the English words she was looking for. “I am an old woman. If I die, it is my time. Greta is jung, but twenty. It is not her time. You must take care of her, Jana, just as you did when you were ein Kind .”
Jana looked back at Greta as she lay sleeping, the moonlight causing the shadows of the maple leaves to make eerie patterns on the wall. She knew her mother was right. Her sister would die if Frederick Kaiser continued to work her like a hired hand.
“Oh, Mama, how do we do this?”
“You are a strong woman, meine Tochter. You will find a way. Today I talked to Dewey Gehrig at the market. Go to him tonight. Early in the morning, he will take his pigs to the stockyard. He will take you and Greta with him and leave you at the depot. Dewey says there is a train nach Chicago. In Chicago ist meine cousin Marie. In there is aletter for her.” Marta pointed to the little cloth bag.
Jana put her arms around her mother and held her close. She felt moistness on Marta’s cheeks. Jana could not recall having ever seen her mother cry. Jana knew then what a sacrifice her mother was making. She was sending away her two daughters, which meant she might never see them again, just as she had left her own mother when Frederick brought her to America sixteen years ago. Jana hugged her mother tighter and felt her mother’s arms around her. She felt her mother shudder; then Marta dropped her arms, recognizing the urgency of the moment.
“ Gehen jetzt schnell! He must not see you go.”
“Aren’t you going to tell Greta good-bye?”
“ Ja. I will tell her.”
Jana stepped out into the hall to keep her eyes and ears alert for the sight or sound of her stepfather. Behind her, she heard her mother’s voice, quiet and anxious. She heard, too, Greta’s voice, questioning at first, then acquiescing.
Finally, wiping the tears on her apron, Marta stepped back into the hallway.
“Mama, the school! I can’t just leave without them knowing what happened to me. You must send word that I will not be coming back.”
“I will. Hurry, mein liebes Kind. ”
Jana went back into the bedroom and found Greta sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Jana, are we leaving tonight, as Mother said?”
“Yes. Get packed, but only take what we can carry in one case between the two of us.”
“I’ll light the lamp,” Greta said, reaching for the matches.
“No, the light will be too bright. Light a candle. That’s all we’ll need. Hurry now.”
As Greta was packing, Jana withdrew a wooden picture frame from her drawer in the chest. It contained a wedding picture of Johann and Marta Hartmann, a happy young couple with no inkling of the sorrow to come. She held the picture, wanting to take it with her, but then she decided against it. It would just take up much-needed space in the case, and if she left it, she would have a good reason to return someday. Turning the picture around, she withdrew seven $10 bills she had managed to save from her salary last year. She stuck that money into a pocket of her dress. Then, helping Greta pack, Jana put in her own packet of paper and charcoal pencils for drawing.
“Do you really think we should do this? We may never see Mama again.”
Jana stopped and looked at Greta, who was standing in the light of the candle. She looked so fragile, so delicate, and Jana was hit with the enormity of the situation. Her mother had asked Jana to take on the responsibility of what both women thought was necessary to save Greta’s life, but no one had asked Greta if she wanted to do this.
“Greta, you’ve had no say in this, so I ask you now. Do you want to do this? Or would you rather stay?”
“I’m sad to leave Mama, but I’ll go wherever you take me.”
Jana gave her sister a hug, then picked up thecase, handed the bag of food to Greta, and quietly they left the house.
Marta stood in the dark upstairs hallway and watched through the open window as her two daughters walked down the lane, then turned on the
Jana looked back at Greta as she lay sleeping, the moonlight causing the shadows of the maple leaves to make eerie patterns on the wall. She knew her mother was right. Her sister would die if Frederick Kaiser continued to work her like a hired hand.
“Oh, Mama, how do we do this?”
“You are a strong woman, meine Tochter. You will find a way. Today I talked to Dewey Gehrig at the market. Go to him tonight. Early in the morning, he will take his pigs to the stockyard. He will take you and Greta with him and leave you at the depot. Dewey says there is a train nach Chicago. In Chicago ist meine cousin Marie. In there is aletter for her.” Marta pointed to the little cloth bag.
Jana put her arms around her mother and held her close. She felt moistness on Marta’s cheeks. Jana could not recall having ever seen her mother cry. Jana knew then what a sacrifice her mother was making. She was sending away her two daughters, which meant she might never see them again, just as she had left her own mother when Frederick brought her to America sixteen years ago. Jana hugged her mother tighter and felt her mother’s arms around her. She felt her mother shudder; then Marta dropped her arms, recognizing the urgency of the moment.
“ Gehen jetzt schnell! He must not see you go.”
“Aren’t you going to tell Greta good-bye?”
“ Ja. I will tell her.”
Jana stepped out into the hall to keep her eyes and ears alert for the sight or sound of her stepfather. Behind her, she heard her mother’s voice, quiet and anxious. She heard, too, Greta’s voice, questioning at first, then acquiescing.
Finally, wiping the tears on her apron, Marta stepped back into the hallway.
“Mama, the school! I can’t just leave without them knowing what happened to me. You must send word that I will not be coming back.”
“I will. Hurry, mein liebes Kind. ”
Jana went back into the bedroom and found Greta sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Jana, are we leaving tonight, as Mother said?”
“Yes. Get packed, but only take what we can carry in one case between the two of us.”
“I’ll light the lamp,” Greta said, reaching for the matches.
“No, the light will be too bright. Light a candle. That’s all we’ll need. Hurry now.”
As Greta was packing, Jana withdrew a wooden picture frame from her drawer in the chest. It contained a wedding picture of Johann and Marta Hartmann, a happy young couple with no inkling of the sorrow to come. She held the picture, wanting to take it with her, but then she decided against it. It would just take up much-needed space in the case, and if she left it, she would have a good reason to return someday. Turning the picture around, she withdrew seven $10 bills she had managed to save from her salary last year. She stuck that money into a pocket of her dress. Then, helping Greta pack, Jana put in her own packet of paper and charcoal pencils for drawing.
“Do you really think we should do this? We may never see Mama again.”
Jana stopped and looked at Greta, who was standing in the light of the candle. She looked so fragile, so delicate, and Jana was hit with the enormity of the situation. Her mother had asked Jana to take on the responsibility of what both women thought was necessary to save Greta’s life, but no one had asked Greta if she wanted to do this.
“Greta, you’ve had no say in this, so I ask you now. Do you want to do this? Or would you rather stay?”
“I’m sad to leave Mama, but I’ll go wherever you take me.”
Jana gave her sister a hug, then picked up thecase, handed the bag of food to Greta, and quietly they left the house.
Marta stood in the dark upstairs hallway and watched through the open window as her two daughters walked down the lane, then turned on the
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