| Subject: Second Generation - Parts #67-#70 |
Author:
Wanda
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Date Posted: 19:42:31 01/18/04 Sun
PART #67
The next morning Boudreau was up and out of the house early to try to make up some time on a project he had been crafting for George. There was a customer from New Orleans who wanted to purchase a silver punch bowl. George said, “Boudreau look at the one your mother has in storage. Our family made that in England; it is one of a kind, and it is very valuable. Study the bowl, then I want you to design one yourself. It would not be permitted for you to use the exact design on this bowl.” Boudreau was anxious to get started on the project and he knew it would bring in a tidy sum for George when it was complete and in the customer’s hands.
Before he left, he said to Catherine, “Mother, why don’t you tell Juliana about Delbert. I wouldn’t go too much into detail about everything, but she should know that Hollingsworth is Delbert’s father.” Catherine sighed and said, “I certainly hope I don’t say something I shouldn’t say.” Boudreau said, “Mother, I am sure you will say the right thing. You are a very wise lady, and I know you will use discretion.”
Juliana came down thirty minutes later for breakfast and asked, “Mother, have you made a decision about going with Ruth and me today for lunch?” Catherine said, “Juliana, please sit down for I need to tell you something. Boudreau asked me to give you some information before he left this morning. It has to do with Delbert.” Juliana’s eyes widened, “Is there a problem with Delbert?” “No, there’s no problem, but you do need to be aware that Delbert is a half brother to Lucia.” “What did you say?” asked Juliana. “I said that Delbert is a half brother to Lucia,” remarked Catherine.
It took a few moments for the information to be understood by Juliana. She asked, “Are you saying that Hollingsworth Deverall was Delbert’s father?” Catherine said, “Yes, Juliana, I am saying that.” Catherine could see that Juliana was trying to sort through the information. She looked at Catherine and said, “Was Hollingsworth married before his marriage to Lenore?” Catherine said, “No, he has only been married to Lenore.” “Does Lenore and Lucia know this?” Catherine said, “Of course they know, but they do not want you to say anything about it, and certainly not to Delbert. Lucia feels it should be Delbert’s decision to discuss it. Boudreau and Lucia felt you should know the truth about Delbert’s father, but this truth, if it were to be told could be very hurtful to Lenore and Lucia. Of course it has the potential of being hurtful to Delbert too.”
Catherine could tell the information was shocking to Juliana. She sat at the table and was very quiet. Finally she spoke, “I am assuming this means that Hollingsworth had an affair with Delbert’s mother.” Catherine sighed, “Yes, I am afraid that is what this means.” Juliana said, “Mother, I really think that Delbert and his mother are wonderful people. Do you feel it is bad taste for me to be seeing him when Boudreau is engaged to Lucia?” Catherine walked over to where Juliana was seated and bent down, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She said, “No Juliana, I do not think it is bad taste for you to be seeing Delbert. Boudreau has visited with him and seems to think highly of him too. Boudreau just felt it would be good for you to know the truth about who Delbert really is.”
Catherine could see Juliana had many questions, and she didn’t want to say more than she should, so she said, “Sweetie, I will go with you today; where would you like to have lunch?” Juliana told her the name of the restaurant; and Catherine said she would be there. She excused herself to finish up some errands upstairs.
After Catherine left the kitchen, Juliana wondered about the news she had just heard. She thought back to the night that she had brought Delbert out to the plantation for dinner. She remembered how Lucia and her mother had gotten up abruptly and left. She had never believed Lucia had become ill, but she had not said anything. She did not feel it would be right to question Lucia’s reason for leaving so abruptly. Now, she realized that it wasn’t illness; it was shock at seeing Delbert. If only she had known at the time, that scene could have been avoided. She wished she knew more about the situation, but felt in due time Delbert would share the news with her. She was not about to say or do something that would cause any problems for anyone involved. Surely there had been enough hurt for all concerned.
Catherine wondered if she had handled that situation wisely. Boudreau had advised her to be careful in what she shared with Juliana. She hoped Juliana had the maturity to not go and question Delbert about his heritage. She felt she could trust Juliana to remain quiet about the whole thing. She did know that Juliana cared about Delbert and would not want to do anything that might hurt him. Catherine wondered if there would come a time when everyone could look back on this time and smile rather than worry about saying something that would offend someone. She hated situations like this.
PAGE #68
As Catherine worked through the morning, the thoughts of Boudreau’s biological father flooded her mind. She remembered coming back from Jennings many years ago following her quick marriage to Joshua. How could she ever forget the day of their wedding; and than a few hours later, the murder of Joshua her husband? Joshua had seen to it that their marriage had been consummated immediately following the ceremony; and in a few short hours he was murdered following an argument during a card game at a local bar. His murderer insisted he killed Joshua for cheating at the card game.
She had come back to Lake Charles in a state of shock; and in a few weeks found that she was pregnant with Joshua’s child. If it had not been for Bow, she didn’t think she would have survived the ordeal. Whenever she thought of Joshua, she was reminded how she had been seduced because of some sick game that Joshua had wanted to win. Even on their wedding night he had laughed and told her he wondered what Bow would think if he knew he had married the girl he loved. She had felt used and discarded as Joshua had told her he did not want to miss out on a high stakes card game.
