ARROW - 99. Chapter 99

The boys were a little slow in the morning. I would have let them stay at home but they missed two days, with Halloween. James brought us some rolls and he had warm milk with maple syrup for the boys. He made that at the orphanage and all of the kids really liked it. Carmella was at the breakfast table and the boys had to have a hug from her before sitting down for breakfast.

I hugged the boys as they left for school. I went back to my painting. Carmella went to the club kitchen.

I was intent on finishing my painting of the young girl and her baby. As I painted, I was lost in thought. My mind was in the painting, it was if I was above the street looking down at what was happening. I felt the girl’s agony and despair as she handed the child to someone, it was as if she knew I was watching and she was handing the child to me. I was crying as I was painting, my mind wasn’t here, it was as if I was in the painting.

Carmella came and grabbed me in a hug. That broke my reverie.

“Armand, stop painting. You need a break.”

I hugged her as if my life depended on it and maybe my sanity did.

We went to the club’s kitchen. There we had a cup of coffee. James had made several cookies and wanted our opinion. The first cookie we tried was horrible. It contained lemon and was very sour. But, it brought me back to reality.

“James, what are you planning for Thanksgiving as a special treat for the kids.”

“I was thinking of a cookie shaped like a turkey. I know Marcel is planing on a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. With what I have seen, they will have enough for several meals. He must have cooked for conventions.”

I thought about what James said. To my knowledge, Marcel never cooked for a large crowd in fact I thought the largest crowd was the club. It really didn’t matter as he was here cooking for us and the orphanage, on special days.

Carmella showed James how to make an Italian cookie called Biscotto. I watched James, he made sure that there wasn’t anything that contradicted his conscience concerning additives. I was waiting for a sample. I’ve had these cookies before in Italy. They were good with coffee. I watched James, Carmella handed him a bottle of cooking oil. No way, James went and got coconut oil. Carmella looked as to say no you need cooking oil. The other ingredients were okay except no orange peels.

Carmella showed him how to bake it and then to cut it into half moons and to toast these half moons.

I knew what they were to taste like when Carmella made them in Italy. I expected something different with James’s substitutions. I was surprised they tasted just fine. “James, these are very good.” I smiled. Looking at Carmella she was smiling as well.

By the time James left with the boy’s lunches, he made enough to put into their lunch bag.

I took another one, with a cup of coffee, and went back to my painting. I was almost finished and I finished by the time the boys came home from school. I put the painting away, I needed to make a frame. I didn’t want the boys to see it.

Carmella came up with another cup of coffee. “The boys will be home soon. Come down and greet them.” I knew that wasn’t the reason she came up, she was afraid.

Walking down to the club kitchen, Marcel was prepping for the club. Carmella gave him a biscotti. She didn’t tell him who made them, Marcel thought she had made them.

“Carmella, you need to teach James how to make these. They would be good to offer them when we serve coffee.”

I started to laugh. Marcel looked at me, “What?”

“Those were made by James. While you were shopping, Carmella showed James how to make them.”

He smiled, “I’m so glad you found him. He is a fast learner. If I had him when I was teaching at the culinary school, I would have taken him on as a private student. He’s a quick learner, and I like the fact he is conscious about the ingredients in our food.”

I knew that was true after taking him shopping that first time. “Great, and now you do have him as a private student.”

“I have learned from him as well. For example, I would never peal and apple for apple pie, I do now. I never realized the way fruit is sprayed to control pests. He told me that if a spray killed pests, think about what it does to our body. I told him we wash the fruit before we used it. He asked me to prove all of spray was gone. I couldn’t do that.”

“If I found a farmer that didn’t spray their trees, would you pay extra?”

He started to laugh, “You should answer that. You and Colin pay for all of the groceries.”

I started to laugh, “Yes, we would pay extra.”

Since Marcel and I spoke in English, I took the time to translate for Carmella. She commented in the village, they didn’t spray the trees. Sometimes the fruit had a worm, they just cut it out and used the fruit.

I thought about that, I’d guess no commercial growers wouldn’t spray their trees. It would be an added cost that for personal use isn’t warranted. They would cut out the bad part and use the rest.

The boys were due home soon, so we waited for them in the kitchen.

Then we heard, “Come on Uncle James, just one more.”

“You had two with your lunch and one on the way home. If you have anymore you’ll spoil your dinner. Your Dad and Pop will get mad at me.”

“You promise we can have two at dinner?”

By this time they were in the kitchen, “Two what at dinner?”

“Dad, Uncle James made these fantastic cookies. We had two at lunch with our milk, even the teachers like them.”

“And now you want more?” Heads bobbing up and down.

“James, what are these fantastic cookies?”

“You mean these?” As he held up a plate of biscotti.

The boys started to beg for one, just one. “Go change your clothes, Do you have homework?”

“Yes”

“Then do that. Bring your homework for me to check and if it is correct, you can have one cookie with your milk.”

