Henry

by Cilika Kunovic

  “Dominic, I hope you aren’t neglecting your school work because of the store hours?” Sasha often asked her brother. She knew she was managing okay but she didn’t have a heavy load like her brother.

  “Why are you so worried about my school work? You should worry about yourself, since you are working more hours than I am.” He had meant to speak with her about that, more than once.

  “Dominic, I can see it in your eyes, how exhausted you are at times. I just don’t want you to collapse and give up your studies. After all, we have a joint plan, and I simply couldn’t bear to see you give up. Promise me that you will talk with me about it, should you come to that point.”

  “I promise! I do admit I am glad to have gotten this far. It has been a long road for both of us. Henry has been very helpful.”

  “I am so glad that Mom didn’t give up working, after that trouble with the phone calls. Do you think what I think about the calls?”

  “Sasha, I simply did not allow myself to think about it that way. I needed to go on and finish the school year. You know as well as I do that our school year is not over and how crucial it is for both of us to finish it with good marks. For one thing, I can’t let Henry down. I gave him my word to do my best in order to finish my studies in the designated time frame. He will be proud of me; and of you for being such a good sister and giving of yourself for me and Mom.”

  “Just who do you think you’re kidding? You worry about the two of us just as much, or more. Furthermore, you worry about Henry. I am not even going to ask about that, but there is something mysterious about Henry . . . Sometimes I feel as if he is a secret gift to us from above. There is something so comforting about him . . . I am afraid to talk too much about it, as if he might disappear if I do . . .” Sasha went into a deep thought. “By the way, I didn’t mean to hurt Nicole’s feelings when I showed resentment regarding you talking to Henry in front of her.”

  “Sasha, you have nothing to worry about. Nicole fully understands about things like that. I know that she will do well as a physiotherapist, for she is sensitive. Nicole is very dedicated to people.”

  It had been Henry’s wish to speak with that stubborn young man for quite some time. Somebody had to take that chance in order to bring him to reality. He hoped he would be the one to succeed. “Dominic, I wish you would allow yourself to live a life suitable to your age and character — a dedicated character. Whether you realize it or not, you deserve it and you are entitled to it. Go all the way while you are young. You have the ability and the willingness to stay with it. The time will come when you will thank me for having given you a little push now and then . . .

  “There is just one thing I would ask of you: Step back a notch and at least attempt to let go just a bit. Relax, if it is at all possible, before you destroy your chances and perhaps even yourself. Sasha is suffering with you, and so is Nicole. I don’t have to tell you how much she cares about you. Not that Sasha has said anything to me, but even I know how hard on her your struggles have been. Give her a break, too.”

  “Henry, you make everything sound so easy and simple, even though you have so much on your mind. You still have the courage to go ahead and look at everything in a positive way. Yet here I am, unable to step over my lifelong hurdle — my father. I had never been able to count on him, love him, follow him, or respect him. All I ever recall is being afraid of him. Not even for the way he treated me or ignored me, but for the way he treated my mother. I never much wanted his love or attention, any more than any other child would. In fact, he was a stranger to me from the very beginning, as far as I can remember.”

  Dominic went into deep thought. When he came to, he glanced at Henry and found him sad. Too bad his mother had a dislike for him, for whatever reason. She was obvious about it but never disclosed the reason for it. There was always the chance that she was jealous of the way her son had bonded with the old gentleman; but why not at least have some appreciation for all the help that Henry had offered in order to make their lives better?

  Henry understood. Being humble is being weak for some people, and that certainly applied to Susanne in more ways than one. She had her weaknesses but she also had her pride. She had come a long way and was having fewer delusions, which was quite a good sign. Her work kept her busy, and she knew she had to give of herself to those young children because they liked her and believed in her. That certainly helped and inspired her at the same time. That very feeling was responsible for Susanne’s change in attitude when Henry brought the children back from their one and only vacation. She realized that she, too, was helping young people and even getting paid for it.

  On the other hand, all Henry ever wanted for his kindness was respect. It was not too much to ask. He even willingly overcame Susanne’s resentment toward him, hoping she would one day understand that he never meant to take her children away from her. His only crime was being a Good Samaritan. Most people would reject and/or avoid such situations. But Henry was different.

  Finally, the month of June arrived, and things eased up a bit.

  Henry had been going up to the cottage quite regularly, preparing himself, as well as the place, for further developments. He was doing a lot of soul searching. As a naval officer, he had been trained to proceed with caution in any unknown situation. He often reminisced about those years out there in the world of freedom surrounded by water. He could relate to Nicole’s descriptions of their new house — not that it was new anymore. Nevertheless, it reminded him of how he used to write home describing those same feelings. Therefore, it was no secret why he so enjoyed the cottage, with all that water and fresh air.

