Chapter 5 – Home Is Where the Heart Is

The first Saturday in December, July waved goodbye to Grace Warbucks. Grace was technically the headmistress, though Katherine, July's older sister since they'd been adopted together, got more and more responsibility as she approached her mid-twenties, with their parents helping to advise in some areas. Katherine and July's adoptive dad was in the medical field and had studied child development. Grace wasn't there often, and others watched the girls and stayed there at night. However, it was still nice to get visits at least once a week to go over things.

She remained at the door as John pulled up. One thing saddened her "Two and a half months since that last message," she muttered to Katherine.

"She was in hiding last. Who knows what that means? That could be till the war ends. Hi, John," Katherine said as he entered.

"Hey, Katherine, July. Any word?

"Well, my boyfriend's still stationed here – he's great with the kids. I hope it works out. As for Pepper, no. We didn't even hear from her mom at Thanksgiving. All her dad said was she was 'helping with the war effort.' I don't know what that means," Katherine said worriedly as Duffy neared, having heard her fiancée's voice.

Duffy and John, embraced warmly and kissed. "All ready to start the new year off in style?" he asked excitedly as they all moved toward the sitting area.

"Yeah. I'm glad the church was able to figure out how to get all of our girls involved in the ceremony." They would get married on Friday, December 31. "That's a lot of flower girls; the way rationing has gone, you'd think they'd be down to one petal each," Duffy quipped as Hattie ran up to them from the kitchen, where the orphans had been eating lunch.

"Hey, Hattie." He hugged her just as he had Duffy, with one arm and the stump that extended to halfway between the shoulder and elbow.

"Hi, Mr. John. How's your left-handed practice?"

John sighed as he and Duffy sat on a couch, with Hattie sitting on his lap. Others began to trickle in to greet him as they spoke. "It's still a challenge learning to do things left-handed, Hattie. An artificial arm can't do a lot, but now that I've been back for a couple months and recovered from my wounds, I'm looking into whether to get one and how well I could use it."

"Hattie told us you still feel your missing arm," one five-year-old girl told John with obvious skepticism in her voice. "Is she lying again?"

"No, that's actually a very real feeling. The brain connections that used to send signals to and get them from my arm still expect something to be there. It does feel shorter."

"And, you're not as anxious about it now, right?" Duffy asked. He agreed. To the little girl, she said, "Thankfully, with a lot of work and patience, Hattie's lying problems are gone."

"I'm still a handful sometimes, though," Hattie said with a joking smile to get a reaction. It was true to some extent, but nothing like earlier that year.

John squeezed her. "You are. But, the first time I came here, in October, I could tell underneath that wild exterior was a kind, caring girl who just needed loved." She grinned broadly.

"I remember when Duffy heard about you being wounded. Hattie was there to comfort her right away, along with all of us," Tessie said.

"And, when you learned he'd lost an arm, she wanted to know how to help. She sat down with me and we found lots of ways to help you learn to work with just one arm," Annie said excitedly.

"I know. She's already visited John's house and seen how he puts a sweater on now and things like that. You were right, she just needed to learn how to love," July said.

"It was so nice when she got her friends together to figure out ways to help you tie your shoes," Katherine said.

"Yeah. Now Miss Duffy can go back to work," Hattie said. "But, boy, a kid could get away with a lot there. He wouldn't be able to grab them as well if he chased them after they did something naughty. They could get away easy," she said with an impish grin.

"Oh, I'm sure over the next few years, if a kid tries, I'll make sure they learn just how bad it is to take advantage of someone like that," Duffy said with certainty.

Hattie blushed a little. "Yeah, they'd learn their lesson real good. Do you still have to take care of him?" She paused. "Wait. If a kid tries? Are you having a baby?"

Nancy blurted: "But, that's a while till-" Molly gently shushed her.

"The wedding's going to be so exciting," Annie said. "And, who knows; Pepper could still show up to fill the Maid of Honor's role."

Katherine agreed. "It's possible. But, for now, I think leaving that spot blank and having all of us – and John's and Pepper's sisters - fill it by committee is a nice symbol." The Jacksons had had an older sister who was out of the house by the time they adopted Pepper.

