We Must Not Think of Ourselves: A Novel

Adam wakes up to the smell of chicken soup. Sala is cooking, with Arkady, her older son, having managed to barter something in exchange for the chicken. Adam and Sala chat about her life before marriage and how she first truly felt freedom only after marrying Emil. Emil, who is Lithuanian, opened up a business selling sewing machines after he and Sala were married, and they did very well. Now, he serves as a counselor to the Judenrat (i.e., Jewish council).

Sala’s younger son, Rafel, comes in asking for money. After much questioning, he reveals that it is to bet on dog races. Some children across the courtyard who lived here before the relocation own a couple of lazy dogs, and the kids bet on which dog can cross a room the fastest.

Despite Rafel’s protestations, Sala insists on joining them and bringing Adam along, claiming she hasn’t had any fun in a long time. There is a lot of heckling and laughter as a dozen children watch the oblivious dogs walk across the basement. The dog that Sala and Adam bet on wins, and Adam receives twice his original investment as a reward. As he watches the kids leave, laughing, he marvels at how normal the scene looks.