Polly Brown

by Tricia Bennett

  Polly could only admire Roberta for her fortitude and courage to abandon all her comforts and be so selfless, and she hoped that by some unforeseeable means the money would flood in and thereby greatly encourage Roberta to continue her clinic. As they talked on, two odd-looking females that looked more like penguins walked towards them, stopping by their chair to greet them.

  “Good afternoon, Roberta,” greeted one of the ladies, who was rather unusually dressed from head to toe in a habit. Polly recognized the outfit as being similar to that of the nuns who had taken her on that fateful holiday to the campsite, so she determined that these two ladies were indeed nuns from some different order.

  Roberta looked up and placed her hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the sun before acknowledging the greeting.

  “Oh, hi, Sister Thomasina and Sister Augustus. Why don’t you come and join us? There are plenty of chairs available,” she added before jumping up from her seat and pulling up a couple of empty deck chairs.

  “We would love to join you, but not before you introduce us to your young friend,” said Sister Thomasina with a warm smile.

  “Of course, I apologize for being so rude. This is Polly Brown, and her elephant is called Langdon. That’s correct, isn’t it, Polly?” said Roberta with a slight note of hesitancy. She hoped she had remembered the elephant’s name correctly.

  Polly nodded and then stuck out a hand to shake both ladies’ hands consecutively. Both sisters sat down, and before long they were all deep in conversation. Polly again found herself very taken with these two nuns, for they had traveled the world many times over and, just like Roberta, they had sacrificed everything to help the poor and needy. As she listened to their stories she found herself laughing because both sisters had so many amusing stories to recount. As they spoke of their exploits, Polly noticed that although most of their head was covered their faces shone.

  “Sister Augustus, please tell Polly the story of when you almost got eaten by a crocodile,” goaded Sister Thomasina, giggling as she gave her companion a little nudge in the ribs.

  “Oh, I don’t think I had better tell her that one. Surely not,” replied Sister Augustus in barely a whisper before breaking out into loud laughter.

  “Oh, go on. Please tell the story, for I am certain Polly would love to hear how moments after you had asked our good Lord to provide some food for the hungry villagers you ended up wrestling in the water with the crocodile. Tell her how you punched it in the eye just as it was about to take you under,” cried Sister Thomasina as her eyes filled up with water due to too much laughter.

  “I don’t think it’s an appropriate story for Polly to hear,” retorted Sister Augustus in a slightly tongue-in-cheek manner. “After all, what will she think of me when she hears that not only did I punch it in the eye but that my powerful punch by some miracle killed the little whippersnapper instantly?” she said snapping her fingers to add dramatic impact to her story.

  Sister Augustus began to laugh so much that tears were streaming down her cheeks. “And I have to say we cooked the most wonderful crocodile stew that fed all the African villagers for a whole week!” she informed her captive audience as seriously as she was able, for by now she was scrunched up with laughing and beginning to cough. “Now, doesn’t the good Lord work in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform?” she stated before cracking up again, this time holding her belly even tighter.

  They were quite a spectacle to behold, the four of them sitting in deckchairs holding their aching stomachs as they laughed and laughed some more at both of the sisters’ antics. Up until this moment in time, Polly had no idea that nuns had any sense of humor at all, and better still, could be such fun and so entertaining. She also found it hard to imagine that they could keep their sense of humor and joyful perspective on life when their travels often took them to some of the darkest places on the globe where hope was often in very short supply.

  The ladies were interrupted by a steward with a tray that held a large pot of tea and a plate of wickedly fattening cream cakes. Sister Augustus quickly sobered up as she attempted to pour the tea from the pot into the rather delicate bone china cups without making any splashes, as she had not the slightest wish to accidentally scald anyone with hot tea. And as they all sipped their refreshing tea, Sister Augustus took on a more serious tone of voice.

  “Polly, did you know that the three richest people in the world now control more wealth than all six hundred million people living in the least-developed countries?”

  “Surely not,” replied Polly, rather surprised by this revelation.

  “Yes, sadly this is a statistical fact, isn’t it, Sister Thomasina?” Her friend nodded in Polly’s direction. “And all we can do is use the money and talents that we are given to help those who come our way. Yes, some might say that there are those who have already had their reward on Earth while others, like dear Roberta here, will have to wait until heaven to receive theirs,” she added with a sigh.

  “And until that time, we must joyfully do all we can within our power with the knowledge that we are making a difference, albeit small,” interrupted Sister Thomasina with a warm smile. “Now drink up, Polly, for your tea is getting cold, and do me the kindness of eating the last gooey chocolate éclair before I completely lose all willpower and devour it myself,” she said laughingly as she pushed the plate toward Polly.

  Polly willingly obliged, for she had been eyeing up the last cake for quite some time but had not wished to appear too greedy. Polly quickly polished off the éclair in a matter of seconds and was handed a paper napkin by Roberta to wipe off all traces of chocolate that still lingered around her mouth.

