Henry

by Cilika Kunovic

  Henry and Sam had that promised conversation, and Henry told Sam about the two accidents possibly being linked.

  “How do you propose to deal with this? Are you going to the police with this?”

  “I don’t quite know. To tell you the truth, I don’t want to sound like a drama queen. There is always the possibility that the one had nothing to do with the other. I believe in letting things solve themselves.

  “I had good training in self-discipline while in the navy. If we were to shoot at anybody who makes us angry, the population would greatly decrease. In other words, jumping to conclusions does not mean being right. When I watch your son, I see me in him. I was spoiled and pampered by my mother, but as soon as my father came home, I had no wish to show that side of me. Mother was amazed by it, and one day, when I wanted a belt for myself so badly that I pulled a tantrum, she told me: “If you can do without it when your father is at home, then you can do the same now. End of story.”

  “Your mother was a wise woman!”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The month of April had arrived, the weather improved, the school exams began for Dominic, Barb was even busier than ever, and as for Foursome Trucking Co., there was plenty of action.

  Susanne had not been heard from much since the holidays. Her children were busy on their own, yet still looking after their mother in various ways. Larry had been invisible lately. He was also invisible around Christmas, as always. Not even a phone call. Dominic was nervous. The Millers had never told him how they had dealt with his father, and Dominic was afraid to pry. It was suspicious to him: Why had they never explained to him how they got rid of Larry? They likely were the ones who scared him from the bushes. What do they have on him that they can get to him just like that? Sasha once heard something about their father having stolen things from the store.

  Yes, Larry was quite notorious in more ways than one. The man had no shame. It is amazing how those children manage to be so decent and downright amazing; regardless of their parents. One of them was scum, while the other was deprived of a normal life. Susanne was a victim, not a villain.

  “Hi, Susanne, can you talk?” Barb asked.

  “Yes, what is going on? Is anything wrong?” Susanne panicked. She had a tendency to react like that about anything and everything.

  “No, no, everything is fine; I just happen to have a job proposition for you, if you are up to it?”

  “Well, just what am I being asked to do?” Susanne managed to reply. “This is unusual, to say the least. The last time we had a business deal, you let me down; so why ask me again?”

  Look who’s talking! Barb thought. “May I come over? I won’t keep you long, and you can tell me off easier face to face. So are you on board, or do I have to beg you in order to give you an opportunity of a lifetime?” Barb was practically barking at her friend by now. She had had enough of Susanne, time and time again. However, she was not about to give up on her just yet.

  “I’m sorry, Barb; I am not in the best of moods today, so I am not a very nice person right now.” Susanne came to her senses and invited Barb over for a visit. It had been a long time since they’d had a chance to talk. There were always children around, and it was impossible to talk privately. Barb knew that there was another human being in there somewhere, only something had happened to that person during the years that she had known her. She was pretty sure she knew what it was that prevented Susanne from being what she once was.

  “Hi, Susanne; I hope you made me a cup of coffee? I have been running around like a chicken without a head. This will do me good. How have you been?”

  “Oh, the same as always. So what is on your mind? You were talking about a proposition?” She got right to the point.

  “As you know, there is a daycare centre at our plaza, and they need somebody to assist the children during their art classes. In other words, they need an art instructor. These children are different ages, and therefore they need different levels of training. It is a full-time job, and this could be a great future for you. I thought of you immediately and told them that I would ask you if you were interested. Now, I don’t know what they pay, but you can find out, if you are interested. It is an established business.” Barb took another sip of coffee. “You always made the best cup of coffee.” Now she waited for Susanne to speak.

  “I always enjoyed art; I just don’t know if I can handle it . . . but I would be willing to give it a try.”

  “Good! I will pick you up tomorrow morning and take you there. How is nine o’clock?” Barb asked.

  “Nine it is; thanks!”

  Barb didn’t know what had just happened. This was too easy — not at all like the usual Susanne. She excused herself saying that she had to leave. In fact, she was expected back at the office. They were waiting for her to solve some problem pertaining to the trucking company.

  Back at the office, she called Sam. “What’s the problem?” She couldn’t picture any of their problems that would concern her. Yet, it must be important, or Sam wouldn’t have called her. She paused for a moment and then said: “So are you going to tell me or not? The suspense is killing me.” Pause again.

  “It’s Henry; he hasn’t come to work today — I know; he doesn’t have to come but he usually calls just to say hello. Sandy said she saw him this morning walking Serge. Go ahead; tell me I’m crazy, but I have this feeling that I can’t explain.” Sam sounded worried.

  “All right; I will drive by and drop in on him as if it’s nothing. Okay?”

  “Thanks, Barb — I love you.” He felt better already for it. Ever since that conversation with Henry, Sam had been a bit overprotective of his friend.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Do you honestly think that I have nothing else to do?” She didn’t really mean it. So she went out to Henry’s to have a look. There was nothing unusual to be seen around his house. She knocked on his door, which Serge answered with a deep bark. The next thing, Henry peeked out the door and was shocked to see Barb standing there. At first he didn’t quite know what to do or say; but then he apologized for his rudeness and invited her in for a cup of coffee.

