Southern Treasures

by Coleman, Lynn A.

  Bea raised her eyebrows but didn’t comment. The three women made short work of it, and Peg gathered the larger cloth around the smaller items and wrapped the edges like a bowl. “Now a delivery man.” Peg scanned the street. “Mariella, there’s Ben Hunte. Grab him.”

  Mariella hurried out the front door.

  “Okay, what’s really the matter, Bea?” Peg quickly asked.

  Bea’s smile slipped. “Later. Can Mariella go home before you?”

  “Yes. I can send her on another errand.”

  Mariella and Ben returned promptly. “Ben, Mariella knows where this needs to be delivered. We don’t want the folks to know where it came from. Just tell them that God loves them.”

  “I can do that.”

  Peg reached into her purse and pulled out a silver dollar, handing it to Ben. “Thanks, Ben.”

  “Nope, it’s Christmas. You keep the money. My part of the gift will be the delivery.” Ben winked.

  “You’re growing up too fast, Mister Hunte,” Bea praised. Peg placed the coin back in her purse.

  A bright white grin appeared on his chestnut brown face. He scooped up the package. “Lead the way, Mariella.”

  “What’s that gift about?” Bea settled on the stool opposite Peg’s.

  “Mariella has a young friend whose father died in the war. Her mother and she are all alone. I gather they have no other family in the area. I don’t know for sure, just my gut instinct. The war’s been over for a couple years now. But this young mother appears to have no one else around. Anyway, Mariella kept eying this stuffed animal in the store. Naturally, I thought she liked it and I was going to bring it home for her, in secret, of course.” Peg winked. “But it turns out it was for this friend. We just went shopping in the store and gathered a few more items to go with the stuffed animal.”

  “A few, huh?” Bea chuckled.

  “What really brought you in here huffing and puffing?” Peg rubbed her leg.

  “Juan and Grace. The way I heard the rumor was that he was forcing her to return to Cuba with him.”

  Peg laughed and gathered the leftover pieces of fabric and ribbon and put them away under the counter. “This island.”

  “They were half right. But I wanted to make sure he wasn’t forcing her to do anything she didn’t want to do.”

  “Grace is beginning to show. Juan did find a job working on a tobacco farm in Cuba. If they return to Cuba together, they will face less shame. They married a couple days ago but will be staying through the holiday with her family.”

  “I’m happy for Grace if this is what she wants.”

  “She and Juan talked many times. You’d be proud of Grace. She held her own. Juan definitely had to prove his love before she agreed. She didn’t want to go to Cuba only to have her husband run off on her again. Her parents gave her a small gift. Juan sees it as a small jewelry case. There’s a secret panel in the box that, once removed, reveals some silver and gold coins.”

  “What?”

  “It’s for the just-in-case scenario. If Juan should take off on Grace, she has the money to return home to Key West.”

  “That’s not showing much confidence in Juan.”

  Peg folded her arms around her chest. “It’s the money her parents set aside for her wedding. Juan left her once. Grace’s father isn’t confident the man will stay by her. Personally, I think he will, but her father has a point.”

  “As a parent, I guess I can understand Grace’s father’s actions. If I had a daughter I’d want her to be safe.”

  Peg agreed.

  “Is Matt coming to your house for Christmas dinner?”

  Peg’s heart hammered in her chest. Tears began to pool in her eyes. “No, I don’t think I’ll be seeing Matthew Bower again. At least, not on a personal level.”

  “What happened?”

  Peg took in short gasps of air. How could she explain? “I think Matt knows about Billy Ingles and our having a baby.”

  “How? Did you tell him?”

  “No, I didn’t tell him. Although I was about to. Our relationship was beginning to develop to a point that if we were to go further I would have no choice but to tell him about my past. But just as we were about to share our first kiss, Daniel came storming into the house, saw that the two of us were alone, and hit the ceiling. It was horrible, Bea. I’ve never seen Daniel behave in such a way before. Granted, I’d never given him the opportunity to be so upset with me. But we’re grown adults. Matt and I can have a moment or two alone, can’t we?”