  Roberta then turned toward the sisters and suggested a good stroll around the deck might well be in order to burn up some calories. The sisters agreed and invited Polly to join them. As they walked and breathed in the fresh air, they passed Freddie Fruitless’s cabin suite, and again, they sadly witnessed a terrible commotion. This time it was the steward falling out of the cabin door backwards, with a plate of cakes following closely behind. Both steward and cakes landed sprawled out over the deck. The sisters helped the poor gentleman to his feet while Roberta and Polly scraped up whatever they could of the squashed cakes from the floor of the deck.

  “Not, I presume, to his majesty’s liking!” remarked Sister Thomasina to the steward before giving him a friendly little wink.

  The steward gave a wry smile back and nodded before thanking them for their help. He then headed back towards the kitchen.

  The ladies continued their walk, talking and laughing as they made their way along the decks.

  “Have you seen all there is to see on this ship, Polly?” inquired Roberta.

  Polly confessed that she had spent most of her time in the cabin with Langdon as they tried to catch up on their sleep, but she said she intended to go to the theater that night because The Sound of Music was showing.

  “Do you like the musical, Polly?” asked Sister Thomasina.

  “Like it? I love it!” said Polly, somewhat overenthusiastically. “I watched it at least five times with Captain Plimsol, for it was also one of his favorite films,” she informed them.

  “Well, what’s your favorite bit in the film?” interrupted Sister Augustus.

  Polly did not have to think too long. “It has to be the bit where Mother Superior sings ‘Climb every Mountain,’” replied Polly without the tiniest bit of hesitation.

  Without any warning Sister Augustus began to sing the song, and Polly could not help smiling, for she sang it with just as much passion as the Mother Superior had done in the film. Polly joined in the finale. They then all broke out into uncontrollable fits of the giggles.

  “Oh dear, Polly, you really must take on board all the advice of that wonderful song and follow every highway until your dreams become a reality, and they will,” she enthused before taking on a more serious tone of voice. “Yes, they will, Polly, if you follow them with all your heart, never giving up on y
ourself or your dreams,” she said, patting Polly on her head as she spoke.

  Roberta then broke into the conversation, offering to take Polly and the sisters on a guided tour of the ship before dinner, and so they all agreed to congregate in one of the lounges later that day.

  Soon the time arrived for Polly to meet up with her new friends, so with Langdon tucked under one arm, she headed for the agreed meet-up point. The others were already there and waiting. Roberta made an excellent tour guide, and as they walked together she informed her little group of many fascinating facts concerning the ship.

  “Did you know that this beautiful ocean liner was built in my country?” she asked them. The group admitted that they had no idea where it had been built.

  “Oh yes, Scotland may be just a wee place, but we know how to build big. Yes, she was built in Clydebank for Cunard, and her maiden voyage took place on May 27, 1936.”

  The group remained silent just listening to Roberta as she continued to provide them with fact after fact concerning the history of the vessel. “She has over two thousand portholes, and the weight of her anchor is a mere forty-five tons.”

  “Wow!” exclaimed Polly. “That is some anchor!”

  “Yes, Polly, and I’ll have you know that she has twelve decks; the one we were sunbathing on this morning was the promenade deck, and its length is an awesome 28.19 meters long. She has 27 boilers, so think how many men are working in unbearably hot conditions as they continuously fuel these boilers.”

  “It doesn’t bear thinking about,” replied Polly before adding, “That’s one job I would really hate to do.”

  “Well, thank goodness you’re a refined, genteel lady,” interrupted Sister Augustus, “and such things are left in the hands of strong, capable men.”

  Polly smiled, for it was the first time in her life that she had been addressed as a refined young lady, and she liked it.

  “Yes, I think we must thank the good Lord that He made us the fairer sex and, therefore, more delicate,” declared Sister Thomasina, raising her eyes upwards as she spoke.

  “Did you know that Sir Winston Churchill has been a guest on this ship a number of times?” announced Roberta very cheerfully. “And as well as that, during the war she was used to carry the wounded back home to American soil. This majestic and powerful vessel carried home almost thirteen thousand G. I. brides and their children. Now that’s a wonderfully romantic fact, isn’t it, Polly?”

  Polly nodded, preferring to remain quiet, for she was really enjoying soaking up all Roberta’s fascinating facts as they wandered around the magnificent vessel. As they toured the first-class galley, they stopped to look at a huge oil painting that depicted a peaceful English landscape. Roberta stopped in her tracks, her eyes momentarily lingering as she took in the magnificence of the scene.

  “Oh, how I love England, for it is truly a beautiful place. I wonder if after all these years it will still look the same,” she said before wistfully adding, “although I have to confess to you ladies that I love Scotland more.”

  “And so you should,” Sister Augustus chipped in. “After all, it is your birthplace, and we all tend to have a soft spot for the place we were born, don’t we, Polly?” Polly remained silent, and this only encouraged Sister Augustus to probe a little deeper. “Come to think of it, Polly, where in England were you born?” she asked most innocently.

  Polly shrugged her shoulders before admitting that she had no idea where she had been born. She then confessed that she had very little information regarding any part of her life and that this made her feel as if she had a huge hole inside her.

  Sister Augustus took the opportunity to give Polly’s hand a little squeeze before informing her, “It matters not a jot or tittle where you came from, Polly. What truly matters is where you will end up, and I do believe many doors will open up for you in the future, so be sure to keep in touch. Promise me you will.”

