by Dane Bagley
The family stopped and looked at each other momentarily. It was not unusual to have visitors, or other interruptions in the evening. But somehow, no one had envisioned this special family occasion being interrupted. Roloff arose and headed through the living room to the front door.
Caryell turned his attention back to his plate, while Aspiria picked up her fork and poked at her food, but couldn’t help but listen to what was happening in the other room.
Roloff was unable to hide his disappointment when he saw who was at the door. Seryen Olefften was a younger man than Roloff, a little over forty. He was tall and slender with a very dark complexion, more gray than olive. He did not have very attractive features. His eyes were also very dark, and inset deeply. His left eye and orbit were situated somewhat higher than the right giving his face an awkward, uncomfortable appearance. He wore no facial hair, though his face was scarred, likely from bad adolescent acne. His hair was dark and straight, and he kept it combed back and to the left.
Seryen could tell that his intrusion was not received with joy this evening. Seryen had been by to interrupt Roloff in the evening several times before. He knew that it was Roloff’s custom to open his door widely, and then quickly and warmly invite his visitors in. Tonight however, he opened the door just enough to see whom it was and was dressed much nicer that he usually would be for an evening at home. The greatest indication of Roloff's displeasure was that he wore an expression on his face which seemed to say, “I do hope that this is not important, and that it will not take long.”
Mr. Olefften was a very serious man, and as Roloff opened the door to greet him, he had a characteristic stoic expression on his face. Seryen had always felt awkward when he went into the Palador home; his demeanor did not match the warm and friendly atmosphere there. Subconsciously it caused him some stress as he knocked on the door, trying to prepare himself for the transition he would have to make. It was, however, doubly awkward this evening, as he saw Roloff with his serious demeanor and was unsure how to proceed.
Roloff recovered more quickly; as he opened the door a little more and smiled, he said, “Come in, my friend.” Seryen truly was a friend, but his unexpected presence always indicated a problem or concern. Seryen was a part of the town council of which Roloff was the head and was dedicated to this position to the utmost degree. Seryen was the first person thought of whenever anyone in town had a problem, because he would take it upon himself willingly and dutifully to help in whatever way possible. Ironically, he and his wife Prianna were typically the last people considered when the people in town made invitations for social occasions.
“I am sorry for my intrusion this evening, Mayor Palador,” he said as he entered the door with his head bent down, his eyes making contact with the floor. “I would not be here except that…I am afraid that this matter will require your attention this evening.”
Roloff's heart sank as he heard those words. He had already resigned himself to this reality, but somehow hearing it expressed destroyed any hopes left that an evening at home with his family was possible.
“Leave the matter a bit; you must be hungry by now and Aspiria has prepared a marvelous feast. Come in and share some with us,” said Roloff, not yet wanting to hear the details of this matter of concern.
The aroma in the air left little doubt as to the exquisiteness of the feast in the next room. Seryen was hungry, and even if he were not, he knew from past experience that it would be futile to refuse Roloff. “Thank you,” he said, and followed Roloff into the dining area.
As Roloff went to get a plate, cup, and utensils, Seryen walked over towards the table. Aspiria stood and with the best smile she could muster and gave Seryen her hand. Caryell stayed sitting, chewing his most recent bite, but turned toward Mr. Olefften with a bright smile in his eyes.
“Mrs. Palador, Caryell, good evening,” he said formally. Suddenly a look of horror transformed his face; looking at the table and then at the family members a terrible realization hit him. “Tonight is Caryell's special feast! I should have known. I am so sorry to disturb you this evening,” he said with despair.
Perhaps he should have known that all the young men Caryell's age were having their special feast this day in honor of the beginning of their journey into manhood. He had plenty of time to think as he walked for about twenty minutes in route to the Paladors’ home. But family matters where not on his mind. He and Prianna had been married for nearly twenty years. In the early years of their marriage having children was on the forefront of their minds. But as time went on, and it looked increasingly impossible that they would be blessed with children, he kept his mind off the subject as much as possible, it being too painful to consider. Rather, he occupied himself and his thoughts chiefly with civic duties, and kept himself thus so absorbed as to avoid most reminders of this unpleasant reality. His wife Prianna, on the other hand, had a much more difficult time keeping this, her deepest regret, off of her mind. But she also engaged herself primarily in public service, and did her best to appear content. If Prianna had been with me this afternoon, she would have reminded me, he thought as he searched for a way to rectify the situation. “Perhaps, if you could advise me on the matter, I could take care of this myself,” he said hopefully, but even as he said it, he knew this was impossible.
