Tell No One Who You Are Read Online Free PDF

Sadowski?” Régine Sadowski was a family friend. But the last time she had helped while Mrs. Miller was in the hospital, she mixed the separate dishes kept for meat and dairy. Régine’s mother had been very upset when she came home.
    “No, no,” her father said. “Monsieur Gaspar told me about someone else. Another woman. You will stay at her house.”
    “At her house?”
    “Yes. Just for a little while.”
    “Who is she?” Régine asked.
    “She’s very old,” said her father. “Her name is Madame André, and she lives alone in Boitsfort.”
    Boitsfort was a suburb of Brussels, and Régine thought it must be far because you had to take more than one tram to get there.
    “Must I go, Papa?” she asked.
    “Yes,” her father said. “It’s best this way.”
    “What about you?” Régine asked.
    “I have work to do here. Your mother is safe in the hospital. And you will be safe in Boitsfort. All the arrangements are made.” It was clear from his tone of voice that he did not want to explain any further. “I’ll take you there in the morning.”
    This was unbearable. First her brother had been taken away, then her mother was taken to the hospital, and now to be separated from her father. He must have seen the look in her eyes.
    “It will only be for a little while. She will take good care of you. And you can keep her company. She’s very old. Monsieur Gaspar told me she’s seventy-eight.”
    “Will you visit?” Régine asked.
    “Every week,” he said. “I promise.”
    They went into the bedroom to pack. Her father worked quickly. He pulled a duffel bag out of a closet and picked among her clothes. As he threw them on the bed, Régine noticed that none of the clothes he chose bore the yellow Star of David.
    “Don’t I have to wear the star?” she asked.
    “No,” her father said, angrily.
    Régine understood now why her father was sending her away, why he wanted her to go live with a stranger. It had nothing to do with her mother’s illness. That was just anexcuse. It had to do with what had happened at la Gare du Midi.
    The Germans had taken Léon away. Did her father fear she might be next?

Chapter Eleven
    T HEY LEFT the apartment the next morning. Régine carried her bag downstairs and waited at the bottom while her father locked the door. His fedora was tilted low over his forehead but it did not hide the worry in his eyes. Régine watched him come down the stairs. She noticed he also wasn’t wearing the yellow star on his gray overcoat, just as when he went to the countryside to get meat.
    They stepped out into the cobblestone street, still deserted only a few minutes after the nightly curfew was lifted. They walked toward the tram stop in silence, and Régine wondered when she would return to rue Van Lint. The future now frightened her. Her father had said he would visit every week. That meant she could be away for months.
    They boarded the tram in silence and, even though they were the only passengers, they did not speak during the ride to Boitsfort. Régine glanced at her father but he did not look at her. She looked at the empty seats and wondered about the woman she was going to stay with. Madame André. She said the name over and over. It had a round, jocular ring to it. Perhaps Madame André would be fun-loving.
    They changed trams, still without speaking. Régine tried to imagine Madame André sitting on an empty seat across from her. She saw a slight, elderly woman whose eyes lit up at the sight of children. Perhaps she wanted someone to talk to.
    The tram entered the suburb of Boitsfort. Régine pressedher face against the window and saw pretty houses with neat front yards and large trees. In the yards flower gardens were in full bloom. Régine had never seen so many bright colors. In Brussels, every building was attached to another and there was no space in between for grass to grow. But here, green was everywhere.
    “This is our stop,” said her father, getting up.
    He picked