Finding Out by Sheryn MacMunn

Author:Sheryn MacMunn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction, friendship, historical, holocaust, wwii, breakup, fiction female friendships, intergenerational relationships, fiction ww2, historical 1940s, fiction literature, holocaust 1930s, womens contemporary fiction, friendship and caring, fiction by women, wwii fiction, wwii love story, breakup recovery, breakup stories, women hardship, holocaust 1940s, holocaust fiction, breakup broken heart, holocaust novels, friendship among women, fictionfriendship, fiction war, women contemporary
Publisher: Sheryn MacMunn

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While the war swept through Europe in the summer of 1942, the two families grew their gardens to prepare for the next winter knowing that it was pointless to dream about being rescued now. Germany had occupied most of Europe and had now officially declared war on the United States. It was rumored that General Eisenhower was in Europe getting ready for the fight.

Eliza and Senita had taken a cooperative approach to raising the children. The chores were divided with Ruth in charge of the girls and Vincenzo looking over the boys. After chores were finished, the ladies taught the children lessons, mostly literature, though some math was included. But concentrating in the fresh summer air was difficult, so they were often allowed to play or try to catch fish in the river.

Being sixteen, Ruth felt too old to play games, preferring instead to keep busy with more chores. Now that she was bigger and stronger, she was in charge of the garden and doing the laundry in the river, which allowed her to keep moving so she wouldn't think - or remember.

It still didn't seem real that Annabelle was gone, even two years later. When Annabelle died, Ruth felt the pain acutely. In many ways, she felt that Annabelle was almost her own baby. She had been home when Mama delivered Annabelle in the bedroom and was the first to hold her, even before Papa. Annabelle had been the first baby that Ruth had changed and bathed.

When Franz finally took the family to the grave that spring, they made a small monument of stones. Even at the time, Ruth hadn't told anyone how she felt. No, that would have been selfish as she knew everyone else suffered, too. Instead she took care of her mother who was unable to get out of bed for weeks. It wasn't until Eliza overhead Greta telling Senita "I'm glad you are here. Now I still have a Mama," that Eliza found the strength to get out of her bed.

But Ruth didn't have other children to fill the void. In fact, she felt quite apart from her siblings when they began to play games again and behave, well, like children. Not wanting to burden her mother or father, she kept her pain to herself, reading the few books they had over and over again. It was Vincenzo who tried to reach her in those early days. Although his father could still be alive, he understood the hole in Ruth's heart and the unfairness of it all when a family is torn apart. He missed his father every day yet never said a word. It broke his heart to see her youthful innocence destroyed. He had seen it in his sister the night of the Opera; it angered him then as it did now.

So Vincenzo made a point to read the books that Ruth read and talk to her about them. Her point of view was often astute, making the conversations interesting. He also helped with her chores when the laundry was too heavy or she had been in the garden too long.

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