The Book Thief(99)
Her first attempt to wake him was unfelt, but her second nudge of the shoulder brought his head from the table in an upward shock.
Are they here?
No, Papa, its me.
He finished the stale pool of coffee in his mug. His Adams apple lifted and sank. They should have come by now. Why havent they come, Liesel?
It was an insult.
They should have come by now and swept through the house, looking for any evidence of Jew loving or treason, but it appeared that Max had left for no reason at all. He could have been asleep in the basement or sketching in his book.
You cant have known that they wouldnt come, Papa.
I should have known not to give the man some bread. I just didnt think.
Papa, you did nothing wrong.
I dont believe you.
He stood and walked out the kitchen door, leaving it ajar. Lending even more insult to injury, it was going to be a lovely morning.
When four days had elapsed, Papa walked a long length of the Amper River. He brought back a small note and placed it on the kitchen table.
Another week passed, and still, Hans Hubermann waited for his punishment. The welts on his back were turning to scars, and he spent the majority of his time walking around Molching. Frau Diller spat at his feet. Frau Holtzapfel, true to her word, had ceased spitting at the Hubermanns door, but here was a handy replacement. I knew it, the shopkeeper damned him. You dirty Jew lover.
He walked obliviously on, and Liesel would often catch him at the Amper River, on the bridge. His arms rested on the rail and he leaned his upper body over the edge. Kids on bikes rushed past him, or they ran with loud voices and the slaps of feet on wood. None of it moved him in the slightest.
DUDEN DICTIONARY MEANING #8 *
Nachtrauern Regret:
Sorrow filled with longing,
disappointment, or loss.
Related words: rue, repent,
mourn, grieve.
Do you see him? he asked her one afternoon, when she leaned with him. In the water there?
The river was not running very fast. In the slow ripples, Liesel could see the outline of Max Vandenburgs face. She could see his feathery hair and the rest of him. He used to fight the Fhrer in our basement.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Papas hands tightened on the splintery wood. Im an idiot.
No, Papa.
Youre just a man.
The words came to her more than a year later, when she wrote in the basement. She wished shed thought of them at the time.
I am stupid, Hans Hubermann told his foster daughter. And kind. Which makes the biggest idiot in the world. The thing is, I want them to come for me. Anythings better than this waiting.
Hans Hubermann needed vindication. He needed to know that Max Vandenburg had left his house for good reason.
Finally, after nearly three weeks of waiting, he thought his moment had come.
It was late.
Liesel was returning from Frau Holtzapfels when she saw the two men in their long black coats, and she ran inside.
Papa, Papa! She nearly wiped out the kitchen table. Papa, theyre here!
Mama came first. Whats all this shouting about, Saumensch ? Whos here?
The Gestapo.
Hansi!
He was already there, and he walked out of the house to greet them. Liesel wanted to join him, but Rosa held her back and they watched from the window.
Papa was poised at the front gate. He fidgeted.
Mama tightened her grip on Liesels arms.
The men walked past.
Papa looked back at the window, alarmed, then made his way out of the gate. He called after them. Hey! Im right here. Its me you want. I live in this one.
The coat men only stopped momentarily and checked their notebooks. No, no, they told him. Their voices were deep and bulky. Unfortunately, youre a little old for our purposes.
They continued walking, but they did not travel very far, stopping at number thirty-five and proceeding through the open gate.
Frau Steiner? they asked when the door was opened.
Yes, thats right.
Weve come to talk to you about something.
The coat men stood like jacketed columns on the threshold of the Steiners shoe-box house.
For some reason, theyd come for the boy.
The coat men wanted Rudy.
PART EIGHT
the wordshaker
featuring:
dominoes and darknessthe thought of
rudy nakedpunishmenta promise keepers
wifea collectorthe bread eaters
a candle in the treesa hidden sketchbook
and the anarchists suit collection
DOMINOES AND DARKNESS
In the words of Rudys youngest sisters, there were two monsters sitting in the kitchen. Their voices kneaded methodically at the door as three of the Steiner children played dominoes on the other side. The remaining three listened to the radio in the bedroom, oblivious. Rudy hoped this had nothing to do with what had happened at school the previous week. It was something he had refused to tell Liesel and did not talk about at home.