I’ll wait till it stops raining and then I’ll think of something, Caleb thought wearily.
He needed to find a job, any job, but for now, he would try to avoid the docks at all costs. No matter how horrible Jacob had been he had friends who would not like what had happened to him.
As he sat there people passed him by trying to escape the rain. He observed their expressions as they became aware of his presence. Some looked at him fleetingly with a certain sorrow, others with indifference and an overwhelming majority with disgust. They believed themselves above everything and everyone because their pockets were overflowing with money. They didn’t like finding a dirty boy of just sixteen years with a look of defiance in their territory. Caleb knew that some of the people would notify the police so he decided to leave a few minutes later. The rain chilled him to the bone but it seemed to him that the water not only took away the filth on his body but also the filth on his soul.
Caleb entered a street that seemed deserted. Most of the shops were still closed. A bright yellow light called him as if he were a small insect unable to fight against the most basic of instincts. Caleb stood in front of the huge glass window and saw dozens of thick books full of flashy adornments and interesting titles. Jerry’s smiling face popped into his mind. Caleb looked up and saw his reflection. He was soaked and didn’t feel an inch of his whole being, except for the moisture. His hair was longer than he remembered and the water that dripped from the ends of his hair also dripped from his face. It was a different face than he had previously seen. Something dark appeared in his black eyes and it was startling to suddenly see a completely different person. Someone foreign to the one he had ever seen.
Was it possible to change so much in a few hours?
“Hey, young man,” Caleb heard a soft voice that almost disappeared with the tinkling of a bell. “You shouldn’t be standing there.”
“Excuse me,” Caleb said quickly, trying not to be a bother. He turned around ready to leave.
“I didn’t mean for you to leave.” Caleb looked at him and the old man smiled. “I was inviting you to come in and have something hot to drink.”
For a second Caleb didn’t trust him. If the people from the slums were dangerous then the people from the rich neighborhoods were even more so. Perhaps because of the lack of culture or education, the poor didn’t usually plot or plan things. They normally acted without thinking but in these luxurious places, things were different. He had heard many stories about mysterious deaths, poisons, and betrayal. But the cold and the hunger won forcing him to take several steps to the door.
“I can’t imagine what brought you here, young man,” the old man said, pouring two cups of tea that sat on a bright counter, “but I find it disturbing to think that you have fled from where you were.”
Yes, at first glance he looked like a goofy old man whose head didn’t seem to work perfectly, but in his sentence, there was much more than what was heard at first. Caleb knew that he was an intelligent and carefully cultivated man. How? He had a bookstore and was surrounded by manuscripts that probably contained things Caleb had never heard of or even imagined.
“Do you know how to read?” The man asked curiously as he saw Caleb staring at a book that was close to him.
“Someone was teaching me.”
“Then I’m sure he was a good person,” he said with a small sigh. Then he continued. “Seeing you talk in the past tense tells me that person is gone. I’m sorry.”
Caleb was silent, he didn’t want to talk about what had happened last night, let alone tell a stranger. The old man respected his decision. He disappeared through a door leaving Caleb alone to look around at everything and returned a few minutes later with a shiny silver tray in which were placed several plates with different types of pasta.
“Do you have parents?” he continued, asking innocently.
“No,” Caleb took longer than usual to reply.
His mother had tried to kill him years ago. So he could never return to her, and his father. Who knew which of the men who had raped her had left her pregnant. It was something that he would never find out.
“Life is very hard during these times,” said the man, “many kids your age are forced to survive alone. And then my neighbors complain when they are mugged on the streets. What fools!” He laughed while he shook his head.
He didn’t seem like the typical rich man. However, he was. Caleb knew that education and manners were only taught to upper-class children and here was this old man criticizing his peers.
“What’s your name?”
“Caleb.”
“Very well, Caleb.” The man held out a wrinkled hand that trembled slightly. “My name is Jones.”
Caleb shook his hand. It was a small gesture that made him feel good. It made Caleb feel like he was in the same social class as him.
“Tell me, Caleb. Do you have a plan?”
“I don’t know what you mean, sir.”
“Don’t be so proper, call me Jones. You see my daughter does not want to take care of the business. She thinks it’s silly.” He was thoughtful for a few seconds. “Emily is more concerned about finding a husband and doesn’t think that this place should exist. I’m not going to lie to you,” he added as his gaze darkened, “we don’t make our living from this. My family has more than what we could spend in several generations, but I suppose I’m a strange fellow.”
Caleb observed him thinking about his words. Certainly, he didn’t see him as the other egocentric wealthy people who only cared enough to attend parties, feel well and climb the social ladder. It was notorious that the man had other priorities besides acquiring power.
“If you are interested I was looking for someone to help me in the store. I’ve become old and I can’t move like I did a few years ago. Of course, you’re going to have to work very hard and learn to read properly, and also to write.”
“Not the...”
