An Illinois Yankee in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik I (Side B)

Life Behind the Iron Curtain


April 3rd, 1972

Berlin, German Democratic Republic

His mother was an odd one.

David Elroy had to admit it to himself, she'd managed to claw her way up to her position in the American embassy in East Germany against whatever odds a woman her age might face. Assuming she had not outright murdered anyone who got in her way, at least. No way was affirmative action alone behind her job that had them moving halfway across the world to the communist hellhole that was the German Democratic Republic. No way in hell.

And yet here he was, his mother combing his dark hair with glee despite it already having been perfectly straight after his shower. At six in the God damned morning. Had he reminded her they were in a communist hellhole? Cause it was.

Should he blame Nixon?

"Alright, now the Bernhards will help you out if you have questions, and I need you to ask questions."

"Yes, mom."

"I'm serious David Elroy, this is an opportunity to bridge two worlds. You understand that, right?"

And an opportunity for you to get the credit, right?

Instead, he said, "Of course I do, mom."

"Alright, good. We'll call when we can. Off you go, now."

And off he'd gone.

The process of entering the German Democratic Republic- Deutsche Demokratische Republik he reminded himself, was itself a harsh process. One that, really, only diplomats could get around.

Hence why his family resided in the American Embassy in Berlin.

They weren't diplomats, but they did work with them. Attended dinners for them, did additional paperwork, forwarded important letters that weren't quite as important as other letters; mundane things. The people keeping the Cold War "cold", so to speak. With Vietnam still going on, and with the mess that was the Middle East and Africa, he briefly wondered what the hell "cold" meant in the strange spectrum of the political world. "Hot" meant nuclear war, but where was the line between that and total global peace? If this was "cold" would total peace be "frigid"? He didn't dwell on it, too much once he was out the embassy's gate.

He was 14, after all.

The border guards did not bat an eye at him as he identified himself with a blue passport. It was difficult not to feel a little important. No questions asked. No lines welcoming him. No smiles, either. All business. As the man stamped his passport and grumbled in a deep, sinister voice "Cause no trouble", he wondered if it was too late to turn back, but his body was already outside the safety of the American embassy and it would be, frankly, embarrassing to just go back now.

And then there was the lone figure waiting for him.

Singular.

It was not the Bernhards who met him at the entrance. By his mother's description, he'd expected an older man, maybe an accompanying younger man. His mother had told him Mister Bernhard had an ex-wife and two kids, an older boy and a girl his age, but at this ungodly hour? With the sun barely up in the sky and even the early birds refusing to sing their songs before morning coffee?

Obviously, in the backward communist hellhole of the lands beyond the Iron Curtain, it was the girl his age with golden locks who was the one that awaited him there on the sidewalks of Berlin.

"David Elroy?" she asked as he approached, hands on her schoolbag, posture straight, proper, with her eyes forward, studying him.

"Uh… yeah! Uh- Ja. Herr Bernhard?"

She gave him a polite smile, but shook her head and continued in decent English.

"I am Irisdina Bernhard. Apologies, but my father, Herr Bernhard, is unavailable and my brother is busy. This way please." she concluded and began walking away.

"Oh, uh… Alright." he gripped his own bag and quickly walked in step with… her. His mind quietly drifted as something about her was gnawing at his conscious.

"Um… Iris…?" he left the name hanging, waiting for her to correct him on it.

"Irisdina." She stated calmly.

"Oh, ja, sorry. Irisdina, um… do I know you?"

The girl's face shifted slightly, and then, after a second's consideration, she said, "Perhaps we briefly met in '65. Father took us to the West for a diplomatic event, but I do not recall much."

He nodded slowly.

1965…

Nothing sprung to mind other than his dad grumbling about Vietnam. No memory of traveling to West Germany, let alone some diplomatic event. Had they come stateside then? He pushed the thought away and left it at that.

They walked in silence. He eyed the surrounding buildings to avoid focusing on the girl to his left. His mother had told him it was a country "like any other", though simultaneously, she'd tell him to "keep an open mind", which had to be code for trouble. Yet the buildings appeared like any other. The infamous Berlin Wall behind them was… cleaner, certainly, but… he tried to wrap his mind around why it suddenly scared him more. None of the guards there were looking at him or the girl leading him away, deeper into the capital. In theory, having been in West Berlin should have been scarier. West Berlin was surrounded by Warsaw Pact forces. West Berlin, in case of a war breaking out, would likely be overrun if not nuked.

