Family Reunion (38 page)

She needed something to excuse
her sudden stop, and noticed for the first time her missing shoe.

"My shoe! I've lost it somehow! It, it must have fallen off in the warehouse!" She told him. Her voice had been shaky, almost a cry, she hated her inability to appear passive when it came to him.

Manny's eyebrows pinched in confusion.
'Why does she sound on the verge of tears?'
He looked down at her, noticing her reluctance to face him, then down at her shoeless foot. "Don't worry about the shoe, here ... I'll carry you."

Lena's eyes widened in fear as he bent to pick her up. "No! Don't Manny ... I'll go look for it!" She screeched in panic. Knowing there was no way she could stand being in his arms, it would surely crush all of her resolve.

"Don't be silly, you're not going back in there for some slipper, I'll just carry you." He announced and swept her off of her feet before she could put her arms up to push him away. With her hands pressed against his powerful shoulders she struggled to get down. "Manny please, put me down!" She gasped with a hammering heart.

Immediately, Manny knew the error in picking her up. What his mind fought to forget, his body instantly remembered, and reacted. He grew short of breath as his heart matched hers in tempo. Lena froze as they both stared into each others eyes.

"There are tears in your eyes ... why?" He asked softly, huskily.

Lena swallowed but could not answer; she shook her head as the tears dropped. "Please, put me down." She begged.

Manny shook his head. "I can't." His chest rose with his deep breaths. "I can't." He repeated. With sad eyes gazing into his, Lena stopped her struggling. She felt herself weakening as her hand slowly rose from his chest to his cheek. She had to touch him, his face. Manny's chest rose and fell, while a maelstrom of emotions swirled within him. Her soft palm covered his cheek gently. The contact made them both tremble. His skin was bristly beneath her hand. Manny closed his eyes when her thumb came beneath his lower lip and brushed it lightly, voluntarily his head turned and he placed his lips in her palm where he couldn't help but lightly kiss, making her inhale sharply from the warmth of his mouth, sending heat spiraling throughout her body.

Now tears began to pour in earnest as her other hand came up to palm the other cheek and he turned kissing it, loving the feel of her hands on his face. He nipped at the heel of her palms with his teeth. Lena closed her eyes and knew she'd lost…again.
'God forgive me, if he is still the husband of another woman…but, I need him so.'

"Manny... I need you, please ...I need you." Those words were like a
stone thrown into a sheet of fragile glass. The whimpering cry set loose emotions so overwhelming that the meeting between them threatened to overcome all rational thought. Manny dropped her legs and grasped her to him so quickly and abruptly it knocked the air from her lungs. She only vaguely felt his huge palm at the back of her head. Then his lips met hers fiercely, desperately and demanding.

Lena sobbed as he ravaged her mouth as if starving. His strong arms crushing her body to his chest to the point that she felt she would faint. While one hand palmed her skull holding her mouth to his, his other arm, and hand ventured over her back, buttocks and up again so aggressively, she thought he might be trying to press her within his own body. He was shaking with his need for her, unashamed of the tears that ran down his face.

The traumatic waves of passion were so engulfing between them that Lena couldn't breathe. He was sucking the very air from her body and she felt if she did not tear her mouth away, she would pass out. With her arms around him, holding his neck and head, she forced her mouth aside as she gasped for air. Her lips were swollen and punished under his demanding ravishment, her head spun dizzily but still she clung to him as his hand held her head while his mouth went from her lips to her cheek, her temple, her eyes and her nose.

"Lena ... I love you ...I love you so, still ...I never stopped ...I've never stopped loving you...I looked for you Lena-…I-…" He panted crying.

"I waited for you Manny, I went to look for you ...I didn't want to leave you-…" She cried.

"I know those bastards took you away from me! For the life of me, I couldn't find you; I lost my mind and my heart... when I lost you-…" Manny sobbed.

"I was so afraid ...I thought I'd never see you again-…" Lena moaned.

"I'm here now Lena. I'm here now! I can't believe it! That you're here in my arms again, I can't believe it!"

"I know ...I know!" She cried and laughed at the same time.

"Lena ...I know it's all my fault but ... do you - still love me? I need to hear you say it! Please, tell me you still love me ...I need to hea-…"

"I love you! Yes! I love you! I never stopped!" She pledged breathlessly. "I swear to you, I never stopped!"

He leaned away from her to look into her eyes. "Lena, I promise, I won't make the mistakes I made in the past. I won't lose you again ... and if - there is anyone else, God help the man, you're mine! And I'll fight-…"

Lena shook her head smiling through her tears, with her
fingers lightly pressed to his lips. "There is no one Manny. The only male in my life is your son. I've wanted no one else, because no one else would ever do." Gently, she wiped at his tears saying, "All I ever wanted was you... that's all…just – you and your babies." With that said, she brought his lips back to hers.

Leon and Mike were back with the carriage, waiting around the corner from Manny and Lena.

"I think they've been there long enough now." Mike spoke up.

"Give them a few more minutes." Leon said. Mike shook his head, "No… that's enough, let's go for them." It was clear to see the reunion was complete between them when Leon and Mike turned the corner of the alley, because Manny and Lena were hungrily devouring each other.

Mike's gut tightened, his heart began pounding and he knew what this would eventually lead to between his parents. He couldn't help it. He didn't want his father taking liberties with his mother, so he hopped noisily out of the carriage and walked up behind them, clearing his throat loudly.

Manny and Lena froze, they were both breathing hard, unable to catch their breaths.

"Leon brought the carriage around."

"Leon!?" Lena cried out when she saw him leaning out of the carriage. "Oh my goodness…Leon!"

