The Final Solution

That evening, after both men had finished work, there was a knock at the door. Ben jumped up, fearing that it was the Nazis coming to take them both away. But it wasn't. Instead, it was a tall, young lady, wearing a long, red dress that went all the way past her ankles, and almost touched the floor. She had a prominent bump, sticking out of her stomach. Her black hair done up in a bun, and her thick red lipstick, dominated her otherwise bland face. Her small eyes were fixed on Ben, showing both fear, and anger all at once. Like a balloon of emotions had just popped, and all of the emotions were spilling out. Filling the room. She stood there for a few moments, staring at him.

"Hello Sophie," prompted Ben, eventually breaking the long silence. "Are you okay?"

"No," she replied in a timid voice. "It's Adam. He's dead!" She broke down sobbing.

"You'd better come in" Ben suggested

She walked through the hallway, keeping her head down, and turned left into the sitting room, where Leon was sitting in his spongy, brown couch, next to the window. He looked up, and gave her a comforting smile, and she sniffed, as a tear rolled down her rosy cheek. She sat down shakily next to Leon, and wrapped her arms around him. Ben raised an eyebrow, and gave her a curious glare. Sophie was one of the few people who knew about Ben and Leon's relationship. They were both good friends with her and her husband, Adam. Once she had stopped crying, she removed her arms from around Leon's neck, apologised, and dried her eyes with a white handkerchief which she always kept in her pocket.

"You'd better start from the beginning," comforted Ben.

"Well," she began "You know how my husband owns the bakery out of town?"

"Yes," they both said softly.

"The Nazis found out he was Jewish, and they broke his windows."

"That's awful."

"Then a stone hit him in the head, and knocked him unconscious." She let out a faint cry.

"Go on, in your own time Sophie" said Leon, softly.

"When they set it on fire, he couldn't get out."

Ben rushed over to her, and gave her a firm squeeze. They stood there for what felt like an eternity, and by the end of it, all three of them were crying.

"They'll come looking for me too. They'll take my baby!" she panicked. "We have to get out of Berlin. At least until Hitler is overthrown."

Ben looked at Leon nervously, as if he was searching for an answer to the problem in his eyes. Both of them had thought about leaving Germany before. They knew it was just a matter of time before their sexuality was exposed, and the Nazis came looking for them. The three of them spent the rest of the evening devising a plan, until Sophie eventually went home. It was the perfect plan. The Final Solution to their issue.