  “Yes, you can. But I don’t understand why that is enough to prevent you and Matt from seeing each other again.”

  “Micah, Matt’s son, is the spitting image of Billy Ingles. I just about fell off my feet when I saw him. Of course, I’m a tad bit unstable on this leg.” Peg added, feigning humor.

  “How can Matthew Bower’s son look like Billy Ingles?”

  “He’s not an exact copy, and granted I didn’t see him up close. He’s just familiar enough that I don’t doubt that Matt or his wife must have been a relative of Billy’s. Somehow Matt must know the truth about my past. And now he doesn’t trust me.”

  ❧

  Matt fought the need to run, to remove Micah from harm’s way all afternoon. The battle waging inside himself was only compounded by the loving gifts that had been brought to his door. Island residents blessed him with home-baked goods for his and Micah’s Christmas dinner. He had been given more dinner invitations then he recalled ever having received for all the social occasions he and his wife attended while living in Savannah.

  “Reconsidering?” Micah asked, stepping out of the bedroom.

  “No, not really. But it will be hard on the folks here when they discover we’re not going to move the business to Key West.”

  “You haven’t explained why. What has happened since our last correspondence?”

  Micah sat down across from him. His son’s blue eyes were so like Peg’s. The set of those eyes, and the bridge of his nose… Would he ever be able to look at his son and not see Peg Martin, his birth mother? The same woman he had fallen in love with. God, help me. I can’t believe I have such strong feelings for her. If I tell her and Micah… He hesitated. What would they do?

  “Father?”

  “I’m not satisfied with the property. The size of the warehouse I’d be able to build wouldn’t suffice. We’d need an additional location, which would mean additional transportation of the goods to and from the harbor.”

  “But I thought you said you could build upon the present structure.”

  “True, but I’ve been reconsidering.”

  “Would you mind terribly showing me the property? Perhaps I could come up with an alternative. That isn’t to say I don’t think you’ve explored all the options but…”

  “No, I don’t mind.” Matt pulled out his pocket watch. Peg would have left the store hours ago. It was safe to go there. “Why don’t we go now before the sun sets?”

  Micah gave him a lopsided grin. “Sounds good.”

  The two of them headed toward the harbor, back toward Southern Treasures. The sign on the door said CLOSED. Matt breathed a sign of relief.

  Micah placed an arm across his father’s shoulder. “Is she someone I should meet?”

  Matt blinked back the honest question from his son. Yes, he should. But if he did, their lives would be forever altered. “I think it’s best that we not pursue a relationship.”

  “So, you did find someone?” Micah grinned. “Mother would be pleased, you know.”

  “What?” Matt walked around to the backside of Peg’s store. The fresh boards reminded him of the horrid scene when he came upon seeing Peg twisted between the rotting boards.

  “Look, I’m not the one to give you advice about love and relationships. I’m still learning that for myself. But like I said, Mother and I spoke on the matter before she died. We both agreed a good wife would be best for you.”

  “You two decided, huh?” Matt teased.


  “Come on, Father, you like her, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I like her. But we come from different backgrounds. Our values are not the same.”

  “She’s not a believer?”

  “No, she’s a believer. Has a healthy relationship with the Lord. It’s not that.” How much longer could he skirt around the real issue?

  “Anna isn’t a believer, which is one of the reasons I know she’s not the right one for me. At first I wondered if God would use our friendship to help bring her to salvation. I still hope He might. But I know it’s wrong to set one’s heart on an unbeliever. So I kept my guard up. Slowly, I began to see that, while we had some similar interests, we looked at life totally differently. In a way, she thinks the world owes her something, I guess because her father was hung for murder when she was a tiny baby. She doesn’t see a need to give something back to society.”

  “Ah, I’ve met a few of those in my lifetime. It’s one of the things we need to guard ourselves against with our employees. Some feel they don’t need to work for their wages. Just their showing up should be enough.”

