"Udo?" Danzig stopped his friend as the other members of their 'drama club' filed out of the parish hall after two hours of varied improvisation and impersonation games.
"Yeah?"
Oskar pulled him aside a little. "Got a little task for you. Are you free any evening this weekend?"
Udo frowned for a moment as he recalled his schedule. "I'm on duty most of the weekend, but I've got Friday night off."
"Good. Now from what Maryse tells me, I think the Kommandant's secretary might make a worthy addition to our group."
Udo gulped. "You mean Fräulein Helga?"
"Yes. So I want you to ask her out for Friday night and..."
"Me?" Udo squeaked.
"Yes." Oskar raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why – is there a problem? I thought you said you liked her."
Udo heaved a sigh. "That is the problem."
His friend chuckled. "Don't tell me Cupid has made a bumbling fool out of you?"
"Worse." Udo shuffled a little with his feet. "I've tried to talk to her a few times – you know, when she comes in the morning, or when she leaves. But the moment I set eyes on her, I get completely tongue-tied. And my legs get so wobbly they just won't move... It's awful."
Oskar couldn't help a grin. "I know what you mean – I was just like that with Maryse at first. But if you seriously want to get to know her, believe me, it's worth the mortification."
Udo sighed. "But asking her out... She's just going to turn me down. Half the guards have already asked her, but she won't go out with anybody."
"But she won't refuse this time," Oskar assured him. "Because we're going on a double date. You just tell her that her old colleague Maryse Gotthardt from the theatre in Duisburg is coming, too – with her boy-friend Oskar Danzig. She'll accept the invitation, I promise you. No woman will pass up the opportunity to see the result of her matchmaking with her very own eyes."
It was two days till Friday, and Karl watched with growing amusement how Private Steinmetz tried time and again to work up the nerve to walk up to Fräulein Helga and ask her out – and chickened out every single time. It was obvious that he needed some help, unless the pressure of the final day would finally jolt him into action.
Apparently Udo had come to that same conclusion. For the moment he and Sergeant Schmidt had let him in at the gate that morning, he pulled his old playmate aside and whispered urgently, "Karl, I need you to do me a real big favour."
Karl raised his eyebrows. "What?"
"Can you..." Udo glanced over his shoulder at the Sergeant. "Are you working in the office again today?"
"I suppose so, yes. Why?"
"Can you... I know this sounds pathetic, but can you please ask Fräulein Helga to go out with me tonight?"
Karl gave him an incredulous look, while biting back his all too ready chuckle. "Me? Why don't you ask her yourself?"
A desperate sigh. "I've tried, but..."
He was interrupted by Sergeant Schmidt. "Hey Steinmetz, no time for chitchat now. Help me open the gate!"
With a pleading look at his old friend, imploring him not to go on to the office just yet, Udo returned to his duties and helped to open the gate for the approaching staff car. The three soldiers saluted dutifully as it drove in, and Sergeant Schmidt bent down to the driver's window. "Guten Morgen, Herr Major. Heil Hitler."
The greeting was silently returned before the man next to the driver told him to notify the Kommandant of this place immediately that General von Platzen had arrived.
"Of course, Herr Colonel." Schmidt bowed and clicked his heels. "Langenscheidt, go to the Kommandant – quickly! – and tell him that General von Platzen and his party have arrived."
Karl jumped to a nervous attention, "Jawohl, Sergeant," and took off as fast as his legs could carry him.
"If you will just wait here a moment for Kommandant Klink's permission to enter the camp?" Schmidt told the driver.
But from the back of the car a rather high-pitched voice spoke up. "I will not wait. Who does this Klink think he is, that I'd need his permission to enter this rathole? Nonsense. Drive on, Fröbel." And before Schmidt or Udo could stop them, the General's party drove on towards the Kommandantur, high upon the heels of the running Langenscheidt.
Karl burst into the office and without even acknowledging Fräulein Helga he stumbled on towards the Kommandant's door, knocked, and entered without even waiting for a reply. "Herr Kommandant," he began half out of breath before he had even fully come to attention.
