A Passion's Scourge

by Sarah S. Collins

  A Passion's Scourge

  SARAH S. COLLINS

  Translated by Gabriel Danvers

  “A Passion's Scourge”

  Written By SARAH S. COLLINS

  Copyright © 2019 SARAH S. COLLINS

  All rights reserved

  Distributed by Babelcube, Inc.

  www.babelcube.com

  Translated by Gabriel Danvers

  “Babelcube Books” and “Babelcube” are trademarks of Babelcube Inc.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  A Passion's Scourge

  A PASSION’S | SCOURGE

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  SARAH S. COLLINS

  A PASSION’S

  SCOURGE

  Firstly, I thank God for my life. I dedicate this to my whole family, especially Ismael Lucas, a wonderful son whom I love greatly, my mother that has always been by my side during the tough moments of my life and my niece Gabriela.

  1

  At the end of World War II, Canada and the United States were going through a severe financial crisis. During the Cold War period, unemployement was on a high note and food was lacking for the population. In the supermarkets many shelves were empty and non-perishable food’s prices were growing, which led to the stores being depredated and raided. Desperation took over all of the population. Many people fell ill to pneumonia and tuberculosis. Hospitals didn’t have the support to attend to everyone, and with no possibility of cure; adults and children died at every instant in the hospital rooms. Opportunistic men walked the city streets with firearms and wooden sticks. They trespassed on properties and kicked the residents out, and other proprietaries where killed for declining to abandon their home. The cities were drenched in true chaos.

  The president only cared about winning the war and didn’t look at the civil conflicts that were occurring in several locations of the country. The governor sent military police and army troops daily to the streets. The government order was for the military to detain all the rebels, regardless if they were children, women or elderly, and if they didn’t obey the arrest order; the military could open fire on all of them. There was no democracy and the regime walk towards a dictatorship. Many people were arrested and other never even made it to the precint, they were killed on the streets or inside the military’s paddy wagons.

  The news that arrived through the radio only got worse, images of the horror in the city were daily printed on the front of the newspapers. Mr. Arthur Brow had to think of a way to flee his city with his family as fast as possible before the vandals arrived at the farm where he lived. Food stocked in his house were running low and it was impossible to get to the city to buy more.

  Arthur, a wise and impetuous man, honorable husband to Elisabeth and father of seven children, at that moment didn’t know for sure how to proceed. As he always used to do in moments of reflection, he sat down on his balcony chair and lit his straw cigarette.

  The fearless Elena, firstborn daughter of Arthur, was the one who resembled him the most. Elena shone through amongst her younger siblings with her impavity and audacity, but presented a strong personality. Even being young, Elena had good ideas and Arthur always enjoyed listening to her. Arthur immediately called for a family meeting to discuss what they could do moving forward. After exposing several ideas, nothing of what they suggested would work. Elena then thought of her uncles who lived in another state, and told her father to write them a letter, maybe they could help in some way. Arthur approved the daughter’s idea and wondered why hadn’t he thought of that. He hugged Elena and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. The state where their relatives lived wasn’t suffering with the depression of the war yet and Arthur knew that that region was safe, for he hadn’t heard anything about any conflicts. Arthur wrote a telegram asking for shelter for his family for a small period of time, until he could achieve some financial stability; and sent it urgently. Arthur hadn’t seen his siblings in a long time and hoped that they remembered him and responded to the telegram.

  The farm in which Arthur and his family resided, belonged to a minister that lived in Vancouver, Canada. He had left the property for Arthur to live in and take care of. After Arthur went to live in the farm he never returned to the place, simply vanished, Arthur thought he might had been dead.

  A week after sending the telegram, Arthur receives mail from his relatives authorizing him to go to Michigan. He promptly notifies his wife Elisabeth and their kids, and tell them to rapidly pack up their things and then depart as soon as possible. Elisabeth followed the suggestion given by the husband without criticism, for she trusted him a lot and also he knew what he was doing. If Arthur said the best thing to do was for everyone to leave, surely that was really the best course of action. It was cold at that time of the year, and when everyone was ready, they had to properly wrap themselves before leaving the house. Arthur took the bags, locked the house and left a note under the door for the minister, in case he ever showed up, explaining everything. After that he brought the wagon he used to use to go to the city to sell his vegetables, spices and fruit grown in the farm; he put all the baggage in it tying them up tight with ropes.

  _Let’s go.

  _ Climb up slowly so you don’t get hurt. Subam.

  _ Elena, you sit in the back and help your siblings.

  _ Come on woman, give me your hand and I’ll help you up, and don’t forget to hold on tight to the sides of the wagon so you won’t fall.

  _ I know, old man, now let me up. Said Elisabeth to Arthur while she slowly climbed the steps.

  When all of the family was sitting in the wagon, Arthur climbed and sat in the front with Elisabeth by his side. He kickstarted it by whiplashing the ropes that strapped the wagon to the horse, and went straight to the train station. The bumpy dirt roads made the wagon sway all the time. When it went by a hole, everybody in it jumped. As Arthur had mentioned earlier it was really essential to hold on to the side bars, so that no passenger fell on the road.

