Family Reunion (9 page)

On the walls were plaques artistically carved and hung displaying
his artistic level, not only did he work with building anything out of wood, it was also a canvas for his imagination. Rory had never seen so much woodwork carvings in one place before.

Mailon hung up his coat and her own, speaking all the time to her father, asking why was he home so early, as he kept his eyes on Rory the whole time. He answered that he'd completed the job of putting in specially carved window frames with matching door frames to a new mansion that was being built on Cobble Hill. Along with them, he had built in floor boards, the staircase banister, cabinets and all. Subsequently, he had finished with a hope to get the remainder of his pay. The man who hired him was paid by the owner, who just so happened to be out of town on business, once he returned and gave his approval, the pay would be issued. Having to wait on being paid put him in a bad mood.

The tea was put on and all three sat at the table quiet and awkward.

Rory offered a crooked
smile a couple of times but he wasn't quite sure of what to say to him.

Then it occurred to him and he began complimenting him on the wood carved plaques and ornaments, showing true fascination with their uniquely carved intricacies. Being that it was once Gydale's hobby and now his job in which he took great pride, it wasn't long before he loosened up and warmed to the subject of his works.

Rory who was ever quick in wit, lit right into this man's obvious enjoyment of showing and talking about his talents and carved art, asking, "How did you do that, and make that impression."

Nothing more need be asked after that, Gydale went from one thing to the other, with Rory standing now and pointing to each piece.

Mailon quietly observed that Rory was embracing her father's interest to impress him with his curiosity, to the point where his company was welcomed and enjoyed. Her father went on to show Rory each thing that he had specially crafted, then went out of the room long enough for Mailon to give Rory an apologetic smile as she gave him another cup of tea. Rory smiled back feeling more relaxed. A moment later, Gydale returned with an armful of small statues that were in the back room where he worked on them. Rory helped him take them to the table where he explained what they would be when completed, since some were not. One was a carving of Mailon sitting with a small squirrel in her lap as she patted its head.

Rory was really captivated by the statue of her, when he heard a slight coo cooing, he’d heard it before but he was too nervous to give it any attention.

"That is just an old cuckoo clock sounding the hour of four."

Gydale explained, noticing Rory's response to it, his eyes widened and his hands flew to his head when he realized he had only one hour to make it to his first day at work. "What's wrong boy?" Gydale asked, noticing Rory's worried look as he leapt from the chair tipping it over.

"Sir it's been real nice meetin' and talkin' to you, but I got only one hour to make it to my first day at work!" Mailon hurried from her chair picking up Rory’s on the way to where his coat and scarf hung. "Sorry to leave like this Mailon but I know there's no way I'm gonna make it if I don't leave now." He said rushing to get into his coat by the door as Mailon waited to hand him his scarf. "Thanks for the tea, and thank you sir for showin' me your nice work but I gotta run, and I do mean run." Mailon looked at him sadly. "I'm so-sorry Ro-ry, I did, um..." She couldn't finish for being so nervous and worried for him. "Not your fault, I just forgot the time but I gotta go. Thank you again." He said, shuffling out the door and leaping off the low porch, landing in a run as Mailon called to him.

"Bon jour, Ro-ry!!" He spun waving at her as he ran backward, then turned again as he took off.

'Oh No! Oh No! My first day, my first day! What will I tell him? I can't tell him the truth, that would make me seem all the more irresponsible.'
He pained over an explanation ignoring the biting cold that increased as the evening progressed.
'I can't believe it, my first day. Damn! I'll never make it by five, there's no way!'
Running as fast as he was, it was no time before he warmed up, thinking of what to say in explanation to being tardy.

'Dammit Rollo, this is all your fault! If you hadn't started picking on me! I got to think of something good to tell him, something believable. Think Rory, think? Oh I know what, I'll tell him I was behind on my school work, and to make it up, I had a lot of tough assignments to do. Damnation! Rollo's got my work in the coach. I'll worry about that later. Let's see, and to back that up...um?? Yeah, by the time I was through, my mother asked me to do a long list of things for her that I couldn't possibly finish in time. That sounds good! I'll tell him that, he's into that learnin' and bein' nice to your mother stuff, that will make him think good of me.'

It was already dark and almost six o'clock by the time he reached the docks. Upon his arrival, he realized he had no idea which ship belonged to Manny or the one he would be working on, they had discussed everything but that. Scanning the wharf to find his ship and red in the face from exhaustion, he wandered up to the Wind cutter, one of Manny's ships that had just docked in from Columbia.

Of all people to be standing there, he saw and heard Manny with Mike, Leon and the captain from the Wind cutter.

Rory could not help but
hear his booming voice as he directed his men into unloading crate after crate while there was still enough light to see by. He was obviously not pleased with the captain, as the group conversed tensely while Manny issued orders. The job was usually the captains but for some reason Manny had seen the need to take over. With dread, Rory realized his mood would not be good for his late arrival. The men worked at a desperate pace, having to be cautious as well with the much colder evening making the docks slippery with thin ice. A man, thin as a rail, was tossing sand where he could.

Rory came to a skidding halt at the bottom of the gang plank trying to catch his breath and steady himself for his false story. Manny happened to look in his direction spotting him immediately as he was bent over bracing himself on his knees gasping for air. With the lift of his brow, Manny reached into his suit pocket withdrawing his gold pocket watch, clicking it open to read the time.

Rory groaned in despair as they made eye contact. Rory took one last deep breath then straightened up and headed up the gang plank to board the ship, easing carefully around the sandman.

