Henry

by Cilika Kunovic

  “What do you have in mind, Sasha?” He figured this could be just about anything and he was right.

  “I don’t quite know how to begin . . .” she paused; and then said, “Something strange has been going on between my parents for a long time; it pertains to my birth certificate. Dominic has mentioned it a few times, but the other day, even Olivia brought it up in conversation. Have you any idea as to how I could approach my mother about it?” And before Henry had the chance to comment, Sasha continued to tell the story without interruption. “It turns out, I may not be who I thought I was.”

  Henry finally managed to get a word in and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean, Larry Lambert may not be my father after all.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “It’s a long story . . . but how can I ask my mother about it without causing a war between my parents, or even between the three of us? Maybe I should talk with my brother first, but I really want my mother to tell me who my father really is.” Sasha finally stopped long enough, for Henry to say something.

  “Sasha, first of all, you must take a bit of time and think this over before you ask anybody anything. I don’t know what started all this but I do know that if you push your mother into a corner right now about something like that, she will go into a tailspin and lose her job, which she deserves and needs. So for everybody’s sake; please don’t jump to any conclusions. Will you promise me that?” He was worried about all of them. When was all this going to stop?

  Sasha was off and gone in a flash. Henry could only hope that she would take his advice and calm down.

  “Sasha, what brings you home in such a hurry? Is somebody chasing you?” Dominic was surprised.

  “No, nobody is chasing me. I just have a thing or two to take care of and I didn’t realize how fast I was driving. Don’t say anything — just play along with me. My dear brother, I am not just a pretty face; I am smart, gorgeous, and above all, happy to have a brother like you. Are you satisfied now?”

  “Have you been drinking?” He sensed a change in his sister but was taken by surprise. “You want to talk about it?” But Sasha seemed preoccupied.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The Foursome Trucking Co. prospered. Aside from their previously individually and privately owned trucks between the four owners, they now owned eight of them and had extra drivers to operate most of those rigs. In the office, there were two employees: a receptionist and a dispatcher. Henry was overseeing both, and Barb was still doing the bookkeeping, but that was about to change.

  John and his wife, Gina, had become parents and were very happy. Gina, who worked for a large corporation as an office manager, found it quite far to commute to work and wanted something closer. John had mentioned this to Barb and asked her if she could use Gina.

  “John, you realize that I couldn’t pay her what she was earning there?”

  “Well, we were talking the other day, and Gina would be willing to work for less, since it is the family business. Barb: this is just between the two of us for now, but what would you say if you and Gina were to join forces in a partnership? Would you consider giving it a thought?” John was almost pleading.

  “Let me have a talk with Sam. Better yet — give me a few days to work on it. I just might come up with a better idea yet.” As soon as John asked her about including Gina in the business, she remembered that she had actually contemplated this possibility when Gina went on her maternity leave. But at the time, Barb did not know that Gina wasn’t going back to where she used to work. As far as she knew, Gina liked her job. It was the distance from home that was a problem.

  “All right, then, you will give it a thought?” John asked again.

  “How would you like to come for dinner on Saturday? We can discuss it then.”

  “Great! See you then. I’m sure Gina would like that very much. Are we supposed to bring anything?”

  “Yes — the baby. Don’t you dare come without her!” Barb laughed and waved him away.

  That night, Barb had a talk with Sam about everything. “Has John mentioned anything to you about Gina’s joining the bookkeeping business? I mean, is this common knowledge?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it. Is she not going back to work at Dominion?” Sam had no idea Gina was not going back there. “Isn’t she supposed to go back at least for a while in order to qualify for her maternity pay? There are rules about things like that, you know. But of course, I could be wrong. So, what about it?” Sam wanted to know.

  “Perhaps we should have a meeting about this . . . your company is expanding quickly, and I’m very busy. Maybe you guys could hire her and have all the books in one place, providing you added to the office space so she could run a proper office right there . . .”

  “You mean, all of us, as in the partners and the two of you?” Sam wasn’t quite sure what she meant.

  “Well, first we should discuss it by ourselves, the four of us. Don’t you think? Then, if we come up with a clever idea, we should present it to the partners. What do you think?” She was trying to feel him out, see what he thought about the whole proposition. “Why don’t we invite John and Gina for supper so we can discuss it?” She was afraid he might think she was being a bit pushy, but Sam was ahead of her.

  “You mean, you have already invited them for dinner? Well, I’m glad you did. So when are they coming?” Sam was puzzled as to how come Barb was willing to share her business. She was always so protective of her work, never letting anybody mess with it. Barb had a good reputation regarding her work, and whoever wanted to help her had to be on her toes in order to satisfy her. “But why the sudden change?” While Sam was contemplating that, Nicole walked in and seemed quite upset.

  “Well, my dear — what’s wrong?” Barb asked her daughter.

  “Oh, it’s nothing — I think. The Lamberts are driving me crazy. Not that they don’t always, but sometimes I just want to scream and get as far as I can away from everything! Good night, Mom and Dad. By the way, do you mind if I go to the movies with Dominic tomorrow? We haven’t had a chance to go in a long time.” With that, she departed for the night.