  “To what do I owe this unexpected and pleasant visit?” He was sincere.

  “Henry, I will come right to the point. Actually, I promised Sam to make it seem a coincidence, but there must be a reason for Sam to be so protective of you lately. So, if you don’t mind: Let’s have it.” Barb felt slightly ashamed for being so blunt; however, she had done this in the past with Henry and it worked out just fine.

  Henry said, “Speaking of Sam — do you mind if I give him a call? I usually check in every morning but I got busy this morning and forgot to call. Could that have anything to do with you being here?” Henry was a wise old man who didn’t miss a trick when it came to human nature. That broke the tension, and they laughed. Henry poured coffee, and then another one, while the two of them talked. Barb hadn’t felt that good in a long time. It was just so easy to talk with him. He had that relaxed way about him. Henry was not blessed with any children, yet he was a perfect father figure.

  “If you don’t mind,” said Barb, “I would prefer if you didn’t tell him about my being here having coffee with you. Let him think that he was right about worrying about you. Otherwise, he will be embarrassed.”

  “As you wish, but I still have to call.”

  After the call, Barb left and continued her day as usual, and in the evening, she told Sam that everything seemed all right at Henry’s place.

  In the morning, Barb picked up Susanne and took her to the daycare centre. Susanne promised to drop by after the interview. That morning, Barb needed a few extra coffees in order to survive the stress of waiting for the news of Susanne’s interview. At lunch, she saw Susanne coming and waited to hear all about it. She was hoping to hear good news.

  “YES!” Susanne yelled as she walked in. “I finally did it. I got the job and I can start tomorrow.”

  “Are you going to?” Barb asked anxiously.

 
“I can’t wait to tell Sasha and Dominic about this. They will be very happy to hear it, don’t you think?” She then proceeded to tell Barb how easy it was to fit in with the children. She wanted to fly and sing. There was something about her that had been unleashed with this interview . . . something that gave her hope and confidence for a better future.

  That night, Susanne told her children about the interview, and somehow it was for real this time. Sasha and Dominic were also excited, seeing their mother so pleasant and genuinely happy. Regardless of all the previous times when she hadn’t kept any promises about job opportunities, the two of them were proud of her and told her so.

  A week passed and Susanne went to work every day and came home refreshed.

  “I feel as if a miracle has happened this past week — don’t you?” Sasha was asking her brother.

  “A miracle HAS happened. I feel like pinching myself and waking up. It feels good, all right,” Dominic said as he hugged his sister. So there was hope after all. At the same time, he was afraid to wake up from a dream that just a short time ago seemed more like a nightmare.

  By now, the regular school exams were over and some of the young folks already had part-time jobs for the summer. Olivia was one of them. Her job at her mother’s office was still available to her. In fact, Barb couldn’t wait to have her back and helping because they were really busy.

  Henry decided not to build a new cottage that year because everybody was busy and had very little time to work and build at the same time. That didn’t stop Henry and his friends from going up to swim in the lake. The Prestons even managed to camp on the premises a few times. Henry declined that kind of fun.

  Nicole was also out of school and back at the community centre as a lifeguard, as well as an instructor. Swimming was definitely her thing. She was a natural. Needless to say, Sasha and Dominic were kept busy at the store, and the Millers loved them both. There was only one problem; what to do with Trevor during the summer holidays?

  “Sam, what do you think of sending Trevor to a summer camp?” Barb asked her husband.

  “I’m afraid I can’t help you there. Even if he wanted to go, you would have to take him there and pick him up. I’ll support your decision, whatever that may be. Why don’t you ask him if he wants to go?”

  “Mom, can I go with Dad this morning?” Trevor asked his mother first thing in the morning.

  “I’m afraid not — your father is going out of town today. You can ask him yourself. He told me that last night.” Barb knew how much Trevor wanted to be with his dad at any time, but some things are easier to talk about than to comply with.

  “There is nothing for me to do. Everyone is busy, and I don’t have anything to do,” Trevor complained. It so happened he was too young to work and too old to play.

  “I have an idea. How would you like to go to a summer camp? We could find out how it works, and then, if you wish, you could join in. What do you say?” She waited for Trevor to reply.

  “But I won’t know anybody there.” This was unusual for him. He was so outgoing when it came to hockey. Finally he agreed that camp might be fun.

  Nicole was able to get them the right contacts in order to find out all about it. The following week, he was off to the camp; and, in fact, enjoyed it very much, making lots of new friends.

  On occasion, Sam was able to take Trevor with him on shorter trips. Trevor was beside himself those days. He couldn’t sleep the night before, so on one of those trips, he fell asleep during the ride and was terribly upset with himself. He never wanted to miss any of those opportunities being with his father. Sam also was happy about it. He was very proud of his son.

  The summer went by quickly, and the time had come to go back to school. For Dominic, it was back to the same thing, only on a higher level.

  Olivia and Sasha were by now in the last year of high school and looking forward to completing it with good marks, in order to get a possible scholarship.

