Cafe Babanussa by Karen Hill Read Free Book Online Page A

Werner translated, she pointed to the blue knapsack on the rack above her head. Only when they had finished carefully thumbing through her passport and returned it did she realize she’d been holding her breath.
    As the train took off again, she noticed a grey slab of concrete looming behind a tall barbed wire fence.
    There it was. So plain, so simple, so ugly.
    They chugged along parallel to the Wall for a while and then snaked towards the city through a dense forest. The leaves on the trees were a vibrant shade of green, and tree branches stuck out from every which way as they coursed along the rails towards the city.
    â€œThis is the Grunewald,” Werner told her. “Berlin has the largest urban forests in all of Europe.”
    Ruby felt this was most appropriate for a city enclosed by a wall. Soon she was taking in the beauty of the cityscape that was gliding by her window, so different from the harsh regime that surrounded it. Church spires, intricate and colourful facades adorning tall buildings, a gilded palace. Against the grey hues, the place radiated a melancholy elegance.
    The train screeched into West Berlin’s downtown station, Zoologischer Garten. Werner was telling her that he didn’t believe in phones or televisions and she would have to place any calls from the public phone down the road from him.
    The long train ride had taken its toll, for her whole body ached as she lifted her knapsack onto her shoulders. She stepped onto the platform with the throngs of other passengers, Werner following her and offering to take her knapsack.
    â€œWe made it,” Werner said and smiled at her.
    â€œThat was quite some trip . . . and wow, I saw the Wall up close.”
    â€œYou’ll be seeing plenty of that while you’re here—it’s everywhere.”
    Werner led her into the heart of the bustling station. Hewalked very quickly and she had difficulty keeping up with him. The subway was dirty and worn down, full of old men and women. They passed a group of young punks wearing studded leather bands, heavy black army boots, dog collars and safety pins hanging from their ears. Strips of hair split their shorn, shiny scalps in half. Two careening drunks waved bottles of beer like flags, shouting loudly at everyone and no one in particular.
    As Ruby and Werner squeezed out the doors with the other passengers, an older man jostled Ruby and sneered something under his breath.
    â€œWhat was that about?” she asked. “That guy bumped into me and then sounded really angry.”
    â€œOh, don’t worry. Our language always sounds harsh. It was nothing. Besides, Berliners are known to be grumpy.”
    â€œJust what I need when I’m striking out in a new place.”
    â€œDon’t be silly, you’ll be fine. But if you end up staying, you’ll have to learn German.”
    The cool spring air had a peculiar sharp scent that Ruby couldn’t identify. The buildings were tall, grey and close together, blocking an easy view of the sky. Not far from the station, Werner steered the way to a sombre six-storey building with a crumbling facade. Through the entryway, a wide corridor led into a cement-paved courtyard surrounded on all sides by more decrepit buildings. As she looked up at the high windows, she imagined countless pairs of eyes staring down on her.
    â€œI live in what’s called the Hinterhaus, or the backhouse. These courtyards were originally built so that a horse andbuggy could come in, turn around and go back out. These houses are particular to Berlin—you won’t find many of them anywhere else in Germany. Come, let’s not stand here for too long,” he said, pushing her on. “My place is very small and there are some things you’ll have to get used to.”
    Ruby didn’t consider herself a fussy person, but she was still surprised by the little closetlike chamber on the second landing, just large enough for a toilet, but