Lost and Found in Texas

By Ellen Williams

Ever been so lost you didn’t know what to do? And then find yourself again, but in a foreign country? Nine year old Anna couldn’t believe her German parents would relocate to Austin, Texas, in the United States of America. Not speaking any English, Anna is forced to leave everything familiar behind including her grandma. It totally turns her world upside down!
Lost and Found in Texas chronicles her challenges, mishaps, victories, and gradual adjustment to America while introducing the reader to the diverse cultures of Texas. A few surprise lessons are thrown in along the way!
A must read for anyone who has faced or will face such a challenge!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 10, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664121614

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Copyright © 2020 by E. H. Williams.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/07/2020

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Table of Contents

1. The Worst, Most Horrible, Wretched, Terrible Day Ever!

2. Far Away from Home

3. Welcome Y’all to Friendly Sleepless Texas

4. Everything is Bigger in Texas

5. This Ain’t the Autobahn

6. More Cultural Lessons

7. Hunting for a New Abode for the Perfect Dog

8. Hunting for the Perfect Hund

9. The New Nachbarin, Neighbor

10. The Search for The Hund Continues

11. Unexpected Success

12. The Second Worst, Most Horrible, Wretched Terrible Day Ever!

13. Agony through the Silent Period

14. Seeking German Roots in Fredericksburg

15. A Birthday Invitation Cuban Style

16. A New Souvenir

17. Better than a Birthday Party!

18. A Sad Day for Everyone

19. Two for the Price of One

20. Rubbing Shoulders with VIPs

21. The Second Best Day Ever!

22. A New Old Friend

23. An Honorary Texas Citizen

Glossary

To Chia Seen Jade Khoo

Chapter 1

The Worst, Most Horrible,

Wretched, Terrible Day Ever!

It was the worst, most horrible, wretched, terrible day Anna ever had! For her, January 2 would go down in infamy!

Father called everyone to a family council in the living room. This council meeting usually meant making an important announcement, or reminding them they had to live within a budget, or to finish a project. Momma and Father sat on the couch together. Bastien, her older brother, sprawled out on a single chair. Anna poised herself backwards on a dining chair. In their lovely home in Kaiserslautern, Germany, everyone sat still, anticipating some trifling news.

I guess you are wondering what we need to discuss, began Father. Everyone’s head nodded in agreement. This won’t be easy, but you need to know. He cleared his throat, hesitating for a moment, I’ve been working for my computer company for ten years now.

Yeah, yeah, I know that, thought Anna to herself.

Father continued, I like my job and they like me. He paused, glanced at Momma, and then slowly said, My company has asked me to move to the United States for two years.

Anna wasn’t quite sure that her nine-year-old brain had heard her Father correctly. What?

Momma now spoke. Yes, we didn’t want to spoil your Christmas, so Father and I decided not to tell you until after the holidays.

Oh, thought Anna to herself, I did notice Momma and Father were particularly nice this year. So this is the reason.

Father continued, We decided that it would be a good experience if the entire family moved and got acquainted with American ways.

Bastien slumped down in his chair. Where in the United States?

Texas. Austin, Texas, Father replied.

Where’s Texas? Anna curtly asked. She was beginning to notice an odd feeling swelling inside of her in a surprising way. She’d never felt this way before, so she wasn’t sure what it was. That unusual feeling was somewhere deep inside of her, near her heart. She suspected whatever it was, it wasn’t good!

Let’s get the atlas and find out, Momma proposed as she got up to find the book. She spread the book open on the coffee table. Texas, hmmm…Here’s Kaiserslautern, and, dragging her finger to the other side of the book, she pointed to a map, here’s Austin near the center of Texas.

Oh, said Bastien and Anna in unison. Anna wished Austin were a mythical place that didn’t exist or would simply vanish.

Bastien meekly asked, When do we need to move? Can we finish out the school year?

We move in February, next month. That doesn’t give us much time, Father stated.

The two children groaned.

We know that this will upset your schooling here in Germany, but we feel it is a great opportunity for all of us to master English and learn about Americans, Father pointed out, trying to sound cheerful.

I don’t want to learn English! Besides Americans are so weird! They are always laughing and are not being serious enough! They think the most important thing is to know what is the most popular thing to say or wear. They’re so flighty! I want to stay right here in Kaiserslautern! Anna’s voice broke out much louder than she expected.

Okay, Anna, you’ve stated your opinion. What about you, Bastien? asked Father.

Bastien was more diplomatic because he was fourteen, I guess we ought to give it a try, although I am not thrilled about leaving my friends. I was looking forward to playing on the soccer team.

We knew it would be hard on both of you, but Bastien has the right attitude. Try to be open-minded, Momma commented.

I have my friends, too! I’ve just been selected to accompany the children’s choir, chosen to be on the soccer team, and my teachers at school were preparing me to be the school’s top scholar. Frankly, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Besides who will take care of Oma? Anna pleaded looking directly at Father. She’s your mother, and you need to be a good son!

We were concerned about that, too, so we talked to her. She said she would miss us but would be fine for a while. We’ll ask her to come join us after we are settled, Father shared.

Well, I still think the whole thing stinks! Anna was racking her brain for all the excuses she could find not to go. Why don’t I stay with Oma until the family settles in Austin? Momma frowned at that suggestion.

The experience of living in another country is an education in itself. We think the advantages outweigh staying in Germany. Momma always had an answer.

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It’s obvious you two have made up your minds! And I’ve made up mine. I am not going! Anna stood up, knocked her chair onto the floor, and fled into her bedroom before the tears began. She crushed her head into the teddy bear that Oma had given her and cried herself asleep.

The next thing Anna remembered was waking up in the morning with a headache. She couldn’t remember for a moment why her head hurt. Then she remembered the awful scene and the moments last night when she found out that she was leaving Germany. She would be leaving the only home she had ever known and loved. When she realized that she and her family were going to fly away from everything that was familiar, her stomach began to ache, too.

She dragged herself to the bus, dawdled through the school day, and staggered back home. A big heavy lump inside her sat right where her heart should have been. It felt cold, black, and heavy. How could anything feel worse than this? She couldn’t imagine a crueler fate, probably even standing at a wall in front of a firing squad might be better than facing the sudden shock of moving to America. She lugged herself around feeling horrid wherever she went for over a week! This dreadful change was awful!

Cheer up, Anna! This isn’t the end of the world! Bastien reminded her.

That’s easy for you to say. You already speak English, and you have some American friends.

But I had to sit through Meister Fritz’s boring class for two years to learn English. I don’t think knowing nouns, adjectives, and verbs is knowing how to speak, Bastien defended himself.

You can understand American movies! To me, that’s understanding English! Anna began to shout. I just can’t believe Momma and Father would do this!

"You’ll live through it. Maybe you’ll even like it!’ Bastien suggested.

Not on your life! I already hate America and especially Texas! Anna blurted, even though she did not know anything about Texas. She continued to mope around like a wet, wilted dishrag.

Anna, Momma’s voice was stern, quit acting like a lost child. You are not the first girl to move to a new country. It’s been more than a week since you protested our move!

With