“Shhh, child,” she says. Then she goes back to throwing pieces into the water.
“Mamie, what are you saying?” Annie asks. “It’s not French, is it?”
“No, dear,” Mamie replies calmly. Annie and I exchange confused looks as Mamie throws the final piece of the pie into the water. She reaches for our hands. “Who is like unto You, O God,” she says in English, “and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
“What are you saying, Mamie?” Annie asks again. “Is it from the Bible?”
Mamie smiles. “It is a prayer,” she replies.
She stares at the evening star for a moment while Annie and I watch her in silence. “Hope,” she finally says. “There is something I need you to do for me.”
Chapter Six
Rose’s Strudel
STRUDEL
INGREDIENTS
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into narrow slivers
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped candied orange peel （see recipe below）
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling （3 parts sugar mixed with 1 part cinnamon）
DIRECTIONS
1. Mix apples, raisins, candied orange peel, brown sugar, and cinnamon in large bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Spread slivered almonds in a thin layer on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 7–9 minutes, until slightly browned. Remove and set aside for 5 minutes until cool enough to touch. Mix into the apple mixture.
4. Spoon apple mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth and press down with another piece of cheesecloth, to eliminate extra moisture in the mixture. Leave in cheesecloth-covered colander to drain while you place puff pastry sheet on a greased baking sheet. Roll lightly to expand area of pastry without breaking through the dough.
5. Spread apple mixture down the middle of the pastry lengthwise and fold the pastry around the mixture, sealing on all sides by using a bit of water on your fingers and pressing edges firmly together.
6. Brush top of pastry with beaten egg, cut 5 or 6 narrow slivers in the top, and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.
7. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden brown.
CANDIED ORANGE PEEL
INGREDIENTS
Four oranges
14 cups water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar
DIRECTIONS
1. Peel all four oranges, taking care to remove the peels whole or in two pieces, if possible.
2. Cut the peels into thin strips
3. Boil 6 cups of water, and add the peels to the boiling water. Boil 3 minutes, drain, and rinse the peels, then repeat the same process again. （This gets rid of some of the bitterness of the orange peels.）
4. Mix remaining 2 cups water with 2 cups sugar and bring to a boil. Add the peels, reduce heat, and cover pot. Simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Remove from sugar water with a slotted spoon, and lay peels on a rack to dry. Wait at least two hours before using them in the recipe above. Dip the remainder in dark chocolate and enjoy as a snack.
Rose
When Rose had awoken that morning, she knew. It was just like the old days, when she’d known things deep in her bones before they happened. Those days were far in the past, but lately, as the Alzheimer’s had stolen more of the in-between, it was like the timeline of her life had become an accordion, folding in on itself, bringing the past ever closer to the present by bending and contracting the years that had gone by.
But on this day, Rose remembered everything: her family, her friends, the life she’d once had. For a moment, she had closed her eyes and wished to drift back into the oblivion from which she’d come. The Alzheimer’s terrified her some days, but other days, it was a comfort. She was not ready for this clear window into the past. But then she opened her eyes and looked at the calendar that sat on her bedside table. Each night before closing her eyes, she crossed off the day she’d just completed. She was losing everything else, but knowing the day of the week was something she could still control. And according to the red X’s on the calendar, today, the twenty-ninth of September, was a special day. Rose knew in an instant that the fact she’d been granted a reprieve of clarity on this day, of all days, was a sign from above.
And so she’d spent the morning writing it all down, as best she could, in a letter addressed to her granddaughter. Someday, Hope would read it and understand. But not yet. There were still pieces missing. When Rose closed the envelope, just before lunch, she felt empty and sad, as if she had just sealed off a piece of herself. In a way, she supposed, she had.