  On one of those occasions, as Henry stood in front of his cottage — so called; it was about to become more like a mansion — overlooking the beautiful lake, a vision of his father came to him. The water was perfectly calm, and the birds could be heard chirping in the trees as if to say, “Come, enjoy the view with us!” Misty-eyed, Henry recalled what his father was like and how he had looked after his family. He was a strong man with a great vision of how life could be if you planned ahead. During his service in the navy, he was not earning a great deal of money but he spent very little of it. He never planned on getting married, but one young lady had managed to change his mind. They were happy and had two children within the first five years of their marriage.

  During the Depression, he decided to put his savings to good use. Many people were losing their homes during those years, because they were unable to pay the mortgages. In some cases, there were several houses on the same street suddenly for sale — or repossessed, which was even more likely. His father took this opportunity to invest in real estate. Little did he know how this so-called smart move would affect his — or his family’s — future. Henry found himself talking out loud . . .

  “Father, forgive me for not sharing your fortune with Edward. I miss him very much. He was the brain behind your ingenious plan and enjoyed it every step of the way. Ed had a business mind, while I am a sentimentalist at heart. Now, don’t think of me as being ungrateful, or anything like that, but as it happens, I have nobody to share it with —” then he suddenly realized he was talking to himself and he wondered if anybody had seen him. Just then, he saw his neighbour approaching him.

  “Hi, Henry, it is good to see you here. Are you planning on continuing with the building this year?”

  “Hello to you, Tom. How are you keeping these days?” Henry was happy to see his old friend. “Yes, I am planning on finishing this year so I can enjoy it for a while. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

  “Oh, you will live forever. If I had your personality, I would look as good as you . . . however, that is not the case here. My wife keeps telling me I should be more like you.” Tom chuckled.

  “And what, may I ask, is the difference between us?” Henry was puzzled. He had never heard anything so ridiculous before. He had never compared himself with anyone before. Yet Barb Preston had indicated that same thing once or twice in the
past. He had always dismissed it.

  “She says you have this calmness about yourself, which I lack. So, in order to defend myself, I tell her that if I had as much money as you do, I could be more relaxed, too.” They both laughed.

  “It just shows you that nobody’s life is perfect. Money is only good if you have someone to share it with,” replied Henry. “I would be happy to have less, if I still had Lily and Serge.” Now they both stared at the water. “So, how would you like to have a lively summer here with a lot of activities surrounding you? I have invited my friends to join me here as much as they wish to come. I hope you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all — you know what they say: All you have to do is invite your neighbours in order to have no complaints!” But Tom was only being friendly so as to reassure his buddy. It so happened that he had heard part of Henry’s conversation with his father. Tom understood.

  “It just shows you how we take things for granted at times.” Henry was reminiscing.

  “I hope the weather will be good to you while the workmen are here finishing the renovations.” Tom knew how beautiful it can be up there, but at the same time, sometimes the weather did not co-operate with one’s plans. Then all you wanted to do was sleep. There is nothing more relaxing than a rainy day up in the cottage country.

  “Yes, and while I’m detained in the city, perhaps you could just keep an eye on things here for me? As you know, I can leave work any time. The trouble is, I still have much to achieve, as far as my safety is concerned. At times I wonder if it will ever stop!”

  “You can count on me.” Tom was honoured by Henry’s request.

  When Henry arrived back home, he felt tired and excited at the same time. There was a lot on his mind, and plenty to look forward to. Unfortunately, a heavy feeling kept nudging at him . . . the unfinished business with the police regarding all the criminal activities surrounding him was forever sitting at the back of his mind. Why can they not get to the bottom of the situation and finally catch up with whoever is behind all the mystery?

  The phone rang. It was Sam. “Henry, you’re back?” He basically wanted to make sure Henry was okay.

  “I’m well, thank you — is something wrong?” This conversation was puzzling, to say the least. Why would Sam be calling now? Unless he suspected some developments in the works . . .

  “I just heard the news: A long-time crime suspect has been apprehended, and I wondered if the police had contacted you.”

  This put Henry in an anxious mood instantly. His knees became weak, and he felt he might be sick.“I have just returned from the cottage and I have no idea if anybody has been looking for me. Are there any details as to what kind of crimes this individual was suspected of having committed?”

  “No! There was some unusual excitement around the reporter who was delivering the news just as it all started. Turn on the radio and listen to the news.” Sam did the same. Coincidentally, someone interrupted the news by announcing that the mayor had just been taken to the hospital. After that, the news was all about the mayor. The anxiety that Henry felt after that was overwhelming. At first he wanted to call Inspector Cooper but it was late in the evening, and he likely would not be in his office that late.

  During the night, Henry kept getting the vision of that same man in front of him — the man that he thought he saw in the car, just seconds before it hit him. In the morning, he called the station but could not get through to Inspector Cooper. By now he sensed that it didn’t apply to him or they would have called him.

  Henry decided to go to work and try to put the whole matter behind him if possible. Everyone at work showed anxiety over the news but nobody said anything to him. In the meantime, Sam had done his homework on the subject and found nothing. Henry pretended not to be bothered by the event, so as not to make Sam feel bad for getting him all worked up over it. Nevertheless, Sam apologized to Henry for jumping to conclusions.

