ARROW - 223. Chapter 223

In the morning, Dr. Hamlin and his guests arrived for breakfast and more ice for a certain gentleman’s fish. Angela was in the kitchen and today’s breakfast was crepes with scrambled eggs. A side dish and a glass of James’s milk concluded breakfast. There was coffee in place of the milk for the adults.

Later that morning after the guests all left, Tommy called Armand. “Dad, you should have been here for breakfast. Dr. Hamlin’s guests asked Angela for the recipe after having two more crepes. They didn’t believe me when I said this was one of our favorite breakfasts and we have it quite often. They asked what other food we had for breakfast. Pepe told them we have polenta with fried eggs and we have oatmeal with fruit. One of them asked him if they had toast. He told them usually on Saturday morning they had toasted cheese bread with a fruit cup and sometimes a soft-boiled egg.”

“What did Dr. Hamlin say?”

“He told his guest we could have this in Albany. I think they got the message.”

“Did you get the impression he would succeed in getting this people to back his project?”

“Yes. I expect he will ask for the plans for this building. I told him if he had anymore questions he could call me or you.”

“I wonder if those two ladies that came with him the first time would be involved.”

“I don’t think so, they were very negative.”

Telling Tommy he did a good job, I hung up. Pierre’s English tutor showed up.

We started to speak English at home. I could tell when Pierre was tired, he spoke in French. I was okay with that, I remember Grandmere correcting me and in frustration, I would speak in English. Of all of the boys, Pierre and Gerry needed the most attention. It was like they needed reassurance that they were adopted, Colin and I were their parents and they were part of a larger family. Gerry had improved over the months since his adoption and I knew Pierre would as well.

Saturday was fishing day. We had a guest, one of the men who had been in Dr. Hamlin’s party call me on Thursday. He said he called the home and they gave him my phone number. He asked if we were going fishing on Saturday. I told him we were. He asked if he and his grandson could come along. I told him he would be welcome and he would need to be at my place at half past six or at the Home at 6 in the morning. Told him I lived right next to Yale University, he said he knew where that was.

That evening I told Colin. He laughed, “I think he will be our guest often.”

I thought he would be backing the new Home in Albany. Dr. Hamlin will have his modern home for children.

Saturday morning, I waited for our guest. He arrived late. “I went to Yale and there used to be an old building here. I kept looking for it. I stopped at the gallery and they told me to take this road. Things have changed since I was a student here. This is my grandson, Joseph but we call him Joey.”

“Welcome Joey, I think you will have fun today.”

Pierre had a fishing rod for him, one of the rods I bought last week.

Everyone in my van, I drove to the boat. We missed the singing or so I thought. Boarding the boat, Colin came and took Joey to a chair, and strapped him in. He looked at his grandfather, he was scared. Once he saw the other boys being strapped in he calmed down. I’m not sure who was sitting next to him, but evidently, he told him why they were being strapped in. Now when he looks at his grandfather, he smiles.

The captain started the boat’s engines and we headed out to sea. Now the boys started to sing again. The boy sitting next to Joey told him they were singing to the mermaids. Joey laughed and just then a large fish broke the water and you could see the tail go under. One of the Italian boys claimed it was a mermaid and she blew him a kiss. So now they sang louder.

I looked at Joey’s grandfather, he was enjoying himself. Sitting next to Geno, he had a glass of Geno’s wine. I looked at Colin and then Geno. He looked at Geno and told him no more than one glass. If an accident happened and the authorities found alcohol, he would go to jail. Geno went to the captain’s quarters and when he came up, he was drinking a glass of water.

As in the past, when were close to the circle the captain blew the horn, Then Colin, Ronnie, and Charley started to bait the hooks. On the next blast of the horn, baited lines were dropped. Fishing was on. Now who was going to catch the first fish?

I watched Joey, he was talking to the boys who sat around him. Then the first fish was caught, and all talking stop, they had some serious fishing to do.

I now worked my traps. Joey’s grandfather was enjoying himself, he was fishing as well.

Working the traps gave me a lot of time to look and walk around. I took the time to check on the boys. Watching Pierre, I got my peanut. I checked out the boys from the Home. They were pros now all except Silas this being only his second trip. But he seemed to be doing alright and he was making friends. I patted him on the head as I passed and he caught a fish at that moment. He said I gave him good luck. Yes, you probably guessed it, I now had to give every boy from the Home a pat on the head.

Pulling my traps, they were doing okay. I had one cooler full of shrimp and another half full of lobster. I still had about 6 hours to go before we headed back to the dock.

Lunch was hot dogs and a few with sausage. It seemed the men ate the sausage while the boys preferred the hot dogs. The boys normally didn’t fish while they had lunch. Not this time, they continued to fish and I could see Charlie, Ronnie, and Colin eat quickly. With the boys eating, they would need to reel in any fish caught.

“Colin, how full are the coolers?”

“If they continue to catch fish as they have been, we will be going in earlier.”

“How is Grandfather doing?”

“He caught two fish that were a good size. I think he quit and has been watching his grandson.”

“How is he doing?”

