On the other side of the gate, an almost alien world awaited us. We had been living in a ghost city for months, but now the world was vibrant all around us. Guarded by the soldiers, we marched with the work gang past shops that were just opening, cafés where people hurriedly downed their morning coffee, and a school with Polish children running to get to class on time. No doubt those children had no idea how lucky they were to be allowed to go to school. I’d had no idea, either, until the Germans came and stopped me from going.
Everywhere, Poles were heading to work. Most of them avoided looking directly at us Jews, but a few stared at us full of contempt. No one showed any signs of sympathy, compassion, or encouragement, although we shared the same enemy, the Germans. Either the Poles couldn’t care less or else they hated us.
Suddenly the clouds vanished and the sun came out for the first time in weeks. It was making fun of us, preferring to shine in the Polish part of the city with its Poles and Germans instead of in the ghetto with its living ghosts.
I was mesmerized by everything. The noise on the streets, all the people, the beautiful sky—it was like stepping out of a dark, empty, dead room, like our pantry, into the light.
Amos whispered to me, “Mira, you’ve got to concentrate … come on!”
He didn’t say it harshly. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he could understand why I was dazed. He gave me a reassuring smile. And it worked. I managed to block out the foreign-seeming world that had once been so familiar and focus on the soldiers guarding us. The fat pig wasn’t with them, thankfully, just two other SS soldiers who looked bored. It was unthinkable that a Jew would try to escape from the troop. The chances of surviving as a fugitive in Warsaw were practically zero. And anyone working at the airport, as this group did, had comparatively good conditions for a Jew because of the smuggling opportunities, so there was no reason to flee.
We walked along a main street with the gang for a while, and then I saw a streetcar approaching on the right. I realized it was heading in the direction of the secret flat that was to be our new home—I still knew my way around the city. I pointed my chin in the direction of the streetcar ever so slightly, and Amos understood at once. If we could manage to jump on board, we could get away.
Even if we blundered and the soldiers noticed us, they wouldn’t be able to follow us. For one thing, a streetcar was a lot faster than two heavy-set members of the “master race.” And for another, they would have to leave the rest of the workers unguarded if they wanted to chase us. The only real danger was that they might start shooting.
The streetcar drew nearer. We took off our armbands with the Jewish star, let them fall onto the ground, and dropped back from the rest.
The SS men didn’t notice.
I nodded to Amos, and we raced toward the streetcar. I didn’t turn round to look back. If the soldiers were going to shoot, there was absolutely nothing I could do about it, but I could lose a valuable half second by looking. Following my encounter in the guardhouse no more than twenty minutes ago—was it really no longer?—I wasn’t going to forget how invaluable seconds, or even half a second, could be ever again.
I jumped onto the back platform of the streetcar. Amos followed me. I was faster than him. He must have kept looking back; there was no other explanation.
The streetcar moved away, and I watched as one of the soldiers took his gun off his shoulder and took aim, but the other soldier stopped him. He didn’t want to risk shooting Polish civilians. Their job was to take a group of laborers to the airport; someone else could worry about a couple of fleeing Jews—who wouldn’t get very far, anyway.
Inside, the streetcar was almost empty; the few Poles sitting here took no notice of us. We were shabbily dressed, but a lot of the Polish workers were, too. So as not to attract any attention, I sat. Amos dropped down on the wooden bench beside me and said approvingly, “That was a great idea.”
It did me a world of good to hear him say that.