Charlotte, said the Reverend, was not just young and pretty, she
also had a bubbling personality and Charles' mother Enid fell in love with her
instantly. She gave Charlotte her room to sleep in as well as a change of
clothes, which she said had belonged to her daughter who was now living in
England. Mother Enid made pig's trotters and broad beans with white rice for
dinner. At first when Charlotte heard what it was she was afraid to eat any but
she was convinced by Charles to taste it. After the first bite she wanted it
all, she wondered why she had never eaten
this great delicacy before! After
dinner Charlotte chit-chatted with Charles for a while before Mother Enid came
and said it was time for her, Charlotte, to get some sleep because she had to
get up early to catch the train to Montego Bay the next morning. Mother Enid
had noticed the attraction between the two of them and she was not taking any
chances. In the morning when Charlotte was ready to go there was no sign of
Charles. Mother Enid told her that Charles had to go to Linstead to slaughter a
cow for sale the next day. Charlotte was disappointed that she would not get to
see Charles before she left. Mother Enid took Charlotte to the Railway Station.
The train was on time and the passengers were already boarding. When the
Conductor shouted "All aboard!" she hugged Mother Enid and went to
take her seat on the train. The slow movement of the train soon put Charlotte
to sleep. She felt when someone came and sat beside her put she paid him or her
no mind. About two hours later a voice whispered in her ear, ‘Are you still
sleeping my Beauty?’ She opened her eyes to see a grinning Charles. Yes, it is
really me, you are not dreaming, he said. Charlotte opened her eyes wide and
told him that she was just dreaming about him and here he was on the train!
Charles hugged her as they laughed together. The long and short of the story,
said Reverend Julian, was that Charles convinced Charlotte to run away with
him, so they disembarked the train when it reached Kendal in Manchester.
Charles said that they could not go back to Spanish Town because his mother
would be mad at him. He told her that it would be best if they went to stay
with some cousins that he had in St. Thomas. Charlotte asked him if he was
going to marry her and he told her he would marry her as soon as they got to
St.Thomas. Charlotte was happy to be with Charles, she was in love! Charlotte,
however, never once mentioned her parents to Charles. She never mentioned that
her father was one of the richest men in St. James or that her mother was the
Headmistress of a private school there. Charlotte was also a very rebellious
person. She saw her time with Charles as a beautiful adventure that probably
would not last long but which would give her some time away from her parents
who were very strict. However, by the time they reached Seaforth in St. Thomas,
she knew that she would never leave Charles. She had fallen head over heels in
love with him! In the meantime Charlotte’s father Stanley was searching for her.
He was at the Montego Bay Railway Station the Friday night waiting for
Charlotte to get off the train, he waited until the last passenger came off and
still no Charlotte. He saw the Conductor and described Charlotte to him asking
him if he had seen her. The Conductor told him what had happened at the Spanish
Town station. He told Stanley to wait while he fetched her purse and suitcases.
When the Conductor returned he assured Stanley that the Stationmaster in
Spanish Town would have told his daughter to take the next train which would
arrive the following night. Stanley was at the train station the next day, and
just like the night before he waited until the last passenger came off the
train. No Charlotte. He asked the Conductor if she had boarded the train in
Spanish Town but the Conductor told him he had not seen her. He had actually
started working at Porus because the Conductor who would normally be working
that shift had fallen ill and he was asked to relieve him. Stanley started to
panic. Charlotte was his one and only child! Reverend Julian suddenly asked for
some water. I told Maud I would fetch it as I wanted the opportunity to check
on my ‘migrants’ outside. They were all stretched out on the ground under the
guinep tree fast asleep. I wondered for a moment about the children lying down
on the hardness of the ground but then I hissed my teeth. It was their mother’s
fault, she was the one who had chosen to take them here. She was the one who
wanted to cross my border!
SadaBlue.......
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