Yet…

He turned his gaze away from all of that and decided that focusing on the quiet girl walking ahead of him now was a more pleasant use of his time. Blonde, fair skin, blue eyes, fine posture, a school uniform that was clean and legs that…

She stopped walking and he quickly averted his gaze, his eyes instead falling on a crack on the sidewalk's edge that he began to imagine was caused by some poor German tripping, cracking the hard cement, then getting back up like nothing and going to work because they lived in a communist hellhole. Perhaps his mother wanted to get rid of him by-

Irisdina then said, "Bitte warten."

"Oh- uh… ja."

Ahead of them, the sidewalk ended, and a pair of cars drove past a little too fast for comfort.

Right. The sidewalk.

Irisdina then said, "Your German is good."

"Oh, thank you! My mother hired a tutor."

"Very good." She said simply, then continued down the road and across the street as it cleared of cars.

They kept walking and then suddenly, as if a train had hit him, he said in English "You don't really mean that, do you?"

Irisdina let out a brief laugh, then said "Your pronunciation needs some work, but you'll be understood, I'm certain."

"Right." he grumbled, then another thought occurred, "Say, what kind of name is Irisdina, anyway? I've never met anyone with a name like that."

"Have you ever met anyone named Petra?"

"Uh, no."

"Perhaps you have met someone named Johanne?"

"Uh, in person, no, but-"

She raised a finger, then said in German "If you wish to make conversation, do come up with better topics. My name is simply a combination of two, Iris and Dina. Not much more to it than that."

He stared at her for a second, now really studying her.

She must have gotten up extra early. Doing work for her father and brother, she was probably a bit grumpy. He'd seen plenty of grumpy Germans in the West, and she lived under the Iron Curtain. A communist hellhole. And now she had to walk him, an American, all the way to-

"The bus stops here, and it should be here any moment. From there it will be a few minutes to the Academy."

"O-oh… right. Got it."

So they stood there, in silence. Waiting.

Thus began David Elroy's adventures in the Deutsche Demokratische Republik.

Quietly waiting for a bus with a girl who didn't seem very interested in a conversation.

4:00 PM

East Germany felt colder somehow.

He'd gotten a dorm. An empty one in every sense of the word. One closed window. One bed. One desk for school work. Barren walls. He'd be able to go see his parents on weekends if he felt so inclined. The weather was pleasant, though. The room-temperature environment felt comfortable enough. The teachers smiled at him, the students gave him a warm enough welcome as a new curiosity from across the ocean.

Well, warm enough welcome for Germans, he assumed. They smiled. A few introduced themselves unprompted. Yet something just never felt right.

His classmates felt too normal, his teachers too human, and even the academy felt oddly sanitized to be… well, a school. Like what someone who'd never been to the West assumed a highly acclaimed academy was meant to be.

And perhaps to his delight or perhaps to his annoyance, Irisdina was to remain the sole guide for him.

Now, he wasn't sure why, he wasn't sure how, and he certainly wasn't sure what it had to do with the nation's communism, but he would find a way to blame it on it, hand on the Bible. By now he was half-sure this young blonde East German Girl did not like her current role in helping him, some overseas American dog, learn the ways of the East.

Perhaps it was the cold attitude of the German people.

No, that couldn't be it.

"This is the water closet." Irisdina spoke warmly whilst classmates walked around them, but he could see something in her eyes as she spoke.

So, in his decent German that really only needed some work on the pronunciations, really, he replied with, "We call it the bathroom back home."

"There is no bath in this one. Showers are down in the gym."

"You do that on purpose?"

She gave him the slightest, annoying, smile, then carried on like nothing.

"Well, Mister Elroy, the library is down the hall, and I believe you can find some information on clubs or extracurricular activities if you feel so inclined to learn about them."

"Alright."

"Any questions?"

"You got somewhere to be?"

"Yes."

"Then, yes, I do."

He reveled in the brief twitch of her eyebrow for only a second, and spoke quickly, "Sorry, just…"

Think of something, think of something… right, clubs.

"Yeah, what do you guys do here after school?"

Without even skipping a beat, she replied "Depends. There are theaters and restaurants you can go and spend time in if you do not join a club."

"What about you?"

"I'm with the school's swim team."

Suddenly, the idea of watching several girls in bathing suits caught his attention. That would probably disappoint his mother, but hey, he was the one living in a shockingly boring communist hell hole. Why not enjoy the sights?

"No, you can't go watch." Irisdina said before he could even formulate a question.

He winced, then quickly said, "Who'd want to watch? I was just wondering if going for a swim would be fun or not."

"I'm certain that is all your mind went to." she grumbled in what might have been sarcasm, but then, firmly "However, if you needn't any help, I do have to get going."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be in my room. Thanks for the tour, miss-"

"Oomph!"

He winced at the shorter girl who bumped into him as he turned to leave.

