Page 94 of All We Thought We Knew
The next words, however, still stumped me. “Air Got immer. Ick liebe ditch.”
I had no clue what any of it meant.
The last word drew me. “Mutter. Mother.”
If I were correct about the translation of the first line—For my son—then it would make sense that someone’s mother had given him the Bible. The rest of the message was probably something sentimental only a mother would write.
Why was the book in Mama’s possession? Had it belonged to the German prisoner Gunther Schneider?
My father’s reaction at seeing the old book the day Mama dug through the trunk floated across my mind. Clearly he had not been pleased to see me with it. He’d never cared about anything associated with religion as far as I knew, but his unhappiness at seeing the old book that day was obvious. Was he angry Mama kept it all these years? Did he know about her correspondence with Gunther, and could he be jealous?
So many questions. Not enough answers.
Soft morning light began to fill the sky.
Nurse Bradford would be here soon. Even though I hadn’t been thrilled when she started coming to help Mama, I now saw the wisdom in it. Her calm presence allowed us to maintain a normal daily routine despite the gravity of Mama’s illness. I still found it impossible to believe Mama was dying. That terrible reality was something I simply couldn’t dwell on for any length of time. Normalcy and busyness distracted me enough to make it through each day without completely falling apart.
The door to Nash’s room was closed when I came downstairs. I guessed he was sleeping in after a late night in the barn, but he appeared in the kitchen after I started the coffee percolator. His shoulder-length hair was damp, telling me he’d already showeredin the tiny downstairs bathroom Dad added on to the house when Mark and I were teenagers. A family of four adults couldn’t share one bathroom, he’d declared.
“Morning,” he said. “You’re up early.”
“I was going to say the same about you, considering you were out in the barn past midnight. How is the horse?”
While I poured each of us a cup of coffee, he filled me in on the horse’s injury and prognosis. “The vet should be here soon to check on him, but your dad feels confident the leg will mend well.”
I took a careful sip of the steaming liquid. “Now that I know Dad isn’t Granny’s son, I wonder how he learned so much about caring for horses.”
“Maybe his family raised horses too.”
“It’s strange not knowing about my own grandparents. I mean, why would he and Mama let Mark and me think Granny was our biological grandmother? I would have rather known she wasn’t, especially since she never really liked us.”
He looked thoughtful. “I think it would’ve been hard for Granny to see your mom married and having a family with someone else. Didn’t you say her son was her only child?”
His logic made sense. “Yeah, he was. Richard. And you’re probably right. Granny no doubt mourned her son the rest of her life.” I sighed. “Now I feel bad for playing pranks on her.”
Nash grinned. “You and Mark did come up with some crazy ideas. I’ll never forget the look on Granny’s face when she came running out of the cottage after she found a baby skunk in her bathtub.”
Later, Nurse Bradford arrived, followed by the veterinarian. Dad came downstairs and left the house with Nash, while I went upstairs with the nurse.
Mama was awake and greeted us with a weak smile.
“Hi, Mama.” I bent to kiss her forehead. “Are you hungry? I could make you a soft-boiled egg and toast.”
She shook her head. “Maybe in a bit.” Her words were slow and slurred.
I stepped aside as Nurse Bradford came forward to check Mama’s pulse and listen to her heart and lungs. “How did you sleep, Ava?” she asked as she glanced at her watch.
“Not well. I had a terrible headache.”
Nurse Bradford kept up a one-sided conversation about the weather while she helped Mama sit up and lean against a mound of pillows. “Let’s get you freshened up for the day. Do you need to use the bedpan?”
Mama looked confused. “The what?”
“Do you need to empty your bladder?” Nurse Bradford clarified.
Mama shook her head then looked at me. “Are you a nurse too?”
The question startled me. I shot a look at Nurse Bradford. Concern filled her face.
