Quality Time (Otto)

[Zelda Wolff]

She was to meet her love at 8 P.M. that night. She threw her bags upon their bed. She had just come back from Munich. She had been shooting a television special there. She unzipped her valise and began flicking through her clothing. She threw dress after dress on the bed and ground. She continued doing this with her elegant clothing until she came across the perfect dress for the evening. An elegant, plum-colored dress. Plum was always her favorite color to wear. She placed the dress on her and Otto's bed. She made her way into the bathroom.

Several minutes later, the lady came out with beauty touches added to her skin and face. She walked over to the mirror and gazed at herself. She was a glittering star. She felt like one, too. She pulled the dress on and zipped it up. She slipped on her elegant pumps. She tied up her long, beautiful blonde curls into a neat bun using nothing but pins to perfect it. She could not wait for that night. It was going to be perfectly stupendous. She pulled on her button-up coat, hat and large shades (for disguise).

She made her way out of the building and into the back of the Mercedes-Benz. She glanced over at the driver. "Die Vine Bridge, bitte." The Vine Bridge was a fine restaurant. It had every cultural cuisine and it was naturally exquisite. It was always her most favorite restaurant. The driver drove off with a vroom. She glanced out her tinted window. Berlin looked lovely that following evening. It was perfect. No rain, just breeze. [Translations: [1]The Vine Bridge, please.]

The driver stopped at the place. "Danke," she thanked him. He just nodded, climbed out and walked over toward her door. He opened it and she climbed out elegantly. She nodded toward him and made her way into the fancy restaurant. She stopped at the receptionist. "Herr Otto Wolff?" she asked, softly. The blond woman looked up, staring at Zelda for a few seconds. Then she climbed back into reality. "Ah, Ja, Ja, Frau Wolff, Recht dieser Weg. Es ist eine Ehre."

[/i] the woman said as she rushed Zelda toward her seat. Zelda was taken to a small room in the corner of the restaurant. That was best. Nobody would recognize the star there. Zelda took off her sunglasses and hat, the pins came off and her blonde hair flowed down. She looked absolutely stunning. [Translations: Ah, yes, yes, Mrs. Wolff, right this way. It is an honor.][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Otto Wolff]

The occasional sound of glasses clinking and the low conversation mingled pleasantly with the soft music playing inside the elegant and expensive restaurant. Even during these days of war, the German high society tried to make the best out of their time, as if such a thing as war did not even exist. Many of them did not want to pay much thought to the fact that somewhere fine young German men were dying, such grim thoughts would have surely destroyed their perfectly enjoyable evening. They would only moan and gripe about the rationing and of the restrictions that had undesirable effects on their otherwise enjoyable lives, just for the sake of feeling companionship with their affluent kin.

Some of the guests of this expensive establishment were soldiers and officers themselves, of course, although there were very few of them - Germany needed as many of her men at the front as possible. Some of the uniformed men were taking care of duties in Berlin and had hardly seen any spot of real war, but Otto Wolff did not consider himself being one of those people. He might have not been sitting in a foxhole or flying Messerschmitts over hostile skies, but he was in the middle of a different, more subtle war. It was a conflict where you could not be sure of who was your enemy, a a game of deceit and subterfuge, one that relied on the warrior's wit instead of his aim. Even in the middle of this pleasant and serene setting, Otto's mind was consumed by dark and heavy thoughts.

He was here to meet his wife after a long period of separation and had tried to set his mind on the meeting. Still, too many things were storming inside his mind and they refused to release their hold of him. His thoughts were in Auschwitz one moment, then on innocent little Heidi, then on some sorry civilian getting his brains plastered all over a cold, stony wall. He could not even hope to grasp one particular thought to study and dissect properly, they seemed to elude and taunt him, going around in circles, just out of his reach. Maybe it was a punishment for all the evil things Otto had done. He had done them for Germany, of course, but it did not completely soothe his conscience. What if he had done something differently? Were the horrible migraines also a part of his punishment? What could have he done differently, anyway? There was only so much one man could do and this wasn't the time to show weakness - Germany needed strong men, men who stood by their decisions and would not sway in their faith for the Führer. What he had done and what he would continue to do, was only for his country, for his Führer and for the sake of the future generations.

