The German Wife(31)

“Why don’t you go wait in Jürgen’s study?” I said heavily, motioning toward the doorway off the hall.

“Hello, Karl,” Jürgen said as he appeared behind me.

“I’ll go make some tea—” I started to say, but Karl stopped me.

“Actually, Sofie, I was hoping you’d join us.”

I frowned, glancing between him and Jürgen, who gave me a bewildered shrug.

“I’ll just ask Mayim to watch the children.”

By the time I returned to the study, Karl and Jürgen were seated opposite one another by the window. That little model rocket was now sitting atop Jürgen’s bookshelf. I glanced at it as I pushed the door closed.

Karl followed my gaze. “This was one of our earliest prototypes at the space society,” he said. “It misfired, remember?” Jürgen nodded slowly. “I kept it, thinking that once we perfected the technology, you and I could look back at that model and marvel at how far we’d come. When you called me a few days ago, it occurred to me it might make a nice gift, so I had it mounted.” His gaze shifted to Jürgen. “I wanted to remind you of the dream we’ve shared for all of these years.”

I forced a smile, but Jürgen still looked somber. I took the seat beside him and he immediately reached for my hand.

“I told you on the phone,” Jürgen said quietly. “This job isn’t for me. I’m happy at the university. We are getting by—”

“That’s simply not true and we all know it, so can we just drop the pretense?” Karl said impatiently. “Let’s focus on the bigger picture—bigger than your finances. Can you imagine the way the world would react if we were to achieve the first space flight? If you won’t take this job to solve your family’s financial woes, then do it for your country. Jürgen, you could be instrumental in restoring our reputation on the international stage.”

“Could you guarantee that any potential rockets this program created would never be weaponized?” Jürgen asked bluntly. I held my breath as I turned my gaze to Karl, who answered calmly.

“We are prohibited from rearming by the Treaty of Versailles.”

“I’m not a fool, Karl.”

It was rare for my mild-mannered husband to raise his voice, and I jumped. Karl stared back at him impassively.

“I’m saying it as plainly as I can. The goal is space,” he said flatly. “This isn’t a job developing rockets for the Nazis—certainly not a job developing weapons for Hitler. It’s just like taking a job as a town planner for the City of Berlin, or as secretary for the Department of Health—you’ll be working for the people of Germany, not whomever the current government happens to be.” I could see Jürgen was unconvinced—his lips remained pursed, his shoulders stiffly locked. We sat in silence for a long, tense moment—then Karl’s tone abruptly softened as he pleaded with us. “Jürgen—Sofie. Just promise me you’ll think it over, okay? This is the chance of a lifetime. As your friend, I can’t bear to watch you let it pass you by, especially now that I know how badly you two need the money.”

Jürgen caught my eye, and I gave a subtle shake of my head. That Karl was pushing this hard only reinforced my feeling that this job was not a smart move for Jürgen. I saw the relief in my husband’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Karl,” Jürgen said. “This job is not for me.”

Karl seemed frustrated, but he stood and Jürgen and I followed him to the front door. There, he paused.

“I am your friend, and I understand your decision. I just hope you both realize there may be others who do not.”

Less than an hour after he left for work the next day, Jürgen returned home, calling out to me as he came through the front door. I found him in his study standing at his desk, staring down into a large box, a distant expression on his face.

“What on earth are you doing home so early?”

“Professor Koch said it came from above his head. Above the dean’s head, even. He said they had no choice but to let me go.”

“Who gave them no choice?” I said tightly. Jürgen reached into the box and withdrew a folder, placing it down into his drawer. “Jürgen, who? Was it Karl?”

He was silent as he reached into the box again and withdrew a book, silent as he walked across the room to place it on a shelf. When he turned back to me, I was startled by how pale he was.

“It doesn’t really matter who did this because we do know why they did it.”

That night, Jürgen and I sat around the dining room table with Adele and Mayim, trying to find an alternative to the Army Ordnance position.

“Cut your losses. Sell the house,” Adele announced. “Move in with me.”

“I’ll move home,” Mayim said quietly. “It won’t be so bad.”

“Aunt Adele, there simply isn’t enough room unless you evict a tenant, and we all know you could never bring yourself to do that,” Jürgen said gently. “Besides, even if we did move in with you, you can’t support us forever. I’d still need to find another job.”

“Maybe I could look for a job?” I said. Everyone stared at me. I scowled. “What?”

“You’re no more qualified for a job than I am,” Mayim pointed out. “And I’ve never even come close to finding work.”