But the Children Survived

by A. L. Jambor

  Christie led him past one tiny house after another. He saw a lot of kids walking around and talking. At the very last house, Christie said, “We’re here,” and opened the door to Number 200. Mark wasn’t impressed.

  Christie told him she would get him some things from the store and that dinner was in a couple of hours. She said there was food at the store if he was hungry now, but he would have to get that himself.

  After she left, Mark took off his wet clothes and sat naked on the bed. He then fell into a sleep so deep that he never heard Christie come back with a change of clothes and soap.

  When he woke up, he changed into the new clothes and walked outside. He saw Christie walking his way. He didn’t think she saw him, so he went back inside and closed the door. He watched out his window until she had passed. He was going to open his door when he noticed someone following Christie. It was a girl with wavy blond hair.

  She was cute for a girl, and she piqued Mark’s interest. After she had passed his house, he cracked the door open and looked outside. He saw her going into a door at the end of the building. She was obviously sneaking into that room.

  When she shut the door, Mark walked outside and ran to the door. He opened it and saw her hanging on the railing overlooking something. He quietly walked over to the railing and stood next to her. She was looking at a big field full of vegetables.

  She turned suddenly when she felt him near her. He looked into her blue-gray eyes and thought she was an angel. He couldn’t let her know that he liked her.

  “Who are you?” She whispered.

  "My name is Mark,” he said.

  They stared at each other for a few seconds and then back at the farm.

  "That thing is really big,” Mindy said. “How did they ever make that?”

  "They dug a big hole,” Mark said, and then he turned and went out the door. Mindy followed him.

  "My name is Mindy,” She said as she ran after Mark.

  "Good for you,” Mark said. “Now please leave me alone.”

  *****

  Calvin noticed the lack of bodies littering the street where Mark lived. He mentioned it to Mark.

  "Yeah, the beach is clean too, but just around here.”

  They all got out of the car and walked toward the beach. Baby Girl ran ahead with her ears flapping in the wind. When they got to the beach, Calvin surveyed the area. It really was strange that the beach was so clean.

  "See, down there,” Mark said. “You can still see stuff on the beach. And look down there.”

  Calvin agreed it was weird. He wished he could strip off this suit and smell the salt air and feel the wind on his face.

  "I gotta get back, kids.” And with that he walked back to the car. The kids followed behind him.

  When they got to the car, Calvin turned to look at them.

  "I wish I could hug you, but I’m afraid to rip your suit,” Mindy said.

  "That’s okay, little lady. I can imagine it. Now, you hear me, big man, you take care of this woman, you hear?”

  Mark nodded.

  "I’ll come back in a couple of weeks to check on you.”

  Calvin climbed into the driver’s seat. He looked at the kids and waved. He then started the car and drove away. Mark and Mindy with Baby Girl at her feet, walked up to the house.

  "Wait till you see my vegetables,” Mark said as he let her inside the house.

  PART TWO

  ANTONIO RUSSO

  Chapter 21

  Florence, Italy

  Antonio Russo was a good boy. His mama always told him so. He was a kind, loving boy with a keen interest in science. Even at the age of 6, he was already astounding his teachers with his keen observations. This made his papa very proud.

  Antonio was devoted to his mama. He would follow her around the house and when someone asked him a question, he would whisper the answer in his mama’s ear so that she could relay his response. He would often stand behind her when he was with strangers. Even though his mama scolded him for being too shy, secretly she enjoyed his dependence. It made her feel needed.

  Antonio was born with a gift for persuasion. He could talk his papa into anything, but his mama not so much. When his papa asked Antonio why he always came to him with his requests, Antonio would reply, “Because mama always says no.” Then his papa would look into Antonio’s big brown eyes and give in.

  As he grew older, he was able to talk most people into doing what he wanted them to do, and they wouldn’t know how he had done it. He was charming and attractive, and he frequently used his powers of persuasion on the ladies, young and old.

