Why, girls... why?

     My parents got registered on the 9th of May, 1945 near Berlin.  My father was a

military pilot and my mother served in Air Forces as a nurse.  "No wedding before the

victory," - my Mum said. - "So much grief around. And what is more - they can kill one of

us."  My Dad got enough patience to wait.  And then it happened.....  since then our

family has been celebrating two great events on one day.


     After the end of the war my parents continued to serve in Germany.  And here my

Mum gave birth to her first son and gave him his father's name.


     Once still pregnant she with other pilot's wives was waiting for her turn to re-

ceive food allowance.  Ham, sausage, cheese.....  And here she told about her mother's

letter from Russia where she was starving and could buy nothing with the money the

daughter regularly sent her because there was no food on sale at all.  The people from

her village went to the forest to gather nettle and then back home they put it in the

boiling water to make something resembling soup.....  They had no potatoes, no bread...


     The next morning the father was summoned to learn that he and his wife must leave

Germany within 24 hours.....  the place of his future service was not mentioned.


     "First think, then speak! Someone from that line denounced you to NKVD (so state

security department was called at that time)".


     My Mum rushed to her friends.  "Why, girls... why?  And what did I tell?  The truth!

I suffer much thinking how my mother is starving.....  while I have best food here.....

What will they do to my husband now?"


     Besides my Mum there were eight women in a line. Seven of then submitted reports

proving that Mum said nothing of the kind and that there wasn't even talk about Russia.

The same day the order was revoked.


                (The translation from Russian by the author)