Family Reunion (47 page)

Hope sat on the bed beside her mother. "He has already gone off to the waterfront building but before he left, he gave each of us instructions. One of them being, that you are to be pampered to distraction, by us all."

"Is that so?" Lena returned softly.

"Yes, and he even left you instructions." Lena lifted a brow of interest. "Which are?"

"You dear mother, are to do nothing but allow your family to love you. Daddy says that if he runs across you doing anything other than that, he will beat us all."

"Hope, your father said no such thing!" Lena simpered.

"Oh yes - he did. Oh and one other thing you were supposed to do, daddy says every minute that he is away, you are to think of him but with a smile." Lena looked down quickly feeling one coming on now. "Ah ha! It's working, you're thinking of him now!" Hope teased, grinning, ducking her head to see her mother's blushing face. Lena covered her face and giggled. Hope laughed and pulled her mother's hands away from her face.

"Oh no you don't mama, no hiding for you; we've hidden from each other long enough-…"

"Little girl will you let go of my hands." Lena demanded, unable to keep a straight face. "Not until you promise never to hide how you feel about my father." Lena shook her head at her daughter. "You always did love your daddy so. Early on, you referred to him as, m'daddy this…m'daddy that." Lena chuckled.

"I can't help the way I feel. I love you too that way mama."

Lena reached out to hug her daughter, ignoring the discomfort to do so. "I know you do, you always have." Hope turned her face to kiss her mother’s cheek. "Loving a man the way you love daddy, and I love Joseph, has to be the most wonderful feeling in the world, there can never be anything else like it. Wouldn't you agree?" She spoke up brightly, her eyes glowing merrily before her mother. Lena smiled and stroked her daughter's cheek. "Yes, I would have to agree."

"Then is it not better, when we have it, and know that it's true, to embrace the moment and cherish it. Only few are fortunate enough to experience it with someone who feels the same."

Lena chuckled at her daughter’s wisdom. "How did you get to be so smart?" Hope shook her head in all seriousness, with her eyes wide and said. "I'm not so smart mama, I just like how it feels to be loved, not only by my husband but by my mother and father as well.”

“
Nothing can be more fulfilling and strengthening than being loved by the most important people in a person’s life."

"Very true, being thoroughly loved by ones children ... that, is what is ultimately gratifying, because then you know, somehow, somewhere down the line, you just possibly did something - right."

"Then mama, you've done something right."

Lena closed her eyes as she held her daughter, wishing to God she had done that with all three. She would never feel complete until she found a way to repair what was broken with Rory.

"Good morning grandma." Lolita said, standing beside the bed.

Hope and Lena pulled apart surprised, since they hadn't heard her enter the room. "Good morning hija. Oooh what is this?!" Lena sighed in surprise as Lolita suddenly brought from behind her back a bouquet of freesias, in beautiful colors of pink, yellow and white. Lolita laid them in Lena's arms; she leaned into the blossoms inhaling their fresh scent. "This card came with them too grandma." Lolita handed it to her to read.

"Oh my." Lena gushed brightly. "Is it possible to get a hug before I read it?" She asked her granddaughter, Lolita smiled and gave her a big one. Lena pulled back placing a kiss on her cheek, then, with Hope's urgent nudging; she opened the sealed card and read it.

Lena folded the card smiling,

"Well! What did it say?" Hope anxiously inquired.

Lena smiled up at her daughter and feeling mischievous, she quickly licked out her tongue in a teasing manner and wrinkled her nose. "I'm not telling you!"

"Mother!" Hope gasped surprised to see her do such a thing.

"Has no one told you it is not proper etiquette to stick out your tongue at someone, shame on you! And also, it is not proper to keep matters such as that note, to one’s self – what good is it to get such things if you cannot share it?"

"Golden Hope Webster, are you criticizing your mother? Because if you are, I shall tell you father immediately upon his return. Now, my breakfast please, thank you very much!" Lena lifted her chin grandly, gently moved her flowers to the side and patted her lap for her tray.

Hope, stifling her laughter at their jesting, rose then bowed to her mother and quickly took up the tray. Lolita giggled watching them. "Oh dearest mother I so humbly beg your pardon, why your manners are as impeccable as a Princess, why, a queen even, please do pardon my error." Hope placed the tray on her mother's lap and bowed again dramatically.

"I shall have to ponder on the matter, dear daughter. However, before a decision can be made, you shall take heed to be on your most deferential behavior. By doing so, I may be so inclined as to disregard your earlier conduct and therefore waver your well deserved beating." Lena dictated in a high royal British accent. Lolita was impressed.

"Wow grandma, how you know how to talk like
that
!!"

Lena laughed out and grabbed her granddaughter in a hug. Hope wiped her forehead commenting. "Mama you did that so well, for a moment I feared you might be serious."

"Oh baby, of course that was not serious, that was nothing more than one of many characters I conjure up in the stories I sometimes imagine."

