CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Spring came quickly to Leipzig that year, almost overnight. One day a freezing wind was whistling down the streets; the next, the sun was high in the sky and temperatures were hitting 25 degrees.
The sunshine changed things. Not only did the city look shabbier in the bright spring light, suddenly there was nowhere to hide. Roaming Leipzig’s dark streets muffled in winter coats and hats, it had been possible to feel anonymous. In winter time, John Bull-Halifax’s warning about no western contacts had made my relationship with Magda seem thrillingly subversive. Now his words rang in my head like a threat.
Spring also brought a flurry of political activity that made it harder for us to forget where we were. Magda had to travel to Berlin for a cousin’s Youth Initiation ceremo
