Family Reunion (17 page)

"Owww!! God damn you – you hellion, it’s me Edna!!”

For all the screeching and jabbing Hope was doing, she didn't understand his words.

Dropping everything in hand and shifting his cape aside he had to move quickly to grab the offending stick she wielded so expertly. "Give – me – that - damnit!!" He bellowed and finally after a few more missed swings, he caught hold of it and yanked it away from her.

"You touch me and I’ll scream to high heaven and low hell! Now get out of my father’s office!!" She reached behind her grabbing books and began throwing them at him, neither could see the other for the darkness of the room, all Hope knew was that he was high up, which is the direction she threw the books.

"Ow! Ow!! Hey, stop that! Ow!! Damn it – will you quit that - I don’t know – ow – ugggh – when I get my hands on you! I don’t know who your father is, but – stop throwing those books! This is my office damn it!! Stop it right now or I’ll use this broom over your ass!!" He thundered in growing fury.

"Well you just try it!! And I’ll-..." Hope stopped as what he said began to sink in. He said it was his office.
'His office? His office! Maynard Ramsey Webster’s office?!'
Hope froze as the book she held fell to the floor with a loud thump and the hammering in her heart from fear began pounding for another reason, gasping she stared through the dark up at his massive silhouette, she couldn't see his actual face, but the shadow of his form stood looming above her a few steps away – now that she stopped to let her brain function – his was a stature very similar to her brother’s.

"Your...office?" Hope asked in a broken whisper.

"Yes! My bloody office!! This office – mine - and what the hell are you - whoever you are- doing in my office? Beating the hell out of me with this – blasted broom stick?! And where in the hell is Edna!?" Manny asked angrily.

Hope couldn't speak as she felt herself drawing back into the corner behind the door, wishing a hole would open up and swallow her.

"Well?!" He bellowed sharply.

Hope cringed and felt tears well up in her eyes; she swallowed the rising moisture and asked in a squeaky voice. "Are you ... Maynard Webster?" Manny's brows crinkled in agitation, he could barely understand what she said, and then took note of the fear in her voice.

Manny knew he should calm down and see things from her point of view, realizing that perhaps he had startled the young chit. He took a deep breath, threw the broom to the other side of the room, well out of her reach, and answered as he walked to his desk.

"Yes, I'm Maynard Ramsey Webster, and this, young lady, is my office! An-n-nd - I don't take kindly to coming here and getting pounced upon and beaten with a broom stick or pummeled with my own books. Now! Who are you and where is Edna!?"

She wanted to die, right there, right then, just die. She couldn't believe it; she'd beat her father with a broom stick. All the time she had hoped and prayed to find him, all the dreams she'd fantasized of seeing him again and when the time came, she had beat him with a broom and thrown his books at him. She wanted to weep and beg his forgiveness.

"Well we're mighty quiet now aren't we!?" Manny began his scolding as he lit the lamp on his desk. "By the way - pick up every one of those books you threw at me and tell me where the hell is Edna?!" Hope swallowed fearfully and dropped to her knees gathering as many books in her reach as was possible without giving up the security of her corner, which she was ashamedly reluctant to leave.

"She...she is...no longer maid here...I am... now." She finally answered timidly. Manny removed his cape coat laying it to the side on his desk as he perched sideways crossing his arms over his chest. "I see, well, set those books aside and pick up those ledgers I had to drop or else you would have split my skull, then bring yourself here in the light, where I can see you. I want to know who you are and I can't very well learn that if you continue to hide there in the corner like a frightened mouse, squeaking out barely comprehensible answers!"

Manny knew he was being a little rough with the girl but hell,
he could now feel a throbbing in his ribs from her jabs with that stick. He knew it was a good thing he was wearing his suit and cape coat to cushion some of the blows, and his throbbing shin and aching knee reminded him of the blows directed there.

Hope picked up his ledgers but couldn't bring herself to move from the corner, tears were threatening to fall as she stood unable to move just yet while trying to muster her nerve.

"Well!? Come on, out of the corner with you!" He ordered.

With his arms crossed Manny sat watching the shadow of the woman who clung to the dark side of his large office behind the door.

"I - I didn't know...I thought ...I thought you were ... breaking in."

Hope started lamely as she slowly began easing out of the corner, her face cast downward as she slowly eased within the dim light.

"With a key!? That is the purpose of the lock, so that one may enter a locked room,
their own
locked room, may I add… without difficulty! Anyway, if you are maid here, how can this possibly be your father's office!? I do remember hearing you scream that outlandish lie, what mischief are you up to?! Perhaps you are the one with no right to be here!?" Manny accused suspiciously now that he gave it thought, perhaps she was up to something and hadn't thought to be disturbed or caught and thought to fight her way out. "Close that door and make your way over here young lady, this minute, and don't you dare try to make it out that door!" He ordered.

Hope couldn't believe this was actually happening as she obeyed and closed the door. This was not happening at all like she had dreamed it would, he was supposed to be happy to see her, so happy it would bring tears to his eyes, and she was supposed to fall into his arms in overwhelming joy.

"Now, what's your name? You can quit this timid act of yours, just a moment ago you were spitting fire and threats, ready to battle, now all of a sudden you are quiet as a mouse! And if you think the frightened timid act is going to make me feel sorry for you, you're terribly wrong!"

Hope stopped a distance from him, unable to draw closer, she even gave thought to running from the room to maybe return later in the morning and pretend that she never saw him, it wasn't too late, he didn't know yet who she was but even that she couldn't do, he was here now, and she couldn't leave if her life depended on it, instead she thought it was best to quietly explain.

"I'm sorry I hit you, I didn't know who you were." She began.

"Your being the maid and this being your father's office, what's that about?"

