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surprisingly well with Hitler in power. I never
thought we would be so well off so soon. Even
work in the camp is more than I ever saw during the
Depression.
Things were tough everywhere, I know.
I shrugged. Things are always tough here. We
Germans are a tough people. We get by with what
we have. Luckily I was able to find a practice with
only a few Jews, so that no one would arrest me
should they close it down. Ja, things are better
now.
Everyone in Britain is worried about war over
this Czechoslovak affair. Would Hitler even do such
a thing?
I doubt it. Hitler is no fool. He has the
politicians on his side. It was stupid of them to have
ever tried to separate Austria and Germany. They
are like brothers.
~ 49 ~
Chris Valentin
Her fears and concerns were real and were not
without validity. Everyone was careful not to
mention how scared they were, that this
unrestrained occupation could become a repeat of
the last war. It seems that man spends much of his
life in fighting others and the rest is spent on
preparing for the next fight. But with Sophie and me
basking in the warm glow of the summer lights as
the sun disappeared, those cares melted away. That
night there was no city or complicated affairs of
state, or even camps with prisoners. There were
only two people sharing a starry night, like Tristan
and Isolde.
The night passed all too quickly for the two of
us. I left her in her hotel and returned to camp. The
festivities, lights, and sounds faded quickly when I
left the city limits and climbed up the road to
Buchenwald, once again revealing the grey and
black campgrounds and barracks. I drove up the
main gates and parked in the lot and felt a serene
sense of happiness. But could such happiness exist
here at all?
~ 50 ~
Eight
t was almost a month after that date in town that
I I saw Sophie again in the camp. She was
wearing her usual crisp uniform with a small box-
like hat with no brim. She walked confidently up to
me, ignoring the crowd of doctors attempting to
raise her attentions.
Hello, Rudolph, she said emphatically, her
voice cheerful and lilting, as she settled some
papers on a desk and gave me her hand. The crowd
around us mingled, making me nervous and
impatient, but I reacted warmly to her touch as she
pulled me toward a friendly embrace.
I ve been so busy, but I wanted to tell you how
much I enjoyed our night in town. It really was
~ 51 ~
Chris Valentin
lovely, thank you.
It was nothing, I muttered, knowing full well
that it did, in fact, mean quite a lot to me.
If ever you need a date, you can call me.
As a matter of fact, I need one tomorrow night.
I am seeing an opera, and I d hate to go alone. If
you can, would you&
Say no more, Sophie, I will be there. Meet me
at the lot tomorrow at eight.
Her cheery face swelled with happiness and a
thin veil of red gripped her face. Thank you. I ll
see you then. With confirmation, she took her
notes from the table and rejoined the cast she
entered with, resuming conversations dropped
nearly a minute before.
I had wanted to speak to Sophie since the day
we returned from Weimar, but I too had been busy.
The camp was getting bigger, anticipations about
war were more certain, and everyone was preparing
for new orders as to what to do in case of
overcrowding. The guards were given new orders:
prepare the camp for the expected crowd by
eliminating some of the remaining prisoners.
But guards, typical of the imbeciles who are
paid to make people move about, had no way to do
so as quickly as they were required. They thought
up ingenious games, such as making prisoners fetch
caps thrown off their heads from just outside the
gates. Of course the guards would shoot, claiming
the prisoners were trying to escape, but to no avail.
The more prisoners a guard killed, the more were
~ 52 ~
Escape From Myself
expected to arrive in a month or so. It was always
in a month or so; the camp seemed to live entirely
in the timeline of a month or so. So far the or so
had been about five years. Would the new-prisoner
swell arrive five years from now or would it, in fact,
be in a month?
By my count at least thirty-five prisoners were
killed by the guards before lusty German eyes were
officially thrust toward Poland. The steady wave of
prisoners meant not only curing the diseased or
infirm but also preparing for the next load and also
moving cattle cars of men to factories all over
Germany to work. By then, even the employees of
the camp were getting ignored by the government.
We began receiving the most unusual and, at times,
impossible orders.
By August of 1939, they wanted us to make the
camp less visible. How on earth do you do that? No
one knew who we were in the first place, and I
doubt anyone in Weimar knew what was going on
up in Buchenwald, but just like that, we were
suddenly forced to make concessions. No one was
allowed out of Buchenwald unless he or she left
from a rear exit. Suddenly all newspapers were
forbidden from camp. I couldn t believe it. They
were cutting everyone off from the public with great
detail, blocking all possible loopholes for those who
couldn t pay for them.
I doubt anyone expected the sudden rise in
corruption that ensued. Everyone suddenly needed
the most frivolous things. The day after the
~ 53 ~
Chris Valentin
banishment from civilization, Eisele began waking
me from sleep periodically to ask for bottles of
wine.
I can t help you, Eisele; my wine is in short
supply.
Look, I can help! Give me a bottle or two, and
I ll give you some of my fresh meats I received
from town, Eisele pleaded desperately.
Meat? What do I need meat for? We have
enough in the dining area!
Perhaps, but for how long?
* * *
Tempers flared and extravagance became the
norm. I admit I sold wine myself for some of the
perks offered to me. But I needed such perks; I
wanted to impress Sophie, and our opera date
unnerved me. The night she returned to the lot and
awaited my car, I had conflicting emotions about
whether I would even be able to see her again. When
I walked into the lot and saw her, all thoughts strayed
and left me.
She was leaning on the passenger s door with a
blue and white dress, flat and plain except for the
tiny indents and accents of her slim waist and legs.
A strand of pearls dangled elegantly from her neck,
and a small, vibrant, flowered version of her nurse s
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