Hannah's Joy (22 page)

E
PILOGUE

C
ome
, Jamie. It’s almost time for the parade.” Hannah held out a small jacket as William and Jamie came into the bakery from the kitchen.

“Grandpa,” Jamie declared, shoving his arms into the jacket’s sleeves.

“Ja, Grossdaadi will be in the p-parade,” William said, dropping a kiss on Hannah’s lips. “You will see him.”

Hannah responded to the kiss, her palm against William’s cheek, feeling the warmth in her heart that came of loving and being loved. Now that they’d both been baptized into their new church family, their wedding was less than a week away. It would be held in the churchhouse, instead of at home, but their Amish kin would be present, as well as the Mennonites.

“Komm,” William said, handing Jamie the small flag his grandfather had brought for him. “You will wave your f-flag when you see Grandpa, ain’t so?”

“Ja,” Jamie declared. He was talking more every day, it seemed, using Pennsylvania Dutch words as easily as English and often enough mixing them both together.

The three of them went out the front door of the bakery to Main Street, where people were already gathering to watch the Veterans Day parade.

Phil Russo hadn’t gotten his wish to have Hannah and Jamie in the parade, but Hannah had persuaded Robert to come for another visit, so Jamie would see his grandfather marching with the valley’s veterans.

It was a good compromise, one of many that she and William would make as they built their lives together. Already they felt accepted among the horse-and-buggy Mennonites, a change that was probably easier for her than for William, as the group was so similar to the black bumper Mennonites.

After their wedding, they would move into a house only two blocks from the bakery, with a fenced-in yard for Jamie and an extra bedroom for the other babies they hoped to have. Her life would be full and useful, running the bakery, having a family, loving her new husband.

She studied William’s face as he lifted Jamie to his shoulders, ensuring her son a good view of the parade. They could hear the sound of the band somewhere down the street, and Jamie bounced with excitement.

Most of the crowd that had gathered to watch the parade was English, of course. That was only natural. But even as Hannah glanced around, some of the Mennonite and Amish shopkeepers came out their doors, looking down the street for the first glimpse of the parade.

Someone touched her arm, and she turned, barely preventing herself from gasping when she realized it was Isaac Brand. William’s brother had come around to accepting their marriage and the changes it would inevitably make in William’s life, but she certainly hadn’t expected to see him here.

“Isaac, how are you? Do you have business in town today?”

“A few errands, ja,” he said. “But since my new little nephew’s grossdaadi is in the parade, I thought I would watch.” He reached out to pat Jamie’s leg, where the boy sat on William’s shoulders.

It was an olive branch she hadn’t expected from Isaac, and Hannah could tell that William was as surprised as she was.

“That is so kind of you,” she said, when William seemed speechless. “Jamie, say denke to Onkel Isaac.”

“Denke, Onkel Isaac,” Jamie parroted, cooperative at the moment, and she breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t always want to perform when asked to talk, but this was the right moment to pick, because Isaac was smiling and the very air around them seemed warmer.

Or maybe that warmth came from William’s hand, clasping hers, hidden by the folds of her skirt. A very un-Amish thing to do, holding hands in public, but maybe William guessed at the emotions tumbling around inside her.

The sound of the high school band grew louder, and it came into view, red-and-white uniforms bright, rounding the corner and heading down Main Street toward the firehouse. Jamie bounced excitedly in time to the music, waving his flag when he saw the color guard with their flags.

A car carrying the community’s oldest veterans came next, and a lump choked Hannah’s throat. The lump threatened to grow to boulder size when she spotted Robert marching next to Phil in uniform. She fought to keep a smile on her face, but tears weren’t far off.

William squeezed her hand, and her racing pulse steadied. Travis was gone, and it was right and natural to grieve him, even to be affected by the sight of a uniform.

But life never stood still, and she moved with it. She glanced up at her son, firmly ensconced on William’s shoulders. They’d both moved forward. They’d found a home here in Pleasant Valley, and now they’d found a good man to share it with.

Joy welled up in her, sweeping away the lump in her throat. She had been lost, but now she was found, and she was content.

G
LOSSARY
O
F
P
ENNSYLVANIA
D
UTCH
W
ORDS AND
P
HRASES

ach.
oh; used as an exclamation

agasinish.
stubborn; self-willed

ain’t so.
A phrase commonly used at the end of a sentence to invite agreement.

alter.
old man

anymore.
Used as a substitute for “nowadays.”

Ausbund.
Amish hymnal. Used in the worship services, it contains traditional hymns, words only, to be sung without accompaniment. Many of the hymns date from the sixteenth century.

befuddled.
mixed up

blabbermaul.
talkative one

blaid.
bashful

boppli.
baby

bruder.
brother

bu.
boy

buwe.
boys

daadi.
daddy

Da Herr sei mit du.
The Lord be with you.

denke.
thanks (or
danki
)

Englischer.
one who is not Plain

ferhoodled.
upset; distracted

ferleicht.
perhaps

frau.
wife

fress.
eat

gross.
big

grossdaadi.
grandfather

grossdaadi haus.
An addition to the farmhouse, built for the grandparents to live in once they’ve “retired” from actively running the farm.