"Excuse me." the girl mumbled shyly as she walked past them.

"Ah, Miss Brehme, I-"

The girl walked off quickly, disappearing behind a corner and leaving Irisdina and himself to stand alone in the hall as everyone else had cleared out. He noted the look of disappointment in Irisdina's eyes.

"Uh… who was that?" he asked.

Irisdina sighed, then said, "Oh, just… a girl. Good day, Mister Elroy."

April 4th, 1972

6:00 AM

Irisdina Bernhard considered her situation as blessed.

God was good, at the end of the day. She still had her home, she still had food and water, warmth, and of course, her brother. She cooked his breakfast with only the tenderest happiness, knowing so many did not have what she was blessed with.

At age 14, Irisdina Bernhard was more emotionally mature than even some girls her age.

Have to be…

She cocked an eyebrow at her brother as he poured over several papers. Walking down the stairs. Eyes on the papers. Not on the stairs.

"Jurgen, watch your step!"

"Huh?" he said, freezing at her warning.

Irisdina moved over to him and picked up the stack of books. Really, only 3 textbooks from her brother's classes, but it seemed he'd left them by the stairs, exactly where'd they would trip him up coming down, almost as if…

"Were you up late again?" she asked, trying to sound stern rather than worried.

Jurgen chuckled as if it weren't a big deal, even if it just confirmed her worries. Then, as if knowing she wouldn't believe him, said "Yeah, I uh… I left them there as a reminder for something or other."

She didn't believe him.

"Oh, Iris, come on, you're going to look so ugly scowling like that."

She sighed, then said "Come on, I noticed them earlier. You have to be more attentive, dear brother."

"Wait, why didn't you pick them up?"

"Didn't you say you left them there as a reminder of something or other?"

Jurgen gave her an irritated smile, then said "Oh, yes, well, I heard a guy at school left his books on the floor to remind himself of something, so I figured I'd try it. Clearly it didn't work."

"I see. So, what were you doing up so late?" she mumbled, placing the books on the kitchen table before going back to the stove.

Jurgen moved to the table quietly, his smile vanishing as she kept an eye on him.

"Mom contacted me." he finally said.

Irisdina stared at the stove's flame for a half second, then clicked it off without a word. She could hear the frustration in those three words. Three words. And suddenly her morning, and possibly her day, was going to be ruined. She picked up his breakfast and placed it on the table without another word.

"She asked about father's condition."

She waited for him to say more, her eyes shifting to a broken chair in the corner of their living room.

"I told her the truth."

She eyed him silently.

He didn't answer.

So, she prodded.

"The honest truth, or-"

"Of course, the honest truth. That…" her brother caught himself, then, calmer, "...that mother of ours caused this. And don't tell her I called her mother, please."

Irisdina did not argue.

He quietly concluded, "Good news, her new husband agreed and she'll mail us some money every month."

God was good…

"As long as I meet with her once a month."

"Ah-" The Amen caught in her throat and she instead managed a shaky, "You agreed to meet-"

"Of course I did!"

"I can meet with her instead if you-"

"No, I… I'll do it. She has a conscience, which is better than nothing, but worse given her actions. That said, I…"

There was a brief instance of conflict that flashed in his eyes before he spoke again.

"I'm still joining." He said in a tone she could tell was forcefully neutral.

Irisdina only nodded silently in response, then continued her focus on the breakfast on the table. The draft was one thing. Enlisting, was something else entirely. They both knew it, of course.

As if sensing her internal heartbreak, he quickly changed the subject.

"How's the swim club?"

"Fine." She stated in a tone she hoped came off as less forced in its neutrality. Though she welcomed the change of topic, she half expected it would soon turn to…

"None of the girls have bothered you, right?"

Oh, of course…

"Not really."

At the thought of cutting the discussion of another girl, she decided on instead saying, "Beatrix Brehme can be quite the strange character, but that Elroy kid might also be a contender for strangest characters in school now."

"Wait, that kid arrived?" he asked, suddenly his eyes were wide.

"Yes, just yesterday. I handled it, brother."

"Oh. Well then. Good job, my diligent sister! Let me know how it goes with him, and uh… tell me more about this Beatrix Brehme girl."

She felt her eyes narrow at Jurgen's question.

As if he'd feigned interest in America to camouflage his real interest in the dark-haired would-be seductress. She had to thank the Lord she could see through it and plan her responses accordingly!

"She's just odd. She rarely speaks, and avoids conversations with just about everyone."

He nodded as if asking for her to continue.

"Not much more to say, dear brother."

"How's her swimming?"

She felt her left eye twitch at the question.

"Too good." She grumbled.

Jurgen laughed.