Surprised, Caleb didn’t know how to finish the sentence. A stroke of luck? Could he trust someone again? Deep down, he didn’t want to trust again. That brought the risk of loss and pain, not to mention betrayal. But the boy who lived at the bottom of his being wanted to stay there. To learn and become someone smart. In the end, intelligence was what gave real power to a man, not brute force.
“You shouldn’t think so much. Just follow what your heart dictates.” Jones read his expression and the doubts that thronged in his head. “I think you’re an interesting guy. You are curious and you’re smart Caleb.”
“This is sudden,” Caleb admitted sipping from the elegant cup of tea. The teacups decoration seemed to enthrall him. “I am confused.”
“Then, stay a few days and try it out. If you feel comfortable I’ll invite you to stay. You will have a comfortable bed waiting for you and the company of an old man who enjoys talking.”
Yes, trying it out wouldn’t harm anyone. He would do it. In any case, he had nowhere to go. Or anything to eat. If to have a roof and a hot plate of food he only had to help in the shop and learn, he’d do it.
That same day Jones took him to one of the nearby streets. The shops began to open and the customers still had not taken to the streets. A little solitude would help them to not draw too much attention.
“Is this necessary?” Caleb asked with a grimace.
“Yes.”
“I don’t have any money to pay for anything.”
“Then take it as an advance on your first paycheck. You can’t walk down these streets dressed in dirty rags. That would bring us both problems.” Jones stopped paying attention and focused on the shopkeeper. Who had a smile from ear to ear because of the sales that he’d just made, and gave them both many compliments.
“Anything else, sir?”
“Yes, take everything to my house. Tell the housekeeper to make sure that the tailors are there to take measurements when we arrive.
”
“Of course, I’ll immediately send my men.”
With a gesture of his head, he said goodbye to the portly fabric seller and took Caleb to another place nearby.
“We will fix you up a bit,” Jones said pushing him gently into the interior of a barbershop. “Hello, Alfred.”
“Jones, what a surprise.” With two great strides, Alfred stood in front of them. He was the largest man that Caleb had seen, much more even than Jacob.
The size of Alfred’s hand was the same diameter of his head. Caleb knew when he saw it that it wouldn’t be difficult for him to break him in half with a simple grip. And without thinking or analyzing the stranger, Caleb heard them have a quick conversation about him in which he had neither voice nor vote. Alfred would clean him up and fix his hair. He would also lend him some clothes that he had for his assistants, nothing elegant, but they were clean clothes without holes or rips.
“I admit that I’m completely surprised,” Jones said with arched eyebrows. Comfortably seated in the most luxurious chair in the place, he watched carefully.
Caleb’s serious and cold expression showed the distance he tried to keep from all the people that surrounded him. He was a very attractive boy and at first glance, it was clear that he was intelligent even without having learned anything. His hair was a striking bluish black color that attracted more attention now that it was nice and clean. The barber had cut it to the length that was fashionable among the important men and tied it with an elegant ribbon. Caleb had a good demeanor, of that there was no doubt, and Jones thought at that moment that if he’d had a son, he would have wanted his son to be like Caleb.
Caleb was less than perfect. Jones was aware that Caleb would have to work hard to become a decent man with so many disadvantages and with those thoughts Jones realized that the poor boy from the slums had just stolen his heart. He was weak, people exasperated him and he saw in Caleb a great potential to end up being someone very important. They returned to the store and entered to spend the rest of the morning there. As Jones had to cater to the clientele, Caleb sat nearby watching the man. It was the first time he watched someone so educated. He monitored his gestures and listened carefully to his words. It was like a masterclass in manners in which Caleb absorbed absolutely everything.
“After eating we will read a little,” Jones commented by placing a few books in their place after attending a client. “Don’t worry, it will be something very easy. A book for children will be adequate so that you can get used to it.”
Caleb nodded, not offended to start with children’s stories. It was not something to be ashamed of. On the contrary, he already had a reading level higher than that of the majority of his poor and marginalized equals.
“By what you’ve already told me you already know the alphabet and can write most of the letters. In a few days, you should notice that your reading is getting better.
“I am grateful,” he murmured.
Jones smiled in response to his words and urged him to close the store. The hour of eating approached and surely the table would already be set.
A few streets away, Caleb stood outside a majestic white house that was several stories high. A black fence surrounded the place protecting a beautiful and lush garden. The building was the length of the street leaving him to perceive that it would be huge.
“Come with me,” Jones smiled, “this is now your home.”
That little phrase without much importance made something want to ignite inside, but he didn’t allow himself, he didn’t want to feel like trash again as if there were nothing for him. Caleb’s distrust of all now led him to tread with care. Serious and with a cold look, he walked along with Jones into the gigantic mansion. Everything there shone with a special brightness, delicate items were everywhere, beautiful things that had wonderful stories. Caleb had a look of discomfort when he placed a foot in the front entrance.
“Emily dear,” Jones rushed to take the hand of his daughter, “come meet Caleb.”
