Desperado Dale (Scenic Route to Paradise)

by Andrea Aarons

  Now, Anna was driving the van and discussing Greek food with Bean. Before finding Guppo’s home, they had dropped Tina and Bernie off in the market area. When Anna returned to the designated paved lot, Bernie hurpled forward carrying two canvas bags. Tina and two teenage men followed behind, also lugging sacks of groceries. After twenty minutes to load and to finish closing the deal, Tina pulled away with a van half full of pantry goods. The next stop was the equivalent of a pawn shop.

  It was evening before the loaded van returned to Evangelos. Two sets of bunk beds were strapped to the roof of the van. They would need to be reassembled but Tina reassured Bernie that she knew just the person to perform the task.

  Jellybean and Bernie had always been a very generous couple. People, who knew them well, usually said so. Friends also noted that while being extremely generous with others they were often niggardly toward each other. No one ever pointed this out to the estranged husband and wife; after all they were divorced and perhaps the emotionally stingy attitude toward one another had been the cause. The elderly Adams’ would have denied the allegation as both were painstakingly civil to the other – most of the time. Civility was the very trait that highlighted their lack of liberality toward the other but they didn’t know it.

  In Tina’s case, Bernie and Bean had had another late night tête-à-tête concerning the cache that had mistakenly landed in their midst.

  Why not use some of the wealth to help the orphans? Bernie had suggested.

  I thought the same when that little boy finished his piece on the mandolin! Bean told him.

  And so they did.

  Two topics continually circulated from Tina’s lips that made Anna attentive each go-round. First was Tina’s worry over the children’s future and the second was a young man by the name of Zeff who had written her from the Serendipity.

  “Somehow we need to move the children into environments conducive to well rounded growth. I don’t see how they will get that here in the village. Our island is isolated but Greeks on the other hand are without parameters,” Tina would say using various wording but conclude the same. Anna would listen and try to find suitable solutions but Tina wouldn’t be mollified.

  “...so, your sister-in-law, Merry is on the same boat. Zeff says they are coming here to pick you and your family up. It shouldn’t be long now.

  Zeff sounds like such a great guy! I haven’t heard from him in days but I hope he and Merry stay a few days,” expounded Tina warming to her second favorite topic. “I wish I could have asked him more questions… Do you know Merry told him that I am a fat lady in an athletic body? What is that suppose to mean?” Tina asked as she spread a thick layer of goat cheese on a hunk of freshly baked bread. It was her third piece Anna observed.

  Then she would switch to the orphans again. “I feel it in my gut that children are going to be needing places like my house all over the world. The very young and the old and the weak get thrown under the bus as soon as there is any emergency. I wonder if I cannot get old Gustania to donate her big house in Avliotes. We could fit 50 or 60 children in there easy!”

  “Did you know Zeff went to ASU? So did Sal’s brother, Frank! I can’t wait to meet this guy… Zeff is short for Zeferano…”

  Chapter 26 Fireside Baklava

  Dale opened his eyes. The younger Klein child, Adi stood over him. She held a calico kitten less than a foot from Dale’s face. His eyes and mouth were swollen. His upper lip cracked and his expression made her giggle. She ran off to get her older sister.

  The little girls reminded Dale of his daughter. He missed Gwyneth. He pulled back the cotton blanket but when he swung his legs around to stand up from the couch where he spent the night, the dried blood from his encounter with Karlo stuck to the sheet under him. As the scabs pulled free, he let out an involuntary squeal. Sam ceased snoring on the other sofa and sat up.

  “Dang it… That hurts!” Dale said through clenched teeth. His jaw ached and his ribs hurt where Karlo and company had kicked him but the throb and burning coming from the back of his legs overrode the other pain including the stiff neck he had from sleeping so sound in the same spot for six hours.

  It had been late when they arrived in Avliotes the night before. The original sanitizing and tending to the wounds by Bethania had been hours earlier on the side of the road after the New Dawn agents departed. She had planned to apply some salve and wrap his legs and forearms after returning from the tavern but Dale was comfortably sleeping. Deciding he needed the rest, she let him be.