"Isn't envy a cardinal sin, Iris?"

"It is not envy, brother. It is simply annoyance with Brehme's behavior. She never sticks around to compete beyond the class. So she just happily breaks our records and leaves once class is done."

"Hmm, so… a mysteriously gifted swimmer on the girl's team, and a stranger from a strange land."

Irisdina cringed at the words from her brother as he spoke in English and she recognized the title of a malicious book from the West. Calmly she focused on her breakfast, hoping it had just been her brother trying to toy with her.

One look at him, however, told her that gears in his head were turning and not in a way she would like.

April 7th, 1972

3:49 PM

The weekend had been uneventful. Swim team was free, but all that meant was that she had little to do as Jurgen focused his entire energy for his future enlistment.

A pilot…

She felt her heart shatter knowing his interests.

The air war everyone talked about of late was, undeniably, Vietnam.

Soviet-donated MiG-17s and newer MiG-21s fought an uphill battle against the United States Air Force, and despite the wide gap in technology, if the news was even remotely true, and the captured pilots filmed were indeed, downed pilots captured, then the war was far bloodier in the air than anticipated.

And if the dance between East and West ever gets violent…

She shook the thoughts away, and her mind attempted to focus on other, less stressful subjects.

Backstrokes… we might be able to match Brehme if-

"Howdy, Bernhard!"

David Elroy appeared as her mind continued trying to shift focus on the swim team meeting. She'd just exited her classroom behind the others, so he'd been waiting for her. The first thing she noticed was that the young man was on his own.

Again.

Still, she nodded at him, smiling slightly as she said "Mister Elroy. Everything alright?"

David gave a shrug that was paired with a strange, uniquely American mixture of a sigh and a groan.

"To tell you the truth, I'm kinda bored."

"Well, a good education is not based on its ability to entertain you." She replied courtly, then walked past him, hoping that was that but also knowing it wasn't as he followed behind her and continued to hammer away at her thoughts.

"Well, yeah, but back home my science teacher had us dissect a frog once. Here it was just… I dunno." he finished in English.

"You don't know?"

"Yeah."

"Elroy, it's the states of matter."

Back to English, "Ugh. Bo-ring."

"Well, that will not help your score."

Still in English, "No, I mean I learned that in elementary. Air-Gas, water-liquid, rocks-solid… I could ace the science test without studying, bet you anything."

"Can you say that in German?"

"Yeah, betz-zich-annie-ting."

What followed was a purely instinctual and natural response from her. As if perhaps centuries of her ancestors' maternal instincts collided violently with her age at that exact moment and provided her with knowledge of untold eons regarding the female mind and its ability to handle the antics of the opposite sex they so often had to deal with.

In one swift motion, Irisdina lifted her hand up to David Elroy's cheek so quickly and so naturally that he would have never registered it. Had he sensed it, the action might have appeared intimate at first as her index finger and thumb touched his cheek almost gently at first, as if she were about to caress him and gently tell him something sweet and maternal, along the lines of "there there, you will find your place".

Instead, her fingers found their grip and locked together, his cheek between them as she quickly pulled at it and squeezed.

It was a masterful tactic, executed without flaw, and the results were exquisite. David stopped walking and jerked away, startled, eyes as wide as some family dinner plates while some of the students in the hall took notice and made faces his way, but she knew it mattered not.

Before he could complain, she pointed at him, and said in German "Mind your tongue!"

He stared at her in shock, then anger as she turned away and smiled at an angle so he could see her. Quiet giggling began around them as he quickly stormed back to her side.

"Christ, can't you take a joke?"

"I'm German. And please don't take the name of the Lord in vain."

He frowned but kept quiet, she noticed his face reddening as he glanced at the girls around him.

Score 1…

Still, he hadn't walked off. If anything, it was clear he was following her for some deeper reason. Or perhaps a dumb one.

So, mostly to get him to go away, she asked, "I assume you were waiting for me to ask something, Mister Elroy?"

He nodded.

Oh, fine…

"Well, go on. Out with it, please."

After a second where he seemed to consider his words more carefully, he finally said, "I was just going to ask if you know any girls who'd be interested in watching a movie somewhere this Friday."

"Girls? With you?"

"Well, yeah. The guys here are…" he started to rub at his cheek, then growled just under his breath, "Dummkopfs."

She noticed he'd lowered his voice as some guys from the swim team walked past. They smiled at him politely and walked on in silence. Not a mocking silence, and certainly not a defiant one. It was casual. Inoffensive.

She cocked an eyebrow at him and he immediately went to try and make a big deal of it.

"See that? Back home they'd say 'hello' or something." he whispered.

"You are not in America, mister Elroy."