“Perhaps, if you told me what this is all about first, then we could decide what needs to be done,” Roloff said cheerfully. “But unless the town is burning to the ground, we have a few moments to eat.” Roloff handed Aspiria the plate, and sat down, motioning for Seryen to do the same. Caryell held out his hand and shook it vigorously. Aspiria handed him a plate filled generously with the feast, and Seryen reluctantly took his place.
For a few minutes there was silence around the table as Seryen began to eat. Aspiria, like most people in town, found the Olefftens, particularly Seryen, difficult to associate with. Still, she treated them well, and Aspiria was one of Prianna’s closest friends. In part this was because the Paladors were good to everyone, but it was also because she felt more understood by Aspiria than other women. The Paladors too had a difficult time in having children, and Caryell was considered a great blessing.
Mr. Olefften was not Caryell's favorite of his father’s visitors. Primarily this was because he paid Caryell very little attention, but also because Caryell could sense his awkwardness. Even so, Caryell liked him well enough.
“Thank you, this feast is delicious,” Seryen said quietly, but still breaking the silence. He grabbed his drink, and washed down his most recent bite and sat back a little. “The Lodophins had quite a scare today. Alleff, Mrs. Lodophin’s youngest son, put a letter opener, all steel, into their electrical socket. The safeties blew, but not before it gave him quite a shock. He has pretty good burns on his right hand and leg, apparently where the charges entered and exited.”
“Oh, that’s terrible, is the child alright?” Aspiria interjected with a look of concern on her face.
“Alleff has been under Dr. Benren’s care all afternoon, and he should be just fine. It seems to have calmed him down, so perhaps he won’t be up to so much mischief, at least for a little while,” Seryen said with a hint of a grin.
Bellerie Lodophin was a heavy-set woman in her mid-thirties. She had five boys, and no girls. Alleff, the youngest, was four, and the oldest was fourteen. The Lodophin boys were a wild bunch. If any boys needed a father around, it was these boys, though they were not much different before their father’s untimely death three years prior. Mrs. Lodophin was a very eccentric woman. People in town would say that handling those boys would drive anyone nuts. She did not hesitate to call on the school, church, and civic leaders for help whenever the need arose, and it arose often. Seryen, naturally, was called on quite often, but unlike others in town, she did not seem to be as concerned as to whether those whom she called upon for assistance were as desirous to give that assistance. Her pleas went in every direction. She was as powerful and
manipulative with the leaders of the community in getting what she wanted as she was inept in controlling her boys.
Bellerie Lodophin had been left with a very generous inheritance by her late husband, for which people in town were generally grateful. She took many trips to the city, unlike most people in their town of Arkasia. A much-needed respite, by most accounts. There, she gained an appreciation for the modern conveniences of life for which electrical power was required, and which was not available in Arkasia.
She was the first to petition the town council for electrical power a couple of years ago. Though most people in town were intrigued by the idea, cost was the major obstacle. Bellerie offered to donate a section of her land for the electrical substation to be built upon. Actually, the arrangement turned out to be more like a leasing of the property. The city’s electrical company would pay for the line to the substation, and for half of the cost of the substation. The members of the town then would only be required to pay for half of the substation, and the lines to each individual residence.
Ordinarily the council would have simply decided such matters, as they had the authority to do so, but because of the cost and radical nature of the endeavor, they chose to put this issue to a vote of the people. With just over two thousand adults in the town of Arkasia and the surrounding area, the vote was 1,604 in favor, and 208 opposed. Within a year the town was electrified.
Sensing where this discussion was going, Roloff asked, “How is Mrs. Lodophin doing?”
“That's just it; she is threatening to have the substation removed from her property. She says that she must speak with you immediately. I assured her that you had not been by because you knew nothing of the incident. I believe that when she sees that Alleff is alright, and has calmed down, that she will change her mind. I could go back and tell her that it is Caryell’s special day, and that you will be by in the morning.”
“No, I am sure that she will be expecting me soon. We had better get going,” Roloff said while getting up from the table.
Aspiria also arose and said, “Let Mrs. Lodophin know that I will be by to check on Alleff in the morning.” She walked over to kiss Roloff goodbye.
“I will try to not be gone too long; I hope to be back in time to share some of that cake,” Roloff said reassuringly. “Caryell, I am sorry to have to leave. I hope you know what a wonderful son you are, and what a special day I have enjoyed with you.”
Caryell came and gave his father a hug. “I do, Father, I love you. Thank you for everything.”
Seryen finished a few remaining morsels in the meantime. Then he thanked and apologized to Aspiria again, while getting up in preparation to return again to the Lodophins.
Chapter 7