"We've all pitched in to help, just like everyone does with a war to be won. We certainly have enough people with the fourteen orphans in the girls' annex," Duffy said.

"There's fifteen here," Hattie said. "We always count them."

"Weddings are stressful. I guess she forgot," Annie said evenly. "So, you'll be moving out of here and in with John right away, no honeymoon?" she asked.

"Right," Duffy said. "I can go back to theater and dancing after the war, but right now, just like all the baseball stars, it's important to sacrifice part of my career and focus on helping family. And, I'll still be coming every day, and you'll be able to see your friends every day, Hattie."

Hattie looked oddly at Duffy after that comment. "Of course I'll be able to see my friends. I- wait…" A look of realization slowly began to dawn as she put the comments together.

"Hattie, it's been a joy to get to know you these eight weeks – eight months for Duffy. Just as I'm overcoming every day and learning how to cope, I know from her letters at first, it's been just as much of a struggle here," John said.

"But it's been a blessing, too. I always thought when I volunteered here once Daddy Warbucks opened this place up as the wonderful home it is, that I could never pick just one – all of you girls here need love, acceptance, compassion, and so much more," Duffy said.

"As her first letter about you said, there was something unique about you," John put in.

"That's right. Maybe because I saw you as more of a challenge, saw your need deep down like I vaguely remember with Pepper early," Duffy speculated. She'd been a bit ornery too, though never anything like Hattie or even Pepper. She didn't want to make comparisons, though. "And because I worked harder with you and seemed to give you more attention, you tested me more than the other workers to see if I really cared. We've been through plenty of highs, like my teaching you dance and the fun songs we do, and lows like, well, I won't mention the problems, I'll just mention you working on all the stuff you've dealt with."

Hattie had a really eager grin on her face by now. Nancy seemed to comprehend, too, as she looked back at Molly, who was a little misty-eyed.

"I love all of you girls here so, so much. But, I've come to realize, Hattie, we've bonded as more than just a caregiver and her charge. The last few months, really since early this summer, I've really begun to see you as my own daughter. How would you like it if John and I adopted you, Hattie?" Duffy finished.

"Oh, boy, yes!" Hattie shrieked gleefully. The three of them had a group hug, with all the other workers and orphans patting her on the back, congratulating her, or both. After the cheering died down, Hattie looked at John. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna take advantage of you not havin' an arm. She means business!"

"I know you wouldn't," John said.

"You are a lot nicer, Hattie. And, I'm so glad I know someone who's gonna have a real mom and dad. I call dibs on the first sleepover," Lucy said playfully. She knew, given her race, it might be harder for her to have adoptive parents – though the people here certainly showered her with as much love as they could. Maybe more than the outside world, given how they accepted her.

Nancy said she wanted it. Duffy promised that Hattie could have as many over as she wanted – and both would definitely be among them if they wanted.

Hattie rested in John's lap, with Duffy hugging them, as someone snapped a photo. Hattie was so glad to be going to a loving home. Annie, too, looked misty-eyed as she and Molly both realized that soon they'd mark the ten-year anniversary of all of them getting out of there.

Later that afternoon, John and Duffy went over some wedding preparations – despite the large number of helpers, it would be a small, simple one. Hattie, Lucy, and Nancy were jumping rope out front in their heavy jackets.

"I'm so glad you get a real mom and dad," Nancy said. "But we'll always be friends, right?"

"Yep. I'm just gonna live somewhere else. Hey, maybe they're gonna adopt someone," Hattie said as she pointed at a car that was pulling up.

"I wonder who it is. Let's go inside and tell them we've got company," Nancy added as someone got out of the driver's seat. Lucy had run inside excitedly without even seeing that.

When Lucy told her someone was pulling up, Annie spoke simply. "That's nice," she said as. She laid down a piece of the jigsaw puzzle she was helping a couple older girls put together. While Daddy Warbucks was teaching her more and more business matters, she loved relaxing by working with the children when she wasn't studying education or singing, which she loved to do in her spare time. All of the girls did to some extent, the more talented doing it on stage.

