The Twins. Sheldon Cohen

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СКАЧАТЬ reception office. An older woman was sitting behind the counter, enclosed by a sliding window.

      “I’m here to see Frieda Brunner,” he said.

      “They should be finished with lunch soon. If you’ll just sign in and have a seat in the visitor’s room, we’ll let her know you’re here.”

      He signed the name “Otto Hoffman,” and took a seat that allowed him to peer into a large cafeteria. His heart raced. They knew who Frieda Brunner was. She was here. If he left then, he would have had all the information he needed, but he sat glued to his seat hoping for a glimpse of her. There were others in the room—some waiting, some talking. He would be as inconspicuous as possible.

      He knew it was she as soon as she walked into the visitor’s room accompanied by the older woman at the reception office. He jutted his chin forward in an attempt to change his appearance somewhat. “Oh,” he said, “you’re not the Frieda I’m looking for. Sorry to bother you, and thanks for your trouble,” he added, speaking to the receptionist. He turned and left. As best as he could determine, there was not a glimmer of recognition from Frieda.

      He had one part of the answer. She was indeed pregnant and staying at the facility. As to whether she was the one Brigid had been paired with, there was not much doubt. She had similar features as Brigid. It must be her. The pastor said she was from Austria and she worked as a waitress. This was more than mere coincidence.

      This woman might be carrying his baby. The irony of it was unbelievable. Her due date was the day calculated from when he was with her. He had done his own research. He might well be arranging to adopt his own child, or Alfred’s child!

      CHAPTER 10

      Ten days after the wedding, Alfred and Helene returned from their honeymoon, and Alfred went back to work. After several months, his boss, Sigmund Halder, fell silent and a frown masked his jovial face. Alfred commented, “What’s eating at you? Something’s wrong.”

      “Could be,” he said. “Have you noticed that business has dropped off?”

      Yes, Alfred had noticed less work, but his only emotion had been one of happiness over the reduced workload. Now, with Sigmund’s change in personality, he realized how this could affect him. “Uhh, yeah, but I figured it wouldn’t last long.”

      “So did I until I checked. I went to the University of Munich because I stopped getting orders for the special research projects, and I found out that they had cut back. We also lost the vase account from Franck Company. These were our two biggest accounts.”

      Damn, the old man was right as usual, thought Alfred. No more special shaped glass tubes. He said it might happen. “How come we lost Franck?”

      “They discontinued the line. Disappointing sales. It’s rough to have a business when you have to depend on just a few other people. You’re at their mercy, and there isn’t anything you can do except lower expenses or replace the lost business with other accounts.”

      Alfred did not say anything, but he could sense that he was in peril. His father’s words of warning rang in his ears. This could not be happening to me, he thought. Things were different now. He had a wife to support.

      “I’ll be leaving on a sales trip to try to sign on some new accounts. I’ll be back in about ten days. You take care of things until I get back,” said Sigmund.

      The words sounded like an ultimatum. Alfred knew his job was on the line. This sudden change caught him unaware. What could he do? He would have to continue work, but keep his eyes open for other opportunities. He would not tell Helene yet, hoping for good news from Sigmund.

      Sigmund returned from his trip after only six days. “It’s bad news, Alfred. I’ve never seen worse times for this business. People are not buying, and they’re not interested in new products. I’ve got no choice. I’m going to have to scale back, and that means there’s no place for you here anymore. I’ll have to be a one-man operation again.”

      Alfred had thought about his becoming unemployed, but the concept had seemed unreal, and his mind had refused to come to grips with the possibility.

      Sigmund continued, “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do. I have no choice. The only thing I can offer is some part time work if I get some unexpected orders.”

      I knew it, thought Alfred. “I’ll look around for work. I’ll find something,” he said, trying to act as if he was unperturbed.

      Damn, I can’t talk to the old man. All my life he tries to tell me things. What a pain. But…shit, he was right again. The words of Ludwig rang in his ears. “Go ahead; learn your lesson the way most people do, the hard way. After you have enough of those knocks, maybe then you’ll wake up, but I doubt it.”

      That evening an angry and depressed Alfred went to the beer hall. He saw Heidi.

      “Where’s Frieda?” he asked.

      “She doesn’t work here any more.”

      “Where’d she go?”

      “I don’t know. I was off for a week and when I came back she was gone.”

      “I’ll be dammed. What did you hear?”

      “Nobody else knows where she went either. Here one day, gone the next.”

      “How about a beer, Heidi?”

      For months, Alfred had difficulty finding work, so his father-in-law gave him a temporary job as a maintenance man in his hotel. The sudden change in his status created some tension with his wife, since Alfred was not going out of his way to find employment elsewhere.

      “Don’t you think you should be looking for full-time work?” said Helene, her green eyes blazing.

      As if expecting the question, Alfred was quick to respond. “I am, and I may have found one. Are you ready for a surprise?”

      Helene wrinkled her brow and stared at her husband. “What?”

      “I have a job offer in the United States.”

      Helene’s big eyes opened wide. Then she shook her head, her light brown hair cascading across her face. “I can tell you’re not kidding,” she said.

      “Never been more serious in my life.”

      “What do you know about the job?”

      “My bosses’ cousin has a big glass blowing business in the United States. They don’t have many glass blowers there, so most of the people who work for him are from Germany. He has a factory in Virginia and needs some more men. The salary is great.”

      “But you weren’t making a lot of money here as an apprentice.”

      “Sigmund told him I’m over the apprentice stage and ready for anything. I got a lot of practice blowing those crazy shapes for research, and once you learn how to blow them, you can do anything. His cousin is looking for someone with experience. In fact, if I can prove that I know what I’m doing, I’ll become a supervisor in two years.”

      “Did you give him an answer?”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