The Pathfinder by Margaret Mayhew Page A

it and some aeroplane pictures for Rudi. He wants to buy the pilot’s watch. I told him I wasn’t sure you still had it.’
    â€˜Yes, I still have it. I always knew he would come back for it.’
    â€˜I don’t see why. I never thought he would.’
    â€˜Two reasons. He liked the watch. And he liked you.’
    She said crossly, ‘You talk such nonsense, Dirk. He doesn’t like anything German. He never wanted to come here in the first place, anyone could see that. It was all Nico’s doing. You know how he loves to meddle with people’s lives. To manipulate. I think he gets a kick out of it.’
    â€˜Well, it was lucky that he meddled with ours. He’s a lot of help to us.’
    â€˜But I hate to feel beholden to him in any way. I don’t like him bringing us things. I don’t like him coming here at all.’
    â€˜We need him. He’s good for business. He knows everyone. Everything that happens in Berlin.’
    â€˜Then I wish he would find you some proper work instead of this dangerous game you play.’
    â€˜What would I do? Sweated labour for peanuts, like you do? Dig drains? Cart rubbish? Is that what you want for me?’
    â€˜You’d get extra rations.’
    â€˜I can get extra rations without doing that. Look at all the things I find for us. So long as I can do that, you don’t have to sell yourself to any more Americans.’ He stared at her thoughtfully. ‘I think you should encourage the squadron leader. I told you – he admires you. I saw the way he was noticing you. Very politely, of course, like an English gentleman. Very correct. But he noticed you, just the same. If you play your cards right you could marry him and go and live in England and drink tea all day.’
    â€˜Don’t say such stupid things. It’s not funny.’
    â€˜But it’s not so stupid. Just be sure not to tell him anything, that’s all. A lot of girls in Berlin are getting out that way. Why not you?’ He grinned. ‘Only you will have to work fast because the British will be leaving soon. The Russians are driving them out like frightened sheep. You could take Rudi with you. I’ll look after Grandfather. He’s too old and gaga to move.’
    She said quietly, ‘I don’t want to leave, Dirk. This is our home. We are Berliners.’
    He nodded. ‘So we are. Suits me.’ He picked up the half bar of chocolate from the table. ‘Is this any good?’
    â€˜Yes. It’s got a different layer in the middle.’
    He bit into the bar, chewed and swallowed. ‘Not bad. I never knew the British could make decent chocolate.’ He smiled at her. ‘Perhaps he’ll bring some more when he comes back for the watch.’
    It was almost two weeks before the squadron leader returned one evening. Dirk opened the door to him and he came into the room in his smart blue uniform with medal ribbons and badges, holding the Royal Air Force cap in one hand and carrying a large brown paper bag under his other arm. Lili knew from seeing the British Occupation Forces in Berlin that they were by no means all tall and fair-haired, as she had previously imagined, but the squadron leader was both those things, with blue eyes. Even out of uniform, she would have instantly known his nationality. So reserved. So stern-looking. So unemotional. So correct.
    Grandfather had not felt well and had gone to bed early but Rudi was up and the squadron leader had, indeed, brought more chocolate. He took it out of the paper bag: not the sandwich kind this time, but a different one in a purple wrapper. He laid it on the table. Cadbury’s Whole Nut Milk Chocolate. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t find any more pictures,’ he told Rudi. ‘But I brought this instead.’ He handed her brother a metal model of a two-engined aeroplane. ‘It’s an American DC3. A Dakota, we call it in the RAF.’
    Rudi was