Page 18 - Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

"Maybe she likes kids," Rosemary suggested once.
"Maybe she likes cleaning house. I have an aunt like
that."
"And what does she do?" Hannah had asked.
"She's a nun."
"Don't be a jerk. Jews don't become nuns."
"So they live with their brother and take care of his
kids."
"His kid," Hannah said. "My father's an only child."
But none of the answers satisfied Hannah's need for
romance and a perfect story. Still, she eventually stopped
asking the questions, and the only issues she ever brought
up with Aunt Eva herself had to do with everyday things.
Like how many teaspoons of sugar went into a glass of
, iced tea. Or what took a stain out of a leather skirt. Or
how to knit a scarf. Or make potato soup. Or where to
find a pair of old-fashioned shoes for the school play.
Aunt Eva had always had the answers to those sorts of
things.
When Hannah had been younger, Aunt Eva's an-
swers had seemed magical. But as Hannah got older,
the magic disappeared, leaving Aunt Eva a very ordi-
nary person. Hannah hated that it was so, so she pushed
the thought away.
Still, when Aunt Eva lit the holiday candles, broad
hands encircling the light, her plain face with its deep-
set coffee-colored eyes took on a kind of beauty. The
flickering flame made her look almost young. Watching
Aunt Eva saying the prayers over the candles was the
one moment in all the family gatherings that Hannah
had always found special. It was as if she and her aunt

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