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| goddess in my garden |
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| He woke in the morning to the merry tune of sizzling bacon in the pan. By the time he'd had his turn to wash, shave and dress, then sit down at the table, his plate was heaped and waiting for him. A river of runny yolk waiting to be sopped up with the stack of crusty bread piled to the side with a steaming cup of strong black coffee. Service like that he could get used to. It made him miss his mother terribly. He regretted not having the time to write to her, and solemly vowed he would that evening.. He ate heartily, and was chagrined when out done by every last son of his benifactor. "Eat! Eat!" Helga encouraged. "You eat like a bird! No wonder you are so skinny! Eat!" He smiled- he liked this generous, boisterous, merry family. Once more he was happy again. Patting his full gullet- he heaved himself away from the table and waddled out the door with the rest of them, coat in hand and ready to face a new day of hard but satisfying labor. Mr. McCarn, last out the door with a kiss to his squalling baby, his very pregnant daughter in law, and lastly his wife as she handed him a very large hamper for their dinner. Yes, life now was good in America. There was an endless amount of work to be done, as always- but when the foreman shouted above the din, not a pricked ear did miss the unmistakeable sound of the word 'Lunch!" A jovial undertone of rejoice accompanied them to sit at their repast. Guntar, the eldest son, hauled out the seemingly everbearing basket and began to hand out portions of their meal. Each calloused, dirty hand stretched out in anticipation of each mouth watering morsel. When it reached Isaacs turn, he stood and waited, rubbing his grubby hands on his equally grubby shirt in hopes a smattering of the grime might be transfered. Gunter handed him a tin plate and cup, then dug back into the basket. He came up with a handful in his meaty paws- and suddenly, Isaac wondered, even if he was as hungry as he was, would he be able to eat all he was being offered? It looked like a mountain of food. Gunter stacked his plate full with a slab of cheese, an apple, a large juicy pickle, two boiled eggs, a piece of fried chicken, a grease stained paper wrapped parcel that smelled of the same bread and thick slabs of bacon he'd enjoyed for his breakfast, two hard biscuits and a large piece of jonny cake with a crust of brown sugar glaze over it. Oleg, the youngest brother of the clan immediately filled his tin cup to the top with sweet cold tea. He looked down with large eyes. Paupers of men ate like kings... only in America! He surprized himself by finnishing off almost every last crumb. And it was delicious, but he gave three of the brothers an egg, half his jonny cake and the piece of fried chicken. "You will fatten up! The misses is determined to feed you until you too have plump cheeks!" McCarn laughed, comicly pinching at his own cheeks as he got grease and jonny cake crumbs in his big bushy moustache- makeing them all laugh. Isaac just shook his head good naturedly, "I don't know how I'm going to fit into my clothes if she keeps feeding me like this!" They chuckled and Johan patted his tummy as he sat with his back to a piling, picking his teeth. "Don't worry, Mamma will let out your pants!" They all laughed again. "Well boys, it's back to work with ya!" Their father laughed, patting Oleg's shoulder as he walked back toward the pier. They all groaned under the weight of their luncheon and paddled off back to work leaving Gunter to pack up the remains of their repast. When the day grew long and they all grew weary, it was time for them to head back home, but this being pay day, first they all stopped by the office for their wages. Mixed amongst the merryment of the family there were several ernest discussions of where the money was to be applied that had so honestly been earned that month. Isaac stayed silent, keeping to himself as he did figures in his head. Shortly after recieving his pay packet he strode over to McCarn purposfully where the man waited to collect his offspring. The large man leaned against the sea wall, sucking at his pipe with the hint of a smile just below his over grown moustache that glowed more in his eyes then lay upon his lips. Isaac seperated out a modest sum of money and placed it in his pocket, pushing the rest toward the man who'd taken him under his wing. A deep rough chuckle erupted from McCarn. "And what do you want me to do with that lad? I think ya'er old 'nuff to be hand'lin yer own money. Ya earned it. Now you tend it as you see fit." He churned out through a haze of sweet smoke, not moving a muscle save his mouth. Isaac looked at him and didn't know what to make of the man. "Surely you don't expect me to believe that you'd let me stay with you for free. I have to pay my way until I find other suitable accomadations, though I think one would be hard pressed to find anything to compare to the service I recieved at the hands of your wife. He smiled politely. McCarn chuckled again, deeper as the smoke writhed about his head. He stuck a leg up, planting his foot flat against the side of the sea wall and for all the world reminding Isaac of a stork. "True... true tis that. But the wife and me won't hear of it. For the time being, you are our guest. And a guest you shall remain until the wife tells me otherwise. Now put your money away boy. The night is young... and I be feeling a song comeing on!" He announced. A concencus of merriment followed as the group of McCarn men walked away in the dusk, songs leaping up from their hearts to spill out their mouths with a certain joy only their odd bicultured accents could capture. They left behind a befuddled and bewildered Isaac for a few paces as he stood there slack jawed over what had just passed between the two men. Then as the family turned the corner down the street and all that was left of them was the ringing essense of music alive Isaac came to and ran after them like a boy late for lessons. In due time he caught up with them, Oleg tossing a jovial arm about his neck as they dragged him along in the midst of their throng. It was a fine night, and he thought them all in good voice as they all traipsed home like a drunkard on payday, only, he knew better of any whiskey having passed any of their lips that day. Still, it was a fine night to sing a tune or two. He relished the moment and bellowed to the top of his lungs right along with the rest though the lyrics were, for the most part, lost on him. He did an admirable job keeping pace with them... vocally at least. They cut cross an alley and found themselves back on the street to which the McCarn clan called their own. A ruckus of a song began full tilt voice as they stood in the street below a window that looked familiar to Isaac, and when Mrs. McCarn hung her head out of it and laughed as she waved them all away, he understood why. In the corner of the window he saw a dark skinned, dark eyed, dark haired beauty that he recognized as Guntars very pregnant wife, her smile sublime as she only had eyes for her husband. Isaac smiled at that. No matter the age, young or old, love came in many guises and crossed any culture. It made him ache for a wife of his own. Someone to call darling and profess his love to. He grasped his patience... all of that would come in due time. He just had to learn to wait for it. But it was the waiting part that was the hardest. Amidst his wonderings and wishings, he realized the serenade, such as it were, was pretty much over, and it was time to fill his belly once more. He looked forward to joining the McCarn table once more, assured that whatever he was served, he was certain it would be wonderful and more then merely hearty. He followed the pack of beying wolves up the stairs as the evening took on a life of it's own. |
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