I'm a huge history nerd and recently received a history degree. My college didn't have concentrations, but I tended to take classes on WW2-Cold War. I was/still am fascinated with the role of smaller countries such as Czechoslovakia (my family immigrated from Moravia and Bohemia) and Hungary during these times. So I thought why not go into that a little with this chapter!
Mostly the purpose of this chapter was for me to practice writing Ana for later chapters. She has a distinct way of talking that is a little tricky to type.
I swear, happy chapters are coming. This at least has some fluff at the end. Update: I added some clarification on the historical event that I meant to have in the first place! If it's still not clear, let me know. The problem with history nerds is that we forget sometimes not everyone is a history nerd too.
I fell in love with how adorable and strong Ana is and I thought it was fitting she and Peggy would become close friends. I hope you enjoy it and please review if you can.
Peggy would sadly admit it didn't happen every week, but unless it was life or death keeping her away, you could find Peggy and Ana sharing lunch on Wednesday afternoons. If they were feeling particularly celebratory, you might find them at one of the upperscale cafes near the SSR office. Cold champagne with hot horderves was an occasional treat the two indulged themselves in.
But for the most part, Peggy preferred a lunch at Howard Stark's mansion that had unofficially become the Jarvis permanent residence. It provided more privacy than the cafes and she was able to relax. Well, relax as much as an agent could. Peggy worried about burdening Ana with the cooking, but Ana swore she enjoyed making the dishes Edwin disliked that Peggy happened to love.
Today, it was Peggy's absolute favorite. When she walked through the double doors, heels clicking on the tile floor, she instantly smelled the warm aroma of goulash. Jarvis didn't care for the stew, finding it too heavy in spices for his English palate, but Peggy could inhale a bowl faster than Ana had ever witnessed a true Hungarian do.
"Ana, you're a dear," Peggy sighed as she sat at the table Ana had already set. "You have no idea the day I've had. I hope this wasn't a bother."
"My pleasure," Ana said, sitting down at the table herself. "Edwin told my how stressful your adventures have been recently. I thought you could use the treat."
"Mhmm,"Peggy murmured, slurping in such an unladylike fashion Ana couldn't help but laugh.
"Honestly Peggy, you are sure you are not a Hungarian?" Ana asked.
"English through and through," Peggy smiled. "Although after being in the States all these years it's beginning to feel like home."
"I know what you mean," Ana agreed. "But I still think you would be quite comfortable in Hungary."
Peggy was about to mention she had actually been there before and had felt quite at home, when she noticed the usual twinkle in Ana's eyes was significantly dimmed. Instead, it looked to Peggy as if she was trying to hold back tears.
"Ana, dear, are you quite all right?"
"It is hard, that's all Peggy, to speak of Hungary," Ana sniffled. Peggy fished a clean handkerchief out of her pocket (she found you never knew when one would come in handy). She handed it to Ana, who returned the gesture with a smile.
"It's hard to miss home," Peggy said.
"You know how it feels," Ana said shrugging.
"Yes, but I can imagine choosing to leave and being forced to leave bring up different feelings," Peggy said.
"I suppose you're right Peggy," Ana sniffled. "I'm afraid it's hard to think you would be more welcome in my country than I would be."
"Can you ever forgive your people," Peggy almost whispered. "Forgive them for their betrayal?"
"I want to Peggy. I do not like holding onto bad feelings.
"But easier said than done, I assume?"
"Yes," Ana nodded. "I can forgive them for my pain perhaps, but I am not sure if I can forgive for those who will never come back."
"I hope I'm not intruding Ana, but did you lose a great deal of family?" Peggy asked softly.
"My parents had died before the war even began and my sister was able to flee with a husband to Switzerland," Ana explained. "But my brother Matthias did not return from his deportation. There are too many friends, aunts, uncles and cousins lost that sometimes I can not bear to remember. But I must."
"Could you ever return again, if you could?" Peggy asked.
"Perhaps, one day" Ana tried to smile. "But when I look and think of those streets that once held such happy memories, now those memories are replaced with something much different. Do you know the Danube?"
"Of course," Peggy said. "I quite like the beautiful spot where it crosses in front of parliament."
"That is the spot I was thinking of. I would go there as a girl to have picnics with friends," Ana said. She wasn't looking directly at Peggy anymore, instead looking off into the distance while gently stroking her pendant necklace. "But I don't think of those picnics anymore when I see Danube anymore. All I can see is those shoes."
"The Arrow Cross," Peggy sighed.
