Family Reunion (2 page)

whom they’ve truly yet to meet,

I love with all my heart, he makes my world complete.

My brother I worry, will not understand.

My father was absent, not giving my hand.

As for mother, she'll observe him,

with her insightful eye,

the reason I love him,

I know she’ll see why.

But oh, woe is me, I cannot be weak,

it’s my father and brother that scares me,

how my husband, that day they might greet.

Well… no matter the outcome,

I’ll discard my fear,

the day of my family,

has finally drawn near.

With the distance we’ve traveled,

preparation we’ve done…

we’re all together - finally,

for the family reunion.

Written by, Mercedes Keyes

Copyright © All Right Reserved

Chapter One

New York

"Hhhaaaw." Mike yawned. "Thank God we're finally here. I don't know, I don't think I'm cut out for sailing." He went on sleepily, his voice muffled with his head down in his folded arms, leaning on Manny's desk.

On the other side, Manny smiled as he went through his drawers, hunting down the slips he would use to fill out his crews pay drafts, all would be lined up first thing the following morning to receive their wages. Such a time consuming chore called for his immediate attention and he would not wait until the last minute to see to it. With them now on board the Princess, in Manny's office, he worked to put his business matters in order.

"It's your first trip son, you'll get used to it, when Leon joined me for the first time, he was ill for days. Took him a while to adjust, he did, so will you." He returned, locating what he searched for along with the agreement on the mansion he was having built in New York, on Cobble Hill. He had purchased a plot of land, a quarter of the size of Webster Fields, primarily to have a place that was comfortable close to the city, with adequate privacy. Considering the welcomed growth of his family, his townhouse apartment would no longer do.
He considered it too small
for Leon and himself as they were both bachelors, needing more space and privacy. Now with the addition of Mike's family, Manny was glad he’d initiated the contracts when he had.

Looking at the agreement, he wondered at its
progress, it should be done by now. He made a mental note to check on it following his morning duties. In the meantime, everyone had left the Flamingo following their docking to move stock and children to the Princess, which was constructed on a scale large enough to house one and all until the mansion was completed or other arrangements made. Manny found pleasure in thinking about the look on Mike's face, as well as his wife’s when they would eventually board the mighty vessel.

Manny had seen to every detail of the plans for designing the ship, making sure they matched his estimation and value of Lena, sparing nothing in its size or luxuries. The completed project had met with his approval when he had compared it to its namesake. Carrying her name, it would reflect her style, grace and elegance, while standing broad and majestic among the other ships moored nearby. He spared not a penny in his determination for it to stand as a ship fit for a queen, and it was. He knew there was no better place for the time being to house their family than the Princess Ceś alena.

"Well it is certainly quiet around here; the kids must be in bed."

"Yeah." Mike chuckled from his folded arms. "Maria put them all to bed because Felix once again succeeded in making her reach the end of her patience by throwing Celina's doll overboard. This in turn made Papo hit him, followed by a threat to toss him overboard." Both men laughed as Manny, murmured, "Ah…I wondered what that was about. Where is Esteban…I expected him to be here with us."

"He was the first to appreciate his cabin, poor kid, he's been retchin' his guts out on and off the entire trip. My poor son, he cannot even swim. I'm not so certain this all sits well with him."

"You'll have to teach him then, won't you? That might help him overcome his fear of the water, and go a long way to helping him deal with a life at sea." Manny suggested. Mike grunted, sounding as if he were falling off to sleep. Manny sat staring at the top of his sons head, reflecting on the adjustments they were making being together as much as they now were. He and Leon had gotten along much better and had moved into a relaxed way of being in each other's company; it was not the case with his son. With the passing of years, Manny still could not believe his eyes when he looked at Michael. To see this person, a reproduction of himself who shared not only aspects of his personality but also his voice and many of his gestures amazed Manny. However, whatever similarities there be, their differences were also abundant due to the extenuating circumstances in their lives. Manny sat trying to understand his son's way of thinking and how his life had made him the man, he had become.

While Manny, in
his own world and treatment of others, never gave a man special honor over another due to his race, this was not the case with his son because of the world he’d grown up in. Spending time with the adult Mike was teaching him that the difference the world made in men, made a definite impression on him.

What was startling to him, was that here was a person, essentially who
appeared
to be just like him, while in truth he was anything but, being whatever percentage of black he was from his mother. His son, although looking white, was very aware of being part black, and
that
made his reactions, his ambitions, his expectations, his fears, his aggressions different from Manny’s. In fact,
their
differences had already caused a few tense moments between them. He was no longer the young lad who looked forward to seeing him each day, hanging on to his every word.

Stolen as he was from him, then sold and bartered as many blacks were, had changed him significantly. Manny reflected that had it not occurred, he might have turned out a very different person from the one who had suffered such degradation. Manny was plagued by the feeling that Mike was only tolerant of his directions and plans because of a need to find Hope and his mother. Something told him, were it not for them, Mike would not have come with him to New York, he would have stayed behind. Manny was hurt by that knowledge. Helpless to fix the problem, he pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Son, you're tired…head off to bed."