grossmutter.
grandmother

gut.
good

hatt.
hard; difficult

haus.
house

hinnersich.
backward

ich.
I

ja.
yes

kapp.
Prayer covering, worn in obedience to the Biblical injunction that women should pray with their heads covered. Kapps are made of Swiss organdy and are white. (In some Amish communities, unmarried girls thirteen and older wear black kapps during worship service.)

kinder.
kids (or
kinner
)

komm.
come

komm schnell.
come quick

Leit.
the people; the Amish

lippy.
sassy

maidal.
old maid; spinster

mamm.
mother

middaagesse.
lunch

mind.
remember

onkel.
uncle

Ordnung.
The agreed-upon rules by which the Amish community lives. When new practices become an issue, they are discussed at length among the leadership. The decision for or against innovation is generally made on the basis of maintaining the home and family as separate from the world. For instance, a telephone might be necessary in a shop in order to conduct business but would be banned from the home because it would intrude on family time.

Pennsylvania Dutch.
The language is actually German in origin and is primarily a spoken language. Most Amish write in English, which results in many variations in spelling when the dialect is put into writing! The language probably originated in the south of Germany but is common also among the Swiss Mennonite and French Huguenot immigrants to Pennsylvania. The language was brought to America prior to the Revolution and is still in use today. High German is used for Scripture and church documents, while English is the language of commerce.

rumspringa.
Running-around time. The late teen years when Amish youth taste some aspects of the outside world before deciding to be baptized into the church.

schnickelfritz.
mischievous child

ser gut.
very good

tastes like more.
delicious

Was ist letz?
What’s the matter?

Wie bist du heit.
how are you; said in greeting

wilkom.
welcome

Wo bist du?
Where are you?

R
ECIPES

Rye Bread

¹
/
₂
cup light or dark brown sugar

¹
/
₂
cup shortening

¹
/
₂
cup molasses

1
¹
/
₂
tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons caraway seed

2
¹
/
₂
cups scalded milk

2 packages active dry yeast

³
/
₄
cup warm water

2 tablespoons grated orange rind

3 cups rye flour

5
¹
/
₂
cups white flour

Mix the brown sugar, shortening, molasses, salt, and caraway seed in a large bowl. Add scalded milk and stir, then cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, add the yeast to the warm water until it’s bubbly. Add the yeast/water mixture to the brown sugar mixture, then stir in the grated orange rind, the rye flour, and the white flour until the mixture forms a smooth ball. Turn it out onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size, about 1
¹
/
₂
hours. Punch the dough down and shape it into three loaves. Place in loaf pans and let rise for about 1
¹
/
₂
hours, until each forms a rounded top above the pan. Bake the loaves at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned.

Walnut Streusel Cake

FOR STREUSEL:

¹
/
₂
cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons softened butter

2 tablespoons flour

¹
/
₂
cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon cinnamon

With two knives or a pastry blender, cut the streusel ingredients together until they form fine crumbs. Do not use mixer.

FOR BATTER:

1
¹
/
₂
cups flour

³
/
₄
cup sugar

2
¹
/
₂
teaspoons baking powder

¹
/
₂
teaspoon salt

¹
/
₃
cup melted butter

¹
/
₂
cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the wet ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour half of the batter into a greased 8-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with half the streusel mixture. Pour in rest of batter and sprinkle with rest of streusel mixture. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Pretzels

1 cup milk

¹
/
₂
cup butter

1
¹
/
₂
tablespoons sugar

¹
/
₂
teaspoon salt

1 package dry yeast, dissolved in ¼ cup warm water

1 egg white, beaten

3
³
/
₄
cups of flour

1 egg yolk, beaten

coarse salt, for sprinkling

Scald the milk, and then add the butter, sugar, and salt to the pan, turning off the burner and letting the mixture cool to lukewarm. Add the yeast/water mixture and the egg white, and then stir in the flour, using enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size, about 1
¹
/
₂
hours. Punch the dough down, turn it out onto a floured board, and roll it out to a large rectangle. Cut it into twelve strips about 1 inch wide and shape each strip into a traditional pretzel shape. Let them stand on the board until they begin to rise. Meanwhile, fill a large, shallow skillet half full with water and bring almost to a boil. Drop the pretzels in and cook about 1 minute on each side. (It may take several batches to do all of them.) Lift each pretzel out carefully with a slotted spatula, letting it drain before putting it on a greased baking sheet. Once all the pretzels are on the baking sheet, brush them with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, until brown. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack. Makes 12 large pretzels.

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve enjoyed another visit with the people of Pleasant Valley. Although the place doesn’t actually exist, it seems very real to me, as it is based on the Amish settlements here in my area of north-central Pennsylvania.

I loved writing about Hannah, torn as she is between two worlds. To me she represents all those who are seeking to find the place where they belong. That’s never been an easy task, and in today’s culture it seems more difficult than ever.

When I was growing up, I had several friends who were Old Order Mennonite, and I cherish the ways in which we learned to appreciate each other’s differences. Some of my Plain friends left that way of life at some point just as Hannah did, but I believe all of them, again like Hannah, carried that heritage with them wherever they went.

I would love to hear your thoughts on my book. If you’d care to write to me, I’d be happy to reply with a signed bookmark or bookplate and my brochure of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. You can find me on the Web at www.martaperry.com, e-mail me at [email protected], or write to me in care of Berkley Publicity Department, Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.

Blessings,

Marta Perry