to post them to you for your birthday but he thought you wouldn’t mind getting them early.’
Luke tore off the wrapping paper. ‘Wow! Thanks, Oma.’
‘Thank Claus, not me, and don’t forget to e-mail him.’
‘I won’t.’
‘Aunt Greta and Uncle John are here, Luke,’ Jeremy prompted. Luke climbed off the arm of Charlotte’s chair and shook Greta and John’s hands before returning to Charlotte. ‘Last summer was super, Oma. Can Laura and I come and visit you and Claus again?’
‘Of course you can.’
‘I was glad to hear that Claus is about to become a father. I always say that the best things in life are the children and the flowers,’ Greta declared.
Charlotte considered Greta’s observation odd given that she had never wanted children of her own. ‘That was one of Hitler’s favourite sayings, Greta.’
‘Was it? I never paid any attention to Hitler,’ Greta lied. ‘I was only saying the other day to John that we ought to pay you a visit, Charlotte. I’d like to see your house.’
‘It’s very modern,’ Charlotte said pointedly. ‘Even the furniture. I’m gradually replacing everything with Claus’s designs. That is when he has time to execute my commissions. His work is very much in demand.’
‘I’m surprised he set up business in America, not Germany.’
‘Claus did marry an American, Aunt Greta. Sherry?’ Marilyn offered Greta a tray of drinks that Jeremy had poured.
‘I trust Claus’s wife is intelligent enough to learn German and teach it to the child,’ Greta commented.
‘She is,’ Charlotte answered.
‘Claus should return to his homeland. Things are so much more peaceful, prosperous and stable in Germany. Besides, Claus’s family name is a well-known and respected one. His business would be more successful there.’
Charlotte shook her head when Marilyn offered her the tray. She had never liked sherry and sensed it wouldn’t mix easily with Samuel’s five-star brandy. ‘Haven’t you been following the news, Greta? Germany is doing well, yes, but the cost of reunification has been an enormous drain on the economy. Unemployment is high in some regions, and there’s a resurgence of Fascism. Turks and other guest workers are sometimes persecuted and attacked by neo-Nazis, and even discriminated against by the government. They don’t even have the right to vote in the country that taxes their wages.’
‘Why should they, when it’s not their country?’
‘Not their country, Greta?’ Charlotte questioned. ‘Tens of thousands of Turkish guest workers’ children have been born in Germany. Most of them have never even visited Turkey, and some don’t even speak Turkish.’
‘You can hardly blame the German government for the deficiencies of Turkish parents, Charlotte,’ snapped Greta irritably. ‘Germany’s problems have always stemmed from over-generosity to foreigners. If the government hadn’t opened the doors of the Fatherland to an endless stream of ungrateful guest workers and refugees from every ailing Communist and Muslim country in the world, ordinary, hard-working German men and women wouldn’t have to pay such high taxes to fund the welfare payments of idle immigrants who refuse to work.’
‘Perhaps the German government could solve the problem by confiscating the foreigners’ money and businesses, like Hitler did with the Jews,’ Luke chipped in.
‘Luke! Have some regard for your grandmother and great-aunt’s feelings,’ his father intervened sharply.
‘Please, Jeremy, don’t stop the argument now. I’d be interested to hear Greta’s reply.’ Charlotte looked at her sister.
‘Jeremy is right. Politics should not be discussed at a family gathering. They should be friendly, happy occasions.’ Greta sipped her sherry.
‘How can they be, if the younger generation are denied the right to air their opinions?’ Charlotte asked.
‘I see you’re encouraging Luke to be as headstrong as you were as a child,
Luke tore off the wrapping paper. ‘Wow! Thanks, Oma.’
‘Thank Claus, not me, and don’t forget to e-mail him.’
‘I won’t.’
‘Aunt Greta and Uncle John are here, Luke,’ Jeremy prompted. Luke climbed off the arm of Charlotte’s chair and shook Greta and John’s hands before returning to Charlotte. ‘Last summer was super, Oma. Can Laura and I come and visit you and Claus again?’
‘Of course you can.’
‘I was glad to hear that Claus is about to become a father. I always say that the best things in life are the children and the flowers,’ Greta declared.
Charlotte considered Greta’s observation odd given that she had never wanted children of her own. ‘That was one of Hitler’s favourite sayings, Greta.’
‘Was it? I never paid any attention to Hitler,’ Greta lied. ‘I was only saying the other day to John that we ought to pay you a visit, Charlotte. I’d like to see your house.’
‘It’s very modern,’ Charlotte said pointedly. ‘Even the furniture. I’m gradually replacing everything with Claus’s designs. That is when he has time to execute my commissions. His work is very much in demand.’
‘I’m surprised he set up business in America, not Germany.’
‘Claus did marry an American, Aunt Greta. Sherry?’ Marilyn offered Greta a tray of drinks that Jeremy had poured.
‘I trust Claus’s wife is intelligent enough to learn German and teach it to the child,’ Greta commented.
‘She is,’ Charlotte answered.
‘Claus should return to his homeland. Things are so much more peaceful, prosperous and stable in Germany. Besides, Claus’s family name is a well-known and respected one. His business would be more successful there.’
Charlotte shook her head when Marilyn offered her the tray. She had never liked sherry and sensed it wouldn’t mix easily with Samuel’s five-star brandy. ‘Haven’t you been following the news, Greta? Germany is doing well, yes, but the cost of reunification has been an enormous drain on the economy. Unemployment is high in some regions, and there’s a resurgence of Fascism. Turks and other guest workers are sometimes persecuted and attacked by neo-Nazis, and even discriminated against by the government. They don’t even have the right to vote in the country that taxes their wages.’
‘Why should they, when it’s not their country?’
‘Not their country, Greta?’ Charlotte questioned. ‘Tens of thousands of Turkish guest workers’ children have been born in Germany. Most of them have never even visited Turkey, and some don’t even speak Turkish.’
‘You can hardly blame the German government for the deficiencies of Turkish parents, Charlotte,’ snapped Greta irritably. ‘Germany’s problems have always stemmed from over-generosity to foreigners. If the government hadn’t opened the doors of the Fatherland to an endless stream of ungrateful guest workers and refugees from every ailing Communist and Muslim country in the world, ordinary, hard-working German men and women wouldn’t have to pay such high taxes to fund the welfare payments of idle immigrants who refuse to work.’
‘Perhaps the German government could solve the problem by confiscating the foreigners’ money and businesses, like Hitler did with the Jews,’ Luke chipped in.
‘Luke! Have some regard for your grandmother and great-aunt’s feelings,’ his father intervened sharply.
‘Please, Jeremy, don’t stop the argument now. I’d be interested to hear Greta’s reply.’ Charlotte looked at her sister.
‘Jeremy is right. Politics should not be discussed at a family gathering. They should be friendly, happy occasions.’ Greta sipped her sherry.
‘How can they be, if the younger generation are denied the right to air their opinions?’ Charlotte asked.
‘I see you’re encouraging Luke to be as headstrong as you were as a child,
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