The dark-haired, tall man was wearing a grey-and-green uniform of the SS, his golden Nazi party badge pinned to his black tie and the various decorations from the Great War proudly presented on the chest of his tunic. The right-side collar patch, where a regular member of the SS would have carried the infamous runes of the organization, was black, making it evident that the man was a member of the Secret State Police, Gestapo. His peaked, Totenkopf-decorated cap had been casually set on the table, as if it's purpose was to intimidate anyone who approached the table. This was hardly necessary since his uniform had already worked to make sure that service to this particular table would be well taken care of. On his belt, a Luger rested in a holster and for a moment Otto had wondered if bringing a pistol inside a restaurant was far too inappropriate, but on the other hand he was not ready to part with it, not even inside a public establishment. It wasn't as if someone would have dared to ask him to remove it, now was it? Otto had placed his hands under his chin, his elbows resting against the immaculate white tablecloth. His dark eyes were staring somewhere ahead of him and he did not even bother checking his watch to see if his wife was running late or not.

The sound of high-heeled shoes clicking on the floor awakened the man from his stupor and Otto blinked, correcting his position on the chair to regard the newcomer. The receptionist of the restaurant was escorting a lithe woman towards the table and Otto could, of course, immediately recognize his wife even with her hiding her wavy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. The man tried to bring up a smile on his face and to shake off his dark thoughts. He should have not had any reason to think of work and war tonight, it had been too long since he had seen his dear Zelda and he should have been dedicating his full attention to the woman. Otto promptly got up from his seat and kept his dark eyes on the exquisite woman as she removed her glasses and hat, releasing her blonde hair. As always, the sight of the woman took Otto's breath away and he stared at her for a brief moment, as if his mind was suddenly very blank. Then he was back to his efficient, normal self again and the man nodded at the receptionist as an expression of gratitude and then, bowed his head slightly at his wife. Otto was very much a gentleman and quite stuck on etiquette and old ideals of always behaving like a proper, refined man.

After the receptionist turned around to leave, Otto stepped towards his wife and placed his hand on her arm, leaning in to place a small kiss on her flawless, pale cheek. She was like a beautiful statue or a painting, hardly someone fitting for a grim and stygian man like Otto, but he did not care. There were not many things that Otto Wolff allowed himself to have a weakness for, but his heart had been lost to the blonde, blue-eyed actress and he could not hope to do anything about it. Sometimes he worried that the younger woman felt trapped, that while he was gone, other men would entertain her, but he quickly brushed such thoughts away. No, Zelda would not do that, not his sweet Zelda. They shared something special together, Otto was sure of it. For a brief moment Otto wanted to embrace the woman, but even through his blind, foolish infatuation he realized that such a public display of affection was not very appropriate. Instead, the man stroked Zelda's cheek gently with his fingers, a small smile softening the man's grim features for the briefest of moment. "Es ist gut, Sie zu sehen, Liebchen. Es tut mir leid, dass ich dort nicht sein konnte, um Sie aufzunehmen, Dinge bei der Arbeit sind kürzlich ziemlich hektisch gewesen. Aber ich glaube, dass Sie wissen, wie es sich fühlt, habe ich Recht?"

Otto allowed his eyes to rest on the woman for a moment more, but then the tall, broad-shouldered man withdrew his hand and moved in to help the woman's coat off and to place it on the coat rack next to his own dark overcoat. After he was done, he pulled out a chair for his wife. "Wie war guter alter München, Liebchen? Hatten Sie irgendwelche Zeit für sich selbst, oder hielten sie Sie beschäftigt mit der Arbeit?" the Gestapo officer inquired, waiting until his wife had taken a seat before returning to his own. He tried to look more cheerful, a feat which did not come easily for Otto, looking attentive as he awaited for the woman's answer.


