Fritz talked about the bombing of Hak Warehouse, but nothing about the police crackdown that followed. On the other side, a speaker was excited and alarmed, and (as it seemed) ready to believe anything. For a time, however, this man’s friends thought he unnecessarily panicked. But as the number of attacks rose, more of them realized the gravity of the situation. Finally most people saw the danger. As incident after incident corroborated this fact, Fritz’s prestige grew, and people besides his friends began to listen to him.
He predicted how the government would react to tremendous inflation by devaluing the currency. Faith in him then seemed justified. Such was his advice, and so simply laughable were those who clung to old-fashion ideas that his friends couldn’t resist investing his or her reserves and consequently grew richer. At the center of attention, Fritz’s eyes sparkled.
Then overnight Fritz’s face hardened. The government once again stepped in to reduce the chaos. It stabilized the currency by regulating prices and bridling speculation. With one blow, collapse and bankruptcy!
The Fohn, the great east winds, came sweeping in from the plains. “Hurry!” urged Karl. The boys had slept late, while Eva considered sleeping in the daytime a sin. They then had to hurry to get to school on time. Missed the tram again, which meant they really had to run.
For lunches, Eva fixed them bread with something on it: a sardine, a piece of sausage, or a slice of cheese. They were lucky to have it. Their meals cost their parents millions.
“Today, a crime” (which he couldn’t name); “tomorrow, I’ll stand before a judge.” Niki heard the summons but at first didn’t respond. But over time, he buttoned his coat, because Vienna then was cold and hungry.
“Not that we’d ever break the law,” added Karl, hoping that no one had heard his initial reference to crime. Niki joined him in front of their building. Behold! There stood a white-haired, unhappy lady. Her arched eyebrows stopped the two boys in their tracks.
Ran from her, after pausing. Running and with a great burst of energy, the boys laughed and yelled, “I’m guilty, Your Honor!”
Still the boys knew that it paid to break the law. Who would prosecute them? Why not brag a little? No one cared. So what if they pilfered something; everyone around them was involved in major crime: real criminals and interlopers who systematically swindled without a flicker of an eyelid. The cobbler, the milkman, the landlord, and the tailor, all were tricked and robbed of their livelihood. Many previously honest people had turned into crooks.
So the two boys weren’t angels. Niki, who looked up to his brother, copied Karl. In a hurry, the boys ran through their neighborhood street market. They were late and knew the consequences for being tardy, just as punctuality signified a functioning state.
Niki grabbed a couple of tomatoes before the vendor could yell at him. To him, taking the tomatoes wasn’t stealing. It was little more than something to do.
Slipping out of the grasp of their victim, they ran with great speed out of the market. Then spying a Jew-boy lurking “spider-like” on a street corner, Karl said, “Niki, for once be generous; let the Yid have one of your tomatoes.”
Niki smiled sarcastically. “We got them at a bargain.”
“Never mind the cost.”
“There’s a hungry Jew, with his hat in his hand.”
Karl smiled. “But, again, I ask you Niki, will you be generous and give the Jew one of your tomatoes?”
To that Niki gave no answer, but gave a signal to his brother.
“Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil!” yelled Karl, sarcastically.
“No!”
“Not one, when you have two? You’d still have one.”
“One? Only one? Karl, get ready.”
“Niki what on earth are you doing?”
“Detestable Jew, look to your own!” Then with rage, disdain, and hate, Nikki looked at the boy. He expended a great deal of energy taunting him. Niki then cocked his arm and threw the tomato, which was immediately caught by the intended victim.
Suspicion of each other followed. For more than a minute they froze. Karl was filled with horror. It was as if he had said the last words his brother uttered.
In retrospect, some may blame the whole incident on the Fohn? But, if that had been so, then why did Karl find it difficult to forgive himself?
There were no witnesses. Expectation was that there were some. Karl felt as if he’d been caught and recognized for who he was.
Randy Ford
