Chapter 2 Oscar and Paul watched from a dusty street corner as trucks rumbled by Tall men with guns slung over their shoulders stepped past them Their faces were hard their eyes looked straight ahead Wide-eyed Paul munched on a piece of matzo as they passed Oscar who are they Paul asked Soldiers They look mean I don’t like them Oscar cupped Paul’s mouth Don’t let them hear you say that Why not Because they might get angry With his blue eyes and fair skin Oscar resembled their father while Paul’s black curly hair and brown eyes were like their mother’s Oscar bent down so that his head was level with his brother’s Don’t ask questions he said Just listen to me Yes Oscar sir Paul grinned But I still don’t like them Oscar sighed Paul was pretty smart but he liked to do things his own way As the older brother it was ten-year-old Oscar’s job to watch out for his five-year-old brother When their father left he put Oscar in charge of keeping Paul safe Apu told me to keep Paul out of fights and make sure he 14
doesn’t upset our mother So it’s my job to keep him out of trouble with the soldiers Suddenly a hand grasped Oscar’s shoulder He jumped Anyu You scared me Come home she said her voice trembling Come Now Oscar looked into his mother’s eyes and saw fear (cid:36)(cid:3)(cid:36)(cid:3)(cid:36) As they walked home Oscar looked sadly at his mother Fear was new to him He had lived his whole life in Karcag It was a small town and he knew every part of it from the muddy street where his family lived to the town square which was paved with cobblestones and surrounded by shops There was a Catholic Church a Protestant church and a synagogue He and Paul attended the Jewish school next to the synagogue On the surface everyone seemed to get along but Oscar knew from what he’d overheard that the Jews always felt like outsiders And that’s what our name means he thought His father had told him that Auslander was a German word that meant foreigner To the Hungarians we will always be Jews first and Hungarian second if at all his father had said I can only teach Jewish children and the Jewish doctor can only see Jewish patients But the others leave us alone and we leave them alone and that way we all get along Not anymore Oscar thought as he entered the house After seeing the raw fear in his mother’s eyes he was beginning to understand what his father had meant Anyu what’s wrong Oscar closed the door and faced his mother Her usually rosy cheeks were drained of color 15
Her hair usually pulled back into a sleek bun had come loose Black strands curled around her face She had dark smudges under her eyes from sleepless nights The house was small Sometimes late at night when Paul was sound asleep Oscar could hear her crying through the thin wall between their bedroom and hers Anyu what’s wrong he repeated Paul tugged at Anyu’s sleeve I want to go outside and play No Paul she said You must stay in the house She ushered the boys to the kitchen and told them to sit at the table Paul grabbed his usual chair the one facing the sink He squirmed I have to pee Their mother sighed Please Oscar take him outside But come right back in Oscar grasped his brother’s hand and they went through the backdoor into the yard He led Paul toward the mulberry tree whose branches were furred from the first blossoms of spring Beside it stood the wooden outhouse Everything looked normal yet Oscar knew that with the soldiers arrival nothing was the same Even Paul usually talkative was quiet The boys went into the outhouse The rusty hinges of the door squeaked as it opened When they finished they trudged still silent back to the house As they entered there was a knock at the front door Stay here their mother ordered She went to the door and opened it a crack Aunt Bella Anyu’s best friend squeezed into the room The women fell into each other’s arms What is it Anyu asked 16
Mr Gross wants everyone to come to the synagogue at seven o’clock Since the rabbi’s death four years earlier Joseph Gross had assumed leadership of Karcag’s Jewish community The Germans have issued orders Bella continued He will tell us what we must do Why are the Germans here Auntie Bella asked Paul Bella wasn’t really his aunt but Oscar and Paul had always called her that anyway The women eyed each other It’ll be all right said their mother We’ll do what we must and everything will be well But why are they here Paul asked again Aunt Bella knelt and met his eyes Why they are here isn’t important They are here And we must do what they say to stay safe Do you understand She stood turning to leave I’ll see you in the synagogue Anyu nodded They returned to the kitchen where Anyu ladled chicken soup into bowls from a big pot on the stove She set them before Oscar and Paul with pieces of matzo Eat She attempted a smile but Oscar saw the strain on her face He tried to smile back but couldn’t He turned to his soup and they ate in silence Anyu looked at her watch It’s almost seven We must go to the synagogue 17
