Unfair Exchange: Preamble

Gertrude emerged from the forest carrying a large basket of nettles, prickly lettuce, dandelion, sheep sorrel, wild mushrooms and chicory. Wiping the perspiration from her face with a handkerchief, she paused for a moment to enjoy the cool spring breeze on her heated skin. Hefting the heavy basket to her hip, she carried it to the house. Setting her burden down by the back door, she took a moment to stretch the knot out of her back. Turning, she crossed the yard to the small shed at the edge of the property. Getting two small bags of feed, she went to the rabbit hutches and began feeding them.

"Weeding your garden, M'lady?"

Deep in thought, Gertrude had not heard the man's approach. Started by his voice, she gave a small yip and spun around. As if to still her rapidly beating heart, she placed her hand on her chest. "You frightened me Odie," she admonished. Noticing where he was standing, she continued, "Please be careful and not step in my garden. I just planted that section."

The young man glanced at the small garden near his feet, then looked back at Gertrude and smiled, "Who were you expecting, the Gestapo?"

"That is not remotely funny Odie," Gertrude softly chastised. She turned back around to finish her task. Securing the latches, she turned her attention to the chickens. As she scattered the food on the ground, she addressed her visitor. "The answer to your question is no, I was not weeding my garden. That is tonight's dinner. The nettles will make a tea and the rest will be a nice salad." She did not have to turn around to know he was not happy. "Do not be angry Odie, we all do what we must to survive. Besides, it is Sunday and all the shops are closed."

"Is this what the war has reduced us to? We are now nation of weed eaters?"

She turned and faced him, "Things are as they are, Odie. Besides, Albert sometimes brings us things. It is not as if we are starving. We have it good compared to the people in the cities. That is why after Otto's death I moved us out here. I can remember the depravations of the last war, not to mention the seemingly continuous bombing of our cities by the Allies. It is safer here. Besides, I have rabbits for meat, my garden for herbs and vegetables and some chickens for eggs. Yesterday, I shot a deer that was nibbling on my tomato plants. Herr Steiner is trading me one of his Nubians for the carcass."

"Nubians?" Odie asked, clearly puzzled.

"It's a type of dairy goat, the ones with the bunny ears," Gertrude said laughingly as she pantomimed the ears. "You are such a city boy. Could you go to the shed and get me my small clippers? I need to cut some basil and rosemary to make the dressing for tonight's meal."

"Of course," Odie said as he turned and walked to the open shed. "I know Herr Steiner, what is he getting out of this? He would sell his own mother, at discount prices too."

"He is selling the deer to the butcher for a hefty profit. In addition, it always is good to keep the mother and sister of a General happy. You never know when you'll need a favor," Gertrude said as she shrugged her shoulders pragmatically.

Odie brought the chippers Gertrude and placed them into her outstretched hand. She cut a few leaves of the needed herbs and placed them in the basket by the door. Walking over to a patio chair, she sat down with a groan and set the small scissors on the nearby table. "I'm getting old."

"Not so old, M'lady."

"Old enough to be your mother," Gertrude replied with a chuckle.

"Barely," he replied as he sat down in the chair next to her. "Speaking of mothers, where is Frau Burkhalter?"

"She is inside, sitting in her favorite chair listening to the Volksempfänger. She would rather die than miss the Wunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht. She is rooting for Inge and Herbert to get back together."

"And Lotte?"

"In town with a young admirer, I think they went on a picnic together. Do not worry. We are alone. What is wrong?" Gertrude asked sensing Odie's troubled spirit.

"Maria Hoffman was picked up last night while trying to pass the information about our troops in France."

"And Papa Bear?"

"He and his men got away. Our informer says they are holding her at Gestapo Headquarters in Hammelburg."

"The risk to us, Odie?"

"Well she knows how to identify Papa Bear. Unknown if she knows his real identity. Her knowledge is generally limited to the cell she works in."

"Does she know you Odie?" Gertrude asked with concern.

"I think she may know of me but I haven't personally dealt with her, only her superiors."

"But if the Gestapo breaks her, the entire cell can be arrested, including her superiors. It could ultimately lead to you my dear."

"And through me, to you," replied Odie.

