We Were the Lucky Ones

Addy returns to Rio from his job in Minas Gerais and goes immediately to the post office. His hopes are dashed when there are no letters from his family waiting for him. To keep from speculating on the fate of his family, Addy goes to the library and researches foreign newspapers. Some reports called Hitler’s actions an effort to eradicate the Jews in Europe, with unthinkably high numbers of deaths, while other articles said these numbers were exaggerated and that Jews were being persecuted, not exterminated. Addy feels frustrated by the lack of attention shown in Brazil to the fate of Europe’s Jews.

Addy goes to meet Eliska for lunch. She came Minas to visit him once, but things did not go well. Eliska cried when Addy told her that he could not stop worrying about his family, and she asked what he would do if he never found them: “Addy had hated hearing those words and what they implied, had resented her for saying them, even though they were the same questions he asked of himself” (260). It was clear that they would never be able to marry and build a full life under these conditions. Addy realized that Eliska was not crying for him, but for herself.