  Bethania showed up with water, coffee and a medical kit taken from the warehouse office. Sam left to get some real food for breakfast and leaving the calico behind, Liraz and Adi went with him.

  The old Jewess explained to Dale that the barkeep said Karlo and the others left in a hurry just after their meal.

  “I suppose they decided you were not the one they were looking for after all. It’s a curious situation and dangerous too,” she commented.

  As Bethania began ministering to his abrasions, Dale concentrated on what the New Dawn people were looking for and how it might affect him in the future.

  Sam returned as Bethania finished wrapping Dale’s elbow. “Sam, we got get to my wife’s village. I really think they might be in trouble,” Dale said as way of greeting.

  Sam put a loaf of brown bread on the desk. Coming behind him, the little girls carried a bag apiece. Getting up, Dale smiled and nodded to Bethania in thanks for her doctoring.

  Sam said, “Okay. Yes, I thought of that too.”

  The men made a plan and they soon had all the truck goods unloaded. The warehouse was officially closed for the day but Sam knew that the proprietor, his friend Erik would be in after lunch sometime.

  Bethania and the girls had been absent for more than an hour when Dale noticed that they had returned and were sitting quietly on a bench in the shade near the truck. Adi held the kitten on her lap. There was the sound of far away strumming from a guitar.

  Dale walked over to the bench after Bethania motioned to him. She sent the children inside on an errand and then said, “Your wife… You mentioned that she was from Evangelos.” Dale nodded as he swallowed a gulp of water from the jug he carried. “The orphanage I spoke to you about… I had heard it was near Avliotes and I have discovered that it is actually in that village. Do you know Tina Evangelos?” she asked.

  Dale was in mid swig. His eyebrows shot up. He coughed. “I know her very well! She is my wife’s first cousin! She used to live in the states. That is where we were headed when we landed here last week!”

  “Well, Tina Evangelos runs the orphanage,” Bethania said.

  Dale wondered if it could be the same Tina. Greeks were famous for using variations of the name of Christ in naming their children. “I was hoping to leave the children here and out of harms way but coincidentally… I suppose, we are headed for the same village and the same house!” Bethania said with an amused look playing about her wrinkled lips.

  Arriving, just before supper, Dale hugged Anna not wanting to let her go. He did let go with a yelp when Gwyneth coming from behind began hugging his injured legs, although the bandages were hidden under his jeans. Anna was horrified at his blackened eyes and bruised mouth but she put on a brave face for Dale and the others.

  “Here he is and just in time for dinner!” said Bernie ignoring the obvious on Dale’s marred face. The old man had been thinking hopefully of dinner since right after lunch. He found that food was always a good diversion.

  There was a long wooden table with a dozen plastic chairs on the right side of the front room of the house. To Dale it appeared to be the house of Snow White and her dwarves as the table and chairs were clearly sized for children. Boys and girls were arranged around the table; the oldest being about 10 years old and he sat at the head. Plastic bowls and cups – all empty still, were in front of each child.

  Jellybean sat at one end of the adult table which was arranged on the left side of the large square room. On eithe
r side of her, was a baby strapped into a highchair. In each of Bean’s hands she had a wooden spoon taken from the table center. Drumming on the highchair trays, she attempted to keep the babies preoccupied. Everyone else from that table had got up to receive Dale and his friends at the front door. Waving a wooden spoon, Bean greeted Dale as he hugged Tina. Dale grinned over Tina’s shoulder and saluted his grandmother.

  Tina and Gwyneth began to chatter excitedly as Dale introduced Sam, Bethania and her charges, Liraz and Adi to the others. A shrill whistle sounded and the mesh of voices stopped in mid sentence. As one the group, they turned toward the table.

  “Thank you,” said Jellybean; a serene look on her face. “The food is getting cold and Dale although we are overjoyed to have you join us, you need to go borrow some chairs for our other guests.”

