by Jan Surasky
“Let’s hope nothing goes wrong. We don’t want to chance the lines of communication getting all fouled up. Just keep your eye on the time.”
“I will. And, Will, you be very careful.”
“I will. I know how much this means to us.”
The rest of the drive was in silence, Minh Dong watching the traffic which seemed to be teeming this time of day, thinning out as we took the side streets to get to the Pleasure Palace, hidden away in one of the poorest sections of Saigon. The neighbors, nowhere to be seen, apparently living behind closed doors and oblivious of the dealings of the Pleasure Palace, most likely paid off by Hugo and his mob.
We let Will off on the next block over and waited. As Will disappeared around the corner my fear level rose but I decided to appear calm for Minh Dong’s sake. “How long have you been in Saigon?”
“Many months. Our village destroyed by war and we must come to my wife’s family. Lucky for us they have good jobs with the government and they take us in. We have seven mouths to feed.
“We lose house and rice paddies. Not safe.”
“Are there schools for your children?”
“In Saigon there not enough schools or teachers for children. My wife teach them to read and write in Vietnamese but she not know French. Her sisters in her household know French but too busy with government jobs to teach.
“At home in our small village we have enough food. We have big rice paddy, a water buffalo, and sell enough crop to get tea and fish.
“I get jobs driving tourist sometime but not enough. I leave my name with every hotel and inn in Saigon. No jobs for farmers in Saigon.”
As the time began to drag and Minh Dong could sense my fear we turned to other subjects. Minh Dong told me of the tales handed down by his people and the folk music from centuries ago he seemed to love. “When rice paddies flood we have puppet show on water. Men stand in water and hide behind screen. Move puppets beneath the water. Puppets dance and sing on water. All villagers come to celebrate the harvest.”
As we spoke, Will finally appeared from around the corner heading directly for our car. Minh Dong turned on the motor and Will, looking both tense and flustered and relieved at the same time jumped in.
“Go. We’d better get out of here. Head for the airport and make it as fast as you can but drive slowly around the corner. We don’t need to arouse suspicion.”
Will turned to me. “We did it. We have Mai Li. If all goes right she’ll awake when we’re in the air.”
I wasn’t certain who to silently thank but I decided to keep my composure. “Did you arouse any suspicion?”
“I don’t think so. The old lady who watches them during the day seems harmless. She naps most of the time. They’re kept there by fear.”
“Did you have any trouble getting Mai Li?”
“Not really. She was frightened at first, but I was able to tranquilize her almost right away. The others stayed where they were and asked no questions. They’re half-starved and live in extreme fear.”
“I wired Max last night from the inn in the code we agreed on back home. There should be a plane gassed up and ready to leave as soon as we reach the airport.”
I fought sleep in order to remain alert and coaxed Minh Dong to go as fast as he could. “How much farther?”
“Not much. I go as fast as I can. We don’t want to be stopped.”
“You’ve done us a great service, Minh Dong. We are very grateful.”
“American soldier babies not wanted here. You are different. You give good care.”
As we rounded the next corner, the airport loomed in front. Minh Dong drove across the field to a small building that appeared to be US military. I rolled down the window of the Renault to speak to the officer who stepped out in front of us. “We have permission to board a plane. Code word “Maxwell Oliver.”
The officer waved us to a small plane sitting near the runway, it’s propeller going and it’s door opened. “Have a safe trip.”
“Thanks for the help.”
Minh Dong raced across the bumpy field to pull alongside the plane. “You go fast.”
I hugged Minh Dong and promised to write. Will pressed a wad of bills in his hand. “For your family.”
We raced to the door of the plane, Will holding the duffel in his arms. The pilot helped us aboard and slammed the door shut.
The plane took us farther and farther into the clouds and into our own thoughts. We stopped to refuel twice, making sure Mai Li ate if we could entice her.
We arrived home, Josie, who had taken a crash course in French to travel with Max, awaiting us to explain to Mai Li whose only language was French, her whereabouts. Mama and Carrie stood by.
Mai Li was afraid to sleep so Carrie stayed with her, singing her the only lullaby she knew. Will left and I slipped between the sheets of my bed without turning the coverlet down. I was certain the night was full of stars, bright ones, twinkling ones, and those that streaked across the darkened sky. But, tonight they would have to sparkle without me.
Chapter Forty-One
It was a beautiful, sunny day on Strawberry Hill when Will proposed. The berries were plump and ripe, and the buttercup, wild rose, and lavender asters were rife among them.
It was not a formal proposal because despite Will becoming the most sought after animal doctor in Onondaga County he was still as shy as the day I met him.
“Annie May, would you consider settling down with me and raising a small brood of Vanderworts?”
I was tongue tied. I was certain that at least one of those fancy women he met in New York would have gotten him long ago. “I never thought you’d think I was suitable as the wife of a famous scientist, too skinny to fill out a ball gown, all thumbs at getting gussied up.”
