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awalkinavonlea
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 A New Journey ~ Life After the War
Hi,
For my fellow Avonlea forum members, here is the continuation of 'A New Journey,' and it picks up from the where it left off in the old forum. Time is a little tight, so I can't copy-and-paste the previous chapters just yet but I hope to do so soon.
For those who are new to my fanfic, the story focuses on Una Meredith. She secretly loved Anne and Gilbert's son Walter and lost him without ever telling him so. Set a year after WWI ended, it primarily focuses Una on a path of growth & self-discovery. Many original L.M Montgomery characters are in or will soon enter the story while new characters have also been added.
The story has taken a temporary turn away from Una's journey to tell the life story of Michael Dennis, her friend Garrett's father. Michael's story is important because certain events & people in his life will have an impact on those of others, including Una.
Below is a quick summary of the characters and who they are. Since the story is woven between two different eras, the list is divided between 'Una's Story' and 'Michael's Story.' If you have any questions about the story, please drop a note or write it in 'A New Journey-Reply' post and I'll be glad to answer them the best that I can. ~ A Walk in Avonlea, aka Leigh
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12/23/2006, 10:39 pm
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awalkinavonlea
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'A New Journey' Summary
This post and the one immediately after it is a quick summary of the characters and events in 'A New Journey.'
"Una's Story"
Set a year after WWI ends.
People & Pets
Anne Shirley Blythe &
Dr. Gilbert Blythe
Our beloved protagonists from the Anne of Green Gables series, who still reside at Ingleside. Gil has been invited to attend a summer medical conference/congress in America. He asks Anne to come with him, which she is glad to do, and they decide to rent out Ingleside for the summer to a young doctor and his wife.
Una finds a mentor & kindred spirit in Anne. The young woman did reveal to Anne that she had loved Walter, something that Anne suspected but never spoke of. In following the footsteps of people from her Avonlea days like Mrs. Allen and Miss Stacy, Anne hopes to encourage Una as she seeks to find who she is in the world.
Una Meredith
The shy little girl who moved to the Glen St. Mary manse with her father & sibilings back in the Blythe children's 'Rainbow Valley' days is now a young adult. She held a long-lasting--but secret--love for Walter, the Blythe's second oldest son. She's a quiet dreamers who is sweet and sensitive to the feelings of others but somewhat lacking confidence in herself. Una finds herself the unwilling target of many matchmakers. Devoted to her people, she plans to spend the summer quietly at the Glen. However, her mentor Anne has hopes that she will come to America with them. This is going to be a major event for our main characters that will bring revelations, joy & tears, hellos & good-byes.
Garrett Dennis
Garrett is a childhood friend of the Merediths & Blythes. An old hockey team-mate of Una's brother Carl, Garrett and his family moved to America from the island. Even though he works in the States, he has returned to the island for a short vacation after broken engagement. His friendship with the Merediths & Blythes is quickly renewed despite an awkward misunderstanding. As a handsome businessman quickly labeled as the Glen's most eligible young bachelor, he, like Una, finds himself the target of many mothers in town who would like to match him up. Even though their friendship is only platonic and that they wouldn't do anything to indicate otherwise, the two hope that the local busybodies may mistake them as sweethearts and save their matchmaking efforts to more willing targets.
Susan Baker
Yes, its the same Susan who came to Ingleside with the Blythes from their 'House of Dreams' days. She's the same Susan, complete with her undying devotion to her adopted family and firey frustrations with Old-Whiskers-On-the-Moon Mr. Pryor. She will also be travelling to the U.S with the Blythes.
Diana Barry Wright
Diana's estatic about becoming a grandmother. Her son's wife Hannah is due around the Christmas holidays.
Paul Irving
Anne's cherished student is a critically acclaimed poet who has found love. He is engaged to Kendra Wilson, a young woman who is the daughter of a Boston lawyer.
Whiskers-On-The-Moon/Mr. Pryor
Mr. Pryor, an opportunist who manages to ruffle a few feathers now and then, still finds himself at odds with Susan. His biggest mistake was in seeking to purchase Ingleside from the Blythes by suggesting that the home was too quiet now that the children were grown up, that it was just filled with empty memories, and that Gil should consider retiring. Luckily for him he realized his mistake and quickly excused himself from the home before Susan could chase him out with a heavy frying pan.
Rilla Blythe
The youngest of the Blythe sisters, Rilla is Una's best friend and is engaged to Ken Ford. With the exception of Una, the young Merediths & Blythes will be out of town for the summer. Rilla felt guilty about Una being 'abandoned' but is glad that a good friend like Garrett is around for her to talk to. She is the only
Jem Blythe and Faith Meredith
Engaged, scheduled to marry that autumn. Jem (Anne & Gil's oldest son) is finishing medical school and Faith (Una's sister) is teaching while renting a house in Kingston with the Blythe sisters.
Jerry Meredith and Nan Blythe
Engaged, scheduled to marry the following spring. Jerry is Una's oldest brother and is a businessman. Nan teaches school while hoping to try her hand at writing.
Di Blythe
A nurse in Kingsport, Di is engaged to Nathan Blake. Nathan is the son of Anne's college friend Philippa. He and Di met during the war when she was a Red Cross volunteer caring for the wounded soldiers. His brother Edward had been seriously injured but recovered. More of Di's story will be posted in a future fanfic.
Shirley Blythe
Anne & Gilbert's youngest son. He is studying physics in hopes to become an engineer. Although he is not a main character in 'A New Journey,' Shirley will have his own fanfic story soon.
Carl Meredith
Una's brother who is studying veterinary medicine in Montreal. A joker with a good heart.
Bruce Meredith
Una's little brother born to her father Reverend John (Jack) Meredith and Una's stepmother Rosemary. Totally devoted to him, Una wants to spend the summer at home because it will be his last summer before going off to school at Queen's Academy.
Charlie
Bruce's brown-and-white border collie given to him by his uncle Norman. Charlie is big-hearted but mischevious, as a majority of doted-on dogs are.
The Castings
The Castings are not exactly a group of kindred spirits, or, if they are, it will be a very long time until they become so. The leader of Glen St. Mary's busybodies, Vera Castings is to Una what Mrs. Harmon Andrews or Josie Pye was to young Anne. Bruce fought her son Eric after he made insulting comments about Una. Mrs. Castings hopes to match her daughter Vanessa with Garrett.
Places
Glen St. Mary's
The town where the Anne & Gil moved to after they married in Avonlea.
Rainbow Valley
Idyllic, grassy dell with a creek, it was a favorite place for the Blythe children and the Merediths when they were young. While the friends are now adults moving into different stages in their lives, they still visit Rainbow Valley from time to time. Keeping their memories there sacred, they decided that it belonged most to the magic years of childhood. As something of an honorary rite of passage, it was inherited by young Bruce Meredith.
Red Grove
Something of the Rainbow Valley of her adult life, Red Grove is a dense patch of of red oak trees where Una goes to read, sketch, or be alone with her thoughts. The same creek that runs through Rainbow Valley also runs through the Grove.
Last edited by awalkinavonlea, 12/24/2006, 12:12 am
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12/23/2006, 10:40 pm
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awalkinavonlea
Ann without an E
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Character Summary Continued
Here's the rest of the character list from the story.
"Michael's Story"
Set during the late 1840s, when a plant disease creates a famine after destroying Ireland's main staple, thus bringing about the Irish Potato Blight. Thousands sadly left Ireland in hopes to save themselves and their families from starvation. Many immigrate to America in search of survival.
(People, Pets, and Major Events)
Michael (Mike) Dennis
The main character in this part of the story, Michael is just five years old when the famine strikes. Hoping to give him a better future, his mother Isobel sends him to live with his paternal uncle in Ohio, America.
Alec Dennis
Michael's father who was killed by an intruder one night. Alec was a good, kind man whose memory is kept alive by his widow and their son. Saved the life of Derek McKenzie when they were children and the two, along with Isobel, were the best of friends during their school years.
Isobel Daugherty Dennis
Strong-willed and high-spirited, Isobel Daugherty fell in love with Alec Dennis after her family moved to his town. The couple married in their early twenties and happily lived on a farm with their two small children until a thief broke into their home, stole their money, and shot Alec. Widowed and poor, Isobel must leave her farm to live with an elderly aunt. Though kind-hearted, Isobel's aunt can only spare enough food for Isobel and her infant daughter Fiona. Reluctantly Isobel decides that she must send Michael to live with his uncle Braden in America if he is to survive the famine. She herself cannot go because the voyage would be too risky for baby Fiona.
Derrick McKenzie (Mac)
McKenzie is an up-and-coming Irish-American journalist living in New York. His work takes him all over the country and sometimes all over the world as he follows stories for a major newspaper company. In his schooldays he was best friends with Alec Dennis, who had saved his life, and Isobel Daughtery. For years he secretly loved Isobel but one day learned that she was in love with Alec. He left for America right after his friends were married and loses contact with them. Wanting to honor his friends and repay Alec for saving his life, Mac becomes Michael's guardian during the voyage at sea. He assumes almost a father role for Michael and, though with all due respect to his friends, wishes that Isobel had been his wife and Michael his own son.
The Connelleys
Murdock Connelley, his wife Adela and their children Sean, Luke, and Ardis were the Dennis' neighbors. Originally Michael was supposed to travel to America with them, but because of a shortage of space on the ship that they were scheduled to take, they unwantingly had to separate from the boy. However, Murdock made arrangements that Michael would be cared for by McKenzie on another boat until the boy's uncle could claim him when the ships docked at the American harbor.
Braden Dennis
Alec's younger brother, Braden lives with his family on a farm in Ohio. He and his wife Bridget love their nephew like one of their own and for years they all live happily together on the farm. The family continues to grow and they fall on hard times. Braden decides to work in the coal mines and Bridget convinces him that it is for the best that they sell their beloved farm to move to the coal camp, a small community where the miners lived with their families.
Peter, Thomas Quinn, Jacob, Alannah, and Liam Dennis
Michael's cousins, ranging from the oldest to the youngest. Jacob and Alannah are twins and Liam is a young infant.
Aonsu
The Dennis' blue roan horse. Her mother was a mistreated horse that Braden bought at an auction and nursed back to health by the couple. Aonsu, whose name translates to 'blue' in Lakota Indian.
Captain Edward Theodore Arnold
The wise leader of the ship that brought Michael to America.
James Boyd
A young first mate on the ship that brought Michael to America more commonly known as Captain Jim by his shipmates(yes, he's the Blythe's beloved Captain Jim).
The Storm
A massive sea storm that took everyone by surprise, causing severe damage to the ship and the tragic death of Captain Arnold when a monster wave washed him overboard. Though grieving for the loss of their leader and friend, the crew decides that Jim should take over, thus officially making him 'Captain Jim.' Michael was worried about his friends the Connelleys but later learned that their ship did make it safely to a Canadian harbor. Murdock found work running a farm for an elderly husband and wife that offered room & board in exchange for his & Adela's work around the farm.
Castle Garden
Before there was Ellis Island, there was Castle Garden. Originally a fort during the American Revolution, it was converted into a resort/theater and then into the entry point for immigrants coming to America. Michael's ship lands here. They stay docked there until the mandatory quarantine is up. He tearfully realizes that his time with McKenzie is up but is promised that Mac will be there if he should ever need him. Michael also meets his uncle Braden for the first time.
Last edited by awalkinavonlea, 12/24/2006, 12:18 am
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12/23/2006, 10:41 pm
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awalkinavonlea
Ann without an E
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A New Journey ~ Life After the War
Well, that was a Who's-Who of the fanfic. Now here's the story, picking up from where it left off in the Avonlea forum. It takes place in Ohio, where twelve year-old Michael is moving with his uncle's family to a coal camp. Coal camps were small communities where miners could live with their families and still be close to work. This was a major industry back in those days that held harazardous work conditions.
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The Coal Camp
Moving day came quickly upon them. Braden tied the dairy cow to the back of the wagon while Michael worked with Peter and Thomas Quinn to pack the last of the family's items into the wagon. Bridget, who had resolved not to cry, took one last look at her beloved home. She reached out her hand to run her fingers over the grain of the wooden door.
"This is where I spent my first days as a bride," she whispered sadly to herself. "I never thought that I would leave this place." Her eyes blinked back sentimental tears. "Well now, I guess that it's the home that makes a house and not the other way around. If that's the case at least I'll be taking that with me." She smiled a wobbily grin at the twins, who each held onto one side of the belt of her apron.
Michael helped her up to her seat beside Braden in the wagon. She resolved not to cry but to stay cheerful so as not to upset her husband or the children. She took baby Liam into her arms while the children sat down behind her. Braden motioned for Aonsa to begin walking. The horse picked up her heels and trotted down the road with a passing whinny to the neighbor's horses. Michael watched as the house grew smaller and smaller in the distance. A little shiver of loneliness ran through him. This all felt sickenly like that day years ago back in Ireland when he left home to a new destination.
Last edited by awalkinavonlea, 12/24/2006, 12:10 am
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12/23/2006, 10:53 pm
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awalkinavonlea
Ann without an E
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Re: A New Journey ~ Life After the War
At about noon the wagon approached the remote community. Michael's eyes surveyed the midsized town, observing the various shacks. Fencing one end of the camp stood the company's general store, Billings' Mercantile. At the other end was a modest chapel. "That's the church there boys," Braden pointed out. "You'll be getting your schooling there during the week and then Sunday sermon."
The townswomen moved about taking little notice to the new family. They were too busy sweeping away the coal dust from out of their homes. Most of the men were busy at work in the mines with a few at home for lunch. The sound of children laughing as they played broke the dusty dreariness that hung in the air. Bridget, immediately missing the bright fields that seemed like an eternity away, found some comfort in their joy. "Hope lives in the laughter of the young," her grandmother used to say. Perhaps this was a good sign.
Braden brought Aonsu to a stop in front of one of the shacks. "Well Dennises, we're here." He had thought of saying 'Home Sweet Home' but decided against it, considering the somber mood. "Pete and Thom, help your mother out," he called out as he tied the horse's reigns around the front railpost. "Jacob and Alannah, you wait for your ma there. Mike, help me unload the wagon."
Following orders, the children did as they were told. Thomas Quinn held his baby brother while Peter helped their mother step down. "Well, boys, what do you think?" Bridget asked in the most upbeat tone that she could muster. Peter said nothing and turned to help his cousin unload the wagon. Thomas Quinn handed Liam back to his mother. "It's nice, Ma," he answered half-heartedly.
They did not bring much so it did not take very long for the boys to finish unpacking. Walking into the house, Bridget found it freshly swept with a loaf of bread in the breadbox.
"Who set this up?" she wondered aloud. "It saves me a few steps," she said, smiling down at Liam in her arms. Suddenly there was a quick knock on the doorframe.
"That would have been me," a cheerful voice replied. Bridget turned to see a woman standing at the threshold. She was about Bridget's age, maybe a year or so younger, and had a welcoming smile. "May I come in?" she asked.
"I'm sorry. Where are my manners?" she turned, looking for a chair to offer the visitor.
"Oh, don't worry about that," the woman said. "My name is Nell. Nell Winston. My husband and I live right next