The Kommandant – who apparently was in a meeting with Colonel Hogan – scowled dangerously. "Did I ask for you, Langenscheidt?"
"Herr Kommandant Klink," he panted, messing up the form of address in the consternation. "General von Pleisen and his party are here."
Despite his nervous corruption of the General's name, there was no doubt the Kommandant knew exactly who he was talking about, for his eyes narrowed and he barked, "Here? Where – how?"
"J-just outside the building." Seeing how close upon his heels they had been, they were probably about to enter this very room...
The Kommandant however didn't seem to realize that yet. With two threatening steps he stood in front of him, forcing Karl to take a surreptitious step back, and he thundered in his face, "I gave strict instructions I was to be notified the minute they came in the gate! Now I will find those responsible and..." A gasp suddenly ended the outburst as realization hit him. "Did you say 'just outside the building'...?"
Karl nodded anxiously. "On their way in, Herr Kommandant," he stammered as he heard the tell-tale commotion on the porch.
The Kommandant instantly seemed to have forgotten about him, and with a nervous glance at the enemy Colonel by the desk, Karl backed out of the room as fast as he could. For he suddenly realized he didn't have his gun anymore – probably dropped it in his mad dash over here. But the mere thought of the consequences if the prisoners got hold of his gun...
Frantically, poor Corporal Langenscheidt sped right out of the office again, almost knocking the General off the porch in his haste.
Now where had he lost that blasted gun?
But he already saw Udo waving him over to the gate. Perhaps Udo...?
Indeed. "Here you are, you fool. You dropped this."
"Thanks." Karl was breathless with gratitude.
"That's okay. Just don't let it happen again." He pulled his old playmate aside again. "But you can make it up to me right away. Can you please ask Fräulein Helga to go out with me tonight? It's important!"
Karl pulled away a bit. "Look, I'm really grateful that you saved my hide by taking care of my gun. But why don't you ask her yourself? You're the one who wants to go out with her!"
"I've tried, really, I have! But she's... I don't know – just... But I need to go out with her tonight. Tell her that an old friend of hers is..."
"Look mate." Karl stepped back and threw his retrieved gun over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. If you want me to pass on a note to her – fine. But I'm not going to ask her out in your name. That's preposterous, and you know it."
Despite the refusal, Udo's face suddenly brightened – exactly as Karl had intended. "A note! Why didn't I think of that?" He grabbed his old friend by the shoulders. "Would you really do that for me – pass on a note to her?"
But before Karl could answer, a fierce explosion rocked the ground, and in a reflex the two friends dove to the ground.
"What's happening?" a panicky Karl yelled, but the next explosion drowned out any reply Udo might have given.
Three... four... five... six... No seven? No, it seemed that was all.
As soon as he dared to lift his head, he heard Sergeant Schultz yelling across the compound. "Herr Kommandant, I beg to report – a prisoner is missing!"
That certainly got the Kommandant to his feet in a flash. "Sound the alarm! Let loose the dogs!"
Hurriedly, they scrambled to their feet, and Karl, who had yet to get training in this, decided to simply follow Udo's lead.
Behind him he heard the Kommandant shout, " The truck with the dogs! After them! Go!"
The vet's truck was just about to leave. In a moment they had surrounded it and... Karl's jaw dropped. For there was Colonel Hogan, pulling open the back door of the truck just as it started up, and out spilt not only a prisoner, but a whole bunch of the monsterdogs as well! He and his fellow guards couldn't back away from the beasts fast enough, but what was that...? One of the dogs walked up to Colonel Hogan and... licked his face as he lay there on the ground? ! ?
He didn't believe his eyes. Those killer dogs licked a prisoner in the face? A prisoner, of all people? What use were those dogs for guard duty if they were friends with the prisoners? How had Colonel Hogan managed that?
Once things had returned to normal, he finally was able to retreat to the office and get a start on today's typing work. Fräulein Helga however was nowhere to be seen – perhaps she was in with the Kommandant and the General.
