Marino went to the Berlin Café just before six p.m. He ordered wine, which wasn’t available, but somehow coffee was. It wasn’t as fresh as coffee in the West, but he drank it anyway.
His entry into East Berlin had been non-eventful, as it should be with an American passport. The guards had nothing to fear. No one was trying to escape into East Berlin; they were only trying to get out. It would be different when he left with Kirstin. Guards would examine their documents closely, challenging the missing record of Kirstin’s entry, and demand answers they might not be able to provide.
When six p.m. arrived and Kirstin had not, Marino got anxious, studying the nearby streets, looking a block ahead to the border. He saw nothing unusual. He suspected if she was delayed, or she couldn’t come, it
