Chapter 4 - I Simply Remember My Favorite Things

Once they had begun sewing, and Miss Hannigan had left, Annie turned to her. "Don't worry, July. We love you. Things will get better. If not tomorrow, then someday soon.' Se broke into her favorite song, "Tomorrow," which she had written. The other girls cracked small smiles. A couple of them had joined in singing by the end.

"Thanks, I needed that," July said as Miss Hannigan re-entered.

"You better be sewing while you're singing!"

"We are. But Miss Hannigan…" July saw Miss Hannigan swivel from where she'd been about to leave and face her. She took a deep breath as a still, small voice reminded her she could do this with His help. "Miss Hannigan, Kate and I are both glad you let me handle it. But you realize that if I had been asked why that paint was there, I would have had to tell the truth."

July smiled as Miss Hannigan spluttered defensively.

"I know it would be hard to prove how much you force us to sew. You probably told him some lie about how there are adults or older girls who work here. But you always insist we never tell a lie," July said softly.

"Oh knock it off, you brat," MIss Hannigan spouted.

July spoke calmly like Miss Kathy had taught her. "I'm sorry. You're right - you do know that. You know we have to, and that's why these younger girls need free time. Molly is only around five, maybe not quite five, and Kate is six. I coud argue the accident happened because you didn't let them - or even Tessie - have play time in here-"

"If that's what it'll take to stop you flapping your mouth, fine! Just get those projects done the way I ordered you to!" She let out a short burst of insults and then said she was leaving because hearing all those little girl voices was giving her a big headache.

July lowered her head a bit. "See, July, you did it. You helped them get some free time," Annie said.

"Yeah, even though it mostly means just doing flips or reading books that we have to stick together with who knows what," Pepper griped.

"But she still did it. Right, July?" Annie got up and hugged her.

July finally smiled again, albeit somewhat briefly. "Thanks, Annie, that really helps."

"Sure. Let's see who hugs the best." Annie invited the others to all hug July, who returned them briefly as she sewed. Even Pepper, who wasn't much of a hugger, did so quickly, using the excuse that she had to watch for Miss Hannigan.

"Thanks. That feels so good. Hugs really are good medicine," July said.

Duffy agreed as she sat back down and sewed, as did the other older girls. "Right. It's not about who does it best. It's about adding them all up. Which reminds me - you younger girls remember how to spell 'hug,' right?"

The others joined her in singing as they sewed, to the turn of "The Farmer In The Dell," as all their letter songs were. "The word hug starts with H. The word hug starts with H. Here are some other words that start with letter H. Heart, hands, hips, and hi. A horse and some hay. Heaven, the perfect place, and happy holiday."

July was grinning broadly now. "You're right. God cares about me. He calls me His child because I trusted Him to save me and live in me. I have His promise of Heaven because of that. But, things can get better for me on Earth, too. And, I'm going to keep trusting and know they will someday. And, He'll get me through the hard times like He did just now."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Back in the present, some seven years later, July was looking at Annie in the middle of Warbucks Home for Girls, feeling better than she had been.

"I know I helped you, Annie. But, you always were there for me. During those rough times, you'd keep me going." July looked around them and pondered the crowd. "Look, let's contact some of the Jewish friends your Daddy Warbucks knows, and get them to house some. I know you don't want to consider the worst - and I don't want to sound like Tessie. But, let's plan to have to house as few orphans here as possible. If we would go to war, things might get pretty rough for New York orphans."

:Yeah. That's what Mama Grace said, too. I just want these kids to have homes. To be loved, away from all that hatred."

"I know. I do, too." Unable to think of what else to say, she hugged Annie and held her tight for a moment.

Weeks later, Duffy and Pepper were riding along with Duffy's adoptive mom toward Warbucks Home for Girls. "Hey, your vocabulary is getting better, Pepper."

"Oh, sure," Pepper snarled. "A lot of good that's going to do me. I can't stop giggling with some of these words. How would you react if you were watching the Swedish version of Bob Feller pitching in a baseball game, and you heard someone giggle like I do every time I talk about his blazing fart!" Pepper sighed as Duffy explained for her mom that "fart" was Swedish for "speed."

"You didn't giggle there," the mother noticed.

"Thanks. Maybe I am getting a little used to it. July said they've had a little help since getting some of those new kids," Pepper said, trying to change the subject as they pulled up to the home.

"Right. I met them the other day. They're going to Scandinavia for one more tour this summer since their term expires to stay here, but once that's over, they're talking about living here permanently now," Duffy said.

Her mom added "I told her they could even have a musical made about them" as they entered the building, the door having been opened by one of the staff.

"Although I'm sure they'll have to make their escape seem a lot more harrowing than just getting on a train like they did. Hi, Mrs. von Trapp," Duffy said warmly.

"Ah, Duffy, it's great to see you. And, you must be Pepper." When her look showed that she was, Maria von Trapp added: "The girl who is filled with adventure."

"Nice to meet you. Yeah, if I don't get myself shot."

Duffy explained that Pepper had entered the most difficult phase of her learning. "I think she's starting to think about the stakes."

"And you still want to do it?" Maria asked evenly.

"Someone has to. You heard about how we had to change names for these kids; and there's more coming. And then Annie's got all kinds of tricks up her sleeve about something else.. As if some people even care!" Pepper muttered as July walked up to the group.

"Have faith, Pepper. I was just telling Mrs. von Trapp… sorry, I know you want to be called Maria… we all got really discouraged sometimes when we were orphans. It really helped to focus on positive things." Juy admitted that, "Sometimes that got a little silly, I know."

