We disembarked with a shuffling of papers between Mrs. Brandt and someone on the dock, nothing that took more than a couple of minutes. The war was less than a year away from beginning, and one could still board and disembark ships as simply as getting on and off a train. Borders and papers seemed more theoretical than they did during or after the war. More like suggestions than divisions. We were viewed askance, but this was because we were three women with a small boy. Being without a man made us suspect. “Mr. Brandt will be here soon,” Mrs. Brandt assured me. We were standing on a dock, being stared at by what seemed like hundreds but was likely only dozens of men. I’m not sure what was more uncomfortable on my skin, their eyes or the heat.
“Well, at least it’s a dry heat,” laughed Els
