“Well, at least it meant that they
didn’t hold you up for too long at customs,” said Uncle Ernst, looking with
slight disgust at the stained coat. “I don’t know what that woman was thinking
of, letting you go off on your own.”
“She was really
kind, actually, said Renate.
Uncle Ernst
sighed. “Yes, indeed. And the poor young lady has had to go back to that awful
regime. You’re right. We should be grateful. We’ll get you to the Smith family
as quickly as we can. They’ll soon get you sorted out and cleaned up.”
“What are they
like, the Smiths?” asked Renate.
“Very kind,”
replied Uncle Ernst. “They have a son John, who is in the sixth form at grammar
school and an older daughter who is a nurse and works away from home.”
“So... you think
it will be all right?” asked Renate.
“Of course it
will,” replied Uncle Ernst. “Now, let’s go and find a taxi.” He marched her towards
the taxi rank.
Uncle Ernst did
not offer to carry anything so she had to struggle with her case all by
herself.
There was
something about the way that Uncle Ernst stood that made the other people
waiting for taxis get out of his way, and they were able to pile into the first
one that arrived.
Renate thought she heard him say something
like Eely. A place named after a sea creature, then. She wondered how far that
was going to be.
Renate noticed
the big red busses and square black taxis that she’d always been told were
everywhere in London.
They were just as she had imagined. They didn’t see Big Ben though, nor
Nelson’s Column, and before long all she could see was row upon row of houses.
They weren’t like the ones at home. They all looked the same and they seemed to
be built of red or black bricks, with their chimneypots lined up like soldiers
on parade. Most of them didn’t have gardens or only very tiny ones.
“I’ll see you settled in with the Smiths,”
said Uncle Ernst. “I won’t stay long though. I want to get back to my hotel as
your uncle Rudi and I have a meeting there early this evening.”
Why were her
uncles living in a hotel? Were they going to go back to Germany and leave her here?
“Aren’t you
going to live in England too?” she
asked. Was she really going to be all alone in this strange country?
Uncle Ernst
turned and smiled at her. “I shall stay in England until you mother is safely
here and settled in,” he said. “Then I intend to go to America. I think we can do more
from there to stop this utter nonsense.” He turned once more to the driver and
said something else she didn’t understand. “Not long now,” he said turning back
to her.
The taxi eventually stopped. The
driver mumbled something to Uncle Ernst who took out his wallet and handed some
of the strange notes and coins to him. The driver didn’t smile as he unloaded
Renate’s case out of the taxi.
“Come on,” said Uncle
Ernst as the taxi moved away. He put his arm around her shoulders and propelled
her towards the house which looked just like the ones she had seen on the
journey. As they moved towards the front door, Renate realized that the house
was bigger than it had first looked. It did have a front garden, even though it
was quite small and consisted mainly of a tiled path. A light suddenly went on
in the porch.
“We’ve been
spotted,” said Uncle Ernst. “The Smiths live in the first floor flat. And a
nice Polish family live on the ground floor.”
The front door
opened and the path flooded with light. Renate could see a small woman with
slightly greying hair. She looked a little older than her mother. A faded
flowered pinafore covered her skirt. She spoke in an animated whisper to Uncle
Ernst.
Renate could not
understand a word that was being said. Uncle Ernst answered the woman firmly
and before Renate had a chance to try and work out what they were saying, she
was shuffled inside and up the stairs. A man and a boy a few years older than
her were sitting in the lounge. Renate noticed that they were both very smartly
dressed in ties and jackets. They stood up as soon as she and her uncle came
into the room and shook hands enthusiastically with Uncle Ernst. Her uncle said
something to them and Renate heard her own name.
“Renate,” he
said, turning now to her, “this is Mrs Smith and Mr Smith and their son, John.
They will make you very welcome in their home. I’m sure you’re going to be very
good for them.”