"Yeah, like with Annie's parents, and that note and locket. But we had things like hugs and such we would focus on, too," Duffy said as Annie said "hello" on her way out the door and thanked Maria once more.

"It's our pleasure, Annie. We have had such fascinating experiences, haven't we?"

"I'll say. It was hard enough getting out of an orphanage. At least you and your family were singing before. So, maybe if we'd had to, we could have become a singing group," Annie speculated.

Maria agreed. "Why not? We were somewhat used to traveling, though not this far," she told each of the former orphans gathered there. "Knowing you, I'm sure you'd have made it. You'd have done just like us - we relied on the fact we had each other. Some of the children were much older, of course - I just had a baby, so we always have things happening. There is always something good to think about."

"Yeah, like the fact I know Austrians speak German and not Austrian," Pepper said.

"That is a very good thing to know," Maria agreed with a chuckle. "So long, Anni.?"

"See you later, Maria. Bye, guys," Annie said as she left.

July tried to help Pepper explain. "We didn't have much good to think about under Miss Hannigan. You're right, we did have some things. Pepper, I wonder if you're worried about how so many people over there could be even worse."

"She's right, Pepper. There are good things happening, too. We've got our high school graduation in a few weeks - I went slower getting my last classes needed because of my appearance on Broadway in a minor production - and did because she's been focusing on this place. And, Pepper's a bit younger, but she's been focused on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip and things connected to that. But, look how it's worked out that we're all going to be together walking across the stage," Duffy finished.

"She's right. Other people will be there to help you, too. And you don't have to be perfect," Maria reminded her. "You just have to be yourself. When we try too hard, sometimes that's when we wind up making the biggest mistakes. When you ran your fire drills, you had everyone going like clockwork so they knew just what to do, right?" Pepper nodded. "So, keep practicing till you have it down right, but don't think you have to be perfect. See what you can do, and use that. And, don't worry about trying to do the things you can't. Because when you work hard at it and get really good, I think you'll really surprise yourself at all you can do."

Pepper breathed deeply and muttered a "thanks." She knew this woman was right. "You speak pretty decent English for not having been here long."

"You should have seen me when I first tried. Nobody is perfect right away. Think about how much your friend Duffy danced even before you got there."

"Yeah, but she was in that place for ten years. I might not have ten months till I go over there." Pepper closed her eyes for a moment. "I want to do this, though. I have to. I think of those kids over there, and I can't help but think of Molly or Kate when they first came, once I was there. Or of the stories I heard from the first few kids we got from Europe just now." Maria told her to go out and do the best she could, then.

As some of the von Trapp family talked with Duffy and Pepper while working with the children, July and Maria walked upstairs. "It's getting to where it's hard to find a place to talk quietly," July confessed. "And we'll still get a few more in here. I'm really glad you and your family could help out for a little while till we get enough good workers and make sure they're good with kids."

"I can imagine. When Annie's father called and said she had suggested me, I was stunned. Agathe wants to be a Kindergarten teacher - she may tour with us one last time in Scandinavia but she has been offered a job here to learn the ropes ss you say. I'm sure this will be very helpful. But, for all of us to be used like this is quite incredible." The daughter she'd mentioned was already in her mid-20s, but she had of course enjoyed singing before with the family.

"I'm Sure it is, Maria. When I would think about family, and who mine might be, I couldn't help but think - Annie and I were around the same age when we were left. Just infants. But, hers at least planned to come back. I guess, in a way, that's what we have to tell these newest children. Maybe Annie's the best person for the job and I never realized it," July lamented.

"You'll do fine. All of you have a special role. You're all important."

"Thanks. Part of me… just thinks about how I wasn't important to them. The others, family was either all gone or just couldn't take care of them." July smiled as she led Maria to the memory room, where any little things or pages of information about each child's parents were kept in filing cabinets and boxes. "These children will all have something to remember their parents by - so they know something about themselves. Like Lucy - she'll always know she was named after Lucy Craft Laney, an important black educator. Mine didn't even care to give me a name. Which is why part of me wants to go by Katherine someday."

"That was the house mother before she had to leave?" July nodded. "I know she was a big influence. We tried to help the children remember their birth mother, my husband Georg's first wife, as much as possible. That's why I accepted his proposal - he wanted someone who could be that special someone. I was originally hired as a tutor but I fell in love with all the children right away. My love for him grew after we were married."

"Annie mentioned something about that and her parents, I think," July said, not quite sure what it had been.

"She told me - they had already been thinking of something serious, if not marriage, but if they had been forced to marry in order for her father to adopt, she said it would have been just like for him and Grace." Back to July's concerns, Maria concluded: "You get to be that special someone for a lot of children. And the important people, their love for you will grow, too."

July thanked her. She wondered if Pepper was trying to be special for those kids, too. She wasn't sure, though she supposed that might be part of it. She only knew about herself for sure. "I guess knowing I can be special to someone, as rough as it was having to be the only real mother figure at age eleven, really is one of my favorite things."

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A/N: The timeline I share is pretty much what the real von Trapp family faced. It appears they arrived in January and left 6 months later for Scandinavia for a short time in 1939 before returning - so can be at the graduation - and the last of the children was born in January. Agathe was already in her early twenties and became a kindergarten teacher in Maryland for decades. She was still singing at this time of course. I'm not sure when she got her teaching license, so I let her have a little more time working at Warbucks Home for Girls. If that's incorrect and she was already teaching it can always be a bit different for the Annie universe.