"Sir, Mister ...I know what you're thinking...but I can explain... my mother ...um...she had me doing some odd jobs for her, and my homework, I had a whole lot of homework to make up for lessons I missed. Really Mister, it won't happen again, I promise." Manny's eyes clearly said without a word that he found that a weak excuse.

"This is your first and only, of course you know this decreases your pay for the week, perhaps it would be better if I moved you to six o'clock so your mother can have you for her needs a little longer?"

"No sir! That won't be necessary five o'clock is fine, really!" Rory eagerly promised looking at Mike with a puzzled expression, and then back to Manny. His presence eased Manny's tension as he smiled and introduced the two.

"Rory, this is my son Michael Webster, Mike, meet Rory. I've hired him as my cabin boy; he'll be working on the Princess for me." Mike stared at Rory a moment before responding to the introduction. The boy looked so familiar to him, he'd seen him somewhere before but couldn't place where.

"Hello, and welcome aboard." Mike shook his hand. Rory smiled despite the funny feeling in his stomach, unaware that it was something akin to jealousy. Manny went on with the introductions, "This man here is Leon, he's the one who will be training you, giving you instructions and answering any questions you might have.

Whatever he tells you to do, you are to do, no questions asked. He is my second mate when I choose to sail, and he is also captain in my absence, any questions?"

Manny inspected his reaction closely to see if he had any problem with his supervisor being a Negro. Rory had a look of shock, not because he would have a Negro over him, but because he couldn't believe a Black man would or could be allowed to hold such a position.

"You have a problem with that Rory?"

Rory pulled his eyes from Leon to Manny shaking his head. "No sir mister! No problem at all, nice to meet you sir." He nodded to Leon, who smiled with surprise at the youth's respectful response. Surely this couldn't be the same Rowdy Rory, the docks infamous trouble maker.

"Glad to have you among us Rory, how about we go to the Princess so I can begin showing you your duties." He said, leading the way down the gangplank with Mike and Manny behind. On the way, Leon explained what some of his duties would be before they got there.

"You know what?” Mike began, “I've seen that boy somewhere before, I'd swear it, I just don't know where."

"Here I thought it was just me seeing things, hearing you say it, I know I'm not crazy. You’re right, you
have
seen him before."

"Where?"

"Your grandmother, Royal Sun Webster. Same coloring, hair and eyes, same smile, expressions and her features. The boy gives me the chills sometimes when I look at him; he's so much like her."

Mike shook his head thinking of the portrait of Royal back at the cabin. "You're right. You think he's maybe related to her or her family in some way? Maybe she had a brother or a sister here in America you didn't know about ...or... the result of someone in her family wandering."

Manny looked at his son and grinned. "Son, with this family, you never can tell."

"Is that the reason you hired him? After all, my Esteban would be your cabin boy, and I can't see that he needs the job, his clothes say money."

"He has problems son that have nothing to do with money. And I suppose his looks do have something to do with it as well. You think my hiring him will offend Esteban?"

"I doubt it, if he's your cabin boy; he can't very well follow me around can he?"

Manny chuckled. "I guess you're right, which brings to mind the issue of school. How is he going to take it when you tell him and the others they have to attend?" Mike looked at his father startled.

"School?
My kids in a school? Oh we're asking for trouble now aren't we?"

"They need to be in school son."

"Father, what school is going to take my Esteban? And I won't have him going to one school and the others going to another. I won't split them up as if there's a difference, one is no better than the next, my four by Maria are partially Negro just as he is."

"Yeah, but two could pass for white."

"So can I, doesn't mean I want to, I'm not about to start them on that road either. They attend together or not at all!" Mike started feeling agitated by the subject.

Manny realized as time went on that he and his son was heading for a clash. The more time they spent together, the more he could see his rebelling in some way. Not just any type of rebelling, but a racial one. He was a man afraid of losing his identity. Afraid of the life Manny was offering him that placed him in the position of being white. Times like this were making it clearer and clearer, what he considered himself to be.

No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, Manny was hurt that his son obviously chose to be what his mother was, over him, to the point of aggressively holding onto it, rejecting any white structures, businesses or organizations. To ease the sudden tension, Manny offered a temporary respite. "Let's not worry about it right now. Later on, I'm going to introduce you to an old friend who could help us with this.”

“
Know this son, whether you agree or not…they should be in school. What I'm going to say may seem an underhanded tactic; no matter, I'm going to use it all the same. Your mother would want her grandchildren in school if it was possible for them to attend and it is. Do it for her." Mike closed his eyes a moment hearing that. "You're right, that was underhanded."

Manny smiled and clapped him on the back as they came to the Princess. "Did it work?" Mike looked at his father trying to keep from grinning. "Yeah ... it worked."

"Good enough then."

When Rory walked up the gang plank to the floating beauty, the magnificence of the ship took his breath away. Though eighteen yeas old, it stood demanding a look of awe, so majestic and massive. It stood out from the others easily, and when his eyes cut to the name of her, that too held his attention. The name, Princess Ceś alena seemed to jump out at him. He stared at it a moment. He'd heard that name before, Princess Ceś alena. It was so familiar that it echoed in his mind, for a moment haunting him.

Needing to move on, he dismissed the th
ought because he could have read it in a book at school.

"Beautiful isn't she?" Manny boasted boldly, it was the one shining prize of all his gains, the one that he took the most pride in. Coming up beside Rory, he stood in its profile. "Yes sir that she is. How did you come by the name?" He asked wondering. Mike felt his heart jump at the question. "I knew her once. Princess Ceś alena and she was as magnificent as what you see before you." His voice grew husky toward the end. Rory looked from Manny to Mike and noticed that his eyes had reddened. "Excuse me father." Mike pulled his attention to get by.