morning cleaning the flat, and one of the items she tidied away was Rosa’s latest drawing book. Looking through it, Effi found several pictures of Rosa’s neighbourhood friends, most of them adolescents, three or four years older than her. Many subjects were smoking, which didn’t surprise Effi, but there were also bottles in evidence, which she doubted contained lemonade. And then there was a couple kissing, sweetly drawn. And then a girl with small pubescent breasts, sitting astride a naked boy.
‘Oh God,’ Effi said out loud.
She needed to talk to someone. Not Zarah.
She rang up Thomas, hoping he might be home. He was, and he had a couple of hours to spare before some meeting or other.
‘So what’s the emergency,’ he asked, when she let him in half an hour later.
She showed him the drawing book.
He went through the pictures one by one, shaking his head,almost in wonder, at the one which had stopped Effi in her tracks. ‘Christ, she can draw,’ he said.
‘That’s hardly the point,’ she almost snapped.
‘No, of course not. I’m sorry. But what can I say? Where did you find this—had she hidden it?’
‘On the table.’
‘So she doesn’t think she’s doing anything wrong. She’s just drawing what she sees, like she always has.’
‘So the point is more what she’s seeing.’
‘Which comes down to the company she’s keeping.’
‘I can’t keep her locked up.’
‘No, of course not. I’m sorry, Effi—I have no answers. Other than talking to her, listening to her. Maybe she needs professional help—I don’t know. She’s troubled, but with her history it would be strange if she wasn’t. And these pictures … Well, they’re full of innocence. I don’t think you should worry too much.’
‘I suppose I should talk to her about sex. When did Hanna explain it all to Lotte?’
‘I seem to remember it was when she started to menstruate. She started young.’
Effi looked down at the table, shaking her head.
‘You could tell Rosa that you’d like to meet her friends, and ask her to bring them back here.’
‘How would that help?’
‘They’d know that Rosa had adult protection. I’m not saying she needs it, but it couldn’t hurt.’
Effi nodded. ‘And it would probably be better if John was here too. I wish he’d come home. But thanks, Thomas. I think I panicked a bit when I saw the pictures, but I feel a lot better now.’ She got up. ‘Why don’t you tell me how you are while I make us some tea.’
‘Rushed off my feet,’ he told her.
‘So what happened to the easy life you were promising yourself? When the Russians bought the business you were telling us that all you wanted was a few years’ rest.’
‘Well, I had a few days off, and just when boredom was setting in an old friend suggested I got into politics.’
‘You’re loving it, aren’t you?’
He grinned. ‘A little. In reality, it’s not much different—I’ve still got Americans pulling one way, and Russians the other.’
‘How are the family? Is Lotte still working at Radio Berlin?’
‘Yes. She finally joined the KPD last week, and she’s already a hardliner.’
‘I remember when she had pictures of the Führer on her bedroom walls.’
‘That’s my daughter. She obviously has a knack for being on the wrong side of history.’ He smiled. ‘But she works hard these days. I’m proud of her.’
‘And Hanna?’
‘Busy in the garden. She spent the winter planning the biggest vegetable plot in Dahlem, and now’s the time to make it happen. If you hadn’t called I’d be out there digging.’
‘No wonder you hurried over.’
‘You’ll see it all on Sunday week. If the Russians ever cut the city off we’ll all need to take turns guarding the vegetables. Day and night.’
Once Thomas had left, Effi felt relieved enough by their conversation to pick up the screenplay of A Walk into the Future . The story, as she already knew, concerned an American Zone-based company’s
‘Oh God,’ Effi said out loud.
She needed to talk to someone. Not Zarah.
She rang up Thomas, hoping he might be home. He was, and he had a couple of hours to spare before some meeting or other.
‘So what’s the emergency,’ he asked, when she let him in half an hour later.
She showed him the drawing book.
He went through the pictures one by one, shaking his head,almost in wonder, at the one which had stopped Effi in her tracks. ‘Christ, she can draw,’ he said.
‘That’s hardly the point,’ she almost snapped.
‘No, of course not. I’m sorry. But what can I say? Where did you find this—had she hidden it?’
‘On the table.’
‘So she doesn’t think she’s doing anything wrong. She’s just drawing what she sees, like she always has.’
‘So the point is more what she’s seeing.’
‘Which comes down to the company she’s keeping.’
‘I can’t keep her locked up.’
‘No, of course not. I’m sorry, Effi—I have no answers. Other than talking to her, listening to her. Maybe she needs professional help—I don’t know. She’s troubled, but with her history it would be strange if she wasn’t. And these pictures … Well, they’re full of innocence. I don’t think you should worry too much.’
‘I suppose I should talk to her about sex. When did Hanna explain it all to Lotte?’
‘I seem to remember it was when she started to menstruate. She started young.’
Effi looked down at the table, shaking her head.
‘You could tell Rosa that you’d like to meet her friends, and ask her to bring them back here.’
‘How would that help?’
‘They’d know that Rosa had adult protection. I’m not saying she needs it, but it couldn’t hurt.’
Effi nodded. ‘And it would probably be better if John was here too. I wish he’d come home. But thanks, Thomas. I think I panicked a bit when I saw the pictures, but I feel a lot better now.’ She got up. ‘Why don’t you tell me how you are while I make us some tea.’
‘Rushed off my feet,’ he told her.
‘So what happened to the easy life you were promising yourself? When the Russians bought the business you were telling us that all you wanted was a few years’ rest.’
‘Well, I had a few days off, and just when boredom was setting in an old friend suggested I got into politics.’
‘You’re loving it, aren’t you?’
He grinned. ‘A little. In reality, it’s not much different—I’ve still got Americans pulling one way, and Russians the other.’
‘How are the family? Is Lotte still working at Radio Berlin?’
‘Yes. She finally joined the KPD last week, and she’s already a hardliner.’
‘I remember when she had pictures of the Führer on her bedroom walls.’
‘That’s my daughter. She obviously has a knack for being on the wrong side of history.’ He smiled. ‘But she works hard these days. I’m proud of her.’
‘And Hanna?’
‘Busy in the garden. She spent the winter planning the biggest vegetable plot in Dahlem, and now’s the time to make it happen. If you hadn’t called I’d be out there digging.’
‘No wonder you hurried over.’
‘You’ll see it all on Sunday week. If the Russians ever cut the city off we’ll all need to take turns guarding the vegetables. Day and night.’
Once Thomas had left, Effi felt relieved enough by their conversation to pick up the screenplay of A Walk into the Future . The story, as she already knew, concerned an American Zone-based company’s
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