  Micah chuckled. “You wouldn’t believe how many assumed, because you were gone, that I would be an easy touch. You’ve taught me well, Father. Hard work is to be rewarded. Sloths can find the door.”

  Matt grinned. “I’m proud of you, Son. But tell me, is this what you want to do with your life? Peg made me realize that I’d done the same with you as my father had done with me. I’ve assumed you would want to take over the business one day. You don’t have to; the choice is yours. You can use your education and pursue any career you’d like.”

  “Now I’m definitely going to have to meet this Peg Martin.”

  Matt’s stomach tightened.

  “What’s the matter, Father? What happened between the two of you?

  Seventeen

  Matt sat down on the end of the dock and patted the board beside him. Taking in a deep breath he let it out slowly. “Micah, I have something to tell you. But before you hear it, I need to hear you say that you know that I love you.”

  “Father, I know you love me. I’ve never doubted that love for a moment.”

  “Good, because what I’m about to tell you will shake the very foundations of that love.”

  “What?”

  “Bear with me, Son. This is difficult.”

  Micah nodded and clenched the end of the dock, rocking slightly.

  “About three months ago, I was called to a man’s bedside because he was dying, and he felt he needed to tell me something about his past.”

  Micah nodded, his face sharp with interest.

  “His name was Doctor Baker.”

  “Our old doctor?”

  Micah gave a single nod. “Doc Baker said he needed to tell me something. I had no idea what it was. I thought a pastor would be the more appropriate person, but a man doesn’t turn aside a dying man’s request.”

  Micah’s golden brown eyebrows knitted.

  Matt took in another deep breath and eased it out slowly. Oh, Lord, help me do this right, he silently prayed. “He told me that he had taken a newborn baby from a young mother and replaced it with an infant that had died during childbirth.”

  “What? Who did he think he was, God?”

  “Apparently. He reasoned that this young mother, who wasn’t married, wouldn’t be able to raise the child. And the couple whose child had died would be good parents.”

  “But that’s unethical.” Micah’s sense of justice and the idealism of youth brought out his zeal for what was right.

  “Exactly.”

  “Why was he telling you this? Why are you telling me?”

  Matt paused. “Because, Micah, my dear, dear son—” Matt choked back the tears.

  “No!” Micah blurted. “No, Father. It can’t be true. I’m your son.”

  “Yes, you are my son. Nothing will ever change that.” Tears streamed down Matt’s face. “I love you. You’re as much a part of me as life itself. I didn’t want to believe it, either. But as some time passed, I started putting some things together.”

  “Such as?” Micah’s knuckles were white from holding the deck so tightly.

  “You’re hair and skin coloring. No one in my family or your mother’s has blond hair.”

  “But…” Micah’s eyes brimmed with tears.

  “It doesn’t change the fact that I love you, Micah. I loved you as my son and you are my son. I’ve raised you. You’re a part of me and your mother. Nothing will ever change that.”

  “Did he tell you who I really am?” Micah looked out at the sea.

  “Yes,” Matt whispered.

  “And?” Micah demanded.

  “I don’t know who your father is, but he gave me the name of the girl who gave birth to you.”

  “And?” Micah raised his voice, his gaze now firmly planted on Matt’s own.

  Please, Lord, help him understand. “She moved away from Savannah twenty years ago.”

  “Who is she? Where is she?”

  “I tracked her down, Micah.” Matt paused. “I’m so sorry, Son. I thought of not telling you. But I honestly don’t know that I could keep it in much longer. The fact is, the girl who gave birth to you lives on Key West.”

  “That’s why you came here? Why didn’t you tell me? Why all this secretiveness? We’ve never kept secrets before. Not about Mother dying—nothing, ever. Why now, Dad?” Micah stood up and paced back and forth on the dock.

  “Because I needed to find her. I needed to find out whether I should tell you or not. I wished Doctor Baker had taken his unethical practice to the grave. Our lives were better off not knowing.”