  Arriving at the train station, Arthur got down from the wagon with his wife and seven kids, removed all the baggage from it and tied the horse to a trunk afterwards.

  _ Dad, you’re gonna leave the horse here? Why don’t you sell him to someone around here? Asked Elena.

  Arthur was indeed worried about what to do with his animal and decided to look for a buyer for the horse. A fruit vendor that Arthur knew was sitting in the bar beside the station drinking a cup of coffee. Arthur approached him and offered him the horse with the wagon for a reasonable price. The vendor was instantly interested in the proposal and immediately bought it. Arthur thanked and said goodbye to his friend, and proceeded to enter the station to buy the passages. A train had just departed and the next one would only leave in about an hour. After Arthur bought the tickets, he and his family sat on the station’s bench to wait for the next train.

  It was hard for Elena to leave the city where she was born and raised. The farm where she lived, was a delicious place to live. There was a large field where she could go on walks every Day enjoying the pleasant aroma of nature. By the way, on her free time, when she didn’t have class, she helped her father to take care of the orchard with apples and other fruits, of the garden and the animal he raised. During the morning Elena wasn’t bothered by travelling seven miles, walking towards the closest school where that she attended. _With the moving Elena had to drop the studies and didn’t get to finish High School. For many times when she returned from class she needed to stay home taking care of her six siblings, while her mother was in the hospital due t
o a fracture on the spine. There were days that Arthur stayed with her, spending the night in the hospital. And Elena had to take care of the house in her parents’ absence.

  While Arthur left to buy the passages, Elena remained sitting on the bench, cherishing a very sweet dog that was laying on the ground right next to her. She was a very special puppy that lived in the station, even after her owner had passed away. The dog’s owner was a boy that owned a convenience store inside the station and the dog spend every day by his side. One day he had a heart attack and passed away afterwards, even before the ambulance arrived. Six months after her owner’s death, the little puppy kept on standing by the front of the store as she always did waiting for her owner to show up. The property went on to belong to an older brother of the deceased boy. The people who worked on the station were touched by the puppy’s story and always gave her food and water. She became cherished by everyone who went by everyday.

  After nearly an hour waiting, finally the other locomotive arrived on the station. After the guard’s whistle calling all passengers, Arthur took the baggages and together with his family proceeded to the train’s door and waited for other passengers to board. When ultimately came his time the guard asked Arthur to deliver the tickets so he could check them and stamp them. After verifying the tickers the guard informs Arthur the number of the seats that they’ll be staying and after that Arthur boards with his family. All the passengers had already entered the locomotive and were sitting in their respective seats, it was possible to hear the rumble through the train car. Some minutes later the conductor blew the train’s horn warning that the train was about to leave; right after the horn’s sound, the train started its engines. Through her window Elena looked for the last time the beauties of her city. A bunch of seagulls crossed the sky in route to the south. While the train followed the tracks slowly until it hit higher speed, the station became more and more distant. A dark cloud covered the sun and the sound of thunder announced a storm was coming. The city was deserted, the streets empty, everything terribly quiet, e that was very odd. The policed had repressed all the protesters around that área. Soon the landscape of the city was replaced by a paradisiac sight of the forest reserve with green, dense vegetation and a steep terrain, fascinated Elena leaned her head on the seat fell asleep.

  The train departed from Petrolina, Ontario, Canada with destination towards Detroit, Michigan.

  When the locomotive arrived in Detroit all the passengers were fatigued from the exhausting trip. Arthur and his family got off the train. After wandering through the city streets without a defined course carrying the baggage, he decided to leave his wife Elisabeth and the kids waiting for his return at Mr. Mike’s. A restaurant that was located at a small loft of rustic and comfy style.

  He then left in search of a hotel to stay with his family and try to relax before setting off to Allegan, Michigan.

  When Arthur returned to the restaurant, he warned his wife that he had gotten a room in a hotel nearby.

  _ Woman _ that was Arthur’s loving way to call his wife _ I got us a room in a hotel, it’s not five stars, but we’ll be able to stay the night and get some rest. You must be hungry. I’ll order something for us to eat.

  Arthur promptly went to the counter, for the waitress to take his order. It was lunch time. The restaurant was full with famished and impatient clients moaning and complaining the whole time about the delay in having their orders taken. With only two waitresses to serve everyone, they took turns between an order and the table’s cleaning. Paciently Arthur waited by the counter for his service, observing the cook coming and going while preparing the food. While he eagerly waited watching the baseball game that was on a TV in front of him, Arthur met a very sympathetic boy that was also leaving his town to pursue a life somewhere else, and his name is John. He told Arthur that he was leaving Kansas to work in Detroit as a security guard and that he was a few days in town with a friend who would also work with him. After talking quite a lot on the restaurant’s counter, Arthur invited John to sit with them on the table. But John was a bit hesitant to accept the invitation.

  _ I appreciate the invitation, mas I’ve already eaten and I’m satisfied, maybe the next time we meet. Said John generously to Arthur.

