and said, “Elsie and I went on an adventure this afternoon, didn’t we
schnigglefritz
?”
After that, whenever Mom got one of her crazy ideas–like maybe climbing a tree to see if there were eggs inside a nest–then she always said, “Do you feel like an adventure,
schnigglefritz
?”
Only pretty soon after that Lena was born, so she became the
schnigglefritz
in our house. And then I startedschool yet, and found out other kids didn’t go on adventures with their mothers. They mostly only played on the playground at the park.
Auntie Nettie shook her head, still muttering mostly to herself. “It’s not my business. I shouldn’t go so much off at the mouth.”
I grinned. We all knew Auntie Nettie’s opinion of psychiatrists. We all knew Auntie Nettie’s opinions about most things. “You’re probably right. I bet her doctor, is a real
dummkopp
”, I teased.
“
En schozzle. En daugnichts.
” Auntie Nettie chuckled. She flicked her wet hands, spritzing me with water. “Good thing you don’t know the Plautdietsch.”
“I know some.”
Dad walked in about then, home for lunch. “What do you know, Elsie?”
Auntie Nettie got busy at the sink real quick, her back turned. But her shoulders shook silently. I broke up laughing.
“Why do I think you two have been up to no good?” Dad hung up his cap.
“Sit you
doy
, O’Lloyd,” Auntie Nettie ordered him into a chair. For sure there was no one named O’Lloyd in our family. But once, Grandma Redekop said that to a visitor named O’Lloyd when she didn’t know the right English way to say “Sit over there.” Now everyone said it all the time.
Dad didn’t bother to protest. Not that Auntie Nettie would’ve listened. She winked at me. “
Putzendonna
”, she whispered. “You’ll get me in trouble.”
“Better you than me,” I whispered back. Then because it felt so good to laugh I threw my arms around her waist and hugged her.
“
Uy uy uy
” she said, patting my hair.
For lunch Auntie Nettie had brought over two bagfuls of
rollkuchen
to eat with watermelon. She knew it was my favorite food in the world. I’d poured a lake of syrup into my plate beside a mountain of the deep-fried dough strips before I saw Beth smirking at me and realized that
rollkuchen
was probably bread, too.
Fuy.
Sighing, I gave my plate to Lena. “I think I’ll just have watermelon and yogurt.”
Everyone stopped doing whatever it was they were doing. They turned, like they were all tied to the same string, to stare at me.
“Are you sick?” Dad asked.
Grandma felt my forehead, “You don’t feel hot. You should lie down maybe.”
I started laughing again. Pretty soon I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt. I couldn’t stop till I got the hiccups.
Dear God
, I prayed that night. My stomach grumbled.
It was kind of mean of Beth to say I don’t fill out my bathingsuit enough for anyone to notice. Not that I give a care really, even if it’s true. I don’t want Aaron to notice me for that, I just want him to notice me. At the pool today it was like he didn’t know I was alive even.
I know it’s only been three days so far, but I need to change our deal a little. Instead of giving up meat and bread, would it be okay if I just gave up meat? I don’t think I’ll make it twenty-one days otherwise. For sure not in this house. Daniel wasn’t a Mennonite.
Thanks for understanding, God.
Most of all, please let it be your will for my mother to get well again soon. Dad says we can go see her tomorrow. Only I’m not sure I want to yet.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
My stomach was growling so much I couldn’t sleep, so I slipped downstairs and helped myself to a huge plate of
rollkuchen
drowned in syrup.
“L ookit once how high I can go, Elsie.” Lena, that little monkey, dangled hand over hand from the scaffolding. A minute ago she’d been drawing chalk pictures on the sidewalk.
“Get off of there!”
“Aren’t you done yet? Let’s go see
schnigglefritz
?”
After that, whenever Mom got one of her crazy ideas–like maybe climbing a tree to see if there were eggs inside a nest–then she always said, “Do you feel like an adventure,
schnigglefritz
?”
Only pretty soon after that Lena was born, so she became the
schnigglefritz
in our house. And then I startedschool yet, and found out other kids didn’t go on adventures with their mothers. They mostly only played on the playground at the park.
Auntie Nettie shook her head, still muttering mostly to herself. “It’s not my business. I shouldn’t go so much off at the mouth.”
I grinned. We all knew Auntie Nettie’s opinion of psychiatrists. We all knew Auntie Nettie’s opinions about most things. “You’re probably right. I bet her doctor, is a real
dummkopp
”, I teased.
“
En schozzle. En daugnichts.
” Auntie Nettie chuckled. She flicked her wet hands, spritzing me with water. “Good thing you don’t know the Plautdietsch.”
“I know some.”
Dad walked in about then, home for lunch. “What do you know, Elsie?”
Auntie Nettie got busy at the sink real quick, her back turned. But her shoulders shook silently. I broke up laughing.
“Why do I think you two have been up to no good?” Dad hung up his cap.
“Sit you
doy
, O’Lloyd,” Auntie Nettie ordered him into a chair. For sure there was no one named O’Lloyd in our family. But once, Grandma Redekop said that to a visitor named O’Lloyd when she didn’t know the right English way to say “Sit over there.” Now everyone said it all the time.
Dad didn’t bother to protest. Not that Auntie Nettie would’ve listened. She winked at me. “
Putzendonna
”, she whispered. “You’ll get me in trouble.”
“Better you than me,” I whispered back. Then because it felt so good to laugh I threw my arms around her waist and hugged her.
“
Uy uy uy
” she said, patting my hair.
For lunch Auntie Nettie had brought over two bagfuls of
rollkuchen
to eat with watermelon. She knew it was my favorite food in the world. I’d poured a lake of syrup into my plate beside a mountain of the deep-fried dough strips before I saw Beth smirking at me and realized that
rollkuchen
was probably bread, too.
Fuy.
Sighing, I gave my plate to Lena. “I think I’ll just have watermelon and yogurt.”
Everyone stopped doing whatever it was they were doing. They turned, like they were all tied to the same string, to stare at me.
“Are you sick?” Dad asked.
Grandma felt my forehead, “You don’t feel hot. You should lie down maybe.”
I started laughing again. Pretty soon I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt. I couldn’t stop till I got the hiccups.
Dear God
, I prayed that night. My stomach grumbled.
It was kind of mean of Beth to say I don’t fill out my bathingsuit enough for anyone to notice. Not that I give a care really, even if it’s true. I don’t want Aaron to notice me for that, I just want him to notice me. At the pool today it was like he didn’t know I was alive even.
I know it’s only been three days so far, but I need to change our deal a little. Instead of giving up meat and bread, would it be okay if I just gave up meat? I don’t think I’ll make it twenty-one days otherwise. For sure not in this house. Daniel wasn’t a Mennonite.
Thanks for understanding, God.
Most of all, please let it be your will for my mother to get well again soon. Dad says we can go see her tomorrow. Only I’m not sure I want to yet.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
My stomach was growling so much I couldn’t sleep, so I slipped downstairs and helped myself to a huge plate of
rollkuchen
drowned in syrup.
“L ookit once how high I can go, Elsie.” Lena, that little monkey, dangled hand over hand from the scaffolding. A minute ago she’d been drawing chalk pictures on the sidewalk.
“Get off of there!”
“Aren’t you done yet? Let’s go see
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