“I fell for you when I met you at thirteen, all freckles and the gawkiest girl I had ever seen, ready to beat every boy in arm wrestling or chasing after a horse before it had strayed too far.
“But, I was always afraid you’d turn me down. You were the most independent girl I ever met and the most responsible. I never thought you’d have me.”
I stared at Will, the handsomest boy I had ever seen, including Charlie Jasper who was voted king of both the junior and the senior class. Somehow it seemed like we had always been together without our knowing.
“I would be proud to be your wife.”
As we stood, two people on the top of a hill we knew so well, it seemed like the universe was in perfect harmony, the moon to replace the sun which was setting in a wide swath of beautiful pastel colors, the sky to soon host a multitude of shining stars.
Will held me as we walked back through the meadows as tightly as he had ever held me when he kept me from falling into an ice pond in the midst of a stormy winter or from the path of a runaway horse. The sweet scent of the phlox, the trillium, and the blue chicory rose up about us.
Mai Li had been with us eight months now and had filled out with Mama’s cooking but she was still silent, robbed of her words and her trust since the early years of her infancy. But, Doc Anderson assured us she would speak when she was ready.
Tad took an interest in her whereabouts and she adored Allie. Oscar was her constant companion when she could find him.
We had set aside a room for Mai Li and Carrie had filled it with the handmade quilts Taylor’s department store carried and the ruffled curtains and soft pink dresser top doilies she pressed the sewing room to create. She filled it with dolls of all kinds and Mai Li found her favorite, a doll she named Emma who she carried with her at all times.
Will left for home and I went inside to find Carrie preparing supper, Tad insisting he should help, and Allie asleep in the crib upstairs. I pulled out a peeler and began to search for some onions and some peppers to mix up a potato casserole.
As we sat around the table, Mama offering Mai Li tidbits of the ham Carrie had baked and the cherries and pineapple that covered it, I made my announcement.
“Will and I are planning
to tie the knot. We’d like a summer wedding.”
Carrie gushed her surprise and her happiness. “Why Will has been underfoot all these years. I never would have guessed, Annie May. Jamie will be so surprised and happy for you. He thinks the world of Will.”
“That’s short notice, Anabel May. We have to notify the kinfolk and get Pastor Brown.”
“I know, Mama, but Will and I will do all the work.”
As Carrie and I cleaned up and Tad kept us company bringing the dishes from the table one by one Carrie could talk of nothing else but the wedding. “Annie May, you can have any dress Taylor’s has in stock or we can design one. And, as for the invitations Elvira Dunkin in hats does calligraphy. And, you can pick out anything in the store for something new.”
I hugged Carrie and put the dried dishes away. As Carrie and the children said their goodbyes I hurried up to bed, weary from the day but unable to sleep. I wondered if Will was unable to sleep as well.
The wedding was held on Strawberry Hill on what I thought was the most beautiful day of the year. The comforting warmth of the sun beat down upon us and the late summer wild orchids, asters, and anemone were in full bloom.
Carrie was matron of honor and Jeb, who had taken an interest in Will’s fledgling research lab, had flown in to be best man. Mai Li, who was looking ever so much like Georgie, was flower girl in a beautiful pink dress Carrie had designed feeling very much like a princess. Tad was ring bearer and took his role seriously, asking Carrie every five minutes whether the rings were placed right on the tiny pillow.
I felt very much a part of the Earth and its universe as I stood reciting my vows, the soft afternoon breezes ruffling the skirts of my white cotton dress, a string of late summer wild orchids running through the French twist in my hair.
I had picked my white daisy bouquet from the meadow behind the barn and fastened it with silk and grosgrain ribbon the colors of a misty rainbow after a spring rain. I had added the daisy I had dried and kept that Will had plucked for my hair so many years ago on a silly trip through the meadow to peek at the eggs of a late spring robin’s nest stuck under the rafters of the barn.
We celebrated all afternoon and far into the night. Square dancing in a moonlit barn, roasted marshmallows and old familiar tunes sung around an open fire, and tables of tiny little sandwiches, salads and slaws, and pies and cakes trailed in from as far away as Texas.
Mama was as proud as could be and introduced Will’s folks to all her kinfolk. Will’s Ma brought a Dutch butter cake, pans of pastries, and the mild and creamy cheeses of her homeland.
I was certain the spirits of our ancestors were celebrating with us. A half-Indian maiden dancing wildly under the moon, a gypsy woman swirling her skirts to the haunting music of the gypsy soul.
We said goodbye to Mama and Carrie and headed for New York, a three-day honeymoon where Jeb was waiting to show us the sights and Will was waiting to connect to as many high-powered research labs as he could.
We drove all night beneath a full moon, the trees silvery in the moonlight. I barely noticed the stars as I thought about our future. The towns we passed through looked all the same in their silence, their churches and schools dark, their shops closed for the night, the windows of their homes all shuttered. I decided to recite every silly poem I knew to keep us awake until we reached New York.
