking about him, then perhaps he will, as always, have fun until the morning with prostitutes. Besides, tomorrow is a day off. — Yes, and the day after tomorrow is Christmas, by the way. — Don’t even try to persuade me, I won’t go to my parents. — But why, we are family. — So that he will blow the minds of all three of us again? Why don’t you live like this and should be married? That I got a job, and Franz is a Nazi and an enemy of the country? Personally, I don’t want to listen to this. This is nonsense, besides, we won’t sit together for even five minutes. When will you understand that we are no longer a family? We are far from children, and the days when we were a family are long gone! — Eh-eh-eh, yes, you’re right, you and Franz are no longer children, and your parents are no longer the same as when you were born. Besides, we will soon have elections and a new Fuhrer, and with him new rules. I don’t think they will accept him and his views. “They are people of the German Empire, and they are accustomed to orders that have long been gone. “Okay,” she came up and hugged her sister. — Please take care of yourself. By the way, Walter came today and asked if you would be home from work soon. — What, it’s him again? No, you’re kidding. — So what? He’s not a bad guy, Charlotte. — Yes, he may be a good guy, but he’s not my type. He’s been chasing me for a month now, and I keep wondering when he’ll leave me alone. Today such a handsome man came to us, they say he is from the aristocracy. — And what is his name? — August Scholz. — A suitable name for him. “Okay, I’ll run,” she kissed her sister on the cheek. — Don’t be bored and go to bed early. With that, Charlotte left the house and went to the bar where everyone else was supposed to gather. Arriving there, she noticed that there were a lot of people, but Eva Schmidt was sitting at a free table. She smoked and ordered champagne to pass the time while waiting for her friends. — Hello! “Charlotte came up behind her and put her hands on her shoulders. — Oh my God, you scared me! Hello. — How long have you been sitting here? — Not, no so much. I think that soon everyone else will catch up. Okay, okay. There will be a lot of people today. — Yes, I think that on the eve of Christmas. Are you ready? — For what? — To the holiday and, of course, to the new Fuhrer. — Morally or physically? — And so and so. “Hmm…” Charlotte thought and looked around. — If it saves us from constantly thinking about what to buy, and whether we will wake up tomorrow, then yes, I’m ready. I’m not big on politics, but I don’t think it’s a topic a twenty-one-year-old girl should be interested in. — Yes you are right. At this point the conversation was over, and a few minutes later other girls arrived. Joanna, as always, wore bright makeup, and Lina looked like she was from the twenties: black shadows on her eyes and painted lips. She was the eldest of them. But she behaved far from like her elder, she cried a lot and suffered over trifles. They crossed paths in the fall of '27. At that time, most cafes and restaurants were not working, and they were brought together by a German pub, where Lina worked as a waitress. The girls sat down at the bar, thinking about life. — Girls, hello everyone! — Hi, how are you? — As always, wonderful and fun. Today I got a job as a junior secretary to Himmler,” Joanna said joyfully. This really was her dream job, and to show her smug father that she was also worth something. — Congratulations! — What about you, Lina? — I found myself a new gentleman, he is from the Gestapo. This is just an emerging link, so people are just coming there. — I see, what about you, Eva? — The girls looked at her. Eva thought about it. It was as if she was absent. — I was offered a job as a communications operator. “Girls, I’m so glad,” Joanna jumped up and hugged everyone. — Do you feel like life is getting better? “You say that as if everything was bad with us before.” — No, not much, by the way, Charlotte, how do you like the new guy? “If you’re talking about that aristocrat, then he’s really okay.” He settled into his office and sat fiddling with papers. -Who else is this new guy? — other girls also joined the dialogue. — August Scholz, he came to work today. Unterscharführer August Scholz. — Wow, did you take a closer look at him? — Lina, I don’t have a relationship and won’t have one yet. My life has just started to get better, where else can I do this? “She’s right, Charlotte, this is your chance.” Besides, if he is an aristocrat, he must have a lot of money in our times. “He came to work in the SS only to avoid prison,” Joanna interrupted her. — Come on, has the persecution really already begun? — No I do not think so. Anyway, ladies, let’s find a better topic to talk about. *** August celebrated his first working day with truly solemnity. They drank a lot of beer, where, as Jens said, many of the same SS soldiers gathered. Everyone celebrated