Oh my God! I exclaimed, there was broken glass everywhere, the aquarium I had since I was twelve years old was in splinters! Thankfully the last of the goldfish had died some months ago and no water was in it. I grabbed the broom that was in the corner of the verandah. The children thought I was about to hit them with it and ran terrified to the other end of the verandah. Luckily it was away from the splintered glass. I shouted to the mother, ‘Why can’t you control your children!’ I could see by the expression on her face that she wanted to respond in an obnoxious way, but thought better of it. Clearly she did not want to be put out in the rain. I was getting so tired of dealing with these people whom I have not welcomed into my home. I started sweeping the splinters into a heap and with Maud’s help we managed to get them into the dustbin. I then warned the children to stay where they are at the other end of the verandah as there may be splinters that we had missed and if they got cut because of their disobedience
I would not be the one to take them to the hospital! Maud and I returned to the den. We woke up Reverend Julian as he had taken the opportunity to have a nap. He asked us what was the last thing he had said and we told him. He continued the story. Charmaine was four years old before Charles decided to take her to meet her Grandparents. Early one Saturday morning he and Charmaine took the Mayflower Bus from Morant Bay to Kingston, and then caught the train to Montego Bay at the Railway Station on Pechon Street. They were on their way. The scenery fascinated Charmaine and she kept Charles awake with her many questions. The other passengers adored her and found her delightful. When they reached the Spanish Town station Charles put on a pair of dark glasses and pretended to be asleep because he did not want anyone there to recognize him. He breathed a huge sigh of relief when the train pulled out of the station and no one that he knew boarded. Charmaine went to sleep soon after and he took out a book to read. It was Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. It was a long journey to Montego Bay, there was a little hiccup at Porus in Manchester but other than that everything was fine. Charles laughed when the Conductor told him the story of how Porus got its name. It was late evening when they arrived in Montego Bay so Charles decided that they would stay at a hotel for the night. After eating he prepared Charmaine for bed and went to sit outside on the balcony for a while. Their room was on the second floor and he realized that he could hear clearly every word that two gentlemen on the balcony of the first floor below were saying. To his consternation, they were discussing Charmaine’s Grandfather, Stanley Wharbucks. One of the men said that Stanley Wharbucks had not been the same since his wife died three years ago. It was said that she had died from a broken heart. The other gentleman concurred. He said that when the Wharbucks’ only child disappeared over five years ago Mrs. Wharbucks became gravely ill and she never left her bed. Doctors could not say what was wrong with her and she slowly pined away. Stanley Wharbucks, was known for his temper, but this temper became worse at the passing of his wife. Yes, said the first gentleman but what was even worse, he said, was that Stanley Wharbucks had sworn on his wife’s deathbed that he would find the person or persons responsible for Charlotte’s disappearance and would personally kill him or her or them. Charles was shocked! He listened further. Stanley Wharbucks had gotten information that Charlotte was living in St. Thomas. A friend of a friend of a friend had remembered seeing someone fitting Charlotte’s description in the market in Morant Bay at about the time it was said she went missing. The gentlemen who were talking were hired by Stanley Wharbucks to go to St. Thomas to search for Charlotte. They were staying at the hotel because they had missed the train to Kingston earlier that day but they would definitely be on the train in the morning. Charles became frightened. The ‘migrant’s’ baby chose to wake up at this point and began to holler.
SadaBlue……
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