"I know, but… um… notice how they also sneered at me?"

"That was a sneer?"

"Yeah!"

"I shudder to imagine what you consider a friendly smile."

"You don't believe me?"

"No."

"Ah, so you do believe me?"

She paused. Recalled her English lessons, realized her folly but not about to give any ground, and said "I do not believe your stories, David Elroy. It just sounds to me like you are as you said, rather bored, and looking for something to do."

Now the American paused.

He almost looked to have the closest to an empty expression Irisdina had ever seen. As if a fly could literally fly inside one ear and out the other, with a few instants of visibility behind his almost empty dark eyes. David's mind then returned as it finally registered her words, calculated their meaning in a process perhaps not unlike an ancient steam engine lurching to life, and finally, embarrassingly aware, settled on indignation as a response.

"I am not!"

Her cocked eyebrow was lowered and she only stared at him neutrally.

"Okay, I am."

She smiled. Triumph.

Score two…

"Idle hands are the devil's workshop, you know."

"Then he'll have an easy time with me."

"Dangerous words, Mister Elroy."

"Well, what do you expect? You guys don't really have TV, no baseball, your soccer matches are-"

"Football."

"Soccer."

"You are not in America, mister-"

"Whatever! They're boring!"

She sighed, turned to him, and said "Listen, my advice is you focus on your schoolwork. You can also ask for more specific areas to visit in your free time."

"I told you, it's pretty basic for me, and… well, I was asking about going out with a girl who might be interested!"

She didn't buy it. He looked more like he was desperate to get away from his schoolwork if anything. And his request was… naive at best, and very inappropriate at worst.

"So, c'mon, can't you tell me of a girl who'd be interested in-"

"Ah, Irisdina Bernhard."

It was a new voice, and they both paused to turn at the young man.

Brown-haired and freckled, she smiled at him.

"Good day, Kurt."

"Good day. And you must be the new student?"

The American cleared his throat, and… nodded. Just a quick nod. No smile.

"American, right?"

Another quick nod.

That won't do…

Not about to waste the opportunity to get that weight off her shoulders, she smiled at Kurt and spoke quickly, "He comes from the state of Illinois, near one of the North American Great Lakes."

"Oh, really?"

"Uh… yeah. Chicago."

"Oh, the Windy City, right?"

"Uh… yeah. Windy."

"Well? Come on! I'm meeting some guys in the library, and we'd be really curious to discuss how things work overseas!"

Iris smiled and was about to gently encourage the American to socialize with his new peers. It would be healthy and would allow her to focus on her own issues regarding the silent girl in her swim team. But then…

"Irisdina, care to join us?"

Ack!

"Um… thank you, but I had plans regarding-"

"Me." David said quickly, placing an arm around her shoulder.

Kurt frowned.

"You?"

Now in his accented German, Elroy said, "Jah. Sorry, but we cannot go to that library… thing."

She wondered several things at that moment. She wondered about telling David that now he was the one sneering. She wondered about the trouble she'd get in if she kicked him and if it would be worth the satisfaction. She wondered if Kurt's confused stare was registering her own frustrated glare as she tried to settle on where to counterattack the American to get his arm off her shoulder.

Kurt said "Well, alright. We're in the library most days, though. Would love to have you."

"Ah, I know, I know. Maybe next time, uhhhh… Kirk."

That did it.

She swiftly stepped onto his left foot and shifted all her weight onto it while angling it so her ankle pushed directly where the metatarsals and tarsals met. Painful response already guaranteed, she ducked down, taking advantage of the American's taller height, and pushing away from him before he could react to her as he quickly moved to back off.

It would have been a total triumph if not for one miscalculation.

David recoiled away, which wouldn't be a problem except another boy had been walking down the hall at that exact moment. They crashed into each other, and the boy reacted first by shoving him away.

"What's your problem?!" he demanded.

Red-faced, and clearly unsure where to pin any blame, the American raised his hands, and said "Problem? My…? I just… I-"

In his fluster, David had moved too fast, and the result was that he tripped over his own foot as he tried to turn to face the student.

The result of that was as predictable as it was unpleasant.

4:49 PM

"A fight?" the secretary asked, arms crossed as the nurse continued to dab antiseptic on the large cut.

"Uh… yeah… I started it."

He wasn't sure the secretary bought it, but he didn't really care.

Irisdina ruined all odds of that by saying "He tripped over himself, sir."

The secretary nodded and said "Is that right?"

He wanted to keep quiet.

Why didn't he get someone like the Gestapo officers he'd seen in movies that loved to scream in German? The man in front of him was calm and composed. Not out of concern, but out of authority.