and hoped that Hitler would soon take over as Fuhrer and their lives would improve. Rudolph drank schnapps and sometimes washed it down with beer, which, of course, threatened him with vomiting and a terrible hangover the next day. They were joined by several more people whom Jens invited for company. These were Arthur Lehmann and Franz Braun, whom August saw today. Also joining their company was Alfred, who introduced himself as Joanna’s husband and joked that his wife let him go only because she went to have a drink at a bar with a group of friends. “Gentlemen,” Alfred addressed the entire company. — I want to drink to today’s meeting. “Yes,” they all said in unison and emptied their glasses. “Tell me, Augustus,” Arthur turned to the senior in rank. Of these, only Alfred was taller than August, he was a Hauptscharführer because he participated in the First World War. True, after that he did not rise higher on the career ladder. However, he earned respect, as he received the German cross of the first degree, which almost every employee dreamed of. — Why did you join the SS? Is it just to escape prison? — No, of course not. “August was taken by surprise by this question. But he quickly realized. — Why then? — After school, my father sent me to the military academy, which I graduated with honors, then I hated him for it and didn’t understand why he sent me there. However, now I understand that he wanted me to become a man, and partly he did the right thing. I am grateful to him for this and that my destiny has brought me here now. Gentlemen, I think that the future is in our hands, like the future of all of Germany. — Well said. — Yes, you can’t imagine anything better. Then they began to listen to Alfred’s stories about the First World War. And the horrors that he had to endure. He told, without hiding anything, without belittling anything, and without exaggerating. The youngsters — and that’s what he called their new generation — sat with their mouths open and dreamed of their exploits. When it passed midnight and the bar began to empty and close, they began to get out. Alfred followed his wife, who was supposed to be at the bar with her girlfriends, and they followed him *** The girls sat and laughed throughout the entire establishment. They drank a fair amount of champagne, but they didn’t want to end the meeting. Noticing Joanna’s husband, the girls began to bring her to her senses. — Has she had too much again? — Sorry, Alfred, we all went a little overboard with joy. “Eva, who could barely stand, stood up and swayed slightly. — Okay, let’s go home. I understand that everyone has a day off tomorrow, but still. — Yes, yes. Or maybe you could introduce us to the young people? — Which one? Ah, they are. — Jens and August stood behind them, Rudolf barely followed. — This is August and his friends, Jens and Rudolf. “Hello, I’m Lina, this is Charlotte, Eva, Ioanna,” she showed who was sitting where. — Yes, we know Charlotte and Joanna. — August, having said this, looked at Charlotte. And as a sign of greeting, he shook hands with Lina and Eva. — Let’s go our separate ways. It’s already late. My wife and I will take a taxi, can we give someone a lift? — Yes, you can have Rudolf and me. “Jens could barely stand on his feet. “We’ll get there by taxi too, on our own.” — You, Charlotte? — I’ll take a walk, it’s not far from here. My brother Franz should have already gone home, so there is someone to meet me. — August? “I’ll take a walk and see Charlotte off, it’s not safe at night now.” “Okay,” with these words everyone began to disperse. August and Charlotte were the last to leave the bar. She showed him where she needed to go, and they went, it was late. Berlin at night was characterized by silence and silence, in which everything could be heard. Starting from the present time, ending with very distant stories. They walked in lonely silence under the dim light of lanterns, which in some places did not illuminate the road at all. — Have you always wanted to be an accountant? — Of course not. I ran away from my parents’ house from control, so that I could walk freely through the neighborhoods of Berlin. — Tell me, why in the SS? I think a girl like you would be taken anywhere. — Franz, my brother, he gave me a job. He was the first to run away from the family when, in 1925, he told his father that he had joined the SS. He then caused such a scandal that it was terrible. The next day there was no trace of him. — It’s clear. Still, how amazingly the events in our lives are interconnected. We all came for different reasons, but there is only one goal, to change our lives. — Well, now there’s no other way. We have arrived,” she went to the door and opened it. — Good night. — Calm. With this they said goodbye, and August stood and looked at the door for a long time after it had slammed. He had a strange feeling. But he chalked it up to alcohol. And after catching a taxi, he went home.