“It looks bigger now that all that junk’s gone,”
said Rikki. “I suppose there will be room for the trundle-bed. You’d better put
some of the spare curtains up at the side window. You don’t want anybody
looking in. And I think I know where there are some extra blankets.”
“But nothing at the sky-light,” said Hani. “Because we’ll be
able to look up at the stars then. It’s going to be so lovely.”
“I hope you two girls won’t catch cold sleeping out here,”
said Rikki, frowning slightly.
“Oh, Rikki, you worry too much.” Hani put down her pile and
gave her former nanny a hug. “Nobody’s going to catch cold. We’ve got feather
beds, haven’t we? And that little stove is quite efficient. It’s going to be so
cosy.”
“I don’t know,” said Rikki. “You do get some funny ideas.
Wanting to sleep out here when you’ve got such a lovely room.”
“Yes, but it’ll be such an adventure,” replied Hani.
“If you say so,” replied Rikki, with a sniff. “Now, I’ll
just go and get young Wilhelm to clear this lot up. Then he can go and get the
trundle bed.”
“Nice cosy little den you’ve got here,” said Wilhelm a few
minutes later, after he’d brought in the bed and she’d helped him to straighten
it out. “You two’ll be set up just fine.” He pushed his wild blond curls from
his forehead and wiped the sweat from his face.
“It’s great, isn’t it?” said Hani. She’d always liked
Wilhelm. He always seemed more like an older brother than one her father’s
workers. But now she just wanted him to go away, so she could get on with the
room.
“Anything else I can do?” he asked.
“No, no, not at all, thank you,” replied Hani, gently
stroking the curtains and blankets Rikki had sent down. Why wouldn’t he just go
away? She couldn’t wait to get started making the garage room the cosiest of
places.
Rikki had already swept the floors clean, done away with all
the dust and polished the small window and sky-light until they shone. All
there was left for Hani to do now was to make the room look pretty.
In no time, the bright yellow curtains framed the little window.
On top of the normal bed-rolls she stretched out two red blankets. There were
so many cushions she didn’t think she would be able to use them all, so she put
three on each bed and dropped the rest on the floor.
This is really comfy, she thought. We can use the cushions
as seats. It’s going to be so good.
There was nothing more she could do now. It really was perfect.
The smell of cooked chicken coming from the kitchen was making
her hungry. Fantastic!
Must be about half past twelve, she thought. And she’ll be
here by two. I wonder whether Rikki has made some strudel. If not we could go
to Kellerman’s on the way back from the station.
She really wasn’t sure whether she could bear to wait the
extra hour and a half, but at least lunch might take her mind off it.
“Your mother says you’re to eat downstairs in the kitchen
with me and Wilhelm,” said Rikki as Hani came out of the bathroom from washing
her hands.
“Why?” asked Hani.
“She and your father have something to discuss,” replied
Rikki.
“Do you know what?” asked Hani. Why didn’t they involve her
in their discussions? She wasn’t a child anymore. Besides, she wanted to find
out more about what was going on, because she knew it was something not so
nice.
“Now take that frown off your face, young missy,” said
Rikki, frowning herself. “You know your mother and father work really hard, and
they don’t often have time to sit down and talk, let alone have a meal
together.”
Hani sighed. “I suppose so,” she said. “Anyway, what are we
having? It smells delicious.”
“Chicken casserole and dumplings,” answered Rikki.
“Now that sounds good,” said Wilhelm as he came through the
back door.
“Yes, but not until you’ve washed that muck off your hands,
it won’t be,” said Rikki.
“Look, I’m sorry if I was a bit impatient earlier,” said
Hani. “Only, you know, I wanted to … well.”
“No problem,” replied Wilhelm. “I had work to do in the
garden, anyway. Look.” He held up two muddy hands.
“Bathroom. Now!” hissed Rikki.
“Heil Rikki!” cried Wilhelm, raising his right arm stiffly
out in front.
