Page 26 of The Pianist's Wife
‘Come on then, my love,’ she said, smiling up at Fred. ‘Let’s go to breakfast.’
But even as she said the words, she wondered if she was fooling anyone.
Two hours later, after a long breakfast to celebrate their nuptials and telling the lie of how they had met so many times that her head was spinning, Fred and Amira walked hand in hand to the door of his apartment, careful to keep up their ruse while they were in public. It was the first time she’d ever been there, and although she had to return to Gisele’s house for a small bag, Fred had arranged for everything else to be brought around already for her.
‘Welcome home,’ he said, swinging the door open and gesturing with his hand that she should step inside.
Amira stepped over the threshold, glancing around at the thick velvet drapes and cream sofas covered in striped cushions, and a vase full of fresh flowers on the table. It was a perfectly nice apartment, but she couldn’t imagine that it would ever feel like home. What she was surprised by was the little dog sitting in the centre of one of the sofas, his brown eyes wide as he wagged his tail.
‘You have a dog?’ she asked, turning to look at Fred before hurrying over to the sofa. ‘How did I not know this?’
‘Amira, meet Otto. Otto, meet Amira,’ he said. ‘It turns out you both have something in common.’
Amira laughed as the dog jumped on to her lap and licked at her face. ‘Well, now I’m curious. What could we possibly have in common, Otto?’
‘Well, it just so happens that Otto here is Jewish, too,’ Fred said, taking off his shoes and loosening his tie. ‘I like nothing more than taking him for a walk and letting him pee on a lamppost infront of soldiers and party members. It feels like my little way of being rebellious.’
Amira scooped the dog up into her arms, running her fingers through his sandy-coloured coat, peppered by little scruffs of black around his face. ‘He lost his family?’
It was only then she noticed that Fred had tears in his eyes, despite his earlier joviality. ‘He did. They’d been hiding him but were worried someone would report them for having a pet. It turns out they were gone within two days of me taking him.’
Amira held Otto even tighter in her arms. ‘You’re a good man, Fred. Saving this little life matters, in my opinion anyway.’
‘Thank you, Amira. In the times we live in, that means something.’
‘Well then,’ she said, clearing her throat and forcing a smile. ‘Show me around my new apartment. I had better get acquainted with my new residence.’
Fred indicated that she should walk ahead, pointing to a room that he said was his, followed by a larger room that was for her. She stepped in and surveyed the large bed and thick comforter folded at the end, then opened one of the doors to the wardrobe to find that some of her things were already hanging alongside his clothes.
‘You don’t have to give me the best room,’ she said.
‘I want you to have this room, and besides, we may need to sleep in the same bed at times if we have visitors, to ensure no one suspects, well—’
‘I understand.’ She gave him an uncertain smile. That was why he had their things in the same wardrobe – in case anyone were to inspect their apartment. ‘We will figure all this out, Fred. I’m certain we’ll settle into our own little routine.’
She kicked off her shoes and dropped her coat to the chair as she looked around.
‘Amira, I . . .’
She turned to see him staring at her coat.
‘Sorry, did I do something wrong?’ she asked. ‘You look perplexed.’
‘I just, well, that was my late mother’s chair. I prefer not to leave—’
‘Oh! Of course, I should have hung it up. I’m sorry.’
‘No, it’s me who’s sorry. This is your room now and you had no reason to think—’
‘It’s fine,’ she said, wishing her cheeks weren’t so hot as she gathered up her coat and clutched it to her chest.
‘On that note, I’m going to leave you to settle in and have a drink. It’s been quite a day.’
Fred closed the door and left her and Otto in the room. She looked around, knowing how grateful she should be but feeling so desperately lonely at the same time.
I’m going to survive this. We only have to stay married until after the war, and then this will all be over.
She only wished she didn’t feel so alone on her wedding night, and as she sat down on the bed and pulled her coat over herself, she had no doubt that she would spend another night crying herself to sleep, just as she had every night since her father had died.
