That was the other great shock, and one I still couldn’t make sense of: Lydia and Karl had joined the Nazi party.

“But why?” I’d blurted when they told me, too surprised to temper my reaction.

“Perhaps there were some less-than-savory aspects to their politics historically,” Lydia admitted. “But the other parties only offer the same tired rhetoric, with no plan to stabilize the nation. We decided to throw our money and our time behind a party we feel sure can win.”

“When the Nazis come to power, they will end all of the madness and things will go back to normal,” Karl added pleasantly.

“But at what cost?” Jürgen asked. He looked as shell-shocked as I felt.

“The Party know they need to clean up those rogue elements to win the election, I can assure you of that,” Karl said, and then came the first of countless invitations. “Why don’t you come to a rally with us one day?”

It was true that Lydia’s coolness toward Mayim had been more pronounced that year, but it was also true that distance had been growing between them for much longer than that. I shifted uncomfortably, and Mayim sighed.

“You think it’s about my family’s financial circumstances, not because we are Jews. Perhaps that is a factor.”

“I know it is a factor!” I said, throwing my hands up in the air in frustration. “If I ever had any doubt about how shallow our social circles are, I’ve had the truth of it well and truly rammed home for me in the last few years.” It wasn’t just Lydia who withdrew from Mayim. One by one, most of her friends had drifted away. Jürgen and I hadn’t purposefully hidden our own circumstances from our friends—but having witnessed Mayim’s increasing isolation, we’d hardly advertised our struggle.

“It would be different if they knew about your situation,” Mayim said, correctly reading my thoughts.

“No, it wouldn’t,” I said, laughing miserably.

“This is exactly what I mean, my friend,” Mayim said gently. “You don’t even see it. The people who no longer invite me to their parties were always looking for an excuse to exclude me. It’s never been socially acceptable to admit you don’t want to invite the Jewish girl to the party, but it’s fine to leave the poor girl out.”

I felt a pinch in my chest. I stared at her for a moment, thinking about the injustice of it all.

“Are you hurt that I went tonight?” I asked her suddenly. Mayim’s gaze softened.

“I know exactly why you went. Did Karl say anything more about the job?”