The morning passed with some more excitement when first Colonel Hogan exited the Kommandant's office with a scowl the size of a scorpion on his face, followed shortly afterwards by the visiting General, with the Kommandant – proud as a peacock – strutting in his wake.
"He's been promoted to Berlin, to be in charge of all prison camps," Helga replied to his hesitant inquiry. And she grimaced. "The General wants me to come along, too, but I'm not going anywhere near that creep again. There are limits to what a girl will put up with for the Fatherland!"
He nodded in compassion, but couldn't help worrying a little, too. Hadn't Colonel Hogan said the Kommandant was a great asset to their work? He wasn't quite sure in what way that was, but the scowl on the American's face just now spoke volumes. He clearly wasn't happy about the Kommandant's promotion.
Perhaps he could find a way to keep the Kommandant here after all? Perhaps if...?
A wild roar outside made them both jump.
"What was that?" Karl shuddered. "Are we attacked by monsters?"
Helga sniggered, and then they both recognized the sound of some irate tirade outside. "I'd say it sounds more like an angry Inspector General," she said with a touch of humour. She went over to the window. "Yep. He's fallen down a collapsed tunnel."
Five minutes and another explosion that had Karl diving under his desk later, an utterly dejected Kommandant Klink came into the office again.
Fräulein Helga addressed him right away. "Herr Kommandant, about what the General said regarding my coming to Berlin with you..."
The Kommandant raised a tired hand to forestall any further effusions. "I will not be going to Berlin, Fräulein. You may as well consider me shot." And with a visible shudder he disappeared in his office, closing the door behind him with a decisive click.
Anxiously, Karl raised his eyebrows at her, but she merely shrugged in return. "Don't ask me. I know nothing – nothing!"
"Did you ask her yet?" The moment he entered the guards' mess, Udo sidled up to him.
And Karl sighed. "No. I said I'd pass on a note, remember? And you haven't given me any note yet."
"But I don't have pen and paper on me!" Udo yammered.
Another sigh. "Then let's have lunch quickly, and then you can come to the office with me. We've got lots of paper and pens there."
Udo groaned. "And what if she's there?"
"Then I guess you won't need that note. Now come on."
They quickly finished their bowl of well-filling peasoup and returned to the office.
"No one there," Karl murmured over his shoulder as he opened the door. "I just hope I won't get in trouble for this. What is the punishment for guards breaking the rules?"
Udo shivered. "Walking a post outside the fence if you're lucky. Or else..."
Karl gulped. That was clear enough... "Well, we better be quick then. Before anyone comes back."
Udo nodded, and ready to run, the two guards crept inside. "I'm really not supposed to be here, you know," Udo whispered. "If Sergeant Schultz catches me here, or worse – the Kommandant... I'm dead meat."
"Then you better write that note quickly." And nervously, Karl placed a paper and a pencil in front of him. "Hurry up."
Perched on the edge of Fräulein Helga's chair, Udo began to scribble his message to her. But he didn't get far, for the door opened and... Fräulein Helga herself walked in.
Udo's startled reaction was remarkably similar to Corporal Langenscheidt's trademark scramblings on such occasions, and as always, it made Fräulein Helga chuckle.
"So there is two of you nervous rabbits now, eh?" She granted Udo a knee-wobbling smile. "Hello, Private." She picked up the paper that had fluttered to the floor and handed it back to him.
Apart from accepting his note on autopilot, Udo stood absolutely petrified in his corner, staring at her with big, anxious – yes, rabbit eyes.
She gave him a friendly nod. "Please, don't let me disturb you." And she picked up a pile of files and opened the filing cabinet in the far corner.
He gulped, and glanced at his old comrade in the other corner.
"So ask her alright," Karl mouthed to him with equally large eyes.
A difficult gulp, closing his eyes for a moment and... "Fräulein, c-can I... Would you... I mean... I have ehm..."