It had taken a long time for Catherine to recover from that ordeal. Whenever she thought of her foolish decision to marry that man she was haunted by her actions. How unwise she had behaved. That decision had cost her plenty, and she wondered if perhaps the full price had not been paid even yet.
As Catherine thought about talking to Bow again about their decision to keep information about Boudreau’s biological father from him, she heard her name being called. She walked out of the bedroom and over to the railing of the stairs. She saw Bow standing in the living room looking up towards her. His voice boomed as he said, “Catherine, guess who this is.”
Catherine looked down and saw Bow was standing with a man who looked strangely familiar, but Catherine was not sure of the man’s identity. She said, “Bow, I am sorry but I do not know this man.” The man was dark skinned, and was looking up at her. He was smiling from ear to ear as if he thought she should know him. He said, “Aw Mr. Bow, tell her who I am.” Bow said, “Honey, this is Manobo’s son, Abu Manobo.”
The man smiled and said, “I am pleased to meet you Mrs. Bow. My father has told me about you and your family. Before he died he asked me to come to see you and give you his greetings.” He turned toward Bow and said, “My father taught me his trade, and told me to bring some of the coffee you love, and make it just the way you like it. He said he wanted you to have this gift.”
Bow said, “Abu Manobo, I loved your father very much, and I wish I could thank him for the gift of coffee.” Abu smiled and said, “Mr Bow, I believe you have misunderstood my father’s gift. I am the gift from my father. He trained me to serve you as he served you for many years. My father grieved because his health was declining; and he was unable to serve you as he had served you in the past. He told me he could not go to his eternal rest feeling he had let you down. Therefore to give him peace, I told him I would come and take his place.”
Bow looked at Abu Manobo and said, “Your father could never let me down. He served me as long as he was physically able to do so. I did not expect him to continue when he was so ill. I tried to tell your father I understood his situation, but he would not hear me Abu. Abu Manobo said, “Please let me stay and honor a dying man’s wish.” Bow looked at Catherine as if to ask, “What should I do?”
Catherine reached out to Abu and said, “Welcome to our family, Abu. Could you tell me what your name means?” Abu said, “My name, Abu Manobo, means, “Son of Manobo.”
PART #69
After Catherine took Abu Manobo to his quarters, she dressed to go into Lake Charles for lunch with Juliana and Ruth. She had told Abu Manobo to arrange the quarters anyway he saw fit, and to get acquainted with the other employees while she was gone. She promised they would work out all the details of his employment that evening when Mr. Bow returned home from the ship yards.
As she drove into Lake Charles she wondered about Ruth, and thought about the similarity in their situations. Ruth had kept the truth of Delbert’s father from her son, just as Catherine had kept the truth of Boudreau’s father from her son, Boudreau. They did have something in common, but she certainly was not proud of that fact. She tried to picture Ruth in her mind, and felt she would be an attractive woman with a gentle nature.
When Catherine arrived at the restaurant, she discovered that Juliana and Ruth were already there. They were waiting for her on the inside of the building. Juliana introduced Ruth to Catherine; and they were ushered to a table near a window. Catherine asked Ruth how she liked Lake Charles, and was told she felt it was a beautiful city. Ruth said, “It is not at all like Pennsylvania, but I do enjoy the people and all the beautiful scenery.” Catherine said, “I hear you have been helping Delbert in locating a home. Where is the home located?”
The ladies discussed the location and details of the home and ordered their lunches. Catherine could see why Juliana had been so favorably impressed by Ruth. She liked her forthrightness and easy going smile. They were chatting like old friends in no time. She was a woman who was outgoing and an interesting conversationalist.
As they were eating their main course, Juliana looked up and saw Lenore and Lucia walking toward their table. Without thinking, she waved at Lucia who smiled and waved back. Catherine turned and saw it was Lenore and Lucia who was approaching. She spoke and waved as well. Lucia walked over to the table and said, “Hello ladies, enjoying your lunch?” Lenore was walking directly behind Lucia; and when she stepped out and saw that the third woman at the table was Ruth, she gasped. Ruth was startled when she saw Lenore, but she smiled and said, “Hello Lenore, this must be the lovely daughter I have heard so much about.” Lenore merely said, “Hello Ruth.” She touched Lucia on the arm and said, “I will go to our table, you can chat a while if you like.” She smiled at Catherine and walked to the table where the waiter was standing.
Catherine thought it had been awhile since she had experienced such an awkward moment. It had been quite uncomfortable, and she wished there was something she could do to lighten the moment. Never had the air seemed heavier then it did at that moment. Lucia tried to be lighthearted about the matter, but it was obvious to Catherine that she was visably shaken. She quickly excused herself and walked over to the table where Lenore was now seated.