  “Yes, you may . . .” Her mother answered. “What was that about, I wonder? That girl puts up with a whole lot more than meets the eye. She must love him a lot.”

  “I am very proud of her. She is a loyal friend. That daughter of ours is quite a girl, don’t you think?” Sam was truly proud of Nicole for being such a reliable leaning post for Dominic, as well as for Sasha. “I wish Olivia would give it a try. She keeps a distance from most everyone in order to protect herself from getting hurt. I strongly believe that if you don’t take risks, you never learn anything. Yes, you might get hurt at times but you get over it. One must be willing to learn from it.” He wanted to go and shake his daughter, to bring her to reality. “Speaking of Olivia, where is she?”

  “She’s in her room,” Barb answered.

  Sam went up to see her. “Livy, are you in? I just want to speak with you for a minute.” As he said that, he knocked on her bedroom door and entered the room. Olivia was nestled in her bed, with a load of pillows as usual, and reading a book. “Are you studying? If you are, I can talk with you in the morning.”

  “It’s all right, Dad. I am reading about theatre. What was it you wanted to talk about?”

  “I have often wondered why you dropped Sasha as a friend some time ago. Was it her home life that you couldn’t be bothered with, or was there another reason? Nicole just came home a few minutes ago all frustrated about them, and I wondered if that is what you felt when you rejected her friendship?” Sam waited while his daughter contemplated how to answer his questions. She decided to go with the middle.

  “Dad, what brought this on all of a sudden? Has anybody said anything to you regarding Sasha and me? Why the questions now, when you had the chance and plenty of time to ask them all along? You are making me uncomfortable.

  “Oh, I might as well tell
you, since you will hear about it anyway. Of that, I’m sure.”

  Now it was his turn to feel uncomfortable. “What is it? So something IS going on. Why haven’t you come to us and asked for our help? You know that you can talk to us about any of your problems.”

  After she told him, she also asked, “Dad, do you think her father will come after me if he finds out about me telling Sasha about it?”

  “I don’t know what he thinks, period! The man is a menace to society; that much I do know. We as a family should discuss this further and decide what should be done. I can’t believe you never told us about this.” Then he paused . . . “I know, I know; you were going through a difficult time of life just about then. Am I right?”

  “Yes, Daddy, whatever you think is best. But I am no longer worried about my weight.” What she didn’t tell him, or Sasha, for that matter, was the most crucial part of her secret.

  In the meantime, Barb was busy getting Trevor’s hockey gear in order so he would have it ready for the next day. There was no end to those chores, no matter how much she wanted to relax. The family always came first. She often joked how being busy is keeping her young, but in reality it kept her exhausted and she never complained.

  Dinner went well that Saturday at the Prestons’. Barb advised hiring Gina at Foursome Trucking Co. She was capable of running the office. Gina seconded the motion and hoped the others would agree.

  When they asked the other partners, they were fine with it. Gina was happy with the results. “I won’t let you down, Barb; I am sure I can depend on you to help me get started. I really appreciate this.”

  Henry had to comment about having to look at Gina every day at the office: “You can count on me for being there every day from now on!” Then he winked at Gina. It was his way of showing approval. They all knew that Henry could get along with anybody.

  By the end of June, the young folks were out of school and working again. That is, except for Trevor. He only had a part-time job looking after Serge, which pleased him. He took the bus daily into the city of Hamilton, and that in itself gave him a feeling of importance. The Lamberts of course lived nearby, and Dominic loved the times spent with “that loyal dog,” as he called old Serge. He often joined Trevor and Serge on their walks, whenever he was off work.

  “You know, Trevor, I am jealous of you for the privilege of walking that loyal dog.” Then, he winked at the boy. Another one of Dominic’s favourite things was mussing Trevor’s hair.

  Henry was keeping busy, and it worked for him. Even Anna Miller complimented him on his being “the Henry she used to know.” This impressed Henry, who valued her opinion. The Millers had been good to him in more ways than one. They cared about Lily and never forgot him when he struggled to pick up the pieces after her death.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Sam came home one night with good news. “You won’t believe this, but we had a meeting at work and the question of holidays came up. We are all entitled to take two weeks of holidays, which is something that has not even entered my mind in years. We will take turns, and that will suit everyone.”

  “That’s the best thing I’ve heard in years! So when are you going on holidays?” Barb was excited to hear about it.

  Sam explained everything. “You should have seen Gina in action; she had no problem organizing everything. So when can you take some time off? We should be able to plan a trip or something, for the whole family. Don’t you agree?”

  “That would be great; after all, we haven’t had a decent break in what seems like forever. What about Henry? When does he get the time off to work on the cottage?”

  “We know that Henry is free to take time off whenever he wants. I know what you are getting at: We promised to help him rebuild the cottage this summer. However, we have to work it out with him and without pushing him into it.”

