Page 147 - The Book Thief

not with the innocent Tommy Mller. He still cowered slightly whenever he saw

her.

How could I know you were smiling for me that day? she asked him repeatedly.

Shed even put in a few stints as goalie for him, until everyone else on the team
begged him to go back in.

Get back in there! a boy named Harald Mollenhauer finally ordered him. Youre
useless. This was after Tommy tripped him up as he was about to score. He
would have awarded himself a penalty but for the fact that they were on the
same side.

Liesel came back out and would somehow always end up opposing Rudy. They
would tackle and trip each other, call each other names. Rudy would
commentate: She cant get around him this time, the stupid Saumensch
Arschgrobbler. She hasnt got a hope. He seemed to enjoy calling Liesel an ass

scratcher. It was one of the joys of childhood.

Another of the joys, of course, was stealing. Part four, summer 1940.

In fairness, there were many things that brought Rudy and Liesel together, but it
was the stealing that cemented their friendship completely. It was brought about
by one opportunity, and it was driven by one inescapable forceRudys hunger.
The boy was permanently dying for something to eat.

On top of the rationing situation, his fathers business wasnt doing so well of late
(the threat of Jewish competition was taken away, but so were the Jewish
customers). The Steiners were scratching things together to get by. Like many
other people on the Himmel Street side of town, they needed to trade. Liesel

would have given him some food from her place, but there wasnt an abundance
of it there, either. Mama usually made pea soup. On Sunday nights she cooked
itand not just enough for one or two repeat performances. She made enough pea
soup to last until the following Saturday. Then on Sunday, shed cook another
one. Pea soup, bread, sometimes a small portion of potatoes or meat. You ate it
up and you didnt ask for more, and you didnt complain.

At first, they did things to try to forget about it.