If she ran his business empire one day, she wanted to know how to hire the right people to work in the schools and other things she wanted to use the money for, schools which would truly try to meet each child's need no matter what the situation. She considered the vast number of needs, especially with the underprivileged and handicapped, as Hattie and Nancy met her on the way to the front door. "Who do you think it is?" they asked.

"We'll see." Annie knew visitors were always fun for the kids.

Annie was the first to look out the front door, with a few of her friends strolling that way. She saw a woman helping someone out of the front passenger seat; the woman's back was turned by the time Annie got there, so she didn't recognize her.

The young lady who stepped out of the front seat did so a little gingerly. She used a cane, apparently from a knee injury as she was favoring one leg. She seemed to be a bit sore, possibly with some faint scars.

As she looked up, and passed Annie a grateful smile, Annie shrieked with delight and flung the door open. "Come here, everyone! It's Pepper! She's home!" she shouted joyfully behind her.

Annie ran out of the house, followed by all her friends and Hattie, who was excited to finally meet her. A few others kids followed, with the children buoyed by the excitement. Most people just cheered, though Tessie kept hollering "Oh my goodness!" and "She made it!" in an incredibly excited tone, with tears of joy running down her cheeks.

Pepper, as usual, was still playful with her comments. "Hey, watch the ribs; you can't put casts on broken ribs, and they're still healing," Pepper insisted. "If you're all going to crowd around me, why don't you just carry me on your shoulders?" she quipped next.

She rolled her eyes as Annie and a couple others, along with her adoptive mother, did just that.

Among the cheers and excitement, they forgot they would need to put her down again to enter the building. But, once they did, Pepper couldn't help but chuckle. "I got the craziest friends," she told the nearest orphan, which was Hattie.

"What happened?" several people asked all at once as Pepper walked over to a couch.

"I heard you were in the war," Hattie said. "My new dad was in the war. He and Miss Duffy are adopting me." Pepper was only mildly intrigued till the girl's next line. "Miss Duffy says I was a handful like you at first. Probably more. But in a different way."

"I'll bet she had fun," Pepper said as she leaned back, looking like she wanted to lay down on it. She finally got Duffy, who had sat down beside her, to stand, and Hattie sat down on the coffee table once Pepper was stretched out. "We just got off the boat. Let me at least lay down. From the look on your face, I got a feeling you're gonna mob me with questions."

She was right about how much the girl appeared to look up to her. But she wouldn't have guessed about her caring side. Hattie instantly ran into the dorm area and returned beaming. She gave Pepper the teddy bear she'd been given when she had arrived early in the year, just like all the other kids got, so Pepper could have it while she rested there.

Pepper hugged it closely. "Thanks, kid. What's your name?"

"Hattie."

"We're so glad you're here for Christmas, Pepper," Duffy said cheerfully for the second time. They'd tried to give her at least a moment to wind down and talked instead with Mrs. Jackson, but with how excited Hattie was, she decided they might as well be talking to Pepper, too.

"And, I'm staying this time. I couldn't have made it without your prayers. Or without thinking of how you'd always say 'The sun'll come out tomorrow,' Annie," Pepper said.

"Were you fighting? My new dad lost an arm in a battle," Hattie blurted, even though John was quite visible to Pepper and it seemed pretty obvious. Pepper began snickering at the comment.

"Pepper got snuck out by the Danish Resistance after being taken in for questioning," Mrs. Jackson said. "That's all she'll let me tell. She'll tell you more when and if she feels like it."

July, the former Kate, tenderly stroked her hair and said, "That's all you have to tell. I'm sure it was hard."

"It was. But it was worth it. I kept reminding myself it's worth it. It's something I can do in this awful war. Just like I always looked for something I could do when I was here and it was such a dump, so I wouldn't feel trapped." She'd had enough trouble accepting she could get out. When she first saw the Warbucks mansion she'd even called it a dump, not wanting to fret about how bad her situation was. "Hattie, I wasn't in the military." Pepper chuckled at her confusion. "I was up to my eyeballs in something harder." She grinned playfully as she looked straight at Tessie. "Who knows how high that would have been for you, Tessie, since you don't do eyeballs."