  When Antonio was 8 years old, his mama suffered a miscarriage. This was the latest of several she’d experienced over the last 8 years since Antonio was born. The doctor had warned her against having another pregnancy, but Ramona Russo was a devout Catholic who loved her husband very much, so another pregnancy was inevitable.

  This was her fourth miscarriage. She was making lunch for little Antonio when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Ramona was familiar with the pain and she cried out for Antonio to call the ambulance. She fell to the floor and passed out while little Antonio ran for the lady who lived next door. She ran to Antonio’s apartment, shielding him from the sight of Ramona bleeding out on the kitchen floor.

  The men from the ambulance tried to revive Ramona without success. Antonio grabbed her hand and held on tight as they removed her body to the ambulance. That night, and for many nights thereafter, Antonio cried himself to sleep grieving for his mama.

  Antonio’s papa owned a small bakery in Florence. His shop was near the university and, between the students and the tourists, Guido Russo was kept quite busy. When Ramona died, Guido began spending more time at the bakery and less at home with little Antonio.

  He gave some money to the neighbor, Signora Calabrese to care for Antonio. Signora Calabrese was a widowed grandmother who indulged Antonio as if he were her own child. She encouraged his interest in science, and when he said he wished he could have saved his mama, she told him to learn his lessons well so he could find a cure for the loss of babies. With Signora Calabrese, or Nona as he called her, Antonio had been able to overcome his feelings of loss and was able to remember his mama with love and peace.

  Antonio excelled in school, and at sixteen he entered the University of Florence to study biochemistry. His professors were impressed at the speed with which Antonio learned and were forever challenging him. Antonio would make a fine doctor one day they would tell him. But Antonio didn’t want to become a doctor. He wanted to find a cure for the condition that caused his mother’s continued spontaneous abortions. He decided to visit his mother’s doctor, Dr. Fabiano, and ask him what he believed had caused his mother’s miscarriages.

  In the waiting room of Dr. Dominic Fabiano, Antonia was surrounded by pregnant woman. The women were all smiling at Antonio and occasionally would talk to each other and giggle. When he was called into the Dr.’s office, Antonio turned and bowed to the ladies.

  Dr. Fabiano was a large, handsome man with a huge mane of gray hair. His eyebrows were bushy and his face was quite red. He stood when Antonio entered and told Antonio to sit down. Dr. Fabiano had delivered Antonio 18 years before and was delighted to see what a fine young man he had become.

  "Ah, your mama would be so proud of you. You are so tall and handsome.” He beamed at Antonio.

  "Thank you, doctor. I came today to ask you something about my mother. I am studying biochemistry at the University and I wanted to know the cause of my mother’s miscarriages.”

  Antonio watched Dr. Fabiano. He could see a cloud come over the doctor’s face.

  "Well, you know, Antonio, that is private information. I don’t know if I should share that with you.” Dr. Fabiano put on his most serious face.

  "But surely when someone has passed away, it’s okay to discuss these things with their families.” Antonio flashed a smile at Dr. Fabiano. “My mama had a dream, Dr. Fabiano. Her dream was to help other woman
to have children. I was with her when she died, Dr. Fabiano. With her last breath she said, ‘Antonio, you must help the ladies’ and then she died in my arms. I couldn’t promise my Mama to her face, so I promised her in my prayers. Please, Dr. Fabiano, you must tell me.”

  Dr. Fabiano was truly moved by Antonio’s plea, however fabricated it may have been. He could see no harm in sharing a dead woman’s medical history with her adult son. He had followed protocol at all turns, even advising Ramona to use precautions to avoid pregnancy.

  "You have argued well, young Antonio. Let me ask my nurse where your mama’s file would be.”

  Dr. Fabiano slowly rose from the desk and walked to the office door. He opened the door and called to his nurse. He spoke to her in low tones and then turned around and closed the door.

