Little Man, What Now?

Content Warning: This section discusses antisemitism and substance misuse. In addition, the source text uses offensive language regarding Jewish people, which is replicated only in direct quotes of the source material.

It is the summer of 1930. In Germany, Johannes Pinneberg waits for his girlfriend, Emma Morschel, outside the office of Dr. Sesam, a gynecologist and obstetrician. She arrives late and they enter, announcing themselves as “cash patients,” which allows them to skip ahead of the other people in the waiting room. Johannes affectionally refers to Emma as Lammchen, meaning lambkin, and she refers to him as Boyo. They answer questions about their family health history, then the doctor leads Emma into a room for a private examination. The couple is newly in love, though they only see each other once a fortnight. They are interested in a contraceptive device for Emma, but the doctor reveals that she is already pregnant and “halfway through the first trimester” (7). They pay and leave in a state of shock, though Emma realizes that the pregnancy explains her recent spells of illness. As they prepare to part, Johannes turns to Emma and suggests that they get married.