He nodded, his face getting hot and he was pretty sure the cut began to bleed more given the nurse clicked her tongue and reached for another cotton swab.

"And yet you want me to write in my report that it was a fight?"

He felt his face grow hotter, the nurse clicked her tongue again, and he briefly worried he might faint. Given most of the blood necessary for basic functions was being cleaned up by the janitor out in the second floor's hallway floor, it was best not to risk losing more. So, to get it over with quickly, he forced himself to look the secretary in the eye.

He nodded.

He saw Irisdina's eyes widened in disbelief and perhaps disgust.

The secretary sighed.

"Fine. You will receive a warning. Given you are an unfortunately special case, you will not be expelled or suspended."

Oh…

As if sensing disappointment, the secretary said, "Unless you wished to be suspended or expelled."

He kept quiet and turned his gaze to the ground only for the nurse to slap his forehead and hiss at him to keep his head still.

The secretary, eyes still on him, then said, "Miss Bernhard?"

"Yes?"

"Please keep an eye on him and help him with any schoolwork he may not understand."

"Of course, sir." she answered diligently, but he could almost see anger in her blue eyes.

"And Mister Elroy, please cause no trouble here. You provide our school a fine opportunity."

He only nodded again.

The nurse finally wrapped the stitches up with a bandage and said "Sleep it off."

He nodded as he lay down on the bed.

The secretary muttered something to the nurse who by now moved to a nearby desk. More worrisome, he heard Iris step closer. He turned, eyeing her as she kept her eyes on the school nurse and secretary. The man turned to them once more, then nodded and walked out.

Stupid.

The second the nurse began to focus on some papers, Irisdina turned to him, her arms crossed in almost painful disappointment, and said in English "You are a troubled child."

He huffed.

Oh, she thought she was so clever. Well, she might be smart. A pretty girl probably pampered in the communist hellhole they lived in. But he could read people alright, too.

So, with a smile he hoped didn't come off as fake, he said "Sorry I couldn't go on our date."

"Date? You think I'm interested in you?"

"Hey! I saw you go pale at that Kurt kid's proposition."

Her scowl deepened.

"What, you like him?"

"David Elroy, do not pretend you did this for me. I had my own plans. Now I have to wait until later. You are causing trouble. Now is not the time to be smirking like you won some childish bet!"

She sounded scarily maternal in her reprimand and his smile disappeared.

Irisdina sighed, again, like a disappointed mother, then said, "If you are truly bored, then I advice you take Kurt up on his library offer."

"That's bo-"

"What isn't boring to you?"

"Uh…" he thought, genuinely for a second, then quickly said "Westerns!"

"Liar."

"Okay, you got me. Back home they have some science fiction movies which are pretty cool, but you don't get them here, either."

"Science fiction?"

"Y'know, giant ants getting shot to pieces by guys with machine guns, or bombing a tarantula with napalm, a prehistoric giant attacking New York-"

As if somehow more disappointed, Iris then said "You're right, we don't have any of your interests here. Nor do I think they'd be particularly well-received if you bright some over somehow. But you can't just act out like this because we don't get movies you enjoy here."

It never was. He shrugged, then decided to turn away from her. The conversation was probably over, anyway.

The nurse suddenly chimed in with, "Busywork. That always keeps troublemaker hands busy."

He whirled around to look at Irisdina who now had a pensive glimmer in her eyes. Not quite mischievous, but most certainly not the look a good Christian girl should-

"Yes. Yes, that should work. I shall ask your teachers for extra work."

"Wait, no-"

"No, and yes. As she told you, sleep it off. You're so bored? Well. fine enough! We have a solution for that."

"But-"

"No buts! I told you, you aren't in America anymore. When in Rome-"

"Rome collapsed!"

"Ohhh,Gott im Himmel, gib mir Geduld." she breathed out, eyes shutting tight.

"Look, I'll behave, okay! I don't need the extra work."

"Liar."

"Okay! I can… damn it-"

The nurse slapped the back of his head, then handed him a wastebasket and a broom.

"Watch your tongue, and we can start here. Forget what I said about sleeping that bruise off, get up. Quick! Quick!"

He wanted to yell at her, but forced himself to keep quiet as Irisdina took a step back.

The nurse then turned to Iris and said, "Go on, teachers should still be in their classrooms. You know his classes?"

Irisdina nodded, saying "Is it alright if he stays with you a bit longer?"

"Of course. I wrangled Russian children before, I can handle a spoiled American cub."

"Hey!"

Another slap to the back of the head.

"Keep brooming."

He obeyed. Unhappy. But he obeyed. A disappointment to The Founding Fathers, to be sure. Still, as Iris walked off without a word, the nurse huffed something in his direction. Was it not enough that he had to deal with the consequences of his actions? Did she really have to pour salt in the wound?

