The Other Girl Read Online Free PDF Page A

cheek and he reddened at the unfamiliar affection. As Maria reached the edge of the field, she gazed up into the forest. She thought of Piotr with unexpected longing. It would be good if he were here and she could tell him what had happened. Perhaps Mama was right: love
did
grow.
    She took one last look in the direction Hannah had gone, surprised by the sadness that overcame her. The child had been a dangerous burden, and her leaving freed Maria of a responsibility she had not asked for and had never wanted in the first place. Maria could fade into the background once more. But while Hannah was here, even for that brief time, Maria had felt stronger and less lonely. She pressed forward, reshaped somehow by the experience.
    Of course, the girl might do just fine. She was strong despite her size, and she undoubtedly had the will. In these uncertain times, she had as much a chance as anyone. The eagle pin Janusz had given her was valuable and could be bartered for the goodwill of the Germans or even for money or food. There was hope that she might survive somehow.
    Maria looked toward the forest with a touch of envy. Though Hannah was in certain peril, she was free in a way that Maria would never be. “Godspeed,” she whispered into the wind and then started back toward home.
    * * * * *

About the Author
    Pam Jenoff is the author of several novels, including the international bestseller
Kommandant’s Girl
, which earned her a Sophie Brody Medal and Quill Award nomination. Along with a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a master’s degree in history from Cambridge, Pam also received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania. She has previously served as a foreign service officer for the US State Department in Europe, as the special assistant to the secretary of the army at the Pentagon and as a practicing attorney. Pam lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia, where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.



Prologue
    New York, 2013
    â€œThey’re coming around again,” Cookie says in a hushed voice. “Knocking on doors and asking questions.” I do not answer, but nod as a tightness forms in my throat.
    I settle into the worn floral chair and tilt my head back, studying the stucco ceiling, the plaster whipped into waves and points like a frothy meringue. Whoever said, “There’s no place like home” has obviously never been to the Westchester Senior Center. One hundred and forty cookie-cutter units over ten floors, each a six hundred and twenty square foot L-shape, interlocking like an enormous dill-scented honeycomb.
    Despite my issue with the sameness, it isn’t an awful place to live. The food is fresh, if a little bland, with plenty of the fruit and vegetables I still do not take for granted, even after so many years. Outside there’s a courtyard with a fountain and walking paths along plush green lawns. And the staff, perhaps better paid than others who perform this type of dirty and patience-trying work, are not unkind.
    Like the white-haired black woman who has just finished mopping the kitchen floor and is now rinsing her bucket in the bathtub. “Thank you, Cookie,” I say from my seat by the window as she turns off the water and wipes the tub dry. She should be in a place like this with someone caring for her, instead of cleaning for me.
    Coming closer, Cookie points to my sturdy brown shoes by the bed. “Walking today?”
    â€œYes, I am.”
    Cookie’s eyes flicker out the window to the gray November sky, darkening with the almost-promise of a storm. I walk almost every day down to the very edge of the path until one of the aides comes to coax me back. As I stroll beneath the timeless canopy of clouds, the noises of the highway and the planes overhead fade. I am no longer shuffling and bent, but a young woman striding upward through the woods, surrounded by