Tessie burst out laughing. "I have never been so happy to hear you tease about that."

"You see, Hattie, I snuck in to get Jewish children to safety. I don't want to tell you how awful it is for them over there. But, I did a few at a time, whenever I could. And helped with Norwegian and Finnish children when I stayed where it was safe," Pepper didn't know how to explain that she felt that not only had she lived up to whatever it was she was jealous of Annie for, she had also been able to show her emotions some ; she had at least tried to be mothering like July, now Katherine, had been. She figured it was too complex for Hattie, anyway. "And then, a few weeks after that last telegram I sent, we got seven thousand men, women, and children out of Denmark and over to Sweden. Seven thousand!" She still felt awestruck at the enormity of that one. "I was a very small part. But it was great to be part of such an amazing feat. I went in then to try to help others, but they knew me too well…" Pepper closed her eyes.

"Fraulein!" she heard an angry German voice commanding her. "Come here! Shnell!"

Pepper turned, trying to hide the anxiety in her eyes. She reminded herself that she needed to keep the man's attention on her – there was someone trying to get to a boat quite a few yards away, and she wanted them to be safe. Running the other way wouldn't do any good and could get her shot, the Germans were so agitated after finding almost no Jews, they had taken her in before.

"What can I do for you?" she said, resisting the urge to say something insulting. She produced the phony papers she'd been given – a second set, actually – but the man grabbed her arm and roughly pushed her toward a waiting car. He began barking orders to another officer, but thankfully at least that officer was looking where she had just gotten a Jewish person from. Pepper stared at the men and said, "I'm following your orders, why are you pushing me? You only push people who don't follow orders."

The response told her that she was now a suspect in the disappearances of Jews. And, if they pieced this together with a couple other times she'd been under surveillance…

She hoped Tove or Tove's brother Hans would think to look for her quickly when she wasn't on the boat. Because these people were angry that they couldn't find anyone, and seemed to be out for blood.

Mrs. Jackson patted her on the head and whispered: "It's okay, Dear. You're safe." She knew even if they hadn't done anything really harsh, the Nazis were very scary, given their methods.

Pepper knew she was safe. She was used to it by now – zipping through the worst parts of any flashback, till the point where they had decided she didn't have information. They ordered her not to leave town and said her "brother and sister" - really Hans and Tove - were there to pick her up and possibly take her to the hospital, since she complained of sore ribs. Hans and Tove had apparently inquired about her and been waiting for a little bit. They quickly threw a shawl and a while wig over her once she was in the car and hightailed it for a waiting boat. They wanted to get Pepper out of there fast before the authorities changed their minds. By the time they realized she hadn't shown up at the hospital or their apartment, she was in Sweden being rushed to a hospital in Malmo.

"You're safe, Pepper, we're home," Mrs. Jackson repeated, and Pepper smiled. The mother still remembered the surprising call a number of weeks back.

"Mrs. Jackson?" She confirmed it. "This is the Swedish envoy to the United States," the man on the other end had said.

She'd known that there might be some connection to Pepper, but at that moment, the shock of an envoy from another country calling a Brooklyn midwife in her 50s kept her from thinking of that.

"Mrs. Jackson, your daughter Pepper is safe. But, in a Swedish hospital…"

The next moments and days had been a whirlwind. Taking a sudden leave to "participate in the war effort," not telling anyone where she was going except to "help Pepper," and going via diplomatic channels – and eventually taking a spot in crew quarters of a cargo ship to Malmo, arranged by Daddy Warbucks' friend the envoy - to a country where she knew only the bits of language that she recalled Pepper practicing along with German and Danish. And, even those she mixed up. Thankfully she'd had an interpreter provided, thanks to Daddy Warbucks, who paid for it, though being from the trust set up for Pepper, as had been done for each of the orphans. So, Oliver Warbucks hadn't known what the money was for.