"She likes you, I'm sure."

He didn't reply.

"She's a good kid, cub."

He nodded, hoping the nurse would shut up after that.

Instead, the woman said, "Cubs is a team in the Americas, right? Does it not suit your liking?"

He turned to her, eyes wide in surprise.

"Ah ha. So it is. That look says it all."

"How did you-?"

"You've been here a week, no? Isn't it obvious we aren't the people you think we are?"

"You can't know what I think."

"Your exact thoughts? No, probably not. But you probably believe that this is some hellish nightmare nation where you're one step from disappearing under mysterious circumstances if you step out of line, no?"

The term communist hellhole was fairly encompassing of all that, but he wasn't about to admit it.

"Do not misunderstand, this is not America. You will not be pampered here, you will learn to be an excellent member of society and how to contribute to mankind. Good will come of your stay here. But we will not pamper you."

He nodded again, hoping it would end the chat.

The last thing she said while taking a seat was "And you're lucky someone like Iris is looking out for you now."

He nodded slowly. Not admitting anything just yet. Not planning on it.

5:59 PM

Beatrix exited the pool gracefully as ever whilst she tried to catch her breath.

"Not bad, Bernhard. Let's try to keep that speed."

She nodded at her instructor, while the man turned to Brehme.

"Brehme, good time, too."

The girl nodded back, then kept walking to the benches, a water bottle waiting for her.

You…

She kept the negative thoughts away, not about to sin in her mind. Instead, she followed after Beatrix. As the dark-haired girl began to sip from her water, and she'd finally managed to catch her breath, she asked.

"Were you even trying?"

Beatrix Brehme raised an eyebrow in her direction.

Irisdina Bernhard, however, only awaited her response.

Beatrix only responded by shrugging. Then turning her gaze to the door, she sighed in what came off as melancholy. Iris sat next to her, trying to figure the girl out.

"So, how are things with your father?" Brehme asked suddenly.

Iris froze at the question. Ahead of them, another pair of girls dove into the pool. Brehme's gaze remained on the door, but her words…

The dark-haired girl replied with, "I heard rumors is all."

Now she had to sigh in melancholy before replying.

"I'm praying he gets better. The doctors will inform us soon enough."

"That's good, I suppose. He can get the care he needs now." Brehme punctuated with a shrug.

Then came the big question.

"How's Jurgen taking it?"

She had to suspect malicious intent behind those words. Simple words. An innocent question. Yet she doubted it was all that innocent. It wasn't prejudice, it was intuition. A sister asking about her brother was normal. A friend asking about her brother was normal.

Another girl asking about her brother?

It could be innocent.

It could be something else.

But still, she answered truthfully.

"I worry. He seems alright, but I worry."

She noticed Brehme finally turned to look at her. Her reddish eyes and almost porcelain features hid any hint of a reaction. The only sign the stoic girl cared was the speed with which she'd turned to her.

"How come?"

She frowned.

"He plans on enlisting. He wishes to be a fighter pilot and defend the nation if war broke out."

"What?!"

She was startled at the girl's sudden but quick emotional outburst. Others turned to look at them, though none were about to ask. Still, she was partly surprised.

And suddenly, ideas formed in her mind. Malicious ones that she was certain were partly pushed on her by the serpent of old, but at the same time, if the Lord really intended her brother be flying fighter aircraft against the West, then surely trying to sabotage it on the basis of saving his life wouldn't be a sin. Right?

Iris nodded slowly at her as her mind formulated the plan piece by piece.

If anyone had a chance at convincing Jurgen not to join, it was probably her.

"I do not approve of it, and I doubt our mother approves either. Being a pilot would be a career path, and not something he'd be relieved of once he served his time as a conscript."

Beatrix quietly muttered, "And the dangers if war broke out…"

Irisdina said "Of course! If war broke out… I pray it never does."

As Beatrix seemed done with the conversation, Irisdina quickly said "Hey, why not come over this weekend?"

"Huh?"

"Yes, yes, a quick visit, maybe lunch or dinner. I'm sure he'd love to see you."

"H-he'd love to see me?"

Uh oh…

She steeled herself, and quickly said "Of course. Plus, it would be nice to have a helping hand for our meals that day. Jurgen can't cook at all."

Beatrix eyed her. Sad eyes seemed uncertain of what to say.

Internally, she frowned, but outwardly she gave her a reassuring smile and took her hand, then said "Please?"

"I feel like you plan on using me."

"Wel, I…" and suddenly a thought occurred.

She didn't have to like it.

But it was an option that might just work.

