Chapter Eighty-Eighth: The Desolate Painter of Vienna
After that, as if the knot in his heart was finally resolved, Adolf became less irritable and continued his life.
Reading, painting, opera, these are the only things in his life. He doesn't like drinking or gambling, and he doesn't like women, and even hates women. Although his cold appearance is often welcomed by women, he always gets excited every time he walks out of the opera hall.
Some women would look at him sideways and even extend invitations, but he would simply ignore them.
Once, a young and beautiful female student from Kubisik came to their narrow room and asked about music problems. Adolf's face suddenly turned ugly. After the female student left, he turned to Kubisik.
Ke is furious.
"This grand piano and this monster have already made us miserable. Do you still want to turn our room into a date place with these musical girls?"
He is strict in self-discipline and conservative to the point of rigidity. Even wearing short-sleeved shirts and exposing his arms feels inappropriate. He only likes reading and all kinds of books, which makes people almost doubt whether he can live without books.
According to the regulations at the time, the widow of a civil servant could receive a monthly subsidy of 100 kronor, while the orphan could receive a 50-kronor subsidy until the age of 24. This 50-kronor orphan subsidy was shared by Adolf and his sister, which meant that Adolf personally
Able to have 25 crowns per month.
But these 25 kronor are really not enough for a young man in Vienna. After deducting the monthly rent and book expenses, etc., Adolf's daily food is often just a bottle of milk, a piece of bread, and some butter, so he can barely cope with it.
In the past, I was hungry every day.
Kubicek did not dare to give Adolf money directly, because he knew that this proud and conceited good friend would never accept it and would only angrily scold him. He could only occasionally borrow money from Adolf when he went out for leisurely walks.
Only then could he and Adolf go to the restaurant for a meal in the name of a "treat". Adolf would not refuse this.
But even so, Adolf still did not let go of his stubbornness. During his days in Vienna, he and Kubischik often visited various magnificent buildings. His love for architecture was second only to his love for opera and reading. Every day
Every time he saw those magnificent buildings, he would stare at them intently, and then he would give an impromptu speech in front of Kubicek, telling him impassionedly his ideas for the buildings he conceived.
Only at that moment, he seemed to be able to abandon the embarrassment of reality and place himself in the magnificent city he imagined.
However, occasionally Kubicek will act as an uninterested interrupter.
"So, where's the money?"
Facing his friend's confusion, Adolf would widen his eyes and wave his hands angrily.
"None of this is important! It's not important!"
In addition, he is happiest every month when he goes out to watch operas with Kubicek. He has an extreme love for opera, and his speech skills were learned from opera.
The two met by chance at the opera house. The two young people talked about music and opera. This was the beginning of their encounter.
At other times, Adolf would force his friends to go to the Vienna Parliament to listen to the speeches of the city councilors. He had the same strong interest in politics, and sometimes expressed his own opinions, while Kubisik
He didn't like this thing and didn't understand it, so he was often called a "political idiot" by Adolf angrily.
One night, he was talking about the Wright brothers' airplane. He quoted a newspaper article saying that these famous aviators installed a relatively light heavy machine gun on their airplane and tested its effect several times.
The test is expected to enable aerial shooting in the near future.
Adolf, who considered himself a pacifist, was very angry. He criticized that whenever people invented something, it would be immediately used in war.
"Who wants war?"
he questioned.
Definitely not the "little people" - no way.
The war is in the hands of the uncrowned kings, who control the arsenal and take turns launching wars driven by profit. These respectable gentlemen are far away from the smoke of war and earning a lot of money in the rear, while those "little people" who do not know the truth
"But he worked hard for them on the front line.
Just like half a year after arriving in Vienna, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's conscription order arrived, and Kubischik was asked to join the army. As a result, Adolf became furious.
"Gustave, you are not allowed to register under any circumstances. If you do, you are a fool. The best thing to do is to tear this bastard into pieces."
He held the conscription letter and roared angrily.
In the end, Kubicek was dismissed because he failed the physical examination.
Kubischik thought that the relationship between the two would always be like this, just as Adolf's mother Mrs. Clara wanted to see, two people with the same withdrawn personality eventually became each other's best friends for life, but...
Everything changed because of that opera.
On an evening in June, Kubicek was invited to go with Adolf to watch an opera by Wagner. Wagner was a playwright they were both obsessed with, but they had never had the chance to see it, so they were very happy.
It is a story about the tribune of Rome in the middle of the 14th century, Rienzi. The tribune who was dedicated to the city and the people of Rome did not want to be the king, but was eventually betrayed by the Roman people and burned to death in the palace.
Magnificent scenes, gorgeous performances, and profound stories. Generally speaking, Adolf, who was obsessed with opera, would always give an impassioned speech afterwards to comment on the gains and losses. But unexpectedly, after watching it, he remained
There was a long silence, which surprised Kubicek.
So Kubicek took the initiative to ask him what he thought after watching the opera. However, he cast an almost hostile look at Kubicek.
"Shut up!"
He said rudely.
The narrow streets were filled with damp and cold mist, and there was a bit of heaviness in the air. There was only the sound of two people's footsteps on the sidewalk. Adolf walked towards the road leading to the top of the mountain. He just strode forward without saying a word.
In a word, he looked almost sinister, and his face looked paler than ever. His raised collar only deepened this impression.
Kubicek wanted to ask him.
"Where are you going?"
But his pale face was so intimidating that Kubicek swallowed the question abruptly.
As if there was an invisible force pushing him forward, Adolf reached the top of the mountain. Kubicek suddenly found that they were no longer in remoteness and darkness, because at this time, above our heads, stars were shining.
Adolf stood in front of him. He grabbed Kubicek's hands and held them tightly. He had never done this before.
When he held Kubicek's hands tightly, Kubicek felt that he had been deeply moved, and his blazing eyes showed an expression of extreme excitement. His words did not come out of his mouth as coherently as usual.
Speaking in an organized manner, his voice seemed quite hoarse, rough and even a little out of control. From his voice, Kubicek could feel how huge the shock this experience had brought to him.
His speech gradually became more relaxed, and his words became more free-spirited.
Adolf Hitler said something he had never heard before at that moment, and they stood under the stars as if they were the only living things in the world.
Before, Kubicek had always been convinced that his friend wanted to be an artist, a painter, or an architect. It seemed that was no longer the case. At this time, he had higher pursuits.
It's just that he can't fully understand it yet. This surprised Kubicek, because he once thought that an artist's career was the highest goal he pursued. But now he is talking about it.
"One day, the people will grant me power, and I will lead the people out of slavery and strive for the greatest freedom."
When saying this, Adolf's eyes were shining.
…
Two months later, the semester is over. Kubicek will return to his hometown of Linz, while Adolf will continue to stay in Vienna. This is a rare separation between two good friends. However, Kubicek originally thought that
It was just an ordinary farewell until he returned to Vienna three months later...
"What, he's gone?"
Looking at the confused look of the housewife in front of him, Kubicek's face was filled with astonishment.
Shortly after he returned to Linz, Adolf did not rent this narrow house again, but moved out without saying a word. The housewife thought that Kubicek knew about it, but the fact was that Kubicek did not know about it.
Nothing.
Obviously, Adolf deliberately avoided his best friend. Maybe it was because his friend was admitted to the music conservatory but he failed to achieve anything, or maybe it was for other reasons. In short, Adolf avoided his friend and disappeared silently.
.
The dazed Kubisik was at a loss. He had long been accustomed to Adolf's existence. Only after Adolf disappeared did he realize how important Adolf was to him...
At the same time, in another part of Vienna, in a place with only stalls, a young man was drawing what he saw on a drawing board.