“Look”

I did as he was struggling and his grandfather was helping, but it looked like he might lose it until the first mate grabbed it with a steel fishing gaff. Now the two of them landed the fish. I think it would qualify for one of the biggest fish ever caught by the boys. Looking at Grandfather, I knew where that fish was going. Colin went and got some ice for packing the fish. It was going to New York tonight.

We fished until 4 and then headed in. It took us anywhere from one to one and a half hours to the circle but only 45 minutes to return to the dock.

The coolers with the fish were placed in the undercarriage of the buses. Loaded they headed to the Home. I gave Colin, the cooler for the club, and the remaining coolers I took in the van. Joey rode to the Home with the boys, and Pierre rode with me and grandfather. I had the shrimp coolers and lobster coolers for the Home.

Dinner at the Home was baked fish. I told Joey that he was eating one of the fishes he caught. He looked worried, and then I realized he thought it was the one his grandfather had on ice.

“Let’s go and check on your fish. I asked a few older boys to bring several bags of ice. Opening the cooler, Joey saw his fish. I drained the water from the cooler and added more ice. He smiled as we walked back to the kitchen. The last I saw him he was headed to the game room.

I went to the office, Tommy was there but Pepe was checking one of the buses. He told Tommy that it felt like one of the tires was going flat.

“How was the fishing?”

“It was good. We came in a half-hour earlier. I think the fish must move according to the season. The gentleman who fished last week brought his grandson. I think he caught the largest fish.”

“Are they leaving tonight?”

“Yes. I think if we go fishing next Saturday, he will be back.”

Walking into the living room, “I think I lost my grandson.”

“I saw him going to the game room with a couple of boys. Your grandson enjoyed fishing today. You might have started something.”

“He’s the only grandson I have. The other two are girls and I couldn’t get them to touch the fish I took home last week-end.”

“Are you planning on staying over?”

“No, we’ll drive home tonight.”

I wondered who was more anxious to get that fish home, Joey or grandfather.

Dinner was a little earlier as we stopped fishing a little earlier. Tommy offered Joey a seat by his grandfather at the head table. He politely told Tommy he would rather sit with his fishing buddies. His grandfather heard him, “Joey, why don’t you go and sit with your fishing buddies.”

I watched Joey as the guys made room for him. I thought if Grandfather wasn’t on board with Dr. Hamlin’s plans Joey would be.

Besides baked fish, we had polenta with a medley of creamy vegetables over the top of the polenta. I wondered whose idea that was when lil Ivan ran to me from the kitchen. Elsie made the polenta.

Dinner was followed by plum pie. Now I knew who our chef was tonight and where the plums came from. Where was Angela? I didn’t see Lil Geno or Lil Angela. Looking at Tommy, I mouthed Angela. He mouthed back, Pat.

Then I wondered did they ate. I looked at my food and then looked at Tommy. It took me three times to get the message across. He whispered something to Pepe. Pepe left and when he returned he had Pat, Angela, and her children with him. I smiled but the look on Angela’s face I was in for another discussion, as she called her scolding. I knew I shouldn’t have worried or said anything but they are only here for two months. I wanted to spend as much time with them as I could.

That night in bed, “I think Dr. Hamlin will get his building. Tonight I saw Charles and the grandfather talking.”

“I never got his name. I know Tommy and Pat met him when they were in Albany. I’ll ask Tommy when I see him.”

“There were three investors Dr. Hamlin brought with him. I guess the other two weren’t fishermen.”

“Ask Tommy what these men did or do for a living. My guess at least one is retired and two are connected fairly highly in their corporation. How many men go fishing in their business suits?”

I thought about that. I was going to ask GG when she said it wasn’t important, go to sleep, and I did.

Morning came, Sunday was always a lazy day for me. Colin went to the club to work on the books, leaving me with the kids. That was okay, they had homework to finish and I read the Sunday issue of the New Haven Register. On occasion, I would go and buy the Times. Sunday lunch was at the club if you can call a 2 PM meal lunch.

Monday, school for the kids, Pierre had English lessons. At the rate he was progressing, he would start school after the New Year.

Time seemed to fly, And soon we were looking at Thanksgiving. I don’t know what but along with the festivities there is always something to set you thinking. It was the week-end before Thanksgiving when Anne Maria’s family called her to tell her Marcel had passed on. The cooking staff at the club took the news hard. James more than the others, knew Marcel the longest. Peter and Billy said it was like losing a father. Colin said we had to go to the funeral. GG told me the funnel was last week and he has been buried alongside his brother. I asked GG why she didn’t tell me. “By the time you would have gotten there he was buried. He didn’t want people to know and he didn’t want a visitation.”

I knew she would bring him to me. He was the third and I missed him as much as Arnaud and Grandmere. James, Peter, and Billy took it hard. Their relationship with Marcel was more than a professional relationship. For Billy, Marcel was the father he never had. For Peter, he was a friend who understood what it was like to have a father that despised you. And for James, he was the teacher, he called him the maestro of the kitchen.

When I would go to the club and James wasn’t there, they would tell me he was on the roof. I would take a cup of coffee and sit with him. We didn’t talk, each into their thoughts. But I knew James was hurting, his tears told me that.