Page 406 - The Book Thief
P. 406
THE PROMISE KEEPERS WIFE
THE BASEMENT, 9 A.M.
Six hours till goodbye:
I played an accordion, Liesel. Someone elses.
He closes his eyes: It brought the house down.
Not counting the glass of champagne the previous summer, Hans Hubermann
had not consumed a drop of alcohol for a decade. Then came the night before he
left for training.
He made his way to the Knoller with Alex Steiner in the afternoon and stayed
well into the evening. Ignoring the warnings of their wives, both men drank
themselves into oblivion. It didnt help that the Knollers owner, Dieter
Westheimer, gave them free drinks.
Apparently, while he was still sober, Hans was invited to the stage to play the
accordion. Appropriately, he played the infamous Gloomy Sundaythe anthem of
suicide from Hungaryand although he aroused all the sadness for which the song
was renowned, he brought the house down. Liesel imagined the scene of it, and
the sound. Mouths were full. Empty beer glasses were streaked with foam. The
bellows sighed and the song was over. People clapped. Their beer-filled mouths
cheered him back to the bar.
When they managed to find their way home, Hans couldnt get his key to fit the
door. So he knocked. Repeatedly.
Rosa!
It was the wrong door.
Frau Holtzapfel was not thrilled.