Hani shuddered. Rikki looked as if she was about to faint.
Her face had gone quite white.
“Don’t you joke about that, young man,” she said quietly.
“No, sorry,” replied Wilhelm, darting out of the kitchen before
Rikki could say anything else.
They ate in silence, all three of them looking down at their
food. Hani felt strange. December was such a lovely time. The weather was just
as it always was at this time of year – cold, but clean and fresh. Everything
seemed so normal. Yet it wasn’t. There was something about to happen and Hani
couldn’t be sure exactly what.
“That was great,” said Wilhelm as he wiped his plate clean
with a slice of bread.
“Yes, there’s seconds,” said Rikki. “Though I don’t know how
much longer we’ll be able to say that.”
Wilhelm looked at Hani and winked.
“She’s coming round,” he whispered. “She likes me really.”
Hani watched Rikki ladle more of the sauce on to Wilhelm’s
plate. She would have loved some more herself but she didn’t have Wilhelm’s
excuse. He’d been working in the garden all day. She’d done very little –
unless you counted the prettying up of the garage room, although Wilhelm and
Rikki had done all the heavy work. Besides, if she didn’t lose a bit of weight
soon, she would get another lecture from her mother.
The doorbell rang.
“I’d better go and get that,” said Wilhelm. “They won’t want
disturbing.”
Rikki sat very still, just staring into space. Hani didn’t
know whether she should say anything.
“It was the telegram boy,” said Wilhelm ten minutes later.
“A telegram for upstairs.”
Rikki flinched.
“I don’t think it was anything too important,” said Wilhelm.
“They didn’t look very worried when I gave it to them.”
“Ah, well, we’ll see,” said Rikki.
Hani hoped it wasn’t to do with Renate. Perhaps she was
sick? That would be awful.
Oh, stop worrying, she told herself. It’s probably only something
to do with one of their meetings. But the uncomfortable feeling would not go
away. It was no good pretending things were all right. Things were just not all
right at the moment.
She saw Rikki and Wilhelm exchange a look.
“What’s the matter?” she said. “Do you think there’s something
wrong?”
They didn’t have time to answer before they heard footsteps
coming down the stairs. Hani’s mother came in, holding the telegram in her
hands.
“I’m sorry, darling,” she said. “Renate won’t be coming.”
There were tears in Frau Gödde’s eyes.
Hani’s heart sank. “What is it?” she cried. “What’s the
matter with her?”
“It’s ... it’s nothing too serious,” her mother stammered.
“She’s perfectly safe. Just come on upstairs, will you? Vati and I need to talk
to you.”
If it’s not too serious, why is she crying? thought Hani.
It seemed to take forever to walk up the stairs to the main
lounge. Her mother didn’t look back once, and it reminded Hani a bit of being
shown into the dentist by Herr Schröder’s assistant. She never looked at you
nor did she ever smile. At least mother smiled occasionally, but obviously not
today.
“Sit down, Hani,” said Herr Gödde. “We need to talk to you
about Renate.”
“She’s not ill, is she?” cried Hani. “What does the telegram
say?”
Her mother raised her eyebrows and mouthed something at
Hani’s father. He nodded. Frau Gödde put her hand to her mouth and handed Hani
the telegram.
Renate unable to come stop chicken pox stop
Hani felt the relief as a great stone being lifted from her
chest as she read the telegram. Renate was ill, but it was nothing much. So she
would be coming soon – when the spots had gone. She couldn’t very well go on a
train all covered in spots.
“Well, she will come when she’s better, won’t she?”
Her parents didn’t answer. They just frowned. Why were they
so bothered? It was just chicken pox, wasn’t it?
It was only later, when she was back in the garage room turning
the telegram over in her hand and looking sadly at her cosy den, that she
remembered. They’d both already had chicken pox. Here, when they were seven.
You were only supposed to have chicken pox once.
Suddenly the winter had lost all its charm.
Find your copy here