"It's the truth, I am, and this is."

Manny stopped talking, dazed by her words, finally he ordered, "Come closer girl, you need not fear, you scream my ears off one minute and make me strain to hear the next!" Manny complained sure he must have heard her wrong.

She came forward, and as she did so, Manny took note of her simple garb which indicated that she truly may be the maid. She wore an apron around her waist and a scarf holding back most of her riotous golden curls that caught the light from his low burning lamp.

He thought her hair was beautiful, short for a young woman, but beautiful just the same. "Now, repeat those words I barely caught."

"I said ... It's the truth, I am the maid, and thi-…"

Manny grew tired of speaking to shadows and the top of her head. "Here girl, pick up your head so I can see who it is I am speaking to!" In agitation he reached out and lifted her chin. Hope's head went up and she swallowed as she opened eyes that had been closed when he had forced her head up. Manny froze, when those eyes revealed themselves to him, his fingers locked beneath her chin, with her head held up in a slight tilt Hope quickly explained with tears spilling over and running. "I was telling the truth...I was here in your office ...because I've been looking for you, you may not remember me, but I'm your daughter, Hope. I've been working here… because it made me feel…closer to you. I – I took this job so I'd know when you returned from your trip. Please don't be angry with me…I am so sorry I struck you… if I'd know it was you, I - I-…"

"Ohhh my God!" The groan was all that came from his lips before Manny reached out and crushed his daughter to his chest. "Oh my God!" Her arms went around his waist as tears fell from her eyes. "Oh my God!" He rasped again huskily, unable to find another exclamation to match the feelings rushing through him.

"You remember me? You remember me!!"

Manny was biting down on his tongue to keep from repeating,
'Oh my God'
again as one arm squeezed her to him and held her shoulders while his large hand pulled the scarf from her as his mouth kissed the top of her head.

Hope sobbed in relieved joy.

Manny released her long enough to pick her up so she could lay her
head on his shoulder while he held her. "Oh my father, I've been looking so long ...so long…I thought my search would never end!"

Her question rang in his mind, "How could you think I wouldn't know you, how could you think I wouldn't remember you!?" Manny repeated as he held her and squeezed with all his fatherly might, with the desire to never let go. "I would know you on my death bed and you a women of 60…I would surely know my own child." He rasped as his tears soaked her hair.

"I wasn't sure ...oh ...I can't believe it! My daddy, holding me again." She blubbered in his neck. She could feel her father's heart hammering with her own, his large hand cupping her skull holding her safe and sound.

Right then she knew, nothing could be compared to feeling her father's arms lovingly around her, holding her.

It was happening. Manny felt
it deep in his soul, quaking his very being as he held his little girl in his arms again, his prayers were being answered – finally – his debt and sin must almost be paid in full – why else was this taking place now? It was time. It was finally time! First Mike, and then Hope.
'Oh please, please God! Please I beg you, let my Lena be next. Please Lena, please.'
He begged in prayer as he clung to the lightened version of her. When those large watery eyes opened for him, he thought he'd been taken back sixteen years to when he had first found her in the feed box, screaming, and he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him now as he said. "The first time I saw you, you were screaming like all hell had broken loose and here I find that nothings changed, you’re still screaming like all hell has broken loose!"

"Or – heaven…" Hope followed with a sniff.

"Yes, or all heaven, oh my little Golden Hope." Finally, he lowered her back to the floor but his huge palms held her soft cheeks. Her head was a mass of gold curls that dwarfed her elegant features. The short haircut made her eyes seem larger. Staring at her, he reached back and turned the lamp up to give a brighter illumination in the room, wanting a clearer view of his little girl. Lena's face looked back at him. Butterflies flew madly in his stomach, making him gasp out and hug her to him again as he shook. Such power came from just the look of her, giving him that feeling he had when he lived for her mother.

"You are the very image of your mother." His voice was low and raspy.

"I know … I’ve seen pictures of her." She answered.

Taking a deep breath, he drew away from her again, his thumbs
wiped away her tears as he swallowed the huge lump in his throat trying not to cry while looking down at her, with a sad smile he was compelled to ask in a loving scold.

"Golden Hope Webster, where have you been?! I've been looking all over for you." Hope suddenly reverted back to childhood as she shrugged behind a sniffle, more tears falling again. Manny shook his head and pulled out a hanky for her to blow her nose.

Afterwards he asked. "Well?"

"I don't know?" She answered softly in the childlike voice. He chuckled and pulled her back again into his arms, wishing she was still the child she had been. "Well I have you back and that's all that matters." He stated softly, yet the question he needed to ask forced itself out.

"Hope?"

"Mm hm." Hope looked up at her father.

"Red Crow? I was told by Corp. Hercog that Red Crow's band took you captive, is that so?" He asked carefully. Hope bit into her lip not sure how to explain to him, but answered honestly.

"Yes, it is true."

Manny became silent again as he searched for the right words to ask her. "Did he... hurt you ... in any way ... at all?"

Hope closed her eyes and blurted. "I am his wife daddy, I married Chief Red Crow, and now, I carry his name, O'Brien."

Manny stared down at her, unable for the moment to deal with such news. Hope took note of his response and thought that she had better tell him all.

"Daddy please, let me tell you all before you judge what I have done-…"

"Did he force you!?"

"No, he did not force me."

Manny inhaled deeply, she was married. A man had known his little girl intimately. Had touched her in a way no one had any business to. He didn't want her married so soon. He had never had the chance to pamper and spoil her as he felt all little girls should be. She should have had the chance to go off to school, touring Europe, and having her season out among the elite. She should have been adorned in the luxury of recent fashion with an overwhelming trousseau of fine silks, satins and laces. Only the best in ornaments and jewelry should grace her beauty.