Not Leaving {The Book Thief}

13

                        Liesels POV
    ...I was shaken awake the next morning. "Liesel! Liesel! Do you think you can get to the train station to wait for, um, you know. I'm sorry for upsetting you yesterday, I was just excited..." She started to cry. " It's okay Sarah, I think I'm just sick. But I will feel better once I see Rudy." Sarah helped me out of bed and into a simple red dress. There was a slight chill in the air and many were in tears. Old women waited at the station for their sons returning from war, soldiers wondered about the station in search of family. A few people still sported swastikas but most considered it a lost cause. I found a bench between a crying old lady and a rejoicing couple. For some reason I had the urge to laugh. I would be one of these two souls when I leave for work.

     I will either be in my Rudy's arms or crying in the arms of comforting Sarah. "Should I look away when he arrives, I know you are shy about him. You know in case you kiss him." She asked, she obviously still felt bad about suggesting marriage. "I don't know, if it will make you feel bad you can look away..." I started, "Is he handsome? What does he look like? I can't remember him from the day he came looking for you." She interrupted. "Well, he has, or had, lemon coloured hair. His eyes are the colour of the ocean, green and blue with twinkling lights reflecting off of them. And he was terribly thin last time I've seen him but maybe he has, um, grown up..." I started to blush. "Liesel! You are definitely in love with him. I'll keep a look out for him while I'm running errands later, in case he doesn't pass us." Several blonde soldiers stomped about angrily.

     They hugged their wives and children and stomped home. None of the blonde men were anything like Rudy, none had his shy yet bold demeanor. A little black haired girl walked around with a doctors bag. She turned and waved to her plus 1. I hadn't even thought of all the poor young girls and all the gruesome things they must have tended to. This girl was to young to even be out of school. A slouched boy followed her searching for someone. I wouldn't have recognized him had he not turned his head revealing his brilliant ocean eyes. I touched Sarahs shoulder. "Quickly! I think it's him!" I walked with a quick pace to the boy, or should I say 'the man', with the ocean eyes. "Rudy? Rudy!" He spun around. I sprinted across the walkway to him. I jumped into his arms. He smelled of gun powder. The thought of my Rudy being in a battlefield sent me into tears. He heald a handful of my curls and kissed my cheek. "Liesel, Oh Liesel I love you! I missed you so, so so much..." he cried into my ear. "... I love you Rudy, I love you I love you I love you. I have dreamed of you every night for two years. Please don't leave me ever again, please!" I whispered in between sobs. I turned to look him in the eyes. His face was red and his eyes were sparkling with tears. "How about a kiss, saumensch?" He chuckled. "Oh shut up you Saukerl!" He gathered me into a kiss, his lips tasted of black coffee from breakfast and of a sweet smile. He wrapped his arm around me and turned towards the dark haired little girl. "This was my nurse, she lives in a town a bus ride or two away so she rode over with me. Liesel, Clementine, Clementine, Liesel." I smiled at the poor little girl who had to work in such a sad place as a war hospital. She didn't return my friendliness. "I'm going to go catch a bus ticket, I really want to go to my family." She sayed to Rudy. She turned and lugged her large doctors bag away with her. Rudy laughed, "She likes me, I think I'm the first boy she's talked to." He sayed. "The poor little thing, I almost have forgotten I have a suprise for you! Let's hurry!" I grabbed his arm and started to run to the tailers. 

     "Liesel? Aren't you forgetting something?" Sarah sayed behind me. "Oh of course I'm sorry. Rudy this is Sarah, I have been living with her and her husband Charles since I was kicked out of the orphanage. But that is a story for another time." I said. "Sarah won't you come with us? I will help you with the errands later." She linked her arm in mine and we marched to the tailers. Rudy didn't even look where we were going we just gazed up at eachother and smiled. "Can you guess where we are going?" I smiled up at him, leaning against his shoulder. He was so much taller than me now, "Is there any cake? A few streamers? Will I get to say 'oh saumensch, you shouldn't have'?" He joked as if he was still 10. "Better!" I shouted. "Presents wrapped in every colour, like Christmas?" He guessed. "Even better! Now stop guessing cause you never will." I teased. Sarah smiled at me. She was to shy to join in the conversation but she loved watching us be in love. "Just one more block!" I exclaimed. My stomach started to churn. Was Rudy ready to see his father? What if he broke down. I couldn't bear to see my Rudy cry. 5 buildings away from the tailors. "Almost there!" I sayed, my voice sounded more worried than excited. Oh Liesel, please don't faint again. I'll just sit down as soon as we get there. The sign was right above my head. "We're here!" I squeaked out. The bell echoed in my ear. "Hello? Anyone here? I've got him!" I said from a stool by the door. "Why are you sitting down?" Rudy asked, epically confused.

     "Oh I just don't feel well, Sarah go into the back and get him." I winked at Sarah. "Liesel if you don't feel well I'll help you back home, I'm sure my gift can wait..." he tried to coax me up. "No, no it really can't wait! Please just one second. Sarah hurry up!" My head was spinning again. Sarah walked out from the back room with the tailor but no Alex Steiner. She heald a hankerchief to her mouth. "Liesel, is this Rudy Steiner? I have some bad news." He sayed while gazing at the scuffed wood flooring. "What do you mean? Where is he!" I sayed in a panic. My eyes were blurring. "Alex Steiner died last night." I fell from my stool. "Liesel! What do you mean my father is dead? He was in the war." Rudy heald me in his arms. His hand was crushing mine but I didn't have the energy to ask him to stop. "Your father was released from the war 2 months ago and came here to work for me after he found his family gone. But Liesel found him and told him about you." The tailor explained. "But how did my father die! Liesel wake up!" He patted my cheek, I could feel him shaking with sobs. "This morning I went to his apartment after he was an hour late, and he was laying there. I don't know what happened, but a paramedic sayed it might have been a heart attack." Sarah was holding my hand now too, Rudy's head rested under my chin. I felt extremely sick. "Sarah, help me take Liesel home. Thank you for being so good to my father, Herr...?" Rudy said in a hoarse voice after his sobs stopped. "Herr Cole. I'm sorry, I'll give you his last paycheck next time you come by." Rudy and Sarah lifted me up and hauled me down the street. "I'm sorry Rudy." I sayed in a quick exhale." Then I finally passed out.