Amie Bernstein; Chapter 3

 

Amie Bernstein; Chapter 3

© 2022 by Amber Wright

KITT AND THE BIRDHOUSE

Date: Winter 1901

Place: London, England

“You arrived seven days ago. Just think!” Amie stared out the window with a faraway look.

“Why don’t you say one week?” Kitt countered from his desk, looking back onto his row of problems. English grammar—I don’t like! Why can’t it be easy like French?

“Because one week sounds too short, but seven days…” Amie let her sentence hang.

“But seven days—what?” Kitt’s curiosity roused. He never liked people stopping in the middle of their sentences, especially his cousin Amie. He kept telling her if she always left her sentences unfinished, people would never understand her.

“I know what you’re going to say, Kitt.”

“What?” he feigned ignorance but hid a smile. He and this English cousin of his were truly “twins”, as Amie called them.

“Don’t leave a sentence unfinished else people will never understand me.”

“Exact.”

“Then I don’t need to finish my sentence. You should know the rest.” Amie gave him a sweet little smile.

Kitt took one deep breath and glanced out the window where a bird landed onto its sill. “Ah, do you have things for me to build?”

“A birdhouse?”

“Oui, but how you know?”

Amie stood up, upsetting the pencils on her desk, and shrugged at him with a silly grin. “I just do. Let’s go!”

Kitt carefully set his pencils into its wooden box and stood up. A smile spread across his face. In the seven days he had been there, he had gained both color and weight and lost his pound of hair. Now he felt both lighter and happier.

Life was good to him, now that he lived with his rich cousins in the big house on Queen’s Street.



“At least the birds will have a bowl to feed from.” Amie said chirpily, trying to make Kitt smile.

Kitt nodded but said nothing. Amie looked away. Kitt wouldn’t want her to see his tears. She looked again at Kitt’s “birdhouse” with her binocular-eyes. It did indeed look like a thick wooden bowl, but an upside down one. The birds would have to eat downside up from its roof instead of from the inside. Suddenly a brilliant new thought bolted into her swirling thoughts.

“Aha, I know what we can do!”

Kitt looked over at her, squinting. I understand. Red eyes are always a bit…unpleasant to look at. Merci Kitt. She grinned.

“We can call this thing our Asian birdhouse—they always have rounded roofs like that.”

“They do?” came Kitt’s sniff.

“Yes. And then we can make other birdhouses later.”

“I’ll make a French birdhouse.” Kitt sounded happy again.

“And I’ll make a little rug to go inside it. French always like fine things.”

“Oui, always the best.”

“Kitt.”

“What?”

“I hope you’re not prejudiced because I’m not.”

“Non, I’m not. Only little partisan.”

Amie suddenly grew sober. She felt her happy face crumple. She was patriotic too, and...

“What I say—for you cry?” Kitt sounded worried.

“It’s just—I’m partisan too and all of our soldiers are dying in South Africa. My cousin Shad’s there.” She swallowed.

“Sorry, Amie.” Kitt gave her a hug and Amie nodded. “We eat chocolate now. Cook says she make little chocolate squares.”

Amie nodded again and grabbed Kitt’s arm. “Let’s go,” her voice wavered a bit from the lump in her throat.



Seven days later, Amie bounced around her room. She and Kitt were to go Christmas/Hanukkah shopping. Only the footman was to keep an eye on them and the driver would drive. And, of course, all the shopkeepers knew the Bernsteins so there be no strangers to conjure with.

“Sit still. I must tie that sash properly.”

Amie stopped and gave her maid a frown. “But why? I’m going to be wearing my big long coat.”

“A daughter of Mr. Boaz Bernstein’s never leaves the house without looking her best.” Annie Montgomery grinned. “And that includes you.”

Amie turned around meekly to let Annie tie her sash once more. “When I grow up I’m going to invent dresses without sashes! That way, I don’t have to worry about them.”

“Now,” Annie turned her around and smoothed her tam. “You look like a proper Bernstein daughter.”

A proper Bernstein daughter will always be stuffed in lace and frills…and properly tied sashes! Why must my papa be the owner of the largest shipping office on the English Channel? She sighed. I can’t help being rich. But it sure is boring! I wish I was poor. Uh, no I don’t. She stepped into her long wool coat.

“Cheerio, Annie!” She gave her maid a hug goodbye.

Downstairs, Kitt was waiting for her dressed in a new wool coat that looked similar to hers. He smiled and pulled a piece of his coat out from him. “We match.”

“I made sure we both got these red wool hats too. Why didn’t you put yours on yet?” Amie stared at the color of red spinning around in his hands. It stopped and emerged into a boy’s cap with earflaps.

“Do you have the money?” Kitt placed his cap carefully over his head.

“No, I always have it charged. Papa pays them monthly.”

“But what if there’s not enough money to pay?”

“I do have a few shillings for sweets.” Amie blinked at him. She had never wondered such a question. Is it really so bad to be poor? She blinked again. It was time to go or they would be late coming home. They had a lot of gifts to buy, sweets to eat and things to see.

French/English translation:

oui……………………… yes

non……………………… no

merci…………………… thank you