The Librarian Spy

by Madeline Martin

She even wore red lipstick on a regular basis, springing for the costly tube of Elizabeth Arden’s Victory Red, the civilian counterpart to the Montezuma Red servicewomen were issued. Ruby lips were a derisive biting of the thumb at Hitler’s war on made-up women. And she would do anything to bite her thumb at that tyrant.

It was strange how women could now attend most colleges and embark on jobs once reserved only for men. Yet in some ways, males were determined to hold “the fairer sex” in the limited and confining roles belonging to the last century.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

Instead, she faced some juvenile rite of passage after being flirted with by a Nazi and called out by a man who knew more about her than she did him. Aristotle once said that patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

Correspondence to and from soldiers were captured on microfilm for easier transport, then reprinted at the message’s desired location. The paper was less than half the size of a normal page and didn’t leave much room to be verbose, but the messages were printed clearly and were precious no matter their appearance.

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted,” he said, quoting Aesop.

“This was not the first time Portugal became crowded with Jews as our people were made to flee our homes to escape persecution. Near the end of the fifteenth century, Jews sought these same shores for refuge. However, the Portuguese king wanted to wed a Spanish princess and continued the oppression in an effort to appeal to Spain.” Ava nodded, familiar with the terrible history. “Sausage has always been a popular dish in Portugal, which unfortunately made detecting Jews quite easy.” He presented the food with a spread hand. “And so, alheira. It could be hung and dried in smoke rooms like sausage and eaten in public to keep from drawing attention. Genius, is it not?”

Though Portugal was neutral, it did not mean an undercurrent of clandestine activity didn’t happen beneath the government’s nose. Nazis still found ways of making people disappear.

Understanding and knowledge were wasted if one did not apply them to life.

“I mean that this present we live in is tomorrow’s history. You ask if this is important. This is the education for our future, to learn from the mistakes that have been made now and never let atrocities such as this continue or be repeated.”

“Perhaps that is the draw of books.” James put his hand over hers. “To show us the way even when we think the path is too dark to see.”

Tolstoy once said the two most powerful warriors were patience and time.

Plato said courage was knowing what not to fear. In looking back on her time in Lisbon, Ava realized now that wisdom was also knowing what to fear.