Mike sat up, his eyes showing evidence of him falling off to sleep, rubbing them he sat a moment staring across the desk at his father.

"Where you headin'?" He asked yawning.

"To my apartment, one of the ledgers I'll need is there. I should also pick up a few things and bring them on the ship since we'll be staying here together. In addition, I have the matter of contacting Miss West. I'll probably be visiting her tonight."

"Your fiancée?" Mike asked.

"Not after tonight." Manny replied quickly, feeling his face burn from embarrassment, knowing the loyalty his son had towards his mother.

His imagination conjured thoughts he felt his son must have, although Mike had never voiced any criticism aloud. The fact that it had been years since he and Lena had been together, he felt would not matter to Mike. Even if his son did not feel those things, Manny still felt by being engaged, he was once again betraying Lena, feelings he’d had when he had married Katherine.

"Can I ask you something?" Mike ventured.

"Sure you can…anything."

"If…if you hadn't found me, would you have kept this engagement to marry her, Miss West?"

"Son, fifteen minutes after the deed was done, I'd changed my mind. My plans were to return and break it off. Finding you has nothing to do with it. I can no longer force myself to settle for someone who is not what I really want. I know that today, there are many marriages of convenience, but I'm not made up of the stuff to endure another one."

"I can't believe you divorced Miss Katherine."

"Well, truth be told, she filed and divorced me. I preferred that to the reverse, either way...the deeds done. When I re-marry, if I ever remarry, it will have to be to someone I am truly in love with and cannot imagine living without. Otherwise, I will be as you see me now, alone."

"Do you still love my mother?" Mike finally asked. Throughout the journey, east and then north they had avoided discussing his feelings and her. Sitting on a ship that bore her name seemed to make it natural that they should finally bring more out into the open.

"Son, I will never love anyone the way I loved Lena. Right now to this day, after all this time I love her no less and perhaps I dare say - I love her more. Does that sound mad?"

"No…not at all."

Manny leaned on the desk, a smile crossing his features as he reminisced, "You know she was so young when she came to Webster Fields, and oh so amazing I couldn't believe my eyes. She actually took my breath away – this energetic perfectly created creature was given to me."

Manny chuckled, his voice rolling jovially with his laughter as he sat back forming within his mind the day he had first set eyes her. "Son, I'm telling you, there she was, not half my weight fighting and determined to be set free." He laughed out, and went on to say, "Oh and the licking she laid on the slave keeper, and then she leapt up and slapped me and good!"

They both laughed. "I knew it…I don't know how, I just did. When my eyes fell on her something opened up inside of me and in she came. She – she brought meaning to my life Mike. It's hard to explain but she made me tingle, shiver and shake to be near her. All I know is that from the moment of her, my life's course became startlingly clear. The problem, she was a slave, a Negro. I tried to ignore the truth in what I felt for her." Manny paused in contemplation. "She – your mother, Lena, Princess Ceś alena was born to be – mine. She alone was meant to be with me. To enhance that part of me that gives me and all I do…purpose."

Manny stopped, staring through his son as he remembered them
together. Mike was quiet and fighting emotions connected to her. Both men sat with her on their minds. Manny felt his heart fluttering crazily as he remembered them together in bed the first time, she was so inquisitive and willing and he was eager to touch her, feel her, and enter her. He could see himself back then, much younger and in total wonder of this person that electrified him. Coming back to him was the fear he had suffered when she made her final attempt to escape him.

He thought he would go mad if he did not find her. The sound of her screaming was still vivid in his mind as he rushed upon the scene to see the trappers touching her… putting their filthy hands on her. He had wanted to rip them to shreds for daring to touch his Lena. He remembered being injured, she nursed him until his father and the overseers found them. That is when he had discovered that she carried his child. The son who sat across from him now, her tiny waist expanded round and beautiful. He loved seeing her with child, he would have carried her every where she went if he could have. He had touched her rounded belly often, feeling it, kissing it and listening to the events going on inside of her. Seeing her swollen with a babe had not dampened his desires either, but heightened them. Each pregnancy had been eagerly anticipated with two ending in tragedy. Had his two other sons lived, they would have been Jeremiah and Gabriel, along with Michael, all biblical names. He could not help but wonder what life would have been like had they lived. Maybe so much would be different for them now. Loss always seemed to be present for them, especially for him as he had lost them all. Coming back to the present, he focused on his son once again.

"I guess I'll head for bed now, you going to be alright?" Mike asked after the extended silence.

"Sure, I'm fine. You go on to bed; it'll be a while before I retire for the night."

Mike pushed his chair back and stood, pausing as if he was going to say something but then changing his mind, he said instead, "Goodnight …see you in the morning.

* * *