Catherine, Juliana, and Ruth finished their lunch with very little conversation following the encounter with the other ladies. Catherine did tell Juliana and Ruth about Abu Manobo coming to work for them. She asked Juliana if she remembered Abu from the time he was a small child. Juliana said she seemed to remember Manobo mentioning he had a son who lived with his mother in the Middle East.
Catherine noticed that Ruth was especially quiet; and she saw that her eyes did travel to Lenore and Lucia’s table at different times. Catherine did not feel it would be wise to say anything about Boudreau being engaged to Lucia. Juliana was feeling more uncomfortable by the moment. She finally said, “Ruth, you may wonder why we happen to know those two ladies. Lucia is engaged to marry my older brother.” Ruth was very polite as she remarked, “I do believe Delbert has mentioned that to me.” She said nothing more about the matter.
Catherine breathed a sigh of relief when the meal was over; and she said to Juliana, “I hate to cut this short, but I do need to get home and get things organized for Abu.” She apologized for having to leave so soon. Ruth told her she fully understood. Juliana took Ruth back to her hotel, and returned to work at the bank. Catherine drove home and determined she would have to try to explain everything to Lenore. She did not want her to think she was trying to do something underhanded. She knew that Lenore was shocked to see her and Juliana eating lunch with Delbert’s mother.
That evening Catherine and Bow were in the living room following the evening meal. Bow was reading the paper; and Catherine was trying to decide how she would talk to him about the decision they had made many years ago to not tell Boudreau about his biological father.
Abu came into the room carrying a long narrow box with him. He said, “Excuse me please, but I have something for Mrs. Bow. My father asked me to give this to you since it was given to him by your first husband, Joshua Sallier. He told me he felt your son should be the one to have this. Catherine said, “Abu, what is it?” He answered, “Mrs. Bow, it is a civil war sword. Your first husband gave it to my father, and he has kept it all these years. He felt Joshua’s son, Boudreau, should have the sword as a keepsake from his father. Catherine looked up to see Boudreau standing in the doorway of the living room with a shocked expression upon his face.
To be continued..
PART #70
Catherine jumped to her feet, and rushed to Boudreau’s side. He looked down at her with eyes of steel; and he asked, “Mother, who is this man?” Catherine said, “Boudreau, this is Abu Manobo, the son of Manobo.” Boudreau asked, “What did he mean when he said that Joshua Sallier had been your first husband and my father? Did he not say that Boudreau, Joshua’s son, should have the Civil War sword as a momento?
Catherine felt the full impact of her unwise decision many years ago. She knew in her heart the price of her foolishness was now due in full, and would have to be paid. Bow stood up and walked toward them. Abu was standing in the room holding the sword; and now there was a shocked expression upon his face. He wondered, “What have I done?” Abu left the room quietly. He had come to serve; and now he had caused a rift in the family he had come to serve. He had brought disgrace upon his father’s name. How could he live with such disgrace?
Catherine began to mumble, “Oh Boudreau, I did not want you to find out in this way.” Boudreau said, “Mother, I am thirty-six years old now; when were you going to tell me my whole life has been a falsehood? Why was I not told that Dad is not my father?” Bow said, “Boudreau, we didn’t want you to be burdened with the knowledge that Joshua Sallier was your biological father. I have loved you since the moment your mother told me she was pregnant. To me you are my son.”
Boudreau said, “Don’t you two people understand that I expected truth from my parents? I would rather have known that Joshua Sallier was my father, than to wait until this day; and learn it from a complete stranger. How many other people know this truth that has been denied me?” Bow answered, “Manobo was the only person who knew Boudreau.” Boudreau coldly looked at his parents and said, “Obviously Manobo was not the only person who knew, for I received the information from his son.”
Boudreau turned and walked out of the house to his car. He drove away as Catherine collapsed in Bow’s arms. She was inconsolable. She kept moaning, “We should have told him.” Bow finally said, “Catherine, stop this. Yes, we should have told him, I agree with that. But, we have to give him time to absorb this information. We will have to let things cool down; and try to talk with him again on this subject.” Catherine said, “Bow, I don’t think you realize that Boudreau may walk away from us because of this. He told me two days ago that he believed every person had the right to know about his heritage. I knew how he felt, and I tried to talk to you, but you were needed at the ship yards, and I put it off. I was sitting here tonight wondering about discussing it with you and was going to ask you if we shouldn’t try to tell Boudreau the truth.”
Abu appeared and was terribly distraught. He apologized for causing a problem in their family. He said, “I never dreamed Boudreau would not have known about Mr. Sallier. I am so sorry for speaking out in such a way. My father would feel I had brought disgrace to his name.”
Bow said, “Abu, you have not brought disgrace to your father or his name. Please do not think that. My wife and I made a mistake in not telling Boudreau that his biological father was Joshua Sallier. I believe I wanted him to be my son so much I ignored telling him the truth. You did not know about the choice we had made years before to not tell Boudreau about Joshua Sallier. You have no part in this blame.”
Catherine was crying once again. She said, “I can’t believe we have hurt him so badly. We did what we felt was best to protect him, and we have ended up hurting him.”
To be continued...
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