The Journey Back by Johanna Reiss Page B

Did she notice how carefully I was bringing them in?
    They weren’t trembling or sliding around the tray even a little bit.
    Father looked proud, I saw. He probably had not thought I could do it.
    It was nice to come into the living room and hear cheerful voices. It was really a party! I had never been to anything like this before. I liked it. “Excuse me,” I warned a man who was taking a step back.
    Holding my breath, I lowered the tray to this table. There, the glasses were in place, and all in one piece. Mother went to the closet and opened it wide. She pulled out a dark green bottle and began to pour small quantities of red wine into each glass. “Magda, how is this possible?” everyone asked. “There isn’t any in the stores yet.”
    “I hid it with my furniture,” she explained, “so it’s really aged, you rrdght say. But it was already a fine botde-929, an excdlent year. My first husband knew all about wines. Remember the wed, cling?” she asked.
    “How de gant we all looked then! You, Bettie, wore a long pink gown with ruffles, and satin shoes.” Thinking about it made Betfie smile. “And you, Bernard, a real matching suit.” Sheepishly Bernard grinned at his blue pants and brown jacket. “If you ask me,” Johan said, looking around the table, “I’m the only one here who’s dressed right. I’ve got my wedding suit on.”
    “This is not Ussdo,” Mother informed him. “Remember,” she said in a softer voice, “how many guests there were? Almost every Jew in Winterswijk came to the wedding-close to three. hundred I count twenty now.”
    “Please, Magda, don’t talk about that,” Father said. Silently they all raised their glasses. “To all of us here,” Father said solemnly, “but especially to Johan and Dientje Oosterveld. If it had not been for people like them, none of us would be here now.” Lovingly Johan looked at me. “It was worth all the danger, Ies,” he said. “And there was a lot, believe me. But I’ve never had wine before as far as that goes.” He tilted his head back and finished it. “Awfully sour, Dientje, watch it.
    But wait a minute, how old did you say this was, Magda. 19297 No wonder!
    It’s gone stale, I bet.” Gratefully everyone looked at Johan as they began to laugh. He joined in, looking puzzled though. “It’s called dry, Johan,” Mother mapped. “What was that, Magda? Dry?” He wiped a drop Off his chin and showed it to her. “I always say you have to get up a lot earlier to kid a farmer than to kid anyone else.” He laughed again, not looking puzzled any longer.
    People began to mill around, their wineglasses in their hands. “You come, too, Dientje,” Johan said, no glass in his. She did not want to.
    Gingerly she touched a few of the things on the table, the cloth, a vase. “I’ve got to try everything, Annie, so I can tell the others in Ussdo about it. I bet they’ve never been to a place like this.” With the utmost care her finger moved on to something else. “I think you’re impressed, Dientje,” Mother said when she passed by. She laughed. “You should be. Everything was expensive enough.” Dientje did not hear her.
    “We’ve got more important things to do, Annie,” Johan said. “You and me, xight? re’re going to sit someplace. Come, these chairs look like nice soft ones. Ah-” He bent down and looked at his legs. “No wonder Magda didn’t like the suit. I’ve still got the bicycle clip on. There, that’s better.”
    “Yes, Johan.” Much. He was not even wearing his thick black socks and klompen today. “Ja, I’m fancy,” Johan said, looking at his shoes, too.
    “You never saw them on me, I guess, because Dientje and I didn’t go anywhere when you lived with us. They’ve gotten smaller, I think.” He loosened his shoelaces. “There,” he sighed, leaning back. “Now tell me what you’ll be learning in school.” I didn’t yet know exactly, but I said, “Languages, math, physics.”
    “Physics?”