Page 72 of The Little Liar
Fannie blushed. She hadn’t felt beautiful in a long time.
“I never stopped thinking about you, Gizella.”
“And you were in my prayers every day.”
“So much happened,” Fannie said. “Terrible things...”
“Do you want to tell me?”
“I don’t know where to start. I almost died at the Danube. And then, on a march, we had to walk in the snow for days. There was this little boy...”
She started to choke up. She felt ashamed even mentioning her struggles when Gizella, in a wheelchair, had endured so much herself.
“Whatever you suffered,” Gizella said, “there is a reason you are still here.”
“What’s the reason?”
“God will show you when it’s time.”
Fannie bit her lip.
“Why were you so kind to me?”
“I told you, dear, many years ago. You were sent to fill the hole in my heart. And now, you have done it again.”
Fannie smiled as tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Eat,” she whispered.
Gizella slurped a spoonful of soup.
“It’s good.”
“The soup?”
Gizella took Fannie’s hand.
“This,” she said.
***
Now, in the interest of moving our story along, I will not detail all the joy that Fannie and Gizella shared in the two weeks they spent together, although their reunion was the most satisfying time either had spent in years. I will mention one conversation that came up quite innocently, but irrevocably changes the course of our tale.
Fannie was making dumplings in the kitchen, remembering the process she and Gizella had done years ago. She used yeast flour and curd cheese and rolled them together.
“When did you build this new house?” Fannie asked.
“Oh, a long time ago,” Gizella said.
“It’s very comfortable.”
“Thank you.”
“Why did you keep the chicken coop?”
Gizella smiled. “In case you came back looking for me.”
“Well, it worked,” Fannie said, laughing. “Honestly, if not for the coop, I would have gone right past it.”
