In Search of Satisfaction (39 page)

“I would like her to go.”

“There is something I would like you to do, also, Yin.”

“Again?”

“Yes.” Carlene adopted a very casual attitude. “Have you met Phillip? My grandson. Richlene’s first son?”

“No … But I hear he is very good-looking.” Her voice lowered. “And very, very rich … now.”

Carlene did not laugh. “He is. And he is the right age to marry.”

Yin laughed lightly, “Carlene, I am too … old for him. He is in college.”

“People marry in college.”

“Why would you want him to marry me? Have you thought about what that would mean? And how do you know I don’t want to marry for love?”

“You are right, Yin. Perhaps having you that close to me would not be a wise thing at all. Well, either him or the attorney Ways. Because … you and I … are … friends in some way … and I want to help you achieve your goals.”

Yin thought, “That will be the day.” Aloud, she said, “Poor little me?”

Carlene ignored her, “Besides, it is what I want you to do … in exchange for this trip.”

Yin stopped laughing, “My life? In exchange for a trip!?”

Carlene looked at her seriously, “You have a child now. You should be more … settled.”

Yin laughed again. “Your concern … touches me, Carlene.”

They parted amiably, but Yin was committed only to the yacht trip and … maybe … the attorney.

w
hen Phillip and Richlene spoke together after the reading of the will, there was no difficulty in the meeting of their minds. Richlene had always loved and missed her first son, her first child. Her consolation over the years had been that Mana was with him as Mana had been with her. As Richard had wished, Mana also met them at the mansion when they carried Richard there to bury him properly.

Phillip often held his mother tightly and tenderly for long moments. They sat and talked many times as she held his hand and stroked it, smiling often through tears of joy. Phillip was elated, happy, ecstatic to have his mother, a family, at last. He belonged somewhere WITH them, at last. He adored his little sister Emily, who adored him in return. At first he thought to have a baby-type little sister, but Emily had fooled him.

Though she was quite young, Emily was very interested in her mother’s fortune and her own. She studied money. She saw that boys had much more opportunity to attend colleges and learn about stocks and bonds and investments. She was not interested in learning how to be a good housewife right then. She was interested in everything her grandfather had owned, and her great-grandfather before him. She had no
illusions about her brother Carlton. She never wanted to be treated as her Aunt Sally had been by Carlene.

Emily also knew she would never inherit Carlene’s money, so she decided she would make her mother’s money grow. Phillip respected that and admired his little sister’s determination and no-nonsense mind. He determined to help her, though he told her she would never have to worry about Richlene nor herself as long as he was able to do anything. Emily was serious when she answered, “I don’t want to depend on anyone. I have seen Aunt Sally’s misery.”

Emily loved her mother dearly. The only thing that worried her, and Phillip as well, was when Richlene said she loved Luke, the gardener, and wanted to spend her last years with him.

Phillip pleaded with her, “Can’t you go on, as you have done for years, being friends?”

Richlene smiled at her son, happiness glowing in her face. “Oh we … are. We are. But … Emily wants … to … go away … to school. Then … to university. And … you … you are … gone already. I want to be with … Luke.”

Phillip frowned. “Has he … Have you ever …”

Richlene still smiled. “Luke … would never … do anything … to me. I have … not even … told him … yet … that I … am … going to be with him!” She laughed. “Except … I have … told … him … for a long time … in many ways.” Her voice softened. “I love him. He … won’t touch … me. He won’t … take … any … money … to fix … his house for … his sisters. I know … I am … older … than he is, but I … am … not … real … old. My hair … is not … gray. But … I know he loves me … I know … it.”

Phillip sighed. “Perhaps time will work it all out. It will pass.”

Richlene laughed happily. “Yes … yes. Time … will work it … out.”