Chapter Forty-Two
Will rose before dawn and before the dew had a chance to settle on the meadow grasses and the seedlings newly sprouted in the fields. He was anxious to pore over his slides and his microscopes before the meal of the day began.
We had decided to stay with Mama to help run the farm since Uncle John was spending most of his time nursing his lumbago and to do the chores Mama could no longer do. Will had set up a building behind the barn and with the help of Jeb had stocked it with the latest up-to-date lab equipment that science catalogues had to offer.
I rose as well and went out to check the chicken coop which we had added for Mai Li. The hens were good layers and it was many a day that Mai Li had nearly enough eggs to make a dozen.
I shaded my eyes as the sun came up and thought of Georgie as I surveyed the fields. The seedlings were growing tall and strong and many were the cross-breeds he had spent so long perfecting.
The sun rose, its hues of orange and yellow mixed with a touch of pink less brilliant than the sunset, softly breaking through the dark to bring on the day. I headed back to the kitchen to start breakfast.
Taylor’s was closed for renovations and Jamie was coming with Carrie and the children. I was anxious to get a head start on the pancake batter and fry up the sausages.
As I pushed open the screen door, I heard a commotion in the driveway. Jamie’s new truck, his pride and joy, was stuck and Tad and Allie were both insisting to carry the breakfast casserole Carrie had made from a recipe she had gotten from the New York chef who had come in to give a demonstration in Taylor’s cookery department. Carrie made the decision to carry the casserole herself and give them each one of their toys to carry. “It’s a beautiful spring day. Is there anything I can do?”
“Just sit and look beautiful. I’m sure you can use it.”
“Thanks, Annie May. How’s the new bride?”
“Hardly a bride. It’s been a year and a half. Will and I are expecting in June.”
“Did Doc Anderson give you the go-ahead to keep working?”
“He said everything’s fine. I can work as long as I want. But, Baldwinsville isn’t certain. They would like me to leave before the end of the year. I’m looking around for a substitute.
“It will give me time to be more of a help to Will in the lab before the baby comes. Now, let’s get down to business and put that casserole in the oven to warm.
“Who wants to go and get Uncle Will?”
“I do.”
“Me too.”
“Well, you take Oscar and round up Mai Li and then you can all go out.”
Will allowed himself to be dragged from the makeshift building, his hair tousled from a pretend wrestling match, Mai Li on his shoulders, a ball in his hand to toss for Oscar, and Tad and Allie pulling on his shirtsleeves begging for their turn.
We sat around the table, Jamie washed up from his grease-filled bout with his new truck, Mama’s knitting laying on a parlor table, Oscar poised to pounce on dropped crumbs, and Mai Li nestled against Mama’s shoulder.
Carrie dished out the casserole and I found a platter for the sausages.
“Hey, Will, how’s the mad scientist?”
“Great. Got a new shipment of test tubes and slides and my microscopes are top of the line. I’m ready to set up a study when I can get a few minutes away from patching up the critters. Need help with that new monster of yours?”
“I could use it. Straight from the factory and it sputters and conks out.”
“We’ll get it purring. How’s the shopkeeper?”
“Up and running. We’ve got bids from three new towns to move in and set up shop. We’ve hit pay dirt with Carrie’s new line of modest clothing. We can’t keep them on the racks. And, her ball gowns have hit the Paris workrooms with our exclusive label. We’ve put in a runway and are setting up a fashion show for August. Even Bloomie’s buyers will be there.”
As Jamie spoke, he looked at Carrie and it was plain to see, despite his many absences on business, he still adored her. She picked up the platter of sausages and began to pass them.
I mixed up the pancake batter and heated up the griddle. The sun poured in through the open windows as it sizzled.
As I stood, the soft, breeze of early morning drifting in, the scent of wild rose and lavender with it, I saw a purple blossom, deep and vibrant, sunbeams playing along its heart shaped leaves.
“The lilac bush is blooming,” I said.
Everyone sat silent, Mama’s thoughts so far away, a smile creeping softly across Mai Li’s face.
Mai Li would never know Georgie or Anh Ly. But, a mother’s love can reach across
an ocean and a father’s from the grave.
As we finished, Carrie and I cleaning up, Will and Jamie left to tinker with Jamie’s truck, Carrie took the children out to play, and Mama took to her bed for a late morning nap.
I stood alone with my thoughts.
I was certain Will would discover something important. Despite his makeshift lab out in the middle of nowhere, according to his colleagues, he had an observant eye.
I must remember to take Will a midday meal. He would be forgetting the time.
I would wash his test tubes, polish up the microscopes, and pore over the latest journals with him.
The house was full of ancestral spirits. We come into the world alone, as common wisdom has it, but we come bound by the deeds and courage, the hopes and dreams, the joys and sorrows of our ancestors.
I gathered up the picnic basket filled with Will’s lunch, his favorite cheeses and sausages, and a thermos of hot chocolate.
I set out across the meadow, rain clouds forming above, my feet as bare as the day I was born. I could feel the baby stirring within me. I picked up my pace to reach the door of the lab before the storm clouds broke.
