Page 233 - LEIBY

Chapter 30 233

The vacant bed was in Sandy’s room, and Pavel was placed there
instead of Grisha. Grisha had been a good-natured, cheerful
boy, who had arrived at the orphanage with the first wave of
the repatriation36 directly from Russia. He knew only Russian,
so he’d been allotted the bed next to Sandy, who knew several
languages. A few days previously, Grisha’s aunt had arrived and
taken him away with her.

Sandy looked at Pavel but kept his distance. He reminded him
of the anti-Semitic, Polish partisans from the troop that had
been liquidated and he had no desire at all to share his room
with him. He wondered if Pavel was really Jewish; perhaps he
was just an abandoned boy who Stefanya had brought here in
order to earn a few zlotys off him.

The dorm mother sensed Sandy’s reluctance to welcome his
new roommate. “Pavel will get used to us soon and he’ll be a
wonderful roommate,” she encouraged him.

She showed Pavel his bed and the space cleared for him in the
closet, then handed him a fragrant pastry and steaming cup of
tea.

Pavel sat himself down on his bed and immediately dirtied the
pristine sheets with his muddy shoes. Next, he pulled out a huge
wooden crucifix from his knapsack and hung it from a nail on
the wall. He also hung up some tattered pictures of churches.

Sandy looked at him in revulsion. What a goy! What business
did he have in a Jewish dormitory? Why didn’t he return to the
farm with Stefanya? He fit in there far better than here!

The annoying chime of the nearby church bells could be
heard in the quiet room, aggravating Sandy, and he slammed
the window closed to block out the sound. Pavel pushed him
roughly aside, opened the window, and listened with obvious
pleasure. “So, I have a place to visit on Sunday,” he smiled to

36 ZĞƉĂƚƌŝĂƟŽŶ ʹ ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŚŽŵĞůĂŶĚ͕ ĂŶ ĂŐƌĞĞŵĞŶƚ ƐŝŐŶĞĚ ďLJ
WŽůĂŶĚ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ^ŽǀŝĞƚ hŶŝŽŶ ŝŶ ϭϵϰϱ͕ ĂůůŽǁŝŶŐ WŽůŝƐŚ ĐŝƟnjĞŶƐ ǁŚŽ ŚĂĚ ŇĞĚ
Žƌ ďĞĞŶ ĞdžŝůĞĚ ƚŽ ZƵƐƐŝĂ ƚŽ ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ƚŽ WŽůĂŶĚ͘