  After he sat back down, he told Antonio that he would have to order her file and would have it for him in a couple of days. He stood again and put out his hand, indicating to Antonio that the interview was over.

  Two days later, Dr. Fabiano’s nurse called Antonio to tell him the file was ready. He picked it up after school and read it on the bus home. His mother had a condition called cervical insufficiency. Her cervix would begin to dilate too early in the pregnancy. Her miscarriages would occur while she was well into her second trimester.

  With Antonio, she had been ordered to bed. With her other pregnancies, she had been caring for Antonio and would not stay in bed long enough. In order to help women like his mother, Antonio would have to discover something that would help strengthen the cervix to keep it strong until the infant had reached maturity.

  Antonio now had a plan to follow. He would study cervical insufficiency and find a chemical formula that would end this type of miscarriage forever.

  *****

  In the spring of 1987, Antonio was sitting in the university library. He had recently graduated with a master’s degree in biochemistry and was working on his doctorate. Antonio was closing a book when he was approached by an older professor named Dr. James Wilmer.

  Dr. Wilmer was the son of the pharmaceutical magnet Matthew Wilmer of Wilmer and March Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Wilmer had chosen a life in academia rather than join his father’s research labs in New Jersey. His reason for approaching Antonio was to ask him about his research into human conception.

  "I was told you are determined to end the spontaneous loss of pregnancy. Have you made any headway?”

  Antonio noticed that Dr. Wilmer, while semi-fluent in Italian, would perhaps be more comfortable speaking English. Antonio, like many of his European brothers and sisters, had been taught English throughout his years in primary school and was fluent. He also believed that his American accent was superb.

  "Dr. Wilmer, we may speak in English. I’ve been having little success in this particular field.”

  "I’m sorry to hear that.” Dr. Wilmer sat down on the opposite side of the table. He had a file in his hand and he slid it towards Antonio. When Antonio opened the file, he found a Life magazine dated April, 1953.

  "A magazine. A very old magazine. Thank you, Dr. Wilmer.”

  "Open it, Antonio. I’ve marked the page,” Dr. Wilmer said. “I am trying to help you.”

  Antonio opened to the marked page. There was a picture of a young woman dressed in a khaki tailored shirt with buttoned pockets. She had short brown hair over which she wore a short-brimmed hat. She had expressive brown eyes. Behind her was a primitive looking village with grass huts and small, brown-skinned natives. The young woman was holding a strange looking plant with a dark green center edged in purple. The caption read “The Miscarriage Miracle in the Rainforest.”

  "Why have you shared this with me, Dr. Wilmer? You don’t even know me.”

  Dr. Wilmer sat and thought for a minute.

  "I heard you were a great student. I also heard you were a decent man. I don’t know for sure, but I believe my father had some dealing with Miss DeMorte sometime in the 50’s. My father believed that all his kids should work a real job so we could all appreciate the value of a dollar.

  “I worked in the warehouse for three years while going to high school. I used to pack up and ship out medical supplies to a woman in Brazil named Margaret DeMorte. One day I asked the foreman who she was and he said he had no idea, but the order came from the New Mexico labs. This has to be the same woman.”

  Antonio was looking through the article.

  "It says this plant has been taken by the natives for hundreds of years to prevent miscarriage. Why would your father be sending her medical supplies?”

  "I think he was trying to use her plants to create some sort of anti-miscarriage drug. That means he has research somewhere at Wilmer-March. But who knows? Maybe he just had a thing for her, or it was a tax write-off. I wasn’t privy to that kind of information, and he never talked about it and other than the stuff I sent her. I never saw her name or the name of her plant anywhere else. If he had worked on a drug, it never passed trials or we would have heard about it. I just thought it might help you to see if this woman is still alive.”

  Antonio’s eyes lit up.

  "Yes, I could ask her about this. It’s a place to start. I was getting very discouraged. What a wonderful idea, Dr. Wilmer.”