"Grandma, tia tells us stories too…don't you tia?"

"Do you really?" Lena asked, surprised and pleased.

"Only one…about a little princess and her tall knight."

Lena gasped. "What? About what?"

"The little Princess from a different land."

"How can that be, how could you have possibly remembered that? Did your father tell you that story?"

"No mama, you did. It never left me. I didn't know until daddy remembered the story as one you always told me."

Lena sat staring in awe.

"See mama, I didn't forget…I didn't forget...you were always with me." Hope confessed softly. "Always … now, you still have your breakfast to eat…daddy insists."

Lena wasn’t sure if she could get it past the lump in her throat.

* * *

Manny stood at the rail on the deck of the Princess, with his son and son in law on either side. Shelly, Jarvis, Finbar and Seamus were also present.

Manny collected the information he needed and covered other issues of concern. The discussion concluded and they separated to carry out Manny’s orders, leaving him standing with Mike and Joseph.

"Just so you are aware, we're taking your mother home to Makia, and when we arrive, I have every intention of us being husband and wife." Manny said, giving his son a stern look. "There are many things that need to be taken care of until then. I'm going to need your help, everyone's help to pull this together. Joe…talk to your mother, let her know what we discussed. Mike, I need you to go and speak with Sandra Sinclair, I will need her help also and then Thomas Sandoval."

"Not to worry dad…everything will be as you've planned it."

"Good, I have four days to convince Lena to marry me, Sunday we head for Makia.
That's why I'm back from the
office so early; I've a jeweller right this minute down below showing some pretty costly pieces.”

“
When she gets an eyeful of those, she'll be ready to accept the next time that I ask." Manny stated, winking at the two. "Meanwhile, follow me to my office while I write out what is needed for you two to deliver."

* * *

"Oh the first thing I did was panic! Well, Red Dawn and I both came charging down the stairs, me frightened as I could be, waking both Thomas and Long Bow, I was too hysterical to talk, so Red Dawn told them Hope was missing and just when we decided to go search for her, here comes Red Crow, or Joseph ...I should say, carrying her in as if nothing in the world was wrong." Lena took a breath, telling of the night Joe had taken Hope to summon the Gods.

"How old was she at the time?" Maria asked smiling as she sat in the family room with Hope and Celina in attendance. "All of three years old, and sleeping peacefully on his shoulder, well I had calmed down a lot once I knew she was okay. Oh but did Red - Josey get all over poor Joseph, I felt so sorry for him…and Long Bow...well, he just stood smiling, resigned to what his son was. What a handsome man he was." Lena shook her head, feeling her heart squeeze thinking about him. "You know, I don't think I have yet seen a more handsome male, you would have had to see him, he was something.”

“
He would have been so proud to know that his son followed through and became all that he’d promised he someday would... including your husband." Lena smiled finishing as she looked at her daughter.

Hope wondered if she should someday tell the whole story of their past, the days of being married to the true Red Crow, if her mother only knew…perhaps in time she would. All looked up to see Esteban entering the room with a sneaky smile on his face. "Good afternoon, grandma." He greeted, coming up to Lena.

Glowing from all of Manny's attention, Lena felt her cheeks warming to catch a glimpse of flowers that stuck out from behind him. "Good afternoon to you Stephen. Now, I wonder what is in store with this visit." Lena hinted with her smile brightening.

"Oh nothing other than to say, good day to you and to deliver you these." He informed her in his uneven voice, which was changing, growing deeper as he went through puberty. He handed her a bouquet of pink, white and deep red lilies. Laying them in her arms he leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Here, there is a card also."

Lena chuckled, "Well of course."

"Oh my, another card, isn't this romantic?!" Hope gushed.

Lena opened the card, leaning back as Hope craned her neck to read it also. "Mind your manners young lady."

"Oh mama don't be so secretive, let me read it too?"

"No!" Lena grinned.

"Then read it out loud?"

"It's mine, it's for me!"
Lena chuckled,
"Now get back, no peeping." She told her, grinning, reading it with one eye on Hope who was dying to know it's content.

"Now what did it say?" Hope asked. Lena huffed and teased in a
sing song voice. "I'm not telling you!"

"I bet it's a
love
note - from grand-pa!" Celina grinned with a crinkle of her nose, giggling at her grandmother's gaping expression. Lena laughed out, hugging her close, enjoying her grandchildren so much as they were a constant source of laughter. Esteban walked from the room as they heard him say, "You may come in now sir." Entering was a short balding man carrying a case.

Drawing and holding the ladies attention, he quietly approached the short coffee table near them after looking the room over for the best place to kneel. Sitting his case down, he opened it wide, still without a word. He looked up at all three, and placing spectacles on he set his eyes intently on Lena. Tilting his head in observance and nodding approvingly, he set out a blue velvet covered board, and then laid three pull string velvet pouches on top, followed by two oblong boxes, and a large brass ring holder with different size rings.