Chapter nine
Chapter nine in which Uncle Stan’s defection leads to unlooked-for popularity ... Uncle Stan called. Had a bit of luck and was all keyed up to tell us about it so Mother got everyone together to hear the news. As usual, Mother was in charge of the phone, standing by to interpret Uncle Stan’s words to us by means of grimacing, gesturing and eloquently lifting her eyebrows. She had sound effects too, so it was with a great deal of pleasure that we anticipated Uncle Stan’s fortnightly call. The show started with a lot of grinning when Uncle Stan announced that he was out of the refugee camp and that he found a cleaning job. Mother, mindful of who might be listening, acknowledged the news by grunting noncommittally into the receiver. (To us she gave the thumbs up gesture and mouthed the word job.) Encouraged by this show of support, Uncle Stan revealed that he’d managed to rent a room somewhere reasonable and that his German language...