Translations:

"Es ist gut, Sie zu sehen, Liebchen. Es tut mir leid, dass ich dort nicht sein konnte, um Sie aufzunehmen, Dinge bei der Arbeit sind kürzlich ziemlich hektisch gewesen. Aber ich glaube, dass Sie wissen, wie es sich fühlt, habe ich Recht?"
"It is good to see you, dear. I am sorry I could not be there to pick you up, things at work have been quite hectic lately. But I guess you know how it feels, am I right?"

"Wie war guter alter München, Liebchen? Hatten Sie irgendwelche Zeit für sich selbst, oder hielten sie Sie beschäftigt mit der Arbeit?"
"How was good old München, dear? Did you have any time for yourself or were they keeping you busy with work?"

[Zelda Wolff]

His kiss on the cheek made her heart burst into tiny little daisies. Oh, how wonderful. The feeling. The whole sensation. Her husband was here and she was there with him. What more could she ask for? Before he could reach away, she placed her hand on his cheek and leaned in, softly pecking him on the lips. She let go. She really didn't care if she had done it public. She had done it for a fact. She hadn't felt something so natural and real is such a while. It felt so pure and nice. Ah, she admired her husband and detested the fact that she had to go on tour every once in a few weeks. She had to admit, her career did go in the way of her and Otto's relationship many times, but yet she loved her career so much.

She softly sat down in the seat Otto had pulled out for her. "Enchante," she softly spoke, chuckling lightly at her little French statement. She pulled her chair in, gazing at Otto while doing so. A small smile irked across her lips and her blue dazzling eyes stayed put upon his. She cleared her throat, placing the white colored handkerchief upon her lap. She glanced back up at her husband. He looked so handsome that night, she just couldn't take her eyes off him. "Sie sehen hübsch heute Abend, lieb aus." she commented. The smile was still glued to her face. It enlarged itself, and it was now a toothy white smile.[Translations: You look very handsome tonight, dear.]

She then watched the waiter walk to their table. Zelda's smile still kept still. The waiter glanced down at her for a few seconds, as if he could not believe his eyes. She sighed softly. She detested when that happened. She glanced toward her Otto. The waiter placed a menu in front of Zelda and one in front of Otto, took one last glance at Zelda and scuttled off. Zelda kept her gaze on her husband. "Manchmal ein Stern zu sein, ist gut, Sie wissen? Aber manchmal verabscheue ich es, wenn Dinge wie das geschehen," she liked being up front with her husband and telling her many secrets but she would never tell him about the conversation she had with Corporal Joe Claude a few months ago. Aber mit Ihnen in diesem Augenblick das Leben von make viel mehr besser seiend," she softly smiled. "Ich liebe Sie, Otto." [Translations: Sometimes I like being a star, you know? But sometimes I detest it when things like that happen. [2] But being with you right now make's life much more better [3] I love you, Otto]

The night was so enchanting. Nothing could be more perfect. He was here. She was here. Could she have asked for more? Again, she was repeating herself, but could one really blame her blessed soul? She glanced down at the menu. She glanced back up at her husband with sparkling blue eyes. "Ich werde haben, was Sie, lieber Otto haben," she said. She put the menu down and glanced around the area. "Schöner Platz haben Sie aufgepickt." the woman couldn't help but comment. She glanced back at him, waiting for an action to occur.[Translations: [1] I'll have what you're having, Otto dear. [2] Lovely place you've picked.]

[Otto Wolff]

There were not too many things in the world which would have made the austere Kriminalkommissar of the Gestapo appear confused and even embarrassed, but Zelda's innocent and open-hearted displays of affection made the man feel bewildered and stunned. He was not used to such things, he had been brought up in a strict manner and his childhood had been vacant of love and warmth. His wife's small and simple kiss made Otto forget where he was for a moment and the man sat down in his seat, looking slightly flustered. It wasn't that he didn't like his wife's openness, he just did not know how to respond to it and still retain his serious and formal appearance.