Renate held her
hand out to shake theirs then pulled it back again quickly and looked down at
the floor. She couldn’t expect them to touch her in that state. Then Mrs Smith
seemed to explode and made noises that sounded like a hen clucking. She was
bundled out of the room and down a corridor then into another room which she
guessed was going to be her bedroom. Mrs Smith, who Renate now noticed had very
kind eyes, indicated that she should get undressed. She then started rummaging
in her suitcase and took out some clean clothes. She opened a cupboard and took
out a thick blanket which she wrapped around Renate and marched her out of that
room into the bathroom. She started running a bath. She left the room and came
back a few minutes later with a smelly paraffin heater.
After Renate had
finished her bath, Mrs Smith helped her to dry her hair. Soon she was dressed
in clean clothes. Mrs Smith bundled the dirty ones up and made some gestures
with her arms which Renate guessed meant she would wash the clothes.
“Well, you look
a bit more respectable,” said Uncle Ernst as she came back into the lounge. “I
guess I should make my way back now and see that younger brother of mine has
not got up to any mischief.”
“Uncle, don’t
go,” said Renate, suddenly panicking. “I can’t speak English.”
“You’ll soon
learn,” he said. “And anyway, John speaks a little German. But you’re to use it
for emergencies only. It’s really important that you learn to speak English as quickly
as possible. ”
John said
something to his mother. Renate guessed he was translating into English. Mrs
Smith laughed and smiled at Renate. Perhaps Uncle Ernst had been right. The
Smiths seemed all right.
Even so, Renate
felt really odd as her uncle left the flat. John grinned at her whilst Mrs
Smith went downstairs and showed him out. Mr Smith sat there, quietly puffing
on his pipe. She heard the front door click shut. Mrs Smith was already talking
as she came into the room. Renate couldn’t understand a word. But then she did
understand that it must be something about her, because Mrs Smith smiled at her
again. Then she pretended to be eating and drinking. Renate guessed she was
offering her food. She shook her head. She really wasn’t hungry yet. Her
stomach was still a bit sore, and everything was so strange here.
A little later,
she did manage to eat and drink something but it tasted really odd. Not long
after it got dark, she managed to indicate to Mrs Smith that she wanted to go
to bed. Mrs Smith led her along to the big bedroom she’d shown her
earlier.
Renate shivered
as she got into her pyjamas, but once she was in bed it was quite cosy and
warm, though the bed was funny: it didn’t have a normal featherbed roll. It had
sheets and blankets and a puffed up thing which was a bit like a roll but which
went over the blankets, and then there was another cover over that that had
tufty ridges on it that made a pattern. And the pillows were oblong instead of
the normal square. But never mind. It was comfortable in there.
Mrs Smith
bustled out of the room again. She left the light on. Renate knew she ought to
get up and switch it off. But she really was too sleepy. She was just beginning
to have funny, dream-like thoughts, but she
wasn’t really asleep yet and she certainly wasn’t actually dreaming, when the door opened. Mrs Smith came
in carrying a tray. Renate could smell hot chocolate. She sat up in bed. Mrs
Smith handed her the mug and a plate on which were two very thin, very brown
biscuits.
Mrs Smith sat on
the bed while Renate drank the chocolate and ate the biscuits. The chocolate
was a little bitterer than she was used to, but it was still very nice and very
comforting. She had never tasted anything like the biscuits. They were not all
that sweet and tasted very much of wheat. They had a nice texture and just
melted in her mouth. This was just right, after that long journey.
When she had
finished, Mrs Smith took the plate and cup off her and tucked her into bed.
Thank goodness she didn’t make her get up again and go and clean her teeth. Mrs
Smith rubbed her cheek gently. She went over to the door, waved once more and
switched off the light. She left the door open a little.
Renate snuggled
down into the welcoming bed. Nothing mattered any more. She was safe here.
Sleep was going to drift over her any minute now and then the whole world would
go away. The Smith family would guard her from any harm while she slept. Maybe
it would be all right. For the moment at least.
Nice English family, here Renate. They’re
giving you a home. Are you grateful? Do you deserve them? Eh? A nobody like
you?
