How could I explain the strange, dark world below ground, now the only one that I knew? I tried to find the words to describe it, but could not. “It’s awful,” I said finally.

“How do you survive down there? Is there food?” Her questions came rapid-fire, in a way that reminded me of myself.

I paused, again struggling to find an answer. There was no way I could mention Pawel without risking his safety. He would face much trouble if the Germans found out he was hiding Jews. “We get by.”

“But how can you stand it?” she burst out, and I saw for the first time a tiny crack in her elegant demeanor.

I had never considered the question. “Because I have no choice,” I said slowly. “At first I did not think I could bear it a minute. Then a minute passed and I did not think I would last an hour. Then a day and a week and so on. It’s amazing what you can get used to. And I’m not alone. I’ve got my mother and soon I will have a little brother or sister.” For a second, I considered mentioning Saul as well, but I felt silly doing so.

“Your mother is pregnant?”

“Yes, she’s due in a few months’ time.”

Her face registered disbelief. “How can she possibly have a baby in the sewer?”

“Anything is manageable if you can stay with the ones you love,” I replied, trying to convince myself as well as her. Ella’s expression saddened. “What is it?” I asked, hoping I had not said anything to offend her.

“Nothing,” she replied quickly.

“Where do you live?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Kanonicza Street,” she said, a tinge of embarrassment in her voice at giving the grand address. “It’s off Grodzka.”

“I know where it is,” I replied, a bit irked that she thought I would be unfamiliar with the ancient streets of the city center. I had walked the posh neighborhood many times. Even before the war, the well-appointed street, with its large, well-manicured row houses close to the market square, was like a foreign country, worlds away from my own modest upbringing. Now that I was in the sewer, such a place seemed like the stuff of storybooks, nearly unfathomable. A picture appeared in my mind of a study with shelves overflowing with books, a sparkling kitchen filled with the finest food. “It must be lovely.” I could not keep the note of longing from my voice.

“It isn’t really,” Ella said, surprising me. “My parents are both dead and my brother and sisters gone. The only one left is my stepmother, Ana Lucia. She’s truly awful. And then there’s my former fiancé, Krys.”

“The man you just saw on the street?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yes. My former boyfriend, really, since we were never formally engaged. He broke things off with me before leaving for the war. I was certain we would get back together, but then he returned without telling me. And I’ve got no friends anymore either.” I understood then her pained look a few minutes earlier when I spoke of being able to survive anything with loved ones. Despite her fine living conditions, Ella was completely alone.