  “Yes, I know. Well, I can’t wait to tell the children about the holidays.” Then she added; “You don’t have to worry about my taking time off; I will manage and everything will work out just fine. Let’s all get together — including Henry — and we will decide. What do you think?”

  “That’s fine with me. I’ll have a chat with Henry tomorrow.”

  In the end, it was decided that they would take a one-week family trip and work at the cottage the second week.

  Now, having decided to rebuild the cottage, Henry had something to look forward to. He often spoke about it to Serge, and, in his own way, to Lily. He would replace her picture, the one that had been stolen. He had many. The rest of the things that were taken, when the cottage was robbed earlier, were not of that much importance. He had his memories. He often spoke of Lily to Dominic, who was willing to listen at any time. Being a good listener is being a good friend. There were times when Dominic wished he had a father like Henry, who cared about others and not just himself. Yet, he never dreamed of replacing his mother with another one, even though Susanne often wanted attention instead of giving it to her children. The boy was totally devoted to his mother. He did not mind being the man of the house, even at his age.

  The Millers had decided to expand their business and in order to do so they would have to renovate the building and enlarge it. This year was going to be a busy one for them as well. The idea was that once they have a large structure, they would use half of it for groceries and the other half for hardware. The need was there for both, and they wasted no time starting.

  “Dominic, have the Millers approached you about which side — food or hardware — you are going to be working?” Sasha wanted to know.

  “I have no idea and I don’t care which it is going to be,” his answer came. “I just hope they will still need me one way or another. I need this job, and so do you; right?” He gave his sister a wink.

  “I guess so. Actually, I’m excited about the renovation. It will bring a change to all. You know me; I get bored easily. Do you think we will still be able to help with Henry’s cottage?”

  “Yes, I am sure of that. The Millers like Henry, after all. They would never prevent us from helping him. They will not sabotage us and our chances just because we are willing to help Henry. The Millers have a reputation to uphold. They have earned it the hard way. They are good people.” Dominic had a lot of respect for those people, and so did Sasha.

  After their trip, the next event was the rebuilding of the cottage. Sam managed to separate his work from the holidays; Barb, on the other hand, had to go and inspect everything before she could leave for another few days.

  The Prestons had a good trip; Nicole was anxious to tell Dominic all about it, but that had to wait until they went to the cottage. A lot had to be looked after before they left. The Lamberts were divided on the idea of roughing it. The kids couldn’t wait, but Susanne was not willing to go and she let them know it. She was still doing well at work, and her hours had been extended. It was to be a part-time job, but she came in very handy and was now working four full days a week. So there was less for her children to worry about while they were away.

  Henry found out what the Lambert kids had told the Millers about rebuilding the cottage, so he had a chat with them. He informed the Millers that he was working on the required permits, but there had been a delay in acquiring those. First of all, he was not ready to get into that for quite some time; when he had finally decided to rebuild, he was a bit too late in getting everything together for the designated time in mind. Anyway, he was not about to make those people work on the construction site, even if he did decide to do it on a small scale. He wanted to surprise the kids without deceiving the Millers and he didn’t want the kids to feel bad about telling the Millers that they were going to work up north. So, once he had cleared the air, he was ready to go and have a marvellous time.

  “Dad, I am going to help a lot this week,” Trevor promised. He was enjoying having his father all to himself. The girls were planning on sticking with their mother because she promised to do quite a bit of shopping while away. “So, are we going to have some
fun as well, while we are building the cottage?” Trevor asked. “And can we go on a boat ride as well?” They all had questions, but Sam was only able to answer some of them. He assured them that Henry always made sure they all had plenty of fun while they were up there.

  Finally, the time had come for them to leave. Serge was the first to show appreciation by barking at them to announce playtime. He was happy when the children were present. This was to be quite an experience for them all.

  Meanwhile, Henry had brought out a couple of professionals to inspect the cottage rebuilding site and assess the required foundation according to Henry’s plans; and two days later; they returned and started pouring the foundation.

  This surprised everybody, and Sam had a few talks with Henry about what he planned to build on this fascinating property. It was in a way a shock to find out about the new plans and developments. However, that did not last long. Henry took a long time deciding what to do but once he made up his mind, he went all the way.

  “You know, Sam, I have been careful all my life. Not afraid — but careful. I have forgotten to take my own advice about not knowing what awaits you if you never take a risk. Just ask your wife what I mean by that.” But Sam was well aware of what Henry was talking about. “So, let’s have some fun while we are here. Your son is going to burst if we don’t stop chatting.” They laughed.

  Barb managed to get the girls to help with preparing the food while the guys cleaned up plenty of debris around the place. After that, the guys went fishing and the girls had fun swimming. In the evening, they all sat around the fire and talked, sometimes even sang.

  They had fun putting up the tents, but once the rain started one evening, that was a different story. However; that lasted only one day and night. The following night, the girls went home and returned the next day. Next-door neighbour Tom offered to assist as well. He invited them to stay at his house if it started to rain again. “Henry, don’t bother going home; you can all bunk with us, if you like,” Tom offered.