“I want to know what a filthy rat is doing in my home,” without stopping she placed a pristine white handkerchief to her nose. “Have you become mad, father?”
“Don’t be rude, dear,” he pleaded. “Don’t misunderstand her Caleb...”
“Of course,” Caleb cut him off, as he didn’t believe that the man had a reason to apologize.
The nineteen-year-old girl was an angel in appearance. Beautiful, delicate, with blue eyes and big eyelashes but Caleb knew how to look beyond the appearance of a person and inside, Emily was the opposite to her outer beauty. He couldn’t blame her. He understood that he was a stranger. However, how could he refuse a bed and a plate of food? It would be worthwhile to listen with deaf ears to her rude words. After all, her words wouldn’t hurt him.
♫♫♫
For several days, the tailors came and went, and made beautiful and stylish new suits for Caleb. Who although grateful, had not changed his attitude. Jones was always close by him and took him to the store while Emily attended social gatherings and high society parties. Jones was teaching him things that he had never imagined, he absorbed every word listening like a hungry sponge.
The days transformed into weeks and the weeks into months. And one day suddenly, Jones began to get sick. His cough became acute at times, his tiredness made him clumsy and Emily didn’t help them in absolutely anything. She spent all day commenting that Caleb had given him a disease common to the poor and it would end up killing him. One evening, after a visit from the doctor, a serious and immaculate looking man came to the house. Caleb was sitting at a table that was placed in the hallway reading a couple of books at the request of Jones. When the newcomer entered Jones’ office he closed the door behind him. Caleb saw that Emily stood a few meters away watching what had just happened. That she was bothered by this was clear on her face.
“When I have everything ready I’ll be back Jones.” Caleb took his eyes off the book to see the man leave. “I’ll take as little time as possible.”
He shut the door and looked at Caleb carefully. Taking more time than necessary or that stipulated in the protocol of good manners. It didn’t bother Caleb, he responded in the same way. Finally, the man nodded and politely took his leave while Emily observed everything. It was clear what had just happened. The man had always negotiated the most important business for her father, overseas business, and accounts overflowing with money that she couldn’t spend. She’d spent too much time waiting for Jones to die. Now Emily found out that a lower class rat that came out of a sewer was going to become a new heir. No, she would never allow it. Someone of his status did not deserve it. He’d been born in filth, so he should die in the same place. How could she allow a stranger that had just spent a couple of months there to keep anything more than the scraps that no one else needed?
Against the doctor’s prediction Jones didn’t live beyond that night. He died so quickly that absolutely no one learned of it until the housekeeper came to see how he was.
“Too fast,” whispered the house employees venturing to make assumptions. Everyone knew of the arrival of the man the day before. Jones hadn’t had time to sign a new will. This made them suspect that his death had been accelerated. Due to fear, everyone kept silent. The new lady of the house would not be lenient. She would not be kind or make their life easy. They missed the elderly Jones and still didn’t know to what extent they would miss him.
Caleb felt the death of the man who had offered him a kind hand and here was the reason for having maintained his distance with him. He knew that he would suffer the loss of another person. For a moment he thought he was cursed and that the curse affected those who tried to help him, because if it wasn’t so... Why did everyone end up dead? Murdered?
He didn’t take more than a few hours to react. He went to his room and packed up a few things while he thought about where to go. Before he could pack up a book the door opened soft
ly.
“Caleb. Are you going somewhere?” Emily remained at the door with eyes riveted on him.
“I figured that you didn’t want me in your house,” his response prompted the young lady to arch her brows in annoyance.
“Are you not going to mourn my father after all he has done for you? After all, he turned a monster into a prince, don’t you think?”
Caleb stood in front of her, staring at her as if nothing of what she was saying affected him. It annoyed her greatly, but she knew how Caleb was.
“Also, I think you owe my family a debt... owe me,” she added speaking out a little then puckering her lips and looking him up and down. “Or do you think that the clothes that you are wearing are rags?”
“Then I will work to pay off my debt and...”
“It isn’t necessary because I have taken care of it,” Emily interrupted him with a wave of her hand. “Now you owe the money to the count.”
“What count? In London, there are a few.”
“I believe that he told me that he saw you once with my father, who politely presented you to him and you made a very good impression. Admirable.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened slightly at the sound of the rude tone of her voice. However, what she had told him made him feel like he had his hands tied. Indebted. He owed a debt to someone he never recalled having met.
“They will come this afternoon for you... prepare your things. I prefer that nothing of yours remains in the house.”
Caleb let out a sigh when the door closed. He only remained so they could come and get him.
♫♫♫
By afternoon it had begun to rain. Caleb looked through the window of his room. He was waiting for the carriage that would come for him. It didn’t take long until it arrived. Flamboyant to the extreme, the carriage was shining with golden ornaments and the oversized horses seemed taken straight from hell. Emily didn’t hesitate to go look for him personally. She was eager to get rid of him and no one was going to take away her pleasure in watching him leave through the door.
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