"A girl who worked at the hotel came to work crying that people had been shot near the river. She was crying so hard that I could not even understand what she was trying to speak. We finally calmed her down long enough for her to tell us what she saw. She told us how she was walking to work and saw one of her friends standing on the bank with some others. She caught his eye and was about to call out to him but he shook his head. She thought it was peculiar none of them but the soldiers standing near them had shoes on. The next moment soldiers were shooting and bodies were falling into the river. None of us could believe it, not truly, until we saw those shoes lined up on the sidewalk. Mr. Stark was able to get me out of Budapest shortly after."
"Ana, I'm so sorry," Peggy said, taking one of Ana's hands. "You should never have had to see that horrendous kind of thing."
"But you have seen just as worse, haven't you Peggy?"
"It's what I signed up for," Peggy said.
"It does not matter," Ana shook her head. "No one should see such a thing."
The two sat in silence as Ana tried to compose herself. It wasn't that she minded being vulnerable around Peggy, but Ana tried the best she could in life to dwell on the negatives in life. Sniffling one last time into her handkerchief, she adjusted her posture and tried to give the most genuine smile she could muster.
"I will not let myself forget the ones we lost Peggy, but I will also not allow those terrible memories to ruin our feast!" Ana said. "I live in the present and enjoy the company of my dear loved ones around me."
"To our feast," Peggy nodded, but before she could pick up her spoon, she heard the front door open and close.
"Ana darling, we've returned," Jarvis's voice called out.
"Back so soon?" Ana asked.
"You know as well as I do how persuasive she can be," Jarvis said, which only caused Peggy to sigh and shake her head. But when Jarvis walked in, Peggy couldn't help but give a bemused smile. Jarvis wasn't carrying any of the shopping bags Ana had sent him out to get. Instead, he was holding a fussy Amalia Sousa who was clutching a stuffed bear Peggy didn't recognize.
"She's a baby Mr. Jarvis, surely you could have found a way to convince her to get more shopping done," Peggy said, rolling her eyes.
"Please be reasonable Mrs. Sousa," Jarvis said. "She was quite insistent we return home in order to see more of you before you returned to the office."
"Is that right, Amalia?" Peggy said, taking the baby from Jarvis. "Did she also insist on the new bear?"
"He can't say no to her Peggy, you know that," Anna laughed.
"She's quite persuasive," Jarvis repeated admiently.
"Darling," Peggy said sternly to the baby that had calmed down significantly in her mother's arms. "You already have a father who is under your spell and a whole regiment ready to go to war for you. Could you please give Uncle Edwin a chance to hold some authority over you?"
"No Peggy, we like it this way," Ana laughed again. She quickly got up and took Amalia from Peggy. "Now eat, you don't have much time left before you must return."
"You have the entire day with her. Shouldn't I be allowed to hold her while I lunch? " Peggy asked with unconvincing annoyance.
"You get her all evening and some in the morning. Besides, you'll eat faster if I hold her and then you can have her before you return," Ana smiled.
"Fine, fine," Peggy said, rolling her eyes and returning to her goulash.
Of course, Peggy wasn't really annoyed at her friend. She was simply surprised to see her daughter so early that afternoon. As their routine went, Ana watched the baby while the Sousa's would go to work. Jarvis would take Amalia on his errands while Ana and Peggy enjoyed their lunch in peace, returning in just enough time to allow Peggy to see a little of her daughter. The two were the most loving aunt and uncle Peggy could have ever asked for her little girl, although Aunt Angie and the Howling Commandos gave them a run for their money despite being so far away.
The only downside of the lunch and seeing her baby with her doting aunt and uncle was that it was simply a weekly reminder how much trouble Peggy was in. What on earth was she going to do when this child was a teenager?
"She'll be nothing but spoiled because of you two," Peggy laughed.
"Nonsense, children deserve to be cherished." Ana said.
"And if you do not allow her to spend much time with me, what chance will she have of developing any proper accent?" Mr. Jarvis commened, leading Peggy to scoff.
"There's little chance of that Mr. Jarvis," Peggy said.
"You're perfect simply as you are, isn't that correct my darling?" Ana asked the baby, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"That she is," Peggy agreed, smiling at her daughter safely in the arms of a woman that would cross oceans for her.
"Now, finish that golash," Ana said, walking back towards the bedroom. "Amalia and I must show you the dress we bought for her last afternoon."
A world of trouble, Peggy sighed, she was in for a world of trouble.
I hope you liked this chapter. I'm feeling iffy on it but I think I accomplished what I wanted. If you want to look it up yourself, I recommend looking up the bronze shoe memorial in Budapest. It was very impactful when I saw it in person. Bronze shoes line the bank where Jews were told to take them off and then shot so their bodies would fall into the river below. The Bronze shoes are there now are a reminder that there are people who will never come back. I also hope you like the name of one of the baby Sousa's. I'll go into more of her birth/name in another chapter, but it is a name with Portuguese and Hungarian ties, so I thought it would be fitting. Please review if you can!