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“It’s a recipe handed down from my grandmother to my mother and my mother to me,” says Simona, obviously touched at being the center of attention, especially of the three men of the house, although she’s addressing me. “The Bienenstich is made in layers. The bottom layer includes yeast; the second layer is made from sugar, butter, and an almond cream; and the top layer has caramelized almonds.”
“Mmm, that sounds stupendous!” I say. “And since this is dessert, you have to sit down with us and have some.” Simona and Norbert look at each other again. “You promised me!”
Eric follows my example and pulls back a chair for Simona.
“Will you please sit with us?”
Practically holding her breath, Simona sits, and then her husband sits beside her.
“You cut this like a cake, right?” I ask.
Simona nods.
“Very well, then I’ll serve everyone this fantastic Bienenstich. Flyn, could you bring two more small plates for Simona and Norbert?”
The boy gets up, runs to the kitchen, and comes back with the two plates. I cut five pieces and hand them out. When I sit down again, I see Eric’s look of satisfaction.
“All right ... you’d better eat, or I’m going to eat it all,” I mutter, which makes them all laugh.
Between laughter and small talk, we make that incredible dessert disappear. I’m surprised when I realize my four companions are enjoying the moment as if it were unique, and that makes me tremendously happy. I ask them to sing me a German carol, and Norbert immediately intones the traditional “O Tannenbaum.”
I listen, enthralled. With his nephew sitting on his lap, Eric joins in the singing; it’s so very lovely, it gives me goose bumps. To see these four people brought together by music reminds me of my own family. I’m sure my father and sister are basting the lamb and my niece and brother-in-law are laughing about something. That makes me a little sad, and my eyes fill with tears.
When the song is over, I immediately applaud, and Flyn, who’s now caught up in my game, asks me to sing something in Spanish. I try to imagine what carol he might have heard from Sonia and decide on “The Fish and the Sea.” I’m right, and both the boy and Eric clap and sing along.
When we finish, this time it’s Simona and Norbert who clap, and then we join in the applause.
What a lovely family moment!
Eric uncorks a bottle of champagne and fills all the pretty glasses except for Flyn’s, which has pineapple juice. We all toast to Saint Sylvester.
When Simona insists on cleaning up the table, I want to help. At first, she and Norbert complain.
“Simona, if Jude says she’s going to help you, nothing’s going to stop her,” Eric says, and they surrender. In the end she’s glad I help. I manage to get Norbert to stay with Eric and Flyn talking in the living room. When I go to pick up the last plates, Simona stops me. “No ... we have to leave those plates on the table until the break of dawn. In Germany, it’s a tradition to leave the leftovers on the table. That guarantees next year will be bountiful.”
I immediately and gladly put down the plates.
“Well then, I’m all about bounty!”
For a while, the five of us have a wonderful time telling funny stories. They tell me it’s traditional to play a game called Bleigiessen, and I’m told there are Bleigiessen kits that explain the meanings.
Bleigiessen is a ritual to foretell the future. You melt lead on a spoon with a candle flame, and then you drop the pieces of lead into cold water and wait for them to harden. Each person then chooses one of the pieces, and, with the help of the kit, you can tell your future.
“If the lead looks like a map,” says Flyn, “it’s because you’re going to travel a lot.”
“If it looks like a flower,” says Norbert, “it means you’ll make new friends.”
“And if it comes out in the shape of a heart,” exclaims a smiling Simona, “it’s that love will come soon.”
Eric is loving this. I can tell by the look on his face and the way he’s smiling. Finally, he gets up, invites us all to join him on the couch, and turns on the TV. “Jude, in Germany there’s another tradition. It’s a little strange, but again it’s a tradition.”
“Oh really? What is it?” I ask.
They all smile, and Eric gives me a sweet kiss on the cheek.
“After a New Year’s Eve dinner and before going out to watch the fireworks, we like to look at a funny video. It’s quite old. It’s in black and white, and it’s calledDinner for One. You’ll see ... It’ll start after the commercials.”
The others get comfortable, and I laugh.