Exodus - Leon Uris [37]
Chapter Twelve
AAGE AND META HANSEN had a lovely home in the suburbs of Aalborg; it was just right for a little girl, for they had no children of their own. The Hansens were quite a bit older than the Clements; Aage was graying and Meta was nowhere as beautiful as Miriam but none the less Karen felt warm and protected from the moment they carried her drowsy little body into their car.
The train ride into Denmark had been bewildering. All she could remember was the stifled sobs of children all around her. The rest was a blur—standing in lines, being tagged, strange faces, strange language. Then waiting rooms, buses, more tags.
At last she was led alone into the room where Meta and Aage Hansen stood waiting anxiously. Aage knelt down and lifted her and carried her to the car, and Meta held her in her lap and fussed and petted her all the way to Aalborg, and Karen knew she was safe.
Aage and Meta stood back expectantly in the doorway as Karen tiptoed cautiously into the room they had prepared for her. It was filled with dolls and toys and books and dresses and records and just about everything one little girl could ever want. Then Karen saw the floppy little puppy on her bed. She knelt beside him and stroked him and he licked her face and she felt a wet nose against her cheek. She turned and smiled at the Hansens and they smiled back.
Those first few nights without her daddy and mommy were awful. It was surprising how much she missed her brother Hans. She nibbled at her food and just sat alone quietly in her room with the little dog she had named Maximilian. Meta Hansen understood. At night she lay beside Karen and held her and soothed her until her soft little sobs subsided into sleep.
During the next week a steady stream of visitors came with presents and made a great fuss over Karen and babbled in a language she still could not understand. The Hansens were very proud and she did her best to be nice to everyone. In a few more days she ventured out of the house.
Karen was terribly fond of Aage Hansen. He smoked a pipe like her daddy and he liked to take walks. Aalborg was an interesting place. Like Cologne, it had a river, called the Limfjorden. Mr. Hansen was a lawyer and very important and almost everyone seemed to know him. Of course, he wasn’t as important as her daddy ... but few people were.
“Well now, Karen. You have been with us for nearly three weeks,” Aage said one night, “and we would like to have a very important talk with you.”
He clasped his hands behind him and paced back and forth and talked to her in a very wonderful way so that she understood. He told her that there was much unhappiness in Germany and her mommy and daddy thought it would be better if she remained with them for the time being. Aage Hansen went on to say that they knew they could never replace her own parents but because God had not let them have children of their own they were very happy to have her and wanted her to be happy too.
Yes, Karen understood it all and told Aage and Meta she didn’t mind staying with them for the time being.
“And Karen, darling. Because we are borrowing you for a little while and because we love you so much, we wonder ... would you mind borrowing our name?”
Karen thought about that. It seemed to her that Aage had other reasons. His question had that grown-up sound ... like the sound of her mommy and daddy talking behind closed doors. She nodded and said that it would be fine with her too.
“Good! Karen Hansen it is, then.”
They took her hands as they did every night and led her to her room and put on the low lamp. Aage played with her and tickled her, and Maximilian got mixed up in the fracas. She laughed until she couldn’t stand any more. Then she got under the covers and said her prayers.
“ ... God bless Mommy and Daddy and Hans and my new baby brother and all my aunts and uncles and cousins ... and God bless the Hansens who are so nice ... and God bless both Maximilians.”
“I will be back in a few minutes to sit with