Chapter 4 Summary

The best time to cross the border at Heinrich Heine Strasse is 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. when the checkpoint is nearly empty. There is only one traveler, a nervous man with a dog on a leash. The guard keeps him waiting on purpose. The ritual of control is obvious. In the DDR everything is about authorization. The Narrator obeys them all, paying fees and exchanging currency, and takes a seat beside the man in silence. The officer disappears to a shed and returns to slap the man's paperwork loudly and call his number. When the dog barks, the officer barks back into the microphone, to mask his fright. Neither yields until the owner pulls the leash. The officer roars in victorious laughter and passes them through. The Narrator's turn comes. He is carrying copies of his own writings, which is permitted.

Pommerer suspects...