Chapter One Thousand Four Hundred Eighty-Two
2nd April 1962
Tempelhof, Berlin
“I’m not either of your parents” Berg said, “There is absolutely nothing you can tell me that would surprise me. So, when you are ready.”
Berg said that as soon as Zella sat down. She had been sent home a couple days earlier. Berg knew that Zella was still bleeding though. Not physically though, instead it was the sort of mental wounds that a Medical Doctor couldn’t treat as easily. The reason for the invitation was that Berg missed having the weekly lunches with someone she could talk to about ordinary things. Zella clearly needed someone she could talk to other than her father. He had patiently waited for her to tell him what had happened, and she had. It was a simple enough story, with her friends moving on personally and professionally as well as the ongoing conflicts at home, Zella had been left with some serious problems. She had no direction in life or any idea about what she wanted. It was something that had left her vulnerable, someone had seen an opportunity and had taken advantage of her.
Berg suspected that it was the junior Professor who had suddenly resigned in the middle of the term and had told everyone that he was planning on spending some time abroad. She wondered if she spoke to the Porters in the Casualty Department, they would tell her that he had come in with contusions and other trauma associated with having been on the receiving end of a beating. A beating that had come with the promise of far worse if he didn’t go somewhere far away. Berg wondered exactly how much his wife must have known and what she would make of the sudden move.
Dealing with Zella herself was a bit of a challenge for Nora Berg. Zella had been perfectly content to have a British Musician spread the rumor that she was gay widely because it caused other Musicians to not hit on her and once they thought that she would never be into them they tended to treat her like if she were one the guys. At the same time Berg saw her as someone who was hurting and in need of help. While Zella had not opened up about her sexual history prior to recent events, some of the things that Kiki had said about her friend suggested that Zella had hardly been chaste as a teenager. Kiki had also talked often about how she wished that she was more like Zella, who was fearless and bold. What Berg was discovering was that Zella was a deeply insecure young woman who projected a false front of being bold that she didn’t exactly possess. Then she had had a class being taught by a man who knew how to spot those insecurities and exploit them, coercing Zella into sexual relationship and dropping her the instant she became an inconvenience.
Zella sat there for a long moment poking at her lunch with a fork. Over the last few days it had become apparent that Zella wasn’t eating the wrong things like Kiki had, it was that she wasn’t eating at all. “You don’t want to hear it” She said, “It’s all so pathetic.”
Why was it that some men’s greatest talent was in destroying the self-worth of young women? Berg thought to herself. The contrast between the now and when Zella had confronted her the prior summer was just staggering.
“Fine then” Berg said, “What do you think of Kiki getting back together with Ben Hirsch?”
Zella bristled at that mention.
“I swear” Zella muttered, “If he breaks her heart, I’ll gut him.”
Berg smiled inwardly. Zella was still Zella, she just needed time to remember that.
Mitte, Berlin
“Are you going to be here for the rest of the afternoon Miss von Preussen?” The Marine Guard asked politely in English with what she now knew was a Southern drawl, “We’re holding an event later and we don’t want to land you in hot water with your father again. Arrangements can be made.”
Rea was actually smarting at how ineffective her latest attempt at activism was. She had spent days trying to gin up support for this event. Protesting the war in Korea and the tacit American support for what was essentially a war on Germany and their allies. Aside from Japik, there were only a few others who could be bothered to show up. And today Japik had a dentist appointment, so he wasn’t here. Rea had two brothers and a sister who were caught up in that mess, so she felt obligated to be here. Just the fact that she was now on a first name basis with the Marine Guards in front of the United States Embassy was something that she was finding a bit grating. Right now, all Rea wanted to do was just go home and scream into her pillow.
“Thank you, Corporal Oswald” Rea said to one of the Marines who guarded the front entrance.
“It’s the least we can do” Oswald said, “Any news about your family, the ones in Korea?”
“No” Rea replied, trying not to let him see the worry on her face.
“That is actually good news” Oswald said, “It means that nothing has happened to them.”
“Thank you” Rea replied, “That does make sense.”
Oswald just shrugged, “My wife asked if the next time you came around if she could meet you” He said, “She’s never met a real-life Princess.”
“I am not a tourist attraction Lee” Rea said.
“And I was hoping that you might make an exception this once Marie Cecilie” Oswald said. One of the things about these Marines, particularly those who came from the same geographic region was how they combined first and middle names. Rea’s was no exception.
“You don’t need to be nice to me” Rea said.
“You catch more flies with honey than vinegar” Oswald replied.
