A New Holiday
The next morning, after Georg and the children had left the house, Maria and Isabel were once again in the basement doing laundry. Isabel's face held a smile as she spoke.
"I noticed you are drinking tea instead of coffee."
"Georg told me you knew I was pregnant."
"Katia probably knows too. But she and I will keep your pregnancy a secret."
"Can you tell me what else may happen to me?"
"I can. You may notice your breasts feel fuller and a little tender. You may find certain smells may upset your stomach. For some women this can also happens when you get up in the morning. Many women keep crackers or a piece of bread on their bedside table and eat it before getting out of bed; it seems to calm the nausea.
"As the baby continues to grow you may find you need to use the bathroom more frequently. Soon you can feel your baby sac when you lie down. Then the sac protrudes even more when you are standing as the baby puts on weight.
"The older girls will be very interested in your pregnancy. Women of Agathe's day always wore dresses with lots of crinolines; they never knew when she was pregnant."
"I won't mind sharing my pregnancy with them."
When the children came home, Marta and Gretl rushed to her. "Mommy we get to be Indians in a play."
"Who or what are Indians?"
"We don't know."
"I can tell you, mom."
"Please do Brigitta."
"They are people who were living here when Christopher Columbus discovered the land which is now called America. My history book has pictures of them. And it also tells about one of the other early places where people from Europeans also came here to escape religious persecution.
"The Indians there taught them how to grow food. They even ate together. Now there is an American holiday which celebrates this; it's called Thanksgiving. Marta and Gretl are going to be in a play which tells the story."
"When is this holiday?"
"Not until November."
"Good! That gives me plenty of time to learn what I need to do."
"Mom, the best part is the meal eaten that day."
"And why do you like it so much Kurt?"
"Because my friends told me there's always a lot of food."
"Different from what Katia fixes every day?"
Brigitta answered her. "Yes mom it is different. They cook a large bird named Turkey; the cavity where its innards were is stuffed with bread and flavorings and baked. They also prepare two kinds of potatoes; white potatoes are mashed and Sweet Potatoes are fixed with Marshmallows on them. Green beans are prepared a special way too. A berry, Cranberry, is cooked and made into a sauce. Lots of biscuits are baked. And a pie named Pumpkin Pie is served with a sweet topping made by whipping cream."
"Brigitta, you need to tell this to Katia and Isabel."
"I will Mom."
When the older children came home they confirmed what Brigitta had told Maria. When Georg arrived home, Maria greeted him with a kiss. But before she could speak a word they both heard Gretl.
"Daddy, Marta and me are going to be Indians in our school play."
"What is this play about?"
"It tells the story of Indians teaching people how to grow food."
"I see. Let me go get changed and you can tell me more about your play."
Maria went with Georg to their bedroom. "I am so surprised how all our children have adjusted to school so fast."
"I expected it for the older ones but not for Marta and Gretl."
"I feel the same. And Kurt told me about the special meal everyone fixes to celebrate the Indians teaching settlers how to grow food."
"He would be the one to tell you."
They both laughed before Maria went on to tell about all the food eaten that day.
"That's a lot of food. Do Katia and Isabel know?
"Yes, I asked Brigitta to tell them."
"How are you feeling?"
"I have no complaints. I'm grateful I haven't had the morning sickness Isabel told me about. She also told me of my need to use the bathroom more often as the baby grows.
"Should we tell the children soon?"
"Maybe in another week or two; I doubt that even Liesl knows about a woman's glow. And I can't believe how excited Gretl and Marta are about being in a play."
"They're growing up on us, sweetheart."
"Yes, an experience of how we had to escape can do that."
When they went downstairs, the girls were waiting for them. "Girls, do you wear costumes in your play?"
"We do. The only thing we need to make is our head piece with paper feathers."
"Do you know when you give this play?"
"I'll tell you Dad."
"I'm listening Brigitta."
"It's performed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in the afternoon. The chorus also performs."
"Are you in the chorus?"
"Yes and so is Kurt. Will you be able to come?"
"I'll have to ask but I'm pretty sure the answer will be yes."
"I must ask. Does the high school give any plays or choral performances?"
"Yes Dad, but in the spring."
"Great, something to look forward to. Your mom and I are thankful you have all adjusted so well to life in America."