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.It is very awkward.”“I am sorry to hear that,” said Joschka,“The real shame is that the nurses are likely to move out of the camp soon, they say they are needed in a hospital nearby and they had enough of living in the camp.If they work for the hospital, they are entitled to living room allocation; that means a proper room to themselves.We still can't move in our dorm, so I am not surprised they are considering it.It won't be long before it all becomes too much for Wilma.Greta keeps going to the Red Cross tent queuing to request information about her father and Egon but they are totally flooded with requests and pleas.I wonder if we will ever find out.”“Maybe you should find some work yourself,” Joshka suggested “We should all try and get out of here.”Before Evka could turn these plans into reality however, a solution to their predicament came from the nurses.They were leaving the camp to work at the local hospital in a few days’ time.The woman who had come to interview them had asked the nurses if they knew of any other qualified personnel here in the camp.Recruitment campaigns often proved futile because the desperation to start a normal life made many people lie about their abilities and work experience.It had proven far more successful to use recommendations from already chosen candidates, who would not suggest anyone lazy or useless if they would have to work together with them in the future.Being aware of Wilma’s fragile condition and the need to get her out of the claustrophobic environment, the nurses had tried to get positions for the two sisters and her friend as well.Greta was offered work as an assistant nurse in the hospital while Evka, Wilma and even little Ernst could help out in the hospital canteen and laundry.The work would be hard but there would be food and accommodation, at least slightly more comfortable than here.It was also a steady place for them to wait for further news of Jonah, Alma and Egon.Joschka could always visit his 'wife'.“What do you think?” Greta asked her friend Evka.“We would be mad not to take this opportunity,” replied Evka immediately.“I am game for anything that brings us closer to normality.I am sick of living on charity, I want to earn my living and I want to get away from the people in here.”“Others are your hell, Sartre said, and he was spot on,” Greta said philosophically.“Very true,” Evka agreed.“When I worked in the factory, I was at the mercy of my superiors, the Germans told us what to do for six years; here in the camp the Germans hate me, the Czechs hate me and the Americans can’t wait to dissolve the camps so they can go home.I’ll never get back to Pilsen and I know I’ll never be welcome in Germany.At least we are moving forward, instead of waiting and crying over spilt milk.I'd pack my bag right now if you all decide to come along.All I want is for us to stay together.”“Me too!” said Ernst.“I don't want anyone else to leave.”“Yes, let's get out of here and move to the hospital!” Wilma agreed.“You are right, Evka,” said Greta after a little pause.“This is no life at all.But let's be clear about one thing: The world has not changed overnight, nor have the people.Outside we will meet the same types that we have met in here.”“I know,” Evka said, “But let us take our chance and hope for the best.This is as good a place as any to start anew.Who knows what the Allies are going to decide about the refugees next.Maybe they will send them all to Africa or Asia.It would be good if we could be the masters of our lives for a change.”“So it is agreed? We leave?” asked Wilma full of excitement,“Agreed,” said Greta.They moved out of the camp two days later, into two small rooms that had been confiscated from a German family.Bravely, they endured the resentment by the family.Ernst and the three women soon charmed their way into the family's heart.Their new life in a new country had begun.EpilogueGreta soon became a trained nurse, a profession she carried out until her retirement decades later.By alleviating pain in others she felt she could right the many wrongs that had happened.When she cared for a complete stranger she hoped that maybe somewhere another woman was doing the same good deed for her brother and father.Many who tried to learn the profession had to give up because they could not handle seeing all the pain and suffering in the hospital but to Greta, every little bit she could do to help mattered more than all the lost cases put together.With so many dying of hunger and dysentery, it was comforting to save some [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]