Page 34 - LEIBY

34 Leiby – Border Smuggler

Natasha recalled. ‘I set down the knapsack on their doorstep,
knocked on the door and rang the bell, and then disappeared
as quickly as I could.’ Natasha let out a long breath. ‘The
Walshewitzes brought the nameless, homeless baby into their
home and took care of her as if she was their very own daughter,’
she concluded.

“I thanked Natasha and hastened to the address that she gave
me. An older man opened the door to my knocking and looked
at me with suspicion. After I explained to him why I had come,
his wife appeared behind him and the look she gave me was
decidedly hostile. I noticed a young girl playing in the living
room. She looked about two years old, with dark curls and huge
brown eyes. I was positive that she was Chana’s daughter. I
informed the couple that Natasha had sent me to their home,
but they cut me off and didn’t let me speak.

“’We don’t know anyone by the name of Natasha,’ they declared
firmly.

“’But it was she who gave you the baby,’ I insisted.

“’What? What are you talking about?’ they exclaimed, aghast.
‘She’s our own daughter, born to us after many years of waiting
for a child.’

“I was positive that they were lying.The girl bore no resemblance
to them whatsoever. They were both tall, fair-haired, and blue-
eyed, and their features were typically Slavic. The child, on the
other hand, was dark-haired, with a characteristically Jewish
appearance.

“’According to Russian legal policy,a child belongs to the parents
who raise him, even if they are not his biological parents. But
anyway, in our case, we are our daughter’s biological parents,
and of course we are raising her too. No one can claim she’s not
ours!’

“’But we’re in Poland,’ I replied. ‘And Polish law states that a
child always belongs to his biological parents.’

“‘For your information, this area is currently under Soviet