  “Sometimes there is very little difference between jumping to conclusions and wishful thinking,” Henry replied. “You meant well and I appreciate it. I will get busy with the construction very soon and I will forget all about my stalker. I promise you. Then once it is completed, we can all unwind. After all, I am not the only one who has had a long haul in the past few years. We all deserve a break.

  “Gina, I sure hope you and John as well as the little one will come and join us as well.”

  Gina was quick to reply. “It will be our pleasure!” She had said that before but this time she really meant it.

  The following week, the architect-designate touched base with Henry and confirmed the all-clear to go through with the interior finishing. Henry was happy.

  “Sam, guess what! We can now begin on the interior design and the completion of the rest of the details inside. This shouldn’t take too long. I have asked Tom, next door, to keep an eye on things for me when I am not up there. These people have a good reputation and know what they are doing; but just in case there is something I need to fetch for them, Tom is willing to do it for me.”

  “What are you talking about? You can spend as much time as you want up there. We are all excited for you about this project. Nobody talks about anything else these days. Just promise us you will fill us in on all the good stuff.” Sam meant it. There was not a chance anyone was going to protest over Henry’s time up there. “On the weekend, Barb and I are coming up to inspect the progress.”

  “I will hold you to that.” Henry replied.

  But there was no need for them to announce their visit. Henry would have been pleasantly surprised.

  After their conversation, Henry left the office and headed straight to the police station in order to try and find out the latest developments regarding the man who had been arrested the previous weekend. There had been no further news after the arrest.

  “Good day, Inspector Cooper.” The man was sitting in his chair quite content and studying some document in front of him. Slightly startled, he looked up and greeted Henry with a touch of annoyance on his face. He had allowed the front desk to let someone in, but he had neglected to ask who it was. He quickly recovered and pretended to be quite relaxed.

  “What brings you here today, Mr. Dobbs?” Inspector Cooper was quick to say.

  “I’ve heard about the arrest. Does it mean what I think it means?”

  “First of all, we deal with a number of arrests on a regular basis. Certain ones turn out to be quite serious, but there are others that are so-called repeats. Now, I don’t know which arrest you are referring to; the file in my hands has nothing to do with your particular situation, Mr. Dobbs. This person has not been charged with anything yet.”

  Cooper was having a hard time trying to stay neutral, but his job was to stay calm and neutral. Everybody is innocent until proven guilty. There was, however, a sense of urgency in that last arrest. The man who was brought in for questioning reminded him of another time when they let somebody go, and, shortly after, the same person went on to commit a more serious crime. The inspector kept his cool.

  “I couldn’t help wondering if the man who was arrested on the weekend could by any chance be the one you have been tracking with regard to my case?” Henry was trying not to sound too anxious.

  “Mr. Dobbs, we will be in touch with you if we find anything positively connected to your case.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Good day, then, Mr. Dobbs.” Inspector Cooper held his head up high to show he was in control.

  “Good day to you, sir,” Henry said with a heavy heart. Henry, is this happening? Henry was asking himself. I wish Lily were here. She would have some good advice as to how the situation could be dealt with. He decided to go home and try to get some sleep.

  The next morning, he was giving Gina a hard time about being too much of a perfectionist. In other words, he was back to normal. His good sense of humour almost never left him. Having him there for support on a regular basis was a blessing. Gina missed him whenever he spent time up north. He ca
me in handy at the office during the day, when she wanted to step out for an errand or two. He was always willing to give her a hand.

  The work at the cottage was progressing beautifully. Having the right people for the right jobs always helped. When the jobs that required inspection were completed, the contractors themselves called for the inspection to be done, and the work continued.

  Henry was proud and happy to report progress on the construction. Barb and Sam had been to see it on one of their free weekends. What they saw was an amazing house (not a cottage) with an enormous amount of detail inside and out. When Henry saw the expressions on their faces, it was an added bonus for him. It made it all worthwhile. Tom happened to be present at the time and enjoyed seeing the Prestons so taken with the progress. He was happy for Henry, but on the other hand, he was happy to be a bit secluded from this monstrosity of a house that had taken over the whole area — it belonged to another category of cottages entirely. The two of them often talked about Lily and how she would have taken the change . . .

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Henry was totally happy with his little house in the city. Serge had also belonged there; he had enjoyed the place up north, but the little house suited this cosy little family. The new cottage was as much of an investment as it was a place where more people could and would enjoy the lake and remember the good times they had up there. Henry liked to give more than he needed to receive.

  Back in the city, Henry always had errands to do. He would forget about looking out for himself at times. So when Barb, driving in from home, saw him heading for the bank and greeted him, he suddenly jumped as if to try and escape another hit from a car. She felt awful and immediately stopped the car and apologized.

  Henry was embarrassed by his knee-jerk reaction. “Now, don’t you know that I am too old for you? Why stalk an old man?” Henry quickly turned the incident into humour. “You’d better be willing to join me for a cup of coffee after scaring me out of my wits like that! Do we have a deal?”