The man cleared his throat, trying to gather the remaining pieces of his dignity and he smiled at his wife, catching the gaze of her blue eyes. Watching her he was, as always, left wondering exactly how he had managed to marry such a woman, but he did not want to question his good luck too much. He wasn't particularly handsome and he could have hardly been called a very social person - most people were driven away by Otto's grim appearance. He smiled very rarely and when he jested, his wry and sarcastic jokes were not always understood by others. Otto, of course, only blamed the low intelligence of others for this little mishap and enjoyed sometimes slyly insulting people who did not realize they were being insulted in the first place. He could not understand why Zelda chose to stay with him and they were often regarded with disbelief by others. They were, amusingly, much like the unlikely couple in the old French story La Belle et la Bête.

"Sie sehen hübsch heute Abend, lieb aus," Zelda commented quite out of the blue and Otto was at first baffled, then amused by his wife's words and his earlier thoughts. The tall, dark-haired man felt himself relaxing slowly and a warmer smile crept up to his lips. "Und ich wurde so atemlos durch Ihr Äusseres verlassen, dass irgendwie ich völlig vergaß zu erwähnen, wie schön Sie heute Abend, lieb aussehen," the man answered in a more playful tone of voice and Otto felt safe enough to even let out a small, low chuckle. He did not consider himself handsome, but he had been once told that he had a dark, mysterious air about him. Maybe it attracted some women, much in the same way a person felt compelled to walk to the edge of a cliff and stare down into the abyss, wondering what would happen if they were to fall.

The waiter appeared next to them almost silently, placing the menus on the table and staring at Zelda strangely for a moment before he disappeared. Zelda sighed heavily and commented on how she liked being famous, but how she also sometimes detested it. Otto raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Wenige Dinge im Leben kommen ohne einen Preis von einer Sorte, lieb. Sie müssen das schlechte mit dem Nutzen nehmen. Ich verspreche, Sie ziemlich sicher für den Abend zu halten, wenn irgendwelche zu begeisterten Bewunderer erscheinen sollten. Ich denke nicht, dass sogar sie bereit sein würden, in Schwierigkeiten mit der Gestapo zu kommen," Otto commented with a crooked smile, his hand searching for his reading glasses as he spoke. Ever since the explosion in Auschwitz, his migraines had been getting worse and he had noticed that he could prevent the worst spells if he did not strain his eyes too much while reading. These days he automatically went for his reading glasses when he had to read or write something and the whole process was now something he did quite subconsciously.

As always, Zelda's next words caught the man quite unprepared and the woman regarded him with those dazzling blue eyes. "Ich liebe Sie, Otto," his wife stated suddenly and Otto's hand was frozen in mid-air, holding the glasses.

He of course knew that Zelda was more open about feelings and would quite happily and innocently say things which left Otto wordless. He was very skilled when it came to reading and analyzing emotions of other people, but when it came to actually showing them himself, he felt like a bumbling fool. He realized he was left staring at Zelda for a few seconds, his mouth agape and most likely, looking like a half-witted dolt. He tried composing himself quickly, full well knowing how he should have answered, but the words would just not come out. It was hardly Otto's fault, he was not used to saying such things or delving into his own emotions that openly. 'Und ich... auch Sie,' the man said awkwardly, feeling a strange, constricting feeling around his throat. He quickly placed the reading glasses on his nose to give himself something to do. He felt ashamed for the fact that he could not say what he truly wanted to say, but what could he do about it? He was not used to such things and in fact, had found the concept of love and romance as being something which only endangered a person, making him act foolishly and without any regard to one's own well-being. Love was a weakness one should have avoided, yet... Otto found himself in a situation where he was powerless to affect the situation. The man sighed, knowing full well that he did not even want to fight the feeling of caring so deeply for someone.