Marcel went over and whispered something in James’s ear. I saw the smile on Jame’s face. I knew that Marcel thinks highly of James and I also knew that James thinks highly of Marcel. If, for a very strange reason, Marcel ever left us, James would go as well. As I watched a thought came to me, Marcel doesn’t treat James as a student but more like a son following in his footsteps.

The club was due to open, so I went to get ready to sign in the club members. I had company as the boys came to show me their homework. I reviewed it, gave the boys a hug and they left to see Uncle Jimmy. They came back with a dish of ice cream and a biscotti sticking out of the center. I went to grab the biscotti. Good luck they left in a hurry. Richie came back with a cup of coffee and a biscotti for me.

“This isn’t your biscotti?” He shook his head no.

Richie still needs assurances, Tommy had assurances since I knew him well before we adopted him. Ronald knew us from the trips we organized for the orphanage and he knew Tommy and James. That left Richie who didn’t know anyone and losing his parents and brother were still fresh in his mind. He hadn’t the time the other boys had to adjust to losing their family.

I hugged him, thanking him for the coffee and biscotti. The smile I got was payment enough.

Something was nagging me, I couldn’t put my finger on it. I tried to forget it to enjoy my family. I had a frame to build, paintings to finish, and arrangements for the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. It seemed that the busiest time was year end. I felt rushed, why couldn’t these holidays be spread out a little more? I realized that my comments were a little foolish. Colin was in a happy mood, the boys were in a happy mood but I had a feeling something would happen. No matter how hard I tried to think what could happen, I always came up with nothing.

The week of Thanksgiving, Mum went and bought everyone a t-shirt with a turkey on the front. Marcel and James were shopping. Colin, with Board approval closed the club that week. I think the staff were glad and probably most of the members.

School would be out Thursday and Friday, resuming the following Monday. The boys wanted to help, James took them with him when he went shopping after school, Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, he had them busy in the kitchen. They were grinding nuts, one for me and a hand full for the grinder. Ronnie was mixing the ingredients for the cookie dough. The only one not working was Ivan, he was with his grandfather at the trailer park. Colin said his grandfather will be joining us at the orphanage for Thanksgiving dinner.

Thursday morning, after breakfast, we drove to the orphanage. Carmella left with Marcel and James earlier. I knew they would be in the kitchen. I’m not sure Carmella knew she would be working in the orphanage’s kitchen, but I think she enjoyed teaching the cooks her recipes, Marcel did the translation.

We arrived the same time as Mum and Dad. They had a surprise for me, my Mom and Dad was with them. I introduced Pat to them but I sensed Pat was troubled about something. Our boys were surprised as well and had to introduce the kids to them. Pretty soon you heard, Gram and Gramps as well as Grandfather and Grandmother.

Pat offered us a cup of coffee in the dining room. Walking in. There on the center of the tables were large stuffed turkeys.

While our parents went to get their coffee, Colin arrived with Ivan and Ivan’s grandfather. Colin introduced the grandfather, whose first name was Ivan as well. Pat handed me a letter from City Council. I opened it, and began to read it. I didn’t get far when I started to get mad. Colin saw me, rushed over, “What’s wrong?”

“Read this” handing him the letter.

“Pat, may I use your phone?” Pat nodded yes. Colin took the letter and left.

“Pat, don’t worry. I’m sure the City Council will find another place for you.” The letter was to inform her that the City was going to take the property and she would need to move the children to a new place, ‘which will be determined later’. She had 6 months to vacate the orphanage.

Colin came back, “Pat, we will fight this. I called my attorney and we will meet with him tomorrow.”

“Even if we delay it, eventually we will need to relocate.”

“I’ll make a deal with you, I promise you will have a place before you have to vacate. You must trust Armand and me. Now let’s give thanks for today and a future tomorrow.”

I didn’t know what Colin had in mind, but I felt if he said not to worry he already had a plan.

Pat perked up, dinner was something else. One of the older boys, looking at the young boy sitting across from him, “Pete, gobble up those potatoes.”

That started it, now it was, I gobbled up my vegetables, everyone was gobbling up something. Then my dad made a sound like a turkey. Now all the kids tried. If they failed they laughed and that would set off someone else laughing. That was music to my ears. A child’s laugh, particularly a child who probably hadn’t an opportunity to laugh a lot, was like a symphony for me. Even with the uncertainly ahead, they laughed and trusted those who took care of them. I laughed with them but I also had tears in my eyes. Not from laughing, but because of the heartless people who didn’t care about them. I want your property, get out.

That night I didn’t sleep well. Colin sensed it. “Armand, don’t worry. We will fight it. We may not win but we will delay it long enough to find a place for them.”

Somehow, I believed him. I felt a calmness, as I cuddled in his arms. GG came, sitting in her rocking chair, the squeaking noise as she rocked calmed me. I snuggled closer to Colin and slept a dreamless night.