  Nicole was a year behind but doing very well. At times, Nicole, although eighteen months younger than her sister, seemed to be the older of the two. Nicole was mature by nature.

  As to Trevor: After he finished his time at the camp, he began to help walking Serge. Henry sort of took over in that area. Trevor was happy.

  “Henry,” said Barb, “I don’t know how I would have managed without your help. The way things are escalating with our business, I hardly have any time to breathe, not to mention relax. Don’t take me wrong — I am happy that the business is going strong, I just need more help, especially now that Olivia is going back to school.”

  At the end of the summer, Henry invited them all to a lodge for a weekend. Having a good time at the lodge helped them all to resume their duties.

  “Well, let’s get the winter over with and then we can enjoy the summer all over again.” Sam stated. Barb hit him gently on his shoulder.

  The two of them had very little time to themselves. It may be just as well. Some couples fight less if they spend less time together. The Prestons were happy in their new home, which didn’t seem that new anymore. It felt as if they had moved there a long time ago. The lake was still there, as serene as ever, especially in the winter, when the ice and snow covered some of it. The crystals on it looked like diamonds when the sun shone on the lake. One could write a song about it. Perhaps someone had.

  Olivia’s attraction to Lance had lasted a very short time, but she was not willing to resume her relationship with Greg. She was back to her dreaming about the theatre. She was sure she wouldn’t be able to tolerate any boyfriend while studying drama. Her future career was more important to her than boys.

  She and Sasha remained estranged except when they spent time together as two families. Then they both managed well. The overall distraction helped, but Sasha resented the tension and asked: “Why is it that you and I can’t get back to where we once were?”

  “Are you sure you want to know? You might not like it,” Olivia answered.

  “Try me; I think I deserve to know why you dropped me like I had some kind of disease.”

  “Sasha, I didn’t have the heart to give you more problems and I was afraid that you might tell your father about our meeting. He made me promise not to tell.”

  “Promise what? Why would my father want to bother you?”

  “Your father thought I was after Dominic and he said he didn’t like that. I tried to convince him that I never had any feelings for Dominic, but he refused to believe me. He said Dominic was his son and deserved better. Sasha, I never told this to anyone, not even my parents. I was afraid you would tell on me because you were so protective of him in those days.”

  “So you decided to stay away from me in order to avoid having to face my father?”

  “Not just afraid. I was hurt that I was not good enough for your brother.” She was in tears. It hurt to be big and unwanted by her peers and harassed by their parents. She was ashamed to tell even her parents. “Sasha, I was trying to protect you. You have to believe me.”

  “But you knew that I was not so crazy about my father anymore and you still never explained this to me? Why not? Did he threaten you or hurt you in any way?” Sasha was now suspecting more. There must be more to this than met the eye. “What else did my father do, or say to you? If he didn’t want you around my brother, what has that got to do with me?”

  “Sasha, drop it! I don’t want to talk about your father!” Olivia yelled.

  “No! I want to know what made you stop being my friend!”

  “He was hysterical and he blabbered something like, she is not my blood but he is. And some stuff about Henry. That scared me and I wasn’t sure how to deal with that. I wanted to ask my parents if they knew anything about it but I couldn’t even do that. If I am not good enough to be your and Dominic’s friend, then why was he unloading all his frustrations on me? He threatened to hurt me if I told on him. So, I have been holding all this inside of me, all this time. He was probably just angry and what he said doesn�
��t mean anything. Sasha, I’m sorry if I have upset you. You have to admit, though, I didn’t want for this conversation to take place.”

  “It’s all right. This brings me back to what Dominic said to me once or twice. He said I was special because our parents have argued about me a few times. But the two of us had no idea . . . why?”

  “You mean there is some truth in that?” Olivia asked. “Oh, and Sasha, please be careful what you say to your mom at this time. She has just ‘come out of her shell,’ as my mom puts it. You don’t want to start anything that she wouldn’t be able to handle right now. If you must talk about it, then have a talk with your brother instead.

  “Sasha, I hope I didn’t start a war by telling you about your father. I wish you hadn’t pushed me to tell you. I feel sick to my stomach.”

  Susanne was still working at the daycare centre and enjoying it. The money also helped. She also managed to regain a reasonable balance with the Millers at the store. She occasionally went there for a few articles. But Dominic continued to do most of the cooking at home. Susanne claimed to prefer his cooking. Sasha never much bothered with cooking; she did the cleaning and the laundry. Overall, they were fine. That is, they would have been happy, were it not for Larry and his idiocy.

  Sasha, however, didn’t mind that she wasn’t Larry’s daughter. In fact, she was relieved to know it. The question was how to approach her mother about it without “starting a war,” as Olivia called it. Sasha was glad to know she was wrong in thinking that Olivia had dropped her on purpose.

  “Henry, may I ask you something?” Sasha asked, as she came to have a talk with him. He was sure to guide her in the right direction. Henry was a bit surprised about the unexpected visit. Although he shouldn’t have been. These visits had become quite regular, much to Henry’s delight. Not that he wished any of the problems on them but the problems kept arising just the same.