The man adjusted his small, metal-framed reading glasses and raised the menu up to study it. His dark eyes skipped casually from one line to another and just when he was about to ask Zelda what she would like to eat, she was already telling him that she would be quite happy with anything Otto ordered. "Oh, gut... Wollen wir sehen, etwas Einfaches, nichts zu Schmückendes," the man studied the different choices carefully. Obviously making some kind of a choice, the Kriminalkommissar placed the menu down and his dark eyes searched for the waiter. He had been standing ready a respectful distance away and was next to the table as soon as he saw that the customers were ready to make an order. "Sauerbraten für uns beide, eine Flasche von Hauswein und etwas kaltem Wasser, bitte," Otto declared in a smooth, dark voice and the waiter was quick to gather up the menus. Even through his professional appearance, some amount of nervousness was apparent in the young man's voice as he spoke. "Sofort, Herr Wolff."

Otto waited until the waiter had disappeared towards the kitchen and the man removed his reading glasses, directing his attention towards Zelda once again. 'Wie lange werden Sie im Stande sein, in Berlin, lieb zu bleiben? Das ist zuhause so sehr ruhig... jetzt mit Heidi gegangen und allem,' the man finished his sentence in a lower voice, his eyebrows furrowed for a moment with worry. "Claude hat beendet, den Hof zu befestigen, so ist er bewegt worden, um ... andere Arbeit zu tun," Otto's eyes stayed on Zelda as he spoke. He did not want to ruin a perfectly good evening, but he hardly wanted to keep such things a secret from his wife, either. 'Ich bedauere schrecklich, lieb. Ich weiß, wie Sie ihm, aber ... Dingen helfen wollten, die sind, was sie an diesen Tagen in Deutschland sind, gibt es nicht viel ich kann tun. Ich befasse mich mit jüdischen Angelegenheiten nicht," Otto regretted the formal tone of his words right away and without thinking, extended his hand across the table to touch Zelda's hand carefully. "Sie wissen, wie ich. .. Ihr freundliches Herz schätzen, haben Sie immer Mitfühlen anderen. Mehr Menschen sollten Ihnen ähnlich sein. Aber manchmal fürchte ich, dass Sie sich zu viel über andere, lieb sorgen. Es wird Sie nur betonen," Otto seemed sincerely concerned as he spoke and there was a hint of worry in the man's dark eyes.


Translations:

"Und ich wurde so atemlos durch Ihr Äusseres verlassen, dass irgendwie ich völlig vergaß zu erwähnen, wie schön Sie heute Abend, lieb aussehen."
"And I was left so breathless by your appearance that somehow I completely forgot to mention how lovely you look tonight, dear."

"Wenige Dinge im Leben kommen ohne einen Preis von einer Sorte, lieb..."
"Few things in life come without a price of some sort, dear. You have to take the bad with the good. I promise to keep you quite safe for the evening, if any too enthusiastic admirers should appear. I do not think that even they would be ready to get in trouble with the Gestapo."

'Und ich... auch Sie.'
"And I... also you."

"Oh, gut... Wollen wir sehen, etwas Einfaches, nichts zu Schmückendes."
"Oh, well... Let's see, something simple will do, nothing too fancy."

"Sauerbraten für uns beide, eine Flasche von Hauswein und etwas kaltem Wasser, bitte."
"Sauerbraten for both of us, a bottle of house wine and some cold water, please."

'Wie lange werden Sie im Stande sein, in Berlin, lieb zu bleiben..?'
"How long will you be able to stay in Berlin, dear? It is so very quiet at home... now with Heidi gone and everything."

"Claude hat beendet, den Hof zu befestigen, so ist er bewegt worden, um ... andere Arbeit zu tun."
"Claude has finished fixing the courtyard, so he has been moved to do... other work."

'Ich bedauere schrecklich, lieb. Ich weiß, wie Sie ihm, aber..."
"I'm terribly sorry, dear. I know how you wanted to help him, but... things being what they are these days in Germany, there is not much I can do. I do not deal with Jewish affairs."

"Sie wissen, wie ich... Ihr freundliches Herz schätzen, haben Sie immer Mitfühlen anderen..."
"You know how I... appreciate your kind heart, you always have compassion for others. More people should be like you. But sometimes I fear that you worry too much about others, dear. It will only stress you out."