  “And what of this woman who is my mother? What of her life, Dad? Was it right for her to believe her child was dead all these years? Was it?” Micah’s voice mirrored the red fire of the sunset.

  “No, Son. It wasn’t fair.” Matt hung his head. The truth of the matter was out. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to anyone.

  “Does she know? I mean, did you tell her?”

  “No.”

  Micah stomped further away down the dock. Then stopped and faced him. “You’re as bad as Doctor Baker was. Who is she, Dad? Who is my mother?”

  ❧

  Peg finished dressing her presents for Daniel and his family. She set aside the two items she had purchased for Matt and Micah. He wouldn’t be coming to Christmas dinner; she could feel it in her bones. He hadn’t introduced his son to her.

  The memory of his kiss still burned her lips. Peg closed her eyes and quelled her emotions. She wouldn’t dwell again on that kiss. When she opened her eyes, the gifts blinked like the twinkle of moonlight dancing on an ocean. She would take them to his doorstep and leave them there. No, she corrected herself, she wouldn’t take them. She’d have Daniel do it. She didn’t need to see Matt. She just wanted to. But how would she explain her past? A past he obviously knew about? He must think her dishonest.

  But why should the entire world know her sin? Peg paced back and forth in her apartment until her leg throbbed. She sat down and raised her leg, massaging it as the doctor had taught her. The wound was healing well, though it looked uglier than sin. Peg caught herself in her thoughts. Sin… ugly… She closed her eyes and blinked back the tears. Her own sin had scarred her heart as badly as the beam puncturing her thigh. But God’s grace covered that sin with the shed blood of the cross. The scar remained; the sin did not.

  She knocked on the door joining her apartment to the big house. No one answered. She turned the handle and entered. The kitchen was hot, and the fragrance of fresh baked breads and pastry filled the air. “Hello, anyone home?” she called.

  “Tía Peg.” Mariella came running. “I hid in the bushes. I saw Lisa and her mother find the package on their front step. Ben placed the bundle on the step, rapped the door, then ran, hiding around the corner of the house. Oh, Tía, they cried. It was so beautiful.”

  Peg reached over and embraced her niece. “Yes, it is wonderful to give to o
thers and not expect a reward.”

  “Yes. Thank you. I would never have been able to give them such fine presents.”

  “Remember, it wasn’t us. It was God working through us. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

  Mariella nodded in agreement.

  “But it still feels good, doesn’t it?” Peg encouraged.

  “Yes,” Mariella beamed.

  “Where’s Papa Dan?”

  “Upstairs with Momma.”

  Peg listened. Hearing no sounds, she decided not to interrupt them. They were probably taking care of last-minute details for the Christmas holiday. “Would you tell him, when he has a free moment, I need him to run an errand?”

  “Sure. Can I do it for you?”

  “No, thank you. The sun is set. I think Daniel should be the one to deliver it for me.”

  “You’re right, Papa Dan doesn’t want us in town when the sun goes down.”

  “Wise man, your Papa Dan.” Peg smiled. Daniel had been truly blessed with quite a family.

  Back in her own apartment, she pulled out some needlework and tried to get back to the calm she’d known before Matthew Bower had come to Key West.

  ❧

  Hours later, Peg found herself alone yet again. Daniel had come and gone. She had enjoyed a meal with his family. Now she faced the empty sounds of a house devoid of hope and love. How she appreciated and missed Matt’s presence. Their time together. Their playful banter. Her stomach tightened, and she massaged her throbbing leg.

  A sudden knock on her door startled her. “Who is it?” she called out.

  “Matt. Peg, open up, please.”

  Peg worked her way to the door, using furniture for crutches. She found Matt with his hair disheveled, his eyes red. He appeared to have aged ten years since she last saw him. “What’s the matter?”

  “Is Micah here?” He looked past her into the sitting room.

  “No, why would he be? What’s wrong, Matt?” Peg fought the desire to reach out and touch him. She remembered all too well his reaction when she’d done that in the past.

  “We need to talk.” He walked past her and made himself comfortable on her divan. “Come join me, Peg.”