Hans pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table. “So, Karolin, you seem to want to leave your country.”

“I should think you’d be glad—the government disapproves of my music.”

“But why do you want to play decadent American pop songs?”

“Rock and roll was invented by American Negroes. It’s the music of oppressed people. It’s revolutionary. That’s why it’s so strange to me that Comrade Ulbricht hates rock and roll.”

When Hans was defeated by an argument he always just ignored it. “But Germany has such a wealth of beautiful traditional music,” he said.

“I love traditional German songs. I’m sure I know more than you do. But music is international.”

Grandmother Maud leaned forward and said waspishly: “Like socialism, comrade.”

Hans ignored her.

Karolin said: “And my parents threw me out of the house.”

“Because of your immoral way of life.”

Lili was outraged. “They threw her out because you, Hans, threatened her father!”

“Not at all,” he said blandly. “What are respectable parents to do when their daughter becomes antisocial and promiscuous?”

Angry tears came to Karolin’s eyes. “I have never been promiscuous.”

“But you have an illegitimate child.”

Maud spoke again. “You seem a little confused about biology, Hans. Only one man is required to make a baby, legitimate or otherwise. Promiscuity has nothing to do with it.”

Hans looked stung, but once again he refused to rise to the bait. Still addressing Karolin, he said: “The man you wish to marry is wanted for murder. He killed a border guard and fled to the West.”

“I love him.”

“So, Karolin, you beg the general secretary to grant you the privilege of emigration.”

Carla said: “It’s not a privilege, it’s a right. Free people may go where they like.”

That got to Hans. “You people think you can do anything! You don’t realize that you belong to a society that has to act as one. Even fish in the sea know enough to swim in schools!”

“We’re not fish.”

Hans ignored that and turned back to Karolin. “You are an immoral woman who has been rejected by her family because of outrageous behavior. You have taken refuge in a family with known antisocial tendencies. And you wish to marry a murderer.”

“He’s not a murderer,” Karolin whispered.

“When people write to Ulbricht, their letters are passed to the Stasi for evaluation,” Hans said. “Yours, Karolin, was given to a junior officer. Being young and inexperienced, he took pity on an unmarried mother, and recommended that permission be granted.” This sounded like good news, Lili thought, but she felt sure there would be a twist in the tail. She was right. Hans went on: “Fortunately, his superior passed his report to me, recalling that I have had previous dealings with this”—he looked around with an expression of disgust—“with this undisciplined, nonconformist, troublemaking group.”

Lili knew what he was going to say now. It was heartbreaking. Hans had come here to tell them that he had been responsible for the rejection of Karolin’s application—and to rub it in personally.