But they did not mean the same things. She knew that. She took Phillip’s hand and held it to her breast. “Son … you know … I have … always … wanted a … real family. I have … always … always … wanted to be … really … loved. I have … been … touched … by … people, my … father, and in a … different … way, my husband. But … son, I … have never
 … really … been touched … inside. I have … never … never … felt any … thing … with … anybody. But, Luke … Luke touches me … inside … on my soul, … my heart … no matter … how far away … he is. I … am … not an … emp … ty … shell … with Luke. I … am … a full … woman.” She smiled shyly at her son. “What does … color … matter … compared with … happiness? Because I … love him … and … he loves … me.”

l
ater, alone, Richlene lay in her bed and thought about when she and Luke worked in the gardens together. Lately, his mind seemed to be taken up with the problems his Indian friends were having. It seemed it was possible they would have to move on, far away from their homes. No one, Indian or not, seemed to be able to get through to the government. The government talked legal gibberish when they did get to speak to their Indian representatives in Washington, D.C. They were not Indian representatives after all, they were simply the ones chosen to be the middlemen for the government.

Richlene had asked Luke, “But … won’t they … send them to another … place … just as nice?”

Luke had answered, “This is already a nice place. It is their home now, for many years. Why should they have to move? This is their own country! And it’s in a treaty, too!”

They had talked for hours, many times, until one day Luke mentioned that Little Wisdom wanted to marry him so she could stay near her friends and, maybe, even keep some of her family there.

Richlene said, “Oh … she … does, does she?!”

“That’s what that chile says.”

“Well, what … about me?” Richlene looked into his face and was not smiling as usual.

Luke had sighed, weary. “Well, Miz Richlene, I done told you, I love you, too. But I am a poor man and ain’t none of that gonna change. What would you do with a man like me? I am a Negro man, too. You would have to bury all your family, if you was with me!”

“Well, I … done told you, Luke, I … love you. I want to love … you and … work in … our garden. We’d … have … a beauti … ful garden, Luke.”

Luke smiled. “We can still have that, little lady.”

“But … I … don’t want … to … stay here … with … Carlene. I … never … would be … happy.”

Luke wiped his brow of perspiration. “Well, Miz Richlene, I don’t know what I can do. I can’t even help my Indian friends. I ain’t free, but I don’t think nobody can make me move. They ain’t free and somebody is making them move. If I could do anything, I would help them to be free. First. See, I love you, but I love freedom. For everybody.”

r
ichlene stretched in her bed, uncomfortable now, thinking of the fact that Little Wisdom wanted to marry Luke. Suddenly she sat up and spoke to herself, “I have … an idea … now!” In the morning, she told Phillip her idea. He didn’t try to change her mind. “Hell, she can never spend all that money anyway. She deserves whatever she wants,” he thought. He smiled and promised to look into it right away.

d
uring the time Carlene, Yin and Hosanna were off on their trip, Phillip had investigated, requested and received help with the Indian Affairs offices. He purchased for Richlene, with her money, 100,000 acres of hills and land across the river in Yoville, with frontage on the river. The cost was very little compared to what the government had told the Indians. Because he was who he was, he paid about ten cents an acre.

When he told his mother the land was hers, she had him prepare papers to sign it over to the Indians, with a little land reserved for her, if she should ever want to build over there. She already knew she would.

Then she told Luke. He looked at her in wonder and, for the first time, when she threw her arms around his neck, he hugged her back. Both were happy for themselves … and others, too.

Richlene leaned her head back, she would not let go of Luke. “Will
 … you … build a house … for me, Luke?” She was still thinking of Little Wisdom.

Luke laughed and hugged her. “I’ll build you a castle!”

Richlene hugged him tighter. “I know.”

Luke leaned back from her. “With a beautiful garden.”

Richlene smiled back at him. “Inside … and … out!”

w
hen Carlene, Yin and Hosanna returned several weeks later, Carlene and Yin were hardly speaking to each other, except through Hosanna. The yacht had been beautiful, Yin and Hosanna had learned a great deal. Hosanna had learned a few more tasty recipes and she had visited a castle or two. In fact, she was the only one of the three who had enjoyed herself.

Yin huffed off the riverboat almost before it docked. She was still complaining about tired, old men and watchful, jealous wives. Carlene laughed at her, glad at Yin’s discomfort. Carlene had known what the trip would be like, but she had plans for Yin and Phillip or Mr. Ways. She hadn’t intended for Yin to meet anyone she would want.

