Page 103 - LEIBY

Chapter 13 103

Berele’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. He sized
up Leiby from head to toe, but still had trouble finding any
resemblance to his old friend.

“Someone helped me to become someone else,” Leiby smiled.
Only his smile was recognizable to Berele.

“And now I need your help,” Leiby continued. “I need you to
allow me to travel by train over the border to Poland, as a train
driver’s apprentice.

“Poland? Here is also Poland.”

“No,” Leiby explained patiently. “I need to get to the Poland
that is beyond the boundaries of 1939… to territories that are
not going to be annexed to the Soviet Union.”

“You are one lucky man,”Berele exclaimed.“Today is my last day
as the station supervisor. Tomorrow, Dmitri Vigodtzikov will
replace me. He’s a local Soviet nationalist, who the government
have enlisted into service. While we spat up blood in the forests
for the sake of Mother Russia, Dmitri collaborated with the
Germans. A short time before the Red Army liberated the area,
he suddenly joined a partisan brigade, and even became leader
of a group of youths who greeted the Red Army with cheers
and applause. Now the government have enrolled him here in
the hope of receiving support from the locals, who know him
well.”

“You see, I told you that that is what would happen in the end.”

“I know, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon,” Berele
sighed.

“I think it’s good that it happened already now, before you’ve
become too firmly rooted here,” Leiby reproved him. “And as
long as the Polish border is still open to travelers, we have to
grab the opportunity and flee.”

Berele listened attentively to Leiby’s persuasions. Finally,
just before sunset, they went together to a small room in the
station, where they found one of the train drivers dozing off on
a makeshift leather armchair. After a few whispered sentences,