Gertrude sighed, "It is all so Machiavellian." She pondered in thought and the said, "Do you know how to reach Papa Bear?"

"Yes, M'lady."

"Let him know her situation. If what I have heard about him is true, he will try to rescue her. It seems he has a white knight complex when it comes to pretty girls." Gertrude reached over and patted Odie's hand. "My brother is planning a surprise inspection to Stalag XIII tomorrow. I had begged off going as I was just there two weeks ago. Klink spent the entire time locked in his office, trembling. I thought to give the poor man a break but I guess it is not to be. From there, I should be able to keep my eyes and ears open for any possible advantage or danger. If I find out anything, I will get the information to you through the usual courier. You need to be ready to get Maria immediately out of the country. Once she wiggles free of their grasp, the Gestapo will rip the countryside apart looking for her. You will also need to tell the others to prepare for searches and intensive questioning. Anything that could be considered incriminating must be carefully hidden or destroyed."

"Don't worry; everything will be taken care of. It is a good thing for us you became your brother's secretary. You never did tell me how you managed it."

"It was easy, Odie. I just causally mentioned to Bertha that if my brother is to advance in rank he needs to be more organized and a good secretary could do that for him. I then went down a list of every single pretty girl I knew who could apply for the position. An hour later, Berta was demanding he hire me. Of course I was shocked, surprised and flattered when he approached me with the job offer."

Odie gave a hardly laugh, "You are a devious woman, M'lady, I am glad you work for us."

"Isn't that why I was recruited Odie? That and I am a general's sister." Gertrude replied with a knowing smile. "Besides, now Lotte does not have to work and can stay close to home to help me with Mama. In these troubled times, I feel better knowing she close and safe."

"I know it was a great concern for you," he said as he rose from the chair. He grasped her work worn hand and brought it to his lips. "Be careful M'lady. I have grown very fond of you."

"And I you," she replied. As he began to let go of her, she clutched his hand with her other hand. "Odie, no matter what happens, make sure none of this blows back on Albert."

"I promise, M'lady," he said as he gave her hand a small squeeze before releasing it.

She watched him turn and disappear into the wood line, leaving Gertrude alone with her thoughts.

A\n:

Towards the end of the war, with supplies almost nonexistent due to the blockades and damaged infrastructure, the people began raising rabbits for food. Edible wild plants supplemented their meager rations. (The plants listed are edible but caution is needed due to potential allergies and the pesticides that are in heavy use these days. In addition, particularly with wild mushrooms, you need to be aware of what you are picking, as many similar looking plants can be toxic. Some have medicinal qualities, which should be taken into consideration before ingesting.) Besides the strict rationing, food prices were high. Before the war, a loaf of bread was eight pfennings. Near the end of the war, bread was selling for two hundred Marks in Berlin or more a month's pay for the average male worker.

Germany had been in a severe depression prior to the war. Most families did not have an icebox or any form of refrigeration. Therefore, shopping for perishables was a daily activity. Most did not have electric stoves but cooked using coal or processed potato stalks as a heat source. There were no grocery stores as we know them today. You went to the grocer for staples, the produce man for fruits and vegetables, butcher for meat, baker for bread and so on. This was a time consuming task even without the rationing. With rationing, it became an ordeal as customers waited in long lines for hours and often left without obtaining the need items because the supply had run out.

Volksempfänger: ("people's receiver") was a range of radio receivers developed by engineer Otto Griessing at the request of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. All Volksempfängers sold on the domestic market were purposely designed only to receive the Deutschlandsender and regional stations of the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft, as to ensure that Nazi propaganda broadcasts could readily be heard while other media, such as the BBC could not. Listening to foreign stations became a criminal offence in Nazi Germany when the war began, while in some occupied territories, such as Poland, all radio listening by non-German citizens was outlawed (later during the war this prohibition was extended to most other occupied countries coupled with mass seizures of radio sets). Penalties ranged from confiscation of radios and imprisonment to, particularly later in the war, the death penalty.

Wunschkonzert für die Wehrmacht: (Concert Requests for the Wehrmacht) a weekly variety program that was a vehicle for the Third Reich's propaganda. It came on at 3pm Sundays and had a serial (or what would be called a soap opera today) about Inge and Herbert, star crossed lovers torn apart by the war.