"Yes?" Fräulein Helga prompted neutrally as her suitor fell silent.
A deep breath for courage, and, "I have a friend who would like to see you again, and I was wondering if you'd want to go out with me tonight to meet her," he rushed out.
She raised her eyebrows rather skeptically. "A friend, huh?"
Udo nodded fervently. "So will you go out with me tonight?"
But Fräulein Helga was not so easily drawn in. "And who is this 'friend' of yours?"
Udo didn't get a chance to reply, for the door opened again (making the two soldiers jump in their respective corners), and in stormed a sour-faced Kommandant Klink. But he stopped in his tracks when he noticed Udo hovering against the back wall. "Private, what are you doing here? Out!"
And tethering on the end of his nerves as he already was, poor Udo simply fled...
As soon as the Kommandant had disappeared in his office slamming the door behind him, Helga shrugged and resumed her filing work.
Karl watched her for a moment with indecision. Should he interfere, or...? It was unlikely that Udo would be able to muster the courage to approach the young lady again after this debacle, so perhaps... "Aren't you going to ask the Private who this friend was?" he ventured at last.
Fräulein Helga shrugged. "It's probably all eyewash anyway. Half the guards have been asking me out already, and you wouldn't believe the outrageous excuses they come up with to entice me to accept."
Karl swallowed. That didn't bode well... "But how do you know Steinmetz doesn't really know an old friend of yours? The least you could do is hear him out – that only seems fair."
She turned to him with a sigh and put down the last files. "Alright, I'll hear him out. Where is he supposed to be?"
Karl picked up the duty roster. "I think he should be guarding the motorpool."
"Alright." She picked up her cardigan and put it on. "Back in five."
It was nearly ten minutes however before she returned – with a radiant smile on her face. "You were right," she told him without being prompted. "He does know an old friend of mine. And her boy-friend, whom I happened to help to get together with her. That'd be really neat seeing them again – I haven't seen them for years!"
And Karl smiled to himself. Once again, his insight in the female mind had been spot on.
Despite the fact that they had worked together for a mere two months, Maryse and Helga greeted each other as long-lost friends at the Hofbrau that evening.
"Maryse! It's so good to see you again!" Hug, kiss, kiss.
"You don't look so bad yourself either. I was so surprised when I heard that you had gotten the secretary job in the prison camp! So tell me – what's it like?"
"Oh well, just another job. A girl's got to make a living somehow." She looked over Maryse's shoulder to where the two gentlemen were watching the reunion scene. "And to think that you're still with him! I confess I had never expected that! I guess he wasn't so bad after all, was he?"
Danzig – in the same southern-looking disguise with which Helga had always known him – smirked. "No, I believe she's quite content with me." They all laughed, and Oskar continued, "Which reminds me – I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for your advice at the time, have I? Then let me do so now, for without your invaluable help, I would never have been able to 'secure her affections' as they say."
Helga beamed at him. "I'm glad I could be of service. But to see you two still being together after what – three years? Four? That's thanks enough for me."
They settled down at a table for four, and ordered a good meal. There was talk and laughter all through dinner as the three old acquaintances indulged in reminiscences of Oskar's courting the girl of his dreams, and to some degree caught up with the others' lives since then. In the course of the evening, even Udo got over the worst of his timidity with the girl of his dreams, and he, too, began to join in their happy discourse.
But when dinner was well over, Oskar suddenly stood. "It was a real pleasure meeting you again, Helga, but unfortunately Udo and I still have some business to attend to tonight."
Udo scowled at him – he certainly didn't want to leave yet.
But Maryse jumped right in. "Then why don't you come back to my place? I've got some real coffee saved for a special occasion. I think this qualifies as such, don't you?"
Helga nodded eagerly. "And then we can have some proper girl talk, too, just like the old times." She gave Oskar a teasing grin. "And gossip about you men, of course."
But he merely chuckled. "Sounds indeed like you two don't need us to amuse yourselves. Well, ladies, if we may help you into your coats then?"
