Mistress

Chapter 2

I couldn't breathe. I just stood there, absolutely terrified, staring at him. He glanced down at my yellow star on my chest, then looked back into my eyes. We both knew what he had to do. I silently prayed that God would protect me, and thanked Him for everything He had done for me in protecting me thus far. The man seemed frozen. It appeared that he was having an internal battle. He looked both ways, then cleared his throat. "I'll be back," he mumbled as he turned to the door.

As he walked out of the room, I knew that I had a choice. My room was on the second floor of my home, and leaving through the window would result in a fall, where I would surely be caught by another Nazi. Staying in my room, he would return. Either way, I knew that my time of freedom was over. I decided to wait, knowing that I was more likely to survive longer without broken legs. I waited for 30 minutes, then the door opened. The man walked back in and sat next to me on the bed. I was terrified. I didn't know what he was going to do to me.

He looked up at me. "I don't want to send you to the camps. I can see how terrified you are. I have an idea. And I hope you understand that I'm risking my life for this." I nodded, afraid to speak. He ran his hand through his blonde hair. "I want to protect you. I will protect you. All you need to do is play the part of my wife until the end of the war." I shot him a glance, wondering if I had heard him right. "I will disguise you. No one will ever suspect you. We can create a new identity. You'll be safe." He looked at me. "What do you say?"

I thought a moment, then said silently, "What about my family?"

The man thought a moment. "I'll do my best to protect them." I hesitated, then he said, "I hope you understand that if you turn me down, you will be sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau."

I looked up at him. "I will."

He grinned slightly. "I will come to pick you up tonight." He stood up and left the room.

I leaned back, wondering what I had just gotten myself into. I had just agreed to basically marry a stranger just to save my own life, and hopefully the lives of my family. I wondered if this would actually save my life, or if he was just going to torture me so I wished I was dead. There was no hiding it. I was absolutely petrified.