The German Bride by Hershon Joanna

Author:Hershon, Joanna [Hershon, Joanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Adult
ISBN: 9780345468451
Amazon: 0345468465
Barnesnoble: 0345468465
Goodreads: 1756928
Publisher: Thorndike
Published: 2008-03-25T00:00:00+00:00

Shame

Both the Sheins and Spiegelmans had contracts in a remote mountain village. In the interests of safe travel and sociability, the competing businessmen had joined forces and—perhaps recklessly—they had invited their families along. The caravan pressed on through the August heat, through rain-carved northbound paths. There seemed to be ever-present dangers of drop-offs, and now and then screams emitted from one of the wagons in the caravan. In the first wagon were Meyer, his wife Alma Lucia, and their two boys, while Abraham and the two Spiegelman brothers brought up the rear. In the middle carriage, Eva Shein nearly threw up for the fifth time that day. Three weeks ago she had given birth. Now all she wanted was beer. Three weeks ago she’d seen a creature come out of her now-numb body. There was no beer, none for her anyway, and she was forced to sit with insufferable Beatrice Spiegelman, who—

perhaps in an attempt to distract Eva, perhaps to ignore her own traveling anxieties—expounded upon her plans to build a non-sectarian school for girls.

Not only was Beatrice excited at the prospect of the school, but she also had no shortage of other ideas. She was especially focused on the removal of garbage. Garbage, she said, stirred her soul as a woman—it was woman’s duty to scour a society, to take care that the heart of a city did not become a barnyard.

“Only then,” said Bea Spiegelman, “will the way be cleared for great-ness.”

As the carriage wheels sputtered through a series of ruts and Tranquilo lashed the burros, Eva could feel the wagon wheels turning underfoot, under boots that were laced too tightly. Her feet were still swollen, as were her breasts, which—though filling out her dear sister’s oft-worn blouse—were useless.

“Rule Three,” said Bea, a touch wistfully—her oration no doubt reminding her of a long-ago school pageant. “If any animal should die within the limits of the city of Santa Fe, the person or persons to whom such beast or beasts belong shall be required, within twenty-four hours after the death of said animal or animals, to remove the carcass or carcasses out of said city to a…to a distant place, where they cannot in-commode by their appearance and offensive smell.” She coughed primly.

“That’s an important one.”

Three weeks ago they took her baby girl. Abe took care of it. She had wanted to hold her for just a little longer—her perfect baby, her pretty corpse—but Abe had insisted with tears in his eyes and she hadn’t any will left to argue. Just like her sister, in what seemed like an undeniably pointed turn of events, she had given birth early. And not only was the blue-faced, blood-smeared creature born that night—only to die by daybreak—but also Eva’s guilt, born and reborn, as if the guilt was wholly new. There was no question this was punishment, and though she couldn’t deny she deserved it, she wanted to know when it might stop.

There was also no more question of God’s existence. He

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