She'd arrived in the Malmo hospital to help her baby while Pepper recovered, and met her friends Alva and Tove – who had had to flee with her family,, too, since they'd helped Pepper - and the nice families who had been with Pepper till she arrived. At least they'd known a little English. Now, she was finally home.

"You're home now," Mrs. Jackson repeated softly.

"I know. I'm a fighter. I've made it this far. It's not that scary now. Annie, Mama Jackson told me what you did with the comic strip. I know some Germans knew, maybe I let something slip before about who I was, some suspected the author of the comic strip was somewhere in Europe helping people. Off on my own adventure. They certainly suspected me of something when they took me in that last time, though then there wasn't as much to go on, so they didn't interrogate me. This last time, I was confused after they started off with some easy questions about the comic strip before the harder ones about where people were hiding… I was certainly confused." She didn't want to mention the questions about the disappearance of the Jews. "I didn't know what was going on. And, since one character was dead, from what I could tell of what they were saying, it's possible some thought I was… I don't know," Pepper said.

It seemed confusing to her, but for whatever reason, they had decided she may not have been responsible for what they'd heard about Jews escaping or perhaps other things. Their inquiries had been quite fierce, but when they got no information, they had released her. People from the Danish Resistance had been waiting to pick her up and take her over to Sweden. She couldn't say Annie's plan had caused her release, but she couldn't say it hadn't, either. And, Pepper certainly didn't want to think about how she not only might not have been released – the Resistance would have had a very hard time getting her out then – there was a little concern about being sent to a concentration camp for her help in rescuing Jews. She not only didn't want Hattie to hear about that, she didn't even know if she wanted to tell her friends that. Just sharing it with her mom had been hard. Like soldiers such as John with the loss of his arm, there might be things in her final battle before coming home that she locked away, not wanting to share or even consider.

"Thanks, Annie," was all Pepper would say. "I know I was jealous of a lot of stuff back then, and struggled even after we got out and I trusted Jesus to save me. But, even back when we lived at that dump that this was, I always knew I could count on you." They hugged.

"We all prayed for you, Pepper. Every day." She decided, based on how scary some parts seemed to have been, not to bring up a few times, one in particular, when several of them had awakened with a greater sense of urgency to pray than usual. She wondered about the one day when they'd flet the need to hold a big prayer meeting at breakfast… no, she decided, if that was the day, they would let God get the glory. She didn't need to mention it. "I'm glad we could do something. We heard about your telegram in September," Annie said.

John could tell there were parts that Pepper hadn't wanted to reveal. "That battle where I lost my arm, I was kind of fortunate to be knocked out early. I still remember bits leading up to it – and other battles. I wish I could give you easy answers on how to cope, other than just reminding yourself it's in a place you'll never have to go again. I guess one thing that helps is, like Annie said with prayer, trust God and know you know Him and have a future in Heaven where the sufferings of this world aren't worthy to be compared with the glory that awaits us. And, look for the positive things here, so you can focus on them," he finished.

"Thanks." Pepper got much easier questions from the kids for a few minutes, while Mrs. Jackson whispered back and forth with Hattie, John, and Duffy, feeling it would help if Pepper could focus on simpler things. Hattie listened to Pepper and to Mrs. Jackson. The mom was glad the notion that Pepper had travelled from Denmark to Sweden while hurt the last time was lost on the kids.

Pepper finally responded to Annie's comment. "That note I sent… the Nazis looked like they were getting ready to swoop into Denmark and grab the Danish Jews and take them who knows where. I was hiding with them, getting ready to get them all out if I could. But I knew I might have to give my life. I told you I was ready." A tear inched down Mrs. Jackson's cheek at that.

After Pepper, John, and Duffy talked for a couple minutes, Hattie interrupted again. "Pepper can be Maid of Honor now," she told Duffy, suddenly realizing it.

"It's the 31st? I'll be ready. I'm still recovering from a badly twisted knee, I had surgery on some ligament, and these ribs will be healed. I should be walking fine. I'm glad you always tried to be friends with me; all of you," Pepper remarked. She was clearly tired of discussing Europe.

