Back In The Old Town For Thanksgiving
By: CNJ
PG-13
5
Stacey:
It did feel a bit like old
times once we got into our sleeping bags and lay close in a circle in Kristy's
old room, now a guest room. Just like we did in the old days back in high
school, I thought.
"Did anyone hear that the
schools in Afghanistan'll be open to girls again?" Claudia whispered.
"Yeah..." Mary Anne added.
"A lot of it depends on the future stability of Afghanistan. I'm so glad
the U.N. is meeting to discuss this instead of just waiting for first-grab,
first-in-power."
"So, Stace..." Kristy, who
was next to me, turned over. "How's Vermont? Any homesickness?"
"Actually, not a lot," I
whispered. "I miss it here, but not as much as I'd feared." I remembered
what a hard time I'd had last year with the idea of leaving Stoneybrook.
I'd been afraid of leaving Mom here alone and being separated from my friends.
Most of my other friends couldn't wait to get out of Stoneybrook, especially
Kristy, Claudia, and Mary Anne, but I'd been troubled by the idea of leaving.
But finally by graduation, I realized that it was the best for both Mom
and me. It was, because Mom and I had picked up right where we left off.
And there was e-mail that helps us keep in close touch.
"That's good." Abby lay
back and ran a hand through her thick dark curls.
"Hanukkah's early this year,"
Mona put in. "Anyone have a menorah back at home?"
"I have candles..." Mary
Anne said slowly. "I don't know how good they are."
"Me too..." Abby and Anna
chimed in. "Mom says she'll call us on the first night when it starts since
she has a menorah and candles and all."
"There's a small Jewish
gift shop down by Liberty Island," Kristy told us. "Mona, Mary Anne, maybe
the three of us could see if there's one there and buy it if it isn't that
expensive."
"Good idea..." Mona nodded.
"We can all e-mail and call
on December tenth," I put in. Of all of us, actually the Stevensons are
the only practicing Jews of our bunch, but all of us observe Hanukkah as
well as Christmas.
"Yeah, let's do that," Anna
added. "See if we can be by a computer or a phone at sundown then."
"Speaking of holidays,"
Kristy said. "Is everyone coming back here for winter break?"
"I think so..." "I am..."
Most of us definitely were. Mary Anne and Dawn said most likely yes, if
her family didn't go out to Iowa to visit Mary Anne's Grandma Baker. "But
most likely, Dawn and I will stop by here." We talked a while about other
things before each of us drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Byyee!" We all called to
each other late Saturday morning as I left for my dad's place in New York
City. I'd be spending Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning with Dad and
his wife Samantha. Samantha's two grown kids, Lew and Amanda. I smiled
as I remembered the fun last weekend I'd come to the city and met Mary
Anne and Mona for dinner and some scouring around the Big Apple.
"See you at winter break!"
I called as I hoisted my overnight bag and flew out the front door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary Anne:
Dawn, Mona and I were the
next ones to head back to our parent's houses. When Dawn and I got there,
Sharon had just come in also and was bellowing at the top of her lungs,
"I WON! I WON! Richie! Verna!"
"What did you win?" Dad
came from the kitchen. Grandma followed behind.
"A trip for all of us over
the winter break to Germany!" Sharon hugged both Dad and Verna and the
three of them started laughing.
"Wow! To Germany?" Dawn
whooped.
"Oh, boyyy..." I breathed,
not quite believing it. I mean, wow. I knew there would come a day when
I was older and making enough money that I'd travel to Europe and see Germany,
which is where most of my ancestors come from, but this winter.
"Where did you win this?" I gasped as Dawn and I joined the group hug.
"At work," Sharon held out
the notice. "My latest design...it won an award. I went over there to check
the mailbox and here it was."
"Wow, I can't believe it!"
Dawn squealed.
"So, this trip is won with
all expenses paid for a family of six," Sharon added. "So, Verna, you're
invited as well."
"Oh...thank you!" Verna
wiped her eyes. "To see the old country...where my grandmother was born."
Grandma and I met eyes and I knew we were both thinking about Syraria Wegenstein,
our ancestor who came here from Germany through Ellis Island a hundred
years ago. Grandma still has a copy of her journal, which is ashy and old,
but still readable. She says that when she dies, she will pass it on to
me.
"This is fantastic!" Dawn
crowed. "I've always wanted to see Europe again! I hardly remember early
trip to France, so this will be great!" When Dawn was little, she and her
parents and brother took a trip to France.
"Thanks..." Dawn and I gave
Sharon a huge hug.
As we talked about what
we needed to do to prepare for our trip, which we'd take over the winter
break, it began to sink in...I'm actually going to Germany. I'd
been to Canada way back when I was around six, but hardly had any memory
of that trip, so it really did feel as if it were my first time out of
the States. What an event to look forward to!