Manny shifted her in his arms and stepped with her toward the carriage, not failing to notice the look in his son's eyes.

"I really hated to break this up-..." Mike lied. "...but I think there is someone else who has been kept waiting long enough to see her mother." Just as Lena was in the wagon, hugging Leon, she turned at the words of her son and stared at him. Then with wide eyes she looked up at Manny who was climbing in across from her. Manny nodded in full agreement, his daughter had waited long enough.

"He's right, there's someone else who has been looking for you with such determination that she kept us all full of hope that we would find you."

"Are you telling me - you've found my Hope?"

"No ... she found us."

* * *

"What's taking them so long; they should have found her by now . . . I never should have left her. I should have followed them no matter what! If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself!" Rory agonized.

Never had he experienced anything as horrible as seeing his mother's life
being threatened.

"Calm down Rory, you did the best you could for her. You have to believe that my father will get to her in time." Hope consoled him, though she too was growing fearful as they sat still in the kitchen of Carmine's. "I don't understand, why were they after my mother?"

"You don't know?" Hope asked softly.

"Know what?"

"That your mother ... our mother was taken from her Island home long ago, when she was a young girl. Her father has been searching for her. Her father is a king, King LuMaden, our mother…his daughter, is a princess. He offered a very large sum in treasures for her return. That is why those men were after her." Rory stared at her as if she was crazy.

"A princess?"

"Yes Rory, a princess."

"She's a – a Negro. She's - black, how can she - be a princess?"

His statement took Hope so by surprise that she was at a loss for words.

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure. She may not be a princess in this land, but where she comes from, she is." Hope finally recovered enough to answer.

Rory took a moment to absorb that incredible bit of news.
'My mother ...a – Princess?'
He shook his head. "Whoa." He murmured softly and let out a deep sigh. "Who would have ever thought it?" He said to himself and then looked back at Hope a moment, "You, you look just like her."

"I know, I'm very fortunate."

"Mike, your brother-…"

"What do you mean, my brother, he's your brother as well." Hope cut him, off informing him.

'Oh Hell!'
He thought to himself. "Yeah, well ... he looks like your father, Mr. Webster. I wonder who my father is?"

Hope sat forward with an incredulous look on her face. "You are kidding aren't you?"

"No, I'm not."

"You little fool! He, our father, Maynard Ramsey Webster, is your father! You Rory are a Webster!" Rory felt his heart jump at her firm declaration

. "How do you know? I mean, I don't look like him; I don't even look like her. And - if he is my father, I can't see why my mother would be ashamed to tell me, she never would, no matter how I pleaded with her."

"I can't answer that for her, but I do know one thing, you are
just as much a part of them as Mike and I, no less. The reason you don't look like
our
father or our mother is because you look like your grandmother, Royal Sun, our father's mother. Everyone, including me, saw your resemblance to her from the moment we laid eyes on you. I think that's why father took to you so quickly. Deep inside, I think he knew, but was afraid to believe it."

"I look like his mother huh? You sure…I mean, really… I look like her. There is no doubt or nothing?"

"Well you don't look like her now. Right now, you look like shit smacked with a shovel but after that all goes away…you'll be looking like her." Hope said grinning, shocking him and Lettie who stood by.

Rory stared at her a moment more, not sure how to take this young woman who was his sister. He then turned away in case she saw the wonder in his one good eye.
'I have a father. I have a father! Not just any father ... but Maynard Ramsey Webster...is my father. I'm a Webster…I have a name.'
He cleared his throat trying to get his raging emotions under control; it was all too much.

Nevertheless, he was a bastard, but oh what a bastard to be, a rich man’s bastard. As much as it hurt, he had to smile to himself. Hope saw the smile, "I guess by that grin, that pleases you."

Rory looked back at her without really answering her question, as something else came to mind. "What happened? What happened to take her away from Webster Fields, away from our father? What made her close up and never want to speak of it again?"

Hope looked at him and asked. "You know about Webster Fields?"

"Yes, I know but what I don't know is what happened. What happened to take our mother away from there to New York, and away from our father? Away from you and Mike?"

"I think it would be best to allow those who know the answers better than anyone, tell you. It is a long, incredible story Rory, one, which I am just as eager to hear once again, but this time from our mother who knows all."

"I can't sit here any longer! I have to know what's going on!" Rory said, rising from his seat, immediately wincing in pain.

"Will you sit down before you cause further injury to yourself?"

Hope ordered and then gently coaxed him back into his chair.

"No, the pain is going away already." Rory tried to convince her, though his ribs and eye were throbbing, noticing as well that his jaw was in agony.

"Rory if you don't stay in that seat, I'm going to have to use forceful persuasion on you!" She threatened.

"You… don't act like a lady." Rory thought she should know that.

"Well, coming from you… I consider that a compliment."

Just as he was trying to understand that, Carmine walked into the kitchen from the restaurant as a firm knock sounded at his back alley door. Hope and Rory both looked up quieting as he walked to it and upon opening it gasped. "Miss Lena, oh my, look at you!" Hope stood feeling her insides quake. Carmine held the door open as Mike walked in carrying his mother in his arms; Manny, Leon and Joe were behind them.

"I'm okay Carmine; it's not as bad as it looks. Michael, you can put me down now." She pleaded. He grinned, "I don't know if I want to." He answered as they walked past the pantry door down the small path leading to the kitchen. They used the back entrance because Lena didn't want to startle or draw attention from the customers.

Hope stood by the table frozen as they came into view. As soon as Mike saw Hope, he placed Lena carefully on her feet. Lena was smiling up at him when he nodded toward his sister.