A few minutes later they parted on the doorstep of the Hofbrau, and shortly afterwards Helga found herself in the tiny kitchen of Richterstraβe 18, watching Maryse grind a handful of precious coffeebeans.
"Nice place," she commented appreciatively. "You don't know how lucky you are to have a place all to yourself. I live in a boarding-house for now. It's okay, and it's close to the camp, but still..."
Maryse nodded. "Yes, I was very lucky to get this. It's small, yes, but I have a lot more privacy here than I'd have in a boarding-house." She put the coffee in the filter and poured the first dose of boiling water on before joining her former colleague at the small kitchen table.
Helga rested her chin on her fists. "So tell me all the details now: how come you two aren't married yet? At least you're not wearing a ring, so..."
Maryse looked down at her ringless fingers for a moment. She knew she had to watch herself in what she revealed tonight, especially since Helga had proven more than once that she was exceptionally perceptive – exactly the reason why Karl would like her to join their team. "Well..." she hesitated. "It's a long story, really. And by the time I finally came to realize that I loved him, too, we were living in a world at war."
"So?" Helga grimaced. "That's three years ago. Don't tell me you've been engaged for three whole years?"
Maryse shrugged a little. "It just didn't seem right to get married with so much horror around us. We talked about it of course, but we simply decided to wait until the war is over."
"You're kidding... That could be years!" Suddenly Helga hesitated. "Are you sure he really does want to marry you? That he's not leading you on, I mean? He seems nice enough for sure, but... Has he even asked you?"
All of a sudden Maryse froze. "Now that you mention it – no, I don't think he's ever really asked me. Not officially, I mean. But we've talked about it quite a lot and believe me, he's absolutely serious about wanting to marry me. Always has been, too, from the very beginning." She got up and poured some more boiling water in the filter, using the distraction to force the sudden frown from her face. Of course Karl wanted to marry her... How could there be any doubt?
"So how about you?" she inquired as she sat down again. "Do you have a boy-friend or anything?"
Helga shook her head. "So far the men seem to be mainly interested in my looks, and I hate that. I want someone who likes me for who I am – not just because of my pretty face."
Maryse chuckled. "Yeah, I heard you've already turned down half the guard corps in camp."
Helga sighed. "I barely know these guys – why would I want to go out with them? And besides, I don't want to play favourites by accepting one invitation and turning down another. That would only cause envy among them, and then I'd have to accept them all to make peace again, and where would that leave my reputation? I'd be known as the local army-whore – no, thank you!"
"But you accepted Udo's invitation tonight."
"Yes, but I told him right away that I'd only come because I wanted to see you and Oskar again." She frowned. "How did you know Udo by the way?"
"He's a friend of Oskar's."
"Ah."
Silence, in which the filter was filled up a third time.
"And what about that Colonel Hogan?"
Helga raised her eyebrows. "What about him?"
Maryse smirked. "I hear you're pretty flirtatious around him whenever he comes into the office."
Helga's blush went all the way up to the roots of her hair. "Who told you that?"
"Udo of course."
"How would he know? He's never in the office."
"Maybe not, but the guy who's been assigned as your assistant is an old friend of Udo's." She chuckled as she saw Helga roll her eyes and teased, "Welcome to the country, my dear – this isn't exactly anonymous Duisburg."
"So I see," Helga muttered.
Maryse chuckled, and finally poured the coffee and pushed the milk and sugar in her friend's direction. She certainly proved to be as open and talkative as she remembered her – hopefully the coffee would help in furthering the confidential atmosphere.
"Mm," Helga mused with her eyes closed as she took her first sip. "Haven't had this in a long time..."
For a while, they just sipped their steaming hot treat in silence, but at last, Maryse repeated, "So what about this Colonel Hogan?"
"What about him?"
"Well, do you like him, is he handsome... You know, the usual."
Helga smiled. "He's handsome alright. And a little crazy, too."
Maryse chuckled. "I once knew a few Americans, too. When I lived in England. They, too, were a little... odd. Crazy, as you say."
