Nikolai had managed to get a bit of wrapping paper from somewhere; when Werner had asked him where he'd found it Nikolai had just shrugged and refused to answer. He'd probably stolen it from a high-ranking official who might be preparing presents for family and wife.
Werner had carefully wrapped the ring, tieing it off with a ribbon which Nikolai had also stolen from somewhere. As a young man Nikolai had been quite the sucsessfull pick-pocketer, until he'd gotten caught at fourteen years old and been dragged home by the ear. His parents had scolded him and forbade him to go outside for a week. He never stole another wallet in his life, but once in a while he'd stolen something small from the market. The skills from his youth had come in handy several times, including this one.
"I hope she likes it."
"She'll love it, Killy." Nikolai reassured him. "I'm sure she'll fall into your arms." He was joking, but Killian liked the idea. He'd only had one girlfriend in his life, and she'd left him when he'd gotten cancer. They'd been young but their feeling had felt real. They'd had sex a few weeks into the relationship, and she was still the only person he'd ever slept with. That was over 6 years ago. He was out of practice. Werner wasn't sure if it would even go that far, he didn't know what Marie was like, and giving the time he was unsure if she'd even agree to sex before marraige...it didn't matter to him. What mattered is that he could see her again, and that he'd have a break from the KZ.
Few of the other men had been allowed to go on holiday. Many had filed their requests in the wrong way; if you asked for too much you wouldn't get it. Nikolai hadn't even applied, but he'd asked to go in late january, which the officials approved.
On the 23rd, the night before Werner left, dinner was rowdier than usual. The men bawled songs about girls, vicotry and lost companions, Nikolai got shit-faced on beer and shots of vodka, and Werner felt the guiltiest he'd ever been.
Most of the men he was sitting at the table with he sat with often; they were his comerades, he liked them. But their ideologies were world away from his and the things they did, the fact that it didn't bother them enough, that made Werner confused. How could he be so friendly with these men, how could he celebrate with them?
But everytime he looked at Nikolai his mood lifted. His friend was quite hilarious when drunk. His words were only a bit slurry and his cheeks were a jolly red. Im Verlaufe des Abends (in the course of the evening) his face got bright-red.
They played cards, Nikolai showed off his card tricks, spinning them around in his hands, running them over his arms like little cockroaches and letting them dance through the air. Everyone was greatly entertained and drunk enough that when the Lagerfüher sat down to join them, the didn't scoot into a more carefull and calm enviroment but roared on louder than before.
"To health!" Nikolai said, clinking his glass of vodka with that of every other SS-officer he could reach. He downed the drink, his face not pulling a muscle even by the strong taste. "What should we play next boys?" He asked, calling into the round. They agreed on a round of Schwarzer Peter. Werner didn't know the game, which amused Nikolai, and he taught him. Werner had to laugh as the drunken russian tried to explain the game. "I'm sorry for slurring my words, Killy, but I explained it alright didn't I?"
He dished the cards. During the game Werner had to keep asking Nikolai because he'd forgotten the rules. By the second round he was quite sure he knew what was happening and he even won the fourth and fifth round. "My boys a little genius!" Nikolai had roared, hugging his friend around the shoulders. He drank his next shot to Werner's health even though it was Werner who was trying to cut him off from drinking more. Nikolai winked at his comerade before he took the shot. "You can save me from war, Killy, but you can't save me from drink." He'd said in a stage-whisper. Werner had left at midnight, he'd have to catch the train at 9.30 in the morning, there was no time to party the whole night. He tried to convince Nikolai to come with, but the old man just shook his head. "I'll still be here when you leave, talk to me then!"