Hattie could tell. "Why don't I tell you about life back here," she said. She shared all about how she'd come and some of her mischief as well as accomplishments. "You'll like this stuff, 'cause I was a handful just like you. That and you bein' in the war is why I like you so much. You're just like my new dad. You're a hero," she said with childlike simplicity."

"I'm glad I could be a good example." Pepper shook her head as Hattie continued. A hero? She had just been looking for something she could do. She'd never thought about what a hero she could be to someone without doing what she had. She was glad she'd done it, but it was nice to know she was special even without that. "It's a good thing you had my friends here to love you even when you got really wild."

"Yeah. And, I'll be coming here with Miss Duffy every day. I mean, Mama Duffy." Hattie and Duffy hugged. "We can do all kinds of fun stuff together," Hattie said, figuring that – if Pepper had been one of the group of friends – she would be helping there now.

Pepper laughed. "She keeps you running, huh?" she asked Duffy.

Finally, Pepper said she wanted to rest a while before enduring the bumpy car ride home. The others agreed. She would have decades more life and creativity in front of her, as would her friends, as they worked on the ideas generated by their time there and by her own experiences - after all, not only had they created the comics and some songs, dancing was also a way they passed their time sometimes as Duffy had shown. For now, though, she was ready to relax.

"Wait… before you go. You know that song I always acted too tough for? Do you think maybe you could sing it for me?"

"It'll be our pleasure," Annie said proudly as she and the other former orphans – along with Hattie and a few other kids - gathered around, singing the words as they sang it now in the orphanage. "We're all in an orphanage. E-I-E-I-O. And in this place we have our Pepper. How we love her so. Some may not have moms, some may not have dads. Here we love, there we love, everywhere we love love." Tears of joy inched down Pepper's cheeks as she thought of the love she'd sought for so long as a child, wondering if she could really find it as she kept escaping inwardly to escape the frustration, always trying to find something to do. As she thought of how much her friends there cared about her, they concluded with: "We're so glad we have our Pepper. How we love her so."


A/N: Am I retiring for good now? Who knows? I might have a few more little ones, or missing scenes from "Do You Want To Build A Snowman" or this, but nothing major; and they might make for a nice set of small chapters for one story; they range widely. This came because I didn't explain the one bit fully I alluded to in "Just Thinking About Tomorrow" with the soap, and because I realized what Miss Hannigan told Annie might have come earlier so she could really big Annie, but since I hadn't had it happen before, it could wait a few months. And, it is interesting that Miss Hannigan doesn't even pull Molly out from the laundry but orders the others to, as if Molly is their responsibility, though her days may be numbered as only that; or maybe Miss Hannigan just likes to say that to scare her. Probably a bit of each.

I do have one vague idea but someone else can do it – what if Miss Hannigan was gone for a day or so from a night in jail after drinking too much while out and the girls had to execute… whatever plan they would, just like I figure someone had to know how to cook and that Pepper would be the one so she could say she was doing something. My idea: I keep it vague in my story but in this concept, they've all been practicing choreography, etc., too (If I had to guess I'd say they do in my stuff, too, and when they dance to "Smile," which they've heard various times, sometimes it's just playing like the 2012 Broadway choreography with the clothes, sometimes it's like a chorus line) and contact Bert Healy. Miss Hannigan arrives at some point but it's too late to stop a tryout in the orphanage,and suddenly she has to deal with the Orphanage Seven. Does she try to sabotage them or go full-blown "uber-insane Hollywood mom" on them, pushing them too hard for the money? It's be set earlier in '33. I don't know how that would work except tat they'd get Warbucks' attention in a different way and make him desire to adopt one – or all – for their great determination. I hereby give that idea to another to do, I doubt I'll have time.

In the meantime, check out my Print On Demand books at the link in profile, Godlife for a great relationship with the Lord, who will provide ultimate peace, comfort, etc., when you trust Him, and remember you're only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from eternal life. Thanks for eading and God bless.