Yippee!
I said, as I flung myself across my bed. No
migrants! Yippee! No work! Yippee! I reached for Charmaine’s diary and just as
I was about to turn the pages to where I was at last I heard a knocking on my bedroom door. It was
Maud. “Do you want any breakfast?” she asked. I really did not feel like eating
as I was still upset about my crotons but I knew that if I told her no she
would get upset, so I told her to just make me something light. I also told her
that I would be eating in my room. She was back in half an hour with a cup of
coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs and toast on my
silver tray! The family heirloom! I rolled my eyes. Maud can really be a little ‘extra’ sometimes.
I told her thanks. Noticing that she wanted to talk I put down the diary in
exasperation. “What is the matter Maud?” I asked. “Can I come back at lunch
time?” she asked. “I want to talk to you about something.” I looked at her
quizzically and she quickly said that it had nothing to do with Cassie and the
children. I told her she could come back at two o’ clock. I needed time to
read Charmaine’s diary! I screamed silently. She nodded her head and left. I was tempted to go and
lock the front door! Jeez! I seriously hoped that I would have no more interruptions as I
picked up the diary again.
Charmaine had ran from the study back to her room when
she heard her father say that Stanley Wharbucks had sent men to kill him. She
could hear both of them arguing loudly and knowing her Grandfather’s temper she decided
to return to the study. She heard her father saying that her Grandfather needed
to hear what he had to say before passing any kind of judgment against him. Poor
Florence was there, between them, trying to keep the peace. When they saw her at the door of the
study they became silent. Charmaine turned to her father and told him that
she wanted to know why he never came back for her as he had promised. Charles asked her if she would sit down so that he could explain why. He also told Stanley Wharbucks that he would
prefer he be seated also while he set the record straight. Stanley Wharbucks glared at him but he complied.
Charmaine found it so funny. She said it was the first time in her life that
she had ever seen Stanley Wharbucks agreeing to a command from someone else,
even Florence was surprised!
Charles began by apologizing again for the years
gone by. Stanley Wharbucks hissed his teeth. “God damn it man! Get to the
point!” he barked at Charles. Charles kept his eyes focused on Charmaine and ignored Stanley Wharbucks. Charles
said that after leaving her with Ben and Florence he went and boarded the train in
Montego Bay with every intention of returning to St. Thomas. He also had this
great idea of coming back in a few months time to formally introduce
himself to Stanley Wharbucks hoping that he would have gotten to love his
granddaughter so much that he would forgive him. He told them that when he saw
the men on the train and heard them talking that they knew where to find him,
he got scared so he got off the train in Spanish Town instead. He remembered
walking hurriedly in the rain, eager to go and see his mother Enid whom he had not
seen since he ran away with Charlotte. It was raining heavily and the road was
dark and he did not see the two men lurking in the shadows who started to follow
him as he passed them. What happened next was what was told to him when he woke
up in the hospital. He was hit from behind, a blow to his head, with what was
afterwards purported to be a crowbar, which fractured his skull. Charmaine and
Florence gasped in shock when he said that. Stanley Wharbuck rolled his eyes in
disbelief. I laughed. It seems as if 'rolling one's eyes' was a family tradition! Charles took off his hat and showed them a jagged scar at the back
of his head. “As God is my witness I am speaking the truth.” he said. Charles
said he was found early the next morning lying in the gutter, by the Street-cleaner, bleeding profusely and his pockets were turned out. When he woke
up in the hospital he was unable to say who he was. The robbers had stolen his
wallet with his identification card. He said that he could not remember anything about the incident, his mind was a total blank. After running a number of tests on him,
the Doctors came to the conclusion that he was suffering from amnesia. “Amnesia!”
scoffed Stanley Wharbucks. Charles
ignored him again. On the advice of a visiting Physician from England, Charles said he
was kept away from the general population of the hospital. The nurses told
Charles that they were trying their best but they could not find anyone who
knew him. He cried when he heard this. He could not believe that no one in the
entire town knew him! Unbeknownst to
Charles, that same Physician had given strict orders that Charles was not be
disturbed due to the nature of his illness and advised against trying to find any of his relatives. The Physician was of the belief that Charles would fall into depression if he could not recognize anyone and it would affect the healing process. Six months after being admitted,
Charles skull was completely healed and they had no recourse but to discharge
him from the hospital.
Charles was in a dilemma as he was still suffering from amnesia and he had
no idea what was going to happen to him. The nurses in the hospital had taken up a
collection for him, about thirty shillings, and one of the Orderlies at the
hospital gave him a ride on his motorbike into the town. Charles was hoping that he would see a familiar face in the town, someone who could tell him who he was. While walking around aimlessly, trying to figure out his next move, Charles said he heard something that
sounded vaguely familiar. He headed in the direction of the sound!
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