  Mr and Mrs Adams had been with Tina for most of the week. She had fond memories of their generosity and their oddities too from her teen years when she lived in Philadelphia. After their first day in Evangelos, Tina remembered rather quickly how unconventional they could be. Now, she responded accordingly, “Yes, of course! You must be famished! Anna, please show Bethania and the girls the washroom. And you… Uh, Sam please help Dale get the patio chairs from the back.” Tina had Dale go through the front door and around the back, with Sam in tow. She and a very young woman, a teen orphan named Nerah began serving the food from the kitchen.

  After some minutes of shuffling chairs and getting the children seated at the other table settled, Tina asked Dale to bless the meal. It was a healthy dinner with potatoes and chicken and kale salad with goats’ milk drilla on top. The fare being much better than the house had been serving for many months. Bernie’s and Bean’s supplies from Avliotes would keep the orphanage supplied for at least a month. Food on the island was extremely expensive. After Greece began its economic tailspin, locals who hadn’t had a personal garden for thirty years, planted one. There were groves and vineyards and orchards all over the island but food was money. Bernie and Bean had lots of the new currency thanks to the anonymous smuggler who had exchanged Bean’s travel bag with his own and they traded jewelry, too.

  Bethania who was seated next to Bean asked, “How old are you?”

  Jellybean said, “I’m eighty-eight and you?”

  Anna overhearing their conversation smiled to herself realizing that whenever elderly people got around each other, one of the first questions asked and answered concerned age. Then she heard Adi Klein asking the same question of the child just behind her. “I’m seven. How old are you?” This brought a chuckle to Anna’s lips. Hearing her, Dale sitting next to his wife, bent towards her giving her cheek a kiss.

  It was quite dark and cool. The thick curtains on the front room windows had been drawn. Bernie built a fire in the fireplace. The children had been bathed and put to bed for the night. Bethania stayed with the Klein girls in a back room which housed six other children but the other adults sat around the fire talking. Jellybean with Dale’s help brought forth coffee and freshly made baklava. Bean had provided the ingredients from Avliotes and another cousin, Tina’s neighbor made up the sweet dessert.

  Tina was exhausted. Her days normally busy had become only more hectic when Anna arrived although she was overjoyed to see her cousin and extremely grateful for the Adams’ providential gifts.

  She repeated to Dale and Sam the information she had gleaned from Zeff who crewed on the Serendipity before the internet went down.

  “I got word from a friend of mine from D’Almata that Merry - your sister was on the Serendipity. When I tried to contact her, the first mate, Zeff replied instead…” she told them with a self-conscious laugh. “I never did talk with Merry! Anyway, it’s been almost a week. Zeff said the D’Almatan captain was coming to get you… All of you!” Tina poured a coffee for Bethania who came from the darkened hallway. Bethania was a tea drinker but she accepted politely.

  “Zeff is a repository of news. Apparently the reliable D’Almatan grapevine has been trading information about the Merriweather children for months. I would guess your mother, Dale, is marrying a very important personage from D’Almata,” Tina said with a twinkle in her eye.

  Uncertain, Dale shrugged but Toni’s parents, Bernie and Bean said “Of course,” simultaneously.

  Bernie asked Tina about the sloop’s coordinates. She didn’t know but she told them Zeff had mentioned that Mac was in a hurry. Bernie wondered out loud about communication and how they would connect with the boat. “Its not like we have a ticket and boarding time,” he said.

  Bethania and Tina laughed, looking at each other, as if a private joke was being shared.

  With soft laughter lacing her words, Bethania said, “Kerkyra and D’Almata are like brothers in love with the same damsel. They spy on each other and banter across the Adriatic but often turns a blind eye to the other’s exploits. This island has numerous D’Almatan citizens spying, smuggling, bartering, wooing and all of them without genuine documents but still moving freely about the isle. Since these Ionian Islands joined Greece, our brothers from D’Almata have become cautious. Their island is fortified but as we know, Kerkyra is porous… an open book to our neighbors from D’Almata.”

  Tina nodded. She said, “It’s true. When the sloop drops anchor, someone will come knocking and off you go.”

  By ten o’clock, only Bernie, Jellybean and Bethania remained huddled at the dying fire. Tina had taken the others to her neighbor’s, the baklava cook since Tina’s house was full with 20 children, including the Klein children.