Helga grinned. "Maybe that's the American trademark?"
They both chuckled at that, and another companiable silence ensued as they enjoyed their coffee.
Helga was the first to break it this time. "Do you know many Americans?"
Maryse thought for a moment. "Half a dozen maybe. But that was in England. I don't think I've met any since we came back to Germany."
"Colonel Hogan was the first American I've ever met," Helga told her somewhat dreamily. "And some specimen he is... I've always been fascinated by anything American – already when I was a little girl. I'd love to go to America after the war."
Maryse's expression wavered between worry and skepticism. "Don't tell me you're trying to get that Colonel Hogan to be your ticket to America?"
"No, nothing like that." Helga folded her hands around her coffeemug. "It's hard to explain, but..." She halted, and looked up in her friend's eyes. "Do you recall how we sometimes used to talk about what was going on in this country?"
Maryse nodded silently.
And Helga searched her face. "And do you still think there is... you know... what we agreed about back then?"
"A lot wrong," Maryse quietly completed, never letting go of her friend's eyes.
"Yes." Helga let out a sigh of relief. "And to be honest, I don't want Germany to win this war. We don't need Hitler ruling the world, so I want the Allies to win. So I'm helping Colonel Hogan in any way I can. Even if I can but guess at what I'm actually helping him with. But whatever he asks, I give to him as far as it is within my possibilities."
A long silence ensued, punctuated by their sips of coffee. Talk about being honest almost to a fault, Maryse reflected. If that went for her, it seemed to go even more for young Helga Lindner. Would she...?
A deep breath. "Helga... would you like to do more to help the Allies win?"
Helga looked up. "You mean...? Of course I would. But I..." Suddenly she sat up. "You mean you are part of the Resistance?" Highly perceptive as always...
A silent nod was all the reply she got.
Helga just stared at her, struggling with her disbelief. "I had no idea women did that, too! I thought it was more something for young men."
Maryse had a sad shrug. "Young men are sent off to die at the front. And someone has to stand up and make a difference. So why can't we women help to make that difference?"
Helga frowned. "I suppose you're right. So what do you do?"
"Basically, we help civilians who've gotten in trouble. And we try to sabotage the German war effort wherever we can."
"And how can I help?"
Maryse shook her head. "That's not for me to decide. Do you like acting?"
Another frown. "Like in the theatre? What's that got to do with it?"
A smile. "Because we're meeting under the pretense of being a drama club. And up to a point, we are."
A sudden grin lit up Helga's face. "With a certain Herr Oskar Danzig as the director, I bet."
Maryse had a rather tense smile, for that was not something she had intended to reveal just yet. That exceptional perception of Helga's sure did have its downsides...
"So when and where does this drama club meet?" her guest inquired.
A deep breath. "I'll meet you under the trees at the Wilhelmsplatz, Tuesday evening around seven, okay?"
Helga grinned. "Okay."
But Maryse remained deadly serious. "And not a word to anyone, understood? This is not a game, Helga," she emphasized, stressing every word. "And we're not an ordinary drama club either. One casual word to the wrong person and we're all dead. Is that clear?"
Helga nodded. "Don't worry – I know how today's world works. They won't hear a peep from me."
"Good." Maryse let out a sigh.
And suddenly Helga reached out across the table, and quietly she said, "And I'm really sorry for doubting Oskar's intentions with you. Now I understand why you two can't get married yet. Far too dangerous for both of you."
Maryse bit her lip and looked away. "I just want this horrid war to end," she whispered. "For the people, for the soldiers, for the world... But if I'm really honest..." She closed her eyes as in agony. "Most of all for me..."
.
Author's note: The episode described of course is The Late Inspector General.
And dare I hope that those of you who have read Helga's Hero understood right away why she has always been so fascinated with anything American? :-)
For those of you who haven't read it: don't worry. Foreknowledge of the story I created for Helga's background will not be necessary to understand her contribution in this one. Though I guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out of course ;-)
