Chapter 18
Ladies’ Entertainment

Anya and Ester had attended the Swedish singing group program at the Evanston Musical Club without Elsa. Her pregnancy was exhausting. She just wasn’t able to face too much excitement. But she invited her friends, Ester and Anya, to visit her for afternoon coffee so she could hear about the program.

Ester ran ahead of Anya so she could sing to Elsa. Ester was singing her name when she knocked on the door of Elsa and William’s home.

“Elsa, Elsa. We are here to sing for you,” Ester sang. Anya was laughing at Ester’s imitation of the singing group when Elsa answered the door.

“It’s my singing friends.” Elsa greeted the women.

Anya broke up Ester’s melodies with “Yaj, we are here to sing the entire concert for you.”

And they all laughed again as they followed Elsa into her kitchen.

Ester asked. “How are you feeling today?” This time she did not sing.

“I am tired and restless because my baby is kicking and pressing on my bladder. But enough about me, tell me about the concert. Did they sing all our favorite songs?

Anya handed Elsa the concert program and she said. “Let me get the coffee. You can look at the list of songs while Ester and I serve the coffee.”

Elsa started to read the program out loud to her friends. “Oh!” the first song was ‘Gladjens Blomster,’ (Flowers of Joy)(*) Elsa read. That’s one of my very favorite from childhood.

Ester interrupted. “That’s my favorite one, too. It reminds me so much of home.”

Ester ate a pastry from the selection Elsa baked while Anya poured the coffee.

She said, “I like the ‘Kostervalsen’ waltz they played. It describes the fun we had when everyone gathered after a hard day’s work for dancing and feasting to celebrate.

Elsa said, “Here’s another one I like, the ‘Santa Lucia’ song. We sing it every year during the holiday of lights just before Christmas.” (**)

The woman spontaneously sang the song together as they had done when they were young girls with their candle hats and white robes at their Parish services.

They continued to go through the list of songs and sang as many as they could remember until Elsa got too tired to go on. The friends made her promise to rest when they left and told her they would help with anything she needed.

Elsa fell asleep thinking about how the summer had gone so fast. It was approaching fall equinox. Elsa was ready to deliver any day. She had been laid up since her visit with Anya for luncheon at Ester’s. She missed attending the Swedish singing group. It was too much for her to go even though she loved the costumes and songs that reminded her of home. Elsa was hoping the baby would deliver before the Swedish old folk’s home dedication. She had worked on fund raising for the home and was looking forward to the dedication ceremony. Reverend Anderson was officiating the dedication ceremony and he was giving a sermon on charity for the aged.

 

The women’s auxiliary for ‘charity to the elderly’ had work very hard at keeping the occasion just about the support of those new residence soon to be part of the landscape of the new home. William and Olof had done interior work on the residence so Elsa was looking forward to seeing their work. Elsa worked with the auxiliary on mailings but she wasn’t up to giving tours or organizing any of the day’s activities. Her activity level was slowing down as the baby grew closer to coming.