Shabbat Shalom (posting a little early)

Today’s happy thought, courtesy of

hannah and

petra, is baby Tony and Peggy and Angie with Anna Jarvis hosting Shabbos dinner, because Edwin Jarvis knows a great deal of Howard Stark’s secrets and Anna thinks that Howard’s fears are no reason for the poor boy to grow up without his roots, particularly when his parents can’t find the time to be his parents in the ways that matter.

This leads directly to tiny Tony with a tiny kippah. Howard must never know.

Peggy having to keep a secret from Howard? This is too easy. Tony keeping a secret from Howard is a little harder when he's three, but if Jarvis is there, he can help run interference when it's a Friday and Tony's not at home and he has to remember not to ask about his special Friday hat.

Edwin wears one out of deference to his wife's beliefs, at the table, of course, and the ladies are in polite headscarves.

Angie just assumes Tony is Tony Jarvis, without thinking very hard about why anybody Jewish would name their kid Anthony, maybe, but she's too busy trying to remember the do's and don't's Peggy gave her. Besides, the Martinellis were more 'of course we're Catholic, we've always been Catholic, we baptize our kids and we get married and we bury our family Catholic' than every-Sunday Catholic, so she's not so up on saints' names.

And with Anna's accent, maybe it's a name Jews in Europe use, and oh my god what is this bread!

Angie recognizes the meaning behind the ritual of the candle lighting. She doesn't know the prayer Anna is reciting, but oh, how she knows to measure the days with candles and light, welcoming in the holy day. Quite possibly as a guest, Angie is offered some of the chicken's organs. The good bits. And Angie would accept with delight, because chicken liver, when you know it's coming, is really good.

There’s coffee for the grown-ups and weak tea for Tony after the dinner, when everyone’s sitting around to talk. It is all very friendly and by the end of it, Tony has a new Auntie Angie along with his Auntie Peggy.