Kings of Broken Things page 1 by ric gustafson
Karel Miihlstein was new to Omaha. He was 11 and just off a boat. He was from Salzburg. His father repaired musical instruments. His mother had died back in Europe.
By the summer of 1917, Karel knew what was the most important thing on Clandish in Omaha. In order to fit in with the other boys, Karel had to learn how to play baseball.
The boys on Karel's street were 11, 12 and 13. They divided into teams. Karel did not know how to play. Everybody had an equal shot at every position. Some of the boys did not have gloves. They had to use their hands. On Clandish, Karel lived near his school. Two teams picked Karel. One was led by Jimmy Mac. He was a skinny redhead with long arms. The other team was led by Alfred. He was short, compact and dark.
Jimmy and Alfred asked Karel lots of questions about the war. They asked what work Karel's father did. Karel explained how his father got his job at Musik Verein. The two boys asked Karel how their family fled Central Europe. After a while, Karel got tired about talking about his family. Sometimes memories became painful.
research help: ' Kings of Broken Things' by Theodore Wheeler
Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric
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