  Polly promised all present to write to them, and the sisters promised to continually remember Polly in their prayers. Polly felt touched by their kindness.

  They were nearing the end of their tour when they passed by a large room. Polly peered through the door just as Roberta informed the group that this was a casino. It was a place where gentlemen played card games and where those with more money than sense could, if they so desired, gamble away vast fortunes of their wealth.

  On hearing the word money, Polly turned to Roberta, asking her to hold onto Langdon. Then quick as a flash, she abandoned the group and raced into the room. Before anyone could stop her, she grabbed a chair and climbed up to stand on it. Once upright, she then shouted at the top of her voice.

  “Gentlemen, please can I have your attention.”

  Roberta and the two sisters could only stand at the door with jaws dropped, watching and wondering to themselves what on earth this sassy young girl was going to do and say next. They did not have to wait too long to find out.

  To be honest, as Polly stood on the chair, she too had little idea as to quite what she intended to say. She just knew she had to say something, especially since all eyes were now on her. Everyone was quite puzzled as they waited to hear what this young girl had to say that was of such importance that she had interrupted their enjoyment.

  Polly cleared her throat and opened her mouth, and then all that was in her tender heart just began to flow.

  “Gentlemen, I apologize for interrupting you in this manner, but I beg you to give me just a few minutes of your time and hear me out. I am on my way home after traveling around the world, and on my travels I have seen firsthand the terrible amount of suffering that exists in so many cities and countries all over the world. Many children have little or no food, and most do not even have the privilege of clean drinking water. I have witnessed such a great level of suffering, and I have felt completely powerless to do anything to help.”

  Polly felt the tears start to sprout from her eyes, but she did nothing to prevent them from coming, and as they spilled down her cheeks and splashed on her shoes, she still continued to address her stunned audience. Polly addressed her audience with passion and eloquence well beyond her years; so much so that no one could fail to be touched by her words. Even the sisters found themselves lifting up the white bibs of their habits to have a good sniffle.

  She spoke with immense clarity and compassion as she relived her jail sentence with Pedro and his Brazilian friends, and she then went on to tell them all about the streets of India and South Africa. Amazingly, her audience remained spellbound as she then spoke of children in orphanages in England and revealed hidden truths about their suffering, much of which remained hidden behind closed doors. By the close of her rather lengthy speech there was hardly a dry eye in the place. Roberta and the sisters remained standing in the doorway, their jaws still gaping and their eyes firmly glued on Polly, for she was nowhere near finished!

  “Gentlemen, I have recently been informed that the three richest people in the world now control more wealth than all six hundred million people living in the least developed countries. Now I ask you, is that not a sad and startling piece of information? And today I would implore each of you to search your hearts and ask yourselves this question: can I take all my wealth with me when I die? And hopefully the answer to that one is an overwhelming NO. Then ask yourself this one: after I’m gone, will there be occasion to bitterly regret keeping all that I owned to myself? You see, gentlemen, God above may have blessed you with abundant wealth, and He most certainly is not against us using money to have good fun and frolics, however, I have come to believe that He intended the fortunate among us to use some of our excess wealth to help and relieve those in dire need.”

  Polly paused to take a breath, and she used the opportunity to ask someone to fetch a wastebasket. Roberta immediately obliged by bending down and picking up the wastebasket that was near the door exit. She then cautiously made her way over to where Polly still stood on the chair and handed it to her.

  “Go for it, girl,�
� she whispered encouragingly.

  Polly took the basket from Roberta, and with a big broad smile on her face remarked that she fully intended to. Roberta then quietly tiptoed her way back to the exit door to once again join the sisters.

  “Now, I know I have probably offended some of you here by challenging you in this unusual manner. But as you lay down your next wad of money in a bid to win or perhaps lose more, think about this. You have no idea how many days you have left on this earth, for all our days are, I believe, numbered. And this money may or may not make you considerably richer than you already are, but the greatest reward that provokes our Father in heaven to shine on you is for you to give generously out of the abundance of your hearts.

  “So, gentlemen, with that in mind, I implore you this day to exercise those heart muscles and urge you to open up your fat wallets out of concern and deep compassion for others to give to such a cause as I have spoken of.”

  Polly paused and cleared her throat, using this brief interlude to scan the room for pockets of resistance to her heartfelt speech. It appeared there was none. “I would also like to leave you with one final thought that Sister Thomasina mentioned to me earlier in the day, and that thought is, ‘God is no man’s debtor.’”

  Polly quietly got down from the chair, and then with the basket in her hand, she boldly walked up to every gentleman in the room, brazenly placing the basket right in front of their noses. Some gave rather reluctantly, not wishing their friends to consider them stingy, and others wiped tears from their faces as they generously emptied out the entire contents of their wallets. Some preferred to write checks, and as Polly stood over them waiting, they found themselves changing the amount to higher, then even higher amounts before scrawling their signatures on the bottom. As Polly strolled around the room one could hear a pin drop, for with the exception of scribbling on open checkbooks, the room remained utterly silent.