Yin rushed home to find a fat, healthy baby and a smiling Aunt Ellen standing on the porch waiting for her. She reached for her baby. “Joseph! Mama has missed you! She missed you in her bed every morning!” She also had a letter from Arabella Befoe, inviting her to come visit for some festivities. Yin screamed with joy. Here was a woman, a friend, who know what she was after!

Hosanna went home loaded with packages for her family. Happy. She was hugged and kissed, even by Lettie and especially by Lovey.
While Hosanna was gone Lovey had received a beautiful wagon made of highly polished wood and metal with a sterling shaft just right for her and even a strong, rubber-tipped stick to push herself along with. It was from Lincoln, with a note saying, “You thought I forgot, didn’t you?” Lovey would sit in it with stars in her eyes, thinking more of Lincoln than the wagon which now made her more mobile.

Carlene went home to find the house empty except for the cook and Minna, who had really enjoyed Carlene being away. Sally had moved into her new home. It had been entirely redone and furnished.

Carlene sighed, “Good. We shall see what we shall see.” As Minna helped her undress, Carlene sighed. “I’m tired. I’m too old for these trips. That’s my last one.”

w
hile Richlene was still living with Carlene, Phillip came to see her as often as college and business would allow, and they were falling more in love as can be said of a mother and son just reunited to each other.

While Phillip and Lincoln finished law school, Phillip asked Lincoln to work for him, to live on his grand estate, make himself at home and check every paper written in the last year in each of Phillip’s inherited businesses. All was going well. Lincoln was exceptionally smart and understood the legal terminology enough to catch and correct, to Phillip’s advantage, many things usually left to attorneys with no real interest in Phillip Befoe or Richard Befoe before him. Lincoln was well paid for his time and effort. They had grown quite close. Lincoln Creed was, indeed, trustworthy.

o
n one such visit to his mother’s home, Carlene sent for Phillip. She was wondering how much he knew, how much she should tell him about his real father. She decided she would hold it as an ace. She still did not want the name Befoe tainted. Unless, of course, it was necessary to gain some control. Richlene had been told so many times Phillip was her husband’s child, she had become confused. “But … I … remember … something,” Richlene said to herself sometimes. It had
not all come back to her, so she could not tell Phillip who his father really was. It would never come up again, unless Carlene decided to tell. Carlene considered telling Phillip but couldn’t decide what control that would give her over him.

Carlene did not know about Richlene’s new ventures, the Indian land, or Luke. She had not long returned from her yacht trip and Minna no longer gossiped with her. She only knew the house was often empty. Emily was begging to be sent away to school to prepare for university. Carlene often thought Richlene was working in some garden somewhere.

On the day she heard Phillip was coming, she left word for him to come to her. It was early afternoon when he arrived. The spider, older now but not really old because spiders can live up to twenty years or so, sat wrapped in its legs, watching Carlene, as usual. Waiting, as Carlene waited.

At the knock on the door, firm but gentle, Carlene called, “Come in, come in.” Phillip entered. Carlene spoke in her friendly voice, “Well, what a fine, handsome gentleman it is. My grandson. How is it you never come up to see me when you visit?” She smiled at him.

Phillip tilted his head and slightly smiled back to her. “I waited until you were ready, Grandmother.”

Carlene laughed softly. “Well, I’ve been ready. Waiting. How are you? And how do you like our home, your home here? Your other home is much grander, of course. Older.”

Phillip smiled again lightly. “I like them both. I particularly like this house because my mother is here.”

Carlene nodded approval, “Yes, yes. Well, I hope you understand that it was all for the best, the things that … happened. Your mother was so young …”

“And I was so young, also.” Phillip looked into her eyes.

Carlene looked away toward the windows. “Yes, well … we can see it has done you no harm.”

“You can not always ‘see’ harm, Grandmother.”

Carlene looked back at him. “Well, everything seems to have turned out for the best.”

Phillip still smiled. “What is best, Grandmother? Who’s best?”

“Surely, Phillip, you do not hold me responsible? I had nothing to
do with what happened. Your … grandfather was responsible for any decision about you.”