Amie Bernstein; Chapter 5

 

Amie Bernstein; Chapter 5

© 2022 by Amber Wright

HAPPY, HAPPY HANUKKAH!

Date: Winter 1901

Place: London, England

“Silly, you won’t die.” Amie moved her feet to follow Kitt. “At least, I don’t think so.”

“See? You not know, only think so.”

“Are you still breathing?”

“Of course. I speak, yes?”

“Then you are not almost dead, I can quite assure you.”

Kitt turned around to make a face at her. Then they entered the kitchen where tantalizing smells floated around and chaotic noises echoed into. The maids were whispering, adding to the loud noises coming from the parlor where a dramatic piano was playing accompanied by a wheezy accordion.

Cook took the boxes from the bakery from their arms and gave them each a tussle on top of their hat-covered heads. A maid stood ready to take their wraps. As Amie was taking off her coat, the dramatic piano noise suddenly sank into her.

“Oncle Gad!” she yanked off her tam, diving past the kitchen door into the hallway.

Amie danced into the noisy parlor and nearly knocked her oncle Gad Bernstein off from the piano bench. The keys banged and his dark eyebrows narrowed into a pretend frown as she landed on the bench beside him. His eyebrows moved up and down, one at a time. She broke into an uncontrollable giggle. Gad could be so funny sometimes.

“Hello, my little thunderstorm!” Gad finally grinned and gave her a hug.

“Hello, Oncle Gad.” Amie took in a lungful of air. “How are you? Are you married yet? When did you get here? Can you teach me how to play like you, please?”

“Whoa there, Amie! One question at a time, thank you.” Gad nodded once as he answered each question. “First of all, I’m doing splendid, thank you. And yes, I am still single, ha-ha! Of course, why not? I arrived half an hour ago and, yes, I shall teach you.”

“Oh thank you!” Amie settled herself on the edge of the piano bench next to Gad. “I’m ready.”

“My little love-heart, you are going to be the best pianist in London when all’s said and done. That is,” he gave her a sidelong glance with his eyebrows lowered, “besides me.” His face shifted into another grin and he began to play.

“Which song is that?”

“O Hanukkah. Come on, let’s go! Remember, joyfully as the chorus begins. Now.”

And Amie played the celebration song for Hanukkah, the festival of lights, when they remembered the miracle of long ago when their one-day’s worth of oil that had lighted the temple’s light for eight full days.

After she finished the song, she gave a short gasp. “Oh, Oncle Gad!”

“Yes?”

“You have to meet my cousin, Kitt Lazar. He’s my mother’s cousin’s son.” She jumped up from the bench and grabbed Gad’s hand. “He just moved here two weeks ago.”

“Superb. Let’s go meet him then. Where is he?”

“In the kitchen, eating—I think.” Amie smiled to herself. She usually ended her sentences with, I think. It made her think better, she supposed.

“Good place.” Gad patted his stomach. “We’re getting pretty hungry as well—me, myself and I.”

“Amie!” Oncle Aaron's voice boomed from his place attached to his accordion. He stretched out his right arm. “Good to see you again after three whole weeks.”

Amie gave him a hug and said brightly with a tilted head, “Then you haven’t met my cousine Lois and my cousin Kitt.”

“I’ve met Lois but not Kitt.”

“I’ll bring him out later.” Amie promised and ran back to Gad. She sent him up a teasing smile. “My cousine Lois is beautiful!”

“No matchmaking, now.” Gad only smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Destination—kitchen!”

“Aye, aye—sir!” Amie saluted with her right hand and stomped her right foot for the second time that hour.

“Ouch!” Gad gasped and Amie realized she had stomped on Gad’s socked foot with her heeled black boot.

“Oh-h sorry-y,” she stuttered, horrified. Gad was her hero—how could she have been so clumsy?

“I’m fine.” Gad’s voice was strained as well as his smile.

Amie gulped. Inside she felt like a big elephant from India. They entered the kitchen with a very probably bruise taking shape under Gad’s white sock—and a basket of needles pricking into Amie’s terribly-worried conscience. Her worry faded when she saw Kitt at the table, eating as she had predicted. He looked up as they entered. Then her stomach did a loud growl when she noticed how good his blueberry bagel looked. She clamped a hand over her navy blue sweater and hoped nobody had heard.

She cleared her throat. “Oncle Gad, meet my cousin Kitt Lazar from Paris, France.” Amie smiled and tapped Kitt’s messy black hair that was damp from wearing his wool cap all afternoon. “Kitt, meet my wonderful oncle, Gad!”

They shook hands.

Amie plopped down on the kitchen table bench beside Kitt and motioned Gad to follow. Gad’s laugh filled the air as she bit into the blueberry muffin Cook gave her. She squeezed her eyes shut again briefly, adding, And please be with that poor woman I gave my shilling to.

“Get yourself into the dining room,” Cook shooed them out as soon as Gad had finally finished his blueberry muffin through his nonstop talking. “Supper’s ready.”

Amie swallowed as they entered the brightly decorated dining room where a blue candle shone in the very middle of the Menorah candlestick. She was to light the candles for the very first time today. She licked her papery dry lips, and gulped. She felt every eye on her. Papa was watching her, nodding her to come over to the cherry wood side table beside the large French windows facing the street.

There, lying in its little wooden box, the first candle waited for her to light.

“It is my privilege to announce that my daughter, Amie Bernstein, is to light the candles of this Hanukkah.” Papa clasped his hands and looked around at all of the guests with a proud smile.

Amie felt everyone’s smiles splashing onto her already damp face from miniature beads of sweat. She nodded once to reassure herself that she could do it without getting her fingers burnt in the process. After all, she was a Bernstein.

“I am happy to welcome you,” Papa extended his hand towards the silver Menorah candlestick, “Amie.”

French/English translation:

Oncle…………………… Uncle

Cousine………………… cousin (female)