  Bethania assumed Dale’s grandparents were genuine Christians, as he was and she spoke freely of her recent conversion. They were silent for the most part as they had resisted Toni Merriweather’s radical conversion and her message of salvation for more than 30 years. Their youth, marriage and lifestyle of wealth and culture failed to bring the joy advertised by those who they assumed should know these things. The couple divorced when Toni and her four sisters were in elementary school – a long time ago. Although Bernie and Bean had remained friends at arms length and a team when family difficulties arose, now as they pressed towards their ninth decade of life, both noticed a chasm of deficiency.

  Bethania said with a gentle laugh, “I was such an old fool. My way… my pride. And the entire time, God had his eye on me. He was watching over me, setting me up to know Him… to understand eternal truth. Ne! I was such an old fool.” Bethania looked at the other two. “Ne! But not anymore!” she finished with a smile; her gold fillings glittering in the firelight. Then she excused herself to check on Liraz and Adi.

  Bernie and Bean sat listening to the periodic popping from the embers. Bernie said, “I think we missed something, way back when.”

  Blowing her nose, Bean didn’t respond.

  “It’s too late to start over but you know, dear we could start again,” he said tentatively. Reaching over, he patted Jellybean’s hand.

  The fire danced. Sparks shot up as the front door opened and closed. Tina was back. The elderly couple looking tired turned to her. “This is for you, Mrs Adams. My cousin, Christina asked me to give this to you.” Tina handed her a folded sheet of lined notebook paper.

  In pencil, a recipe for baklava was scrawled.

  Christina’s Famous Baklava

  2 cp sugar

  3 cp water

  ½ lemon (juice – squeezed)

  2 or 3 pieces orange peel

  1 tsp whole cloves

  2 small pieces cinnamon sticks

  1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

  ¼ cp walnuts

  3 Tblsp melted butter

  filo dough (average package)

  Pre-heat the oven 375F

  -Add sugar, water, orange peels, cloves and cinnamon sticks; boil until it thickens like syrup. Add ground cinnamon and walnuts.

  -In a glass pan, grease with butter or spray w/ Pam like product.

  -Layers 8 pieces of filo, brush w/ melted butter. Sprinkle with walnut mixture.

  -Add
two pieces of filo and repeat process.

  -Top layer; add 5 pieces of filo brush w/ butter.

  -Cut into triangles and put a clove on each one.

  -Pour the remaining syrup over baklava; sprinkle with cinnamon.

  -Bake 30 minutes at 375F

  Chapter 27 Karlo’s Clue

  Very early with only the village roosters announcing the approaching dawn, Mr Adams pattered about Tina’s kitchen preparing a pot of coffee. He found a small pitcher of thick goat’s milk in the refrigerator. Goat’s milk had never been a favorite of Bernie’s but having to use it to replace half ‘n half for the last week, he decided he liked it well enough.

  The morning air was cold but Bernie was determined to “enjoy” the Greek experience. When Jellybean found him sitting on a stone wall in the dawning sunlight, he was ready for the second cup of coffee she brought out to him. As he watched her approach, Mr Adams thought his wife had aged rather well. Her voice was strained and her balance wasn’t as stable as it had been, he decided as he hopped up to steady her when she drew near. Still, she was a class act he decided and beautiful, too.

  Bean eyed him doubtfully as he took her elbow in one hand and the extra mug of steaming coffee in his other. “I thought I might find you out here,” she told him. She carried a cloth bag over her shoulder and wore a heavy red sweater that she found lying on the bench by the front door.

  “You know me so well, my dear,” Bernie said with a smile as he helped her get seated on the wall. The stones were frigid and so after emptying the canvas bag, Bean repositioned herself.

  “That’s better,” she said now sitting on the flattened bag.

  Bernie sipped his coffee and nodded when he saw the notebook emerge from the bag. “Are we back to reading the journal?” he asked.

  Jellybean handed it over to him. “You can read it if you want but I think we have the gist of it and why perhaps, it was included with all that money and the jewelry.”