  Dr. Wilmer smiled a weary smile. He remembered being that enthusiastic until time and disappointment had taken their toll.

  "I would need to go to Brazil. I could take a sabbatical from my studies to go there. I’ll have to ask my father to help me.”

  Dr. Wilmer looked at Antonio. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his checkbook. He wrote a check for $5,000 American dollars and gave it to Antonio. Antonio blushed and shook his head.

  "Listen, kid, I’ve got more money than I know what to do with. Besides, if you can kick my brother in the ass with this money, that would make my day.”

  James Wilmer got up and reached across the table. Antonio took his hand and shook it.

  "Let me know what happens, kid.”

  Dr. Wilmer turned and walked out of the library, leaving a very excited Antonio shaking from head to foot.

  *****

  Antonio arranged his leave from the university. When he told his nona, she cried and told him she would die while he was in the jungle. Antonio hugged the old woman, trying to reassure her that he would come back and she would see him again. He kissed her goodbye and, taking his suitcase in his hand, left the old apartment and headed to his papa’s bakery.

  Papa was pounding dough when Antonio arrived at the bakery. His papa was covered with sweat and flour. The older man looked at his son and tears filled his eyes. He knew his Antonio was on his way to a new life, even if Antonio didn’t know it yet.

  Guido walked him to the sidewalk outside the bakery and lit a cigarette. They stood there a few moments contemplating what to say to each other. They hadn’t had much contact over the years, but they still loved each other. They just didn’t have much in common anymore. After a few minutes of silence, Guido looked into his son’s eyes, took his face between his hands, and kissed him on each cheek.

  "I’m sorry I left you so long, Antonio. I missed your mama so much. Please don't forget your papa. You come back soon, you hear?”

  "I will, papa, I have to finish my studies at the university. I will not leave you, Papa.”

  Guido cried and hugged his son. Antonio held his papa tightly. When they parted, Guido went back into the bakery and Antonio, brushing bits of flour off his jacket, walked to the train station to catch a train to Roma and the airport.

  Chapter 22

  Brazil

  Antonio landed in Manaus, Brazil and headed for the Porto Flutuante, where he bought a ticket on a boat heading up the river. He hadn’t been able to contact Margaret Demorte; however, he had found someone at the Italian Consulate in Rio De Janeiro who had heard of her and knew where he needed to go to find her.

  The gentleman had also arranged for a guide to take him there. All he had to do was get to Itacoatiara, where the guide would
meet him and take him the rest of the way. Antonio was thrilled when he reached Itacoatiara and he saw the guide standing by the dock with a sign that read “Russo.”

  They paddled up the river for several miles. Just before nightfall, the guide docked the boat at what appeared to be a dirt path leading into a dense forest. Antonio felt apprehensive, but he had no choice but to follow the small man, who seemed to be in an awful hurry.

  They walked through the darkening jungle until they saw lights ahead. Antonio was swatting insects and trying to keep up while hauling a large duffle bag. Finally, they emerged into a clearing where several huts lined one side, with two larger huts on the other side. There was a really old Quonset hut at the end of the row of smaller huts.

  The guide walked over to the first large hut and climbed the steps to the door. He knocked and entered the door and Antonio, who was waiting at the foot of the stairs, could hear him talking to the hut’s resident in Portuguese. Then the little man turned to Antonio and waved at him.

  Antonio left his duffle and went up the stairs. As he entered the door, he was greeted by a larger man. The guide indicated the big man could help him. The guide made a small bow and left Antonio with the large gentleman.

  "You want to see Maggie. Why do you want to see her?”

  The man looked to be in his late 60’s, early 70’s. He looked like one of the villagers Antonio had seen in the Life photo, but much larger. Antonio was glad to hear him speak English.

  "I’m a student from the University of Florence. I read an article in Life magazine about Miss DeMorte. I wanted to meet her.” Antonio was noticeably nervous.