  Arthur stood quiet, he merely went through the menu and when he knew what he wanted, the waitress took his order. He asked for sandwiches for everyone, sodas and a glass of Chopp for him. The young waitress wrote everything down on her notepad.

  _ Alright, no problem, next time then, please, come on over to my table, I want you to meet my family. In no position to decline the invitation, John follows Arthur.

  _ I would like all of you to meet someone I just met here, his name is John. John, a little shy, shows his face behind Arthur’s back. Arthur senses John’s nervousness, and hurries to introduce him to his family.

  _ This is my wife Elisabeth and these are my kids Rochelle, Evelyn, Nicolas, Bryan, Lucy, Ricky and my oldest daughter Elena. As soon as Arthur introduced Elena to John, her heart beat so fast that it looked like it was going to jump out of her chest. John tried to cover up the enthusiasm he felt while meeting Elena.

  _ Congratulations, you absolutely have a beautiful family, sir.

  _ Well, as I already told your husband, I must be going now, it was a pleasure meeting you all. Said John, with a gallant smile on his face.

  Elena had never had a boyfriend before, and the way John shook her hand, it was very unsettling. Her heart beat strong on her chest and the sound it emitted sounded harmonic.

  John asked Arthur the address of the hotel where they were staying. Arthur didn’t hesitate to give him the address, but told John he’d only be in town for one more days, for his family was waiting for him in Allegan. John said goodbye to everyone and left. Arthur noticed something on Elena’s look, while observing her without her noticing it, he thought it might had something to do with the trip. The waitress brought Arthur’s order to the table, and all of them ate. After paying the Bill, Arthur and his family went to the hotel.

  That night showed up on the hotel where Elena was staying with her family like he had said on the restaurant. As soon as John arrived, he went straight to talk to Arthur, and told him that he had liked his daughter Elena a lot e wanted his permission to court her.

  John wasn’t one to waste any words.

  Arthur was surprised, showing complete shock with the statement from the man he met earlier, for he didn’t expect John to be interested in his daughter. _ They just met, well in a manner of speaking they don’t even know each other yet, how could he want to date my daughter under these circumstances _ Arthur wonders, his eyes locked on John. At first Arthur was quite rude, but John had sincere good intentions for Elena. He planned to marry her, and was decided to persuade his future father-in-law. John used all his persuasion talents. Minutes later Arthur was convinced that he’d be a fine son-in-law and also that Elena was indeed at the age for dating, he thought that maybe that would be the only opportunity to see the daughter married. Even with the fact that John was a 17 year old unknown man with no fixed address and older than his daughter, Arthur enjoyed meeting John. And back at that time couples were introduced and promptly married, it was a common practice among families.

  Arthur ended up allowing that his daughter would date him.

  When Elena learned through her father that John had proposed to date her, she felt an indescribable euphoric sensation taking over all of her body. The soon-to-be betrothed couple talked and met under the indispensable presence of Arthur who was observant of everything that happened.

  Elena’s family would leave the next day and since John would keep on courting Elena after she departed certainly the only solution for them would be, to marry as soon as possível. Arthur was very clear with John and estabilished a few fundamental principles for him to continue to court Elena.

  _ So, John, would you really be willing to accompany us to another city and marry my daughter? Asked Arthur. Immediately John e
xpresses total interest.

  _ But of course.

  _ For your daughter I’d be willing to go to the moon. John jests. Anyway, it’s impossible to avoid the burning and intense desire that he feels for Elena, to face the possibility of not being able to see his loved one again was adamantly vetoed. John formally proposed to Elena before Arthur. Elena in a certain way was also involved in a homogeneous mixture of Love and a fleeting daydream that made her absent from reality.

  Elena as any young lady of her age believed in prince charming fairy tales and, dreamed that one day she would find her first and true love. When she saw John for the first time at the restaurant she felt something that she’d never felt before, an impossible feeling to tame and, on that moment she was sure that she was in love; John was the man of her life and nothing could change that.

  John had to go with Arthur and his family to Allegan, Michigan. Arriving in town John checked in on a hostel and Arthur proceeded with his family to his relatives’ house. With no delays John looked for a registry and set the wedding date. But everything would have to be very fast, for John would start on his job within a few weeks; to speed up the process he needed to give the notary a grant. The wedding was set for a week later.

  Elena’s relatives helped with the preparations for the party, it’d be a simple cerimony for few people. The witnesses would be one of Arthur’s uncles and his wife, the maid of honor and best man were a cousin of Elena’s and John’s friend. Elisabeth made the white wedding dress with a small veil that covered the shoulders.

  The day of the wedding came. Elena felt an intense anxiety followed by immense nervousness. Elisabeth helped the daughter to dress her bride dress and to make the veil arrangement with the wreath. Elena was barely late. She was radiant. She arrived at the Cathlolic Church accompanied by her father, who conducted her to the altar where John was already waiting for her dressed in an elegant black suit. As the bridal march ends, the priest starts the celebration of the sacred matrimony and ends with a prayer, followed by the word’s liturgy and homily. When that’s over, the rite of marriage starts.