April 8, 1972

6:00 AM

David didn't expect the loud pounding on his door so early in the morning. It was Saturday, damn it! Let a man sleep in for once!

Frighteningly, the knocking on his door was closer to a pounding that was eerily continuous and rather demanding. As if trying to force him to open the door by sheer force of continuous hitting.

So, he groggily got out of bed and stumbled to the door. He pulled it open and was met with a familiar face that had blue eyes and blonde hair tied in two separate braids.

"Guten morgen!" Irisdina said with a smile so obviously fake he actually wanted to forget basic decency and slam the door in her face.

In fact, it's what he would have done had she not let herself inside and pushed right past him.

"How'd you get in here?" he grumbled.

"I asked. Now, look, this is short notice, I understand-"

"Short… what? Wait, why are you here?"

Irisdina frowned, then said, "Look, you need tutoring, right?"

"No."

"But you have all this extra work you haven't started on." she nodded once to his desk. A stack of papers stared back at him from behind her, mocking him.

He was about to point out that the papers weren't due for a while. That he didn't need to start them on his day off. That his plan now was to just sit in his room and sulk. Maybe call his folks, see if he could beg them to take him home.

But then, Irisdina said, "So, pack them up, and come to my place."

David frowned and said, "Why?"

"Because you've been here a little less than a week and clearly have not gone out much. My home is not that far, and we can get your extra work done quickly enough."

He rubbed at his stitches. His fault. Fine. But it wasn't fair he'd been stuck the way he was. Was he not entitled to some level of indignity at his situation? Yes, he'd be able to go out, but what would be the fun in going out to focus on schoolwork?

"Another girl will also join us."

That got his attention.

"Oh? Us?"

"Yes. And if you behave and do your work, perhaps we can all go watch a movie together."

"Ugh, propaganda films?"

"Or we can sit around and watch Unser Sandmännche!" she said a little too cheerily.

"Ugh."

"Is that all you can say?"

"I don't know. I had plans."

"Thou shall not bear false testimony."

"I had plans!"

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, it was to sleep in. God!"

"Thou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain."

He wanted to talk back, but found himself unable to.

"So, get yourself ready. I'll wait outside and the next bus should be at the station in thirty minutes."

"I haven't had breakfast."

"I'll make you some at home."

"Gross."

"You don't have to eat it. Think of it as…" she seemed pensive, then said, "Think of it as me helping you find a date."

He huffed, then said, "Right, the mysterious second girl. You haven't given me her name yet."

"Her name is Beatrix Brehme. I believe you briefly bumped into her on your first day."

He searched his memories, but nothing came to mind. He'd bumped into a lot of East Germans in his five days in the GDR. Some on accident. Still, a name like Beatrix sounded like he'd remember it. Someone interesting. Someone he'd want to meet.

"Fine, I'll… I'll be out in five minutes."

"Good."

"Out." he grumbled.

She nodded and walked out the door.

He didn't know she had a plan. He suspected she did, but he didn't really know what. Maybe set him up with some sad girl who she wanted to help? Maybe something to teach him a lesson? Maybe it was nothing to do with him?

He pushed the thought aside and prepared to meet with this Beatrix Brehme.


A/N: Uh... surprise?

Man, I think actual people who lived in East Germany may read this and cringe. Hard.

Sorry about that, but feel free to roast me in the reviews if I got something egregiously wrong. Research on this hasn't been as easy as I thought so I just... winged it.

So, this is me REALLY experimenting as teenaged David and Iris are probably the first proper teenaged characters I've written. They're 14, one is more mature than the other, the other is... annoying... but learning.

I hope.

This is, as noted, to set up for the rest of the story and show exactly what kind of relationship David had with the Bernhards and Beatrix. We know he knew them, but just how close were they has been purposefully kept unclear.

I also just wanted a more lighthearted chapter.

But yeah, it's mostly set up as I only got to read so much of the Bernhard im Schatten novel before the link I got to the translation seemed to disappear off the net. Jurgen didn't get much screentime here, but will next chapter if all goes well as... I want to show that yes, he is a major catalyst for the events of the story despite the AU setting.

Plus, this way I can explore a bit more about Beatrix before going into her character more in 1983.

And yes, this is Side B going first. I'll label it in the chapters so if the flashback chapters don't interest you, you can avoid them.

But I really do hope this chapters will be interesting enough to read given that they're partly for context as things escalate.

With that said, thanks a ton for reading, and... yes, the next chapter is a 1983 chapter, albeit a shorter one.

Hope it's a good read, but if not let me know! Remember, reviews are always greatly appreciated! If I got anything wrong, let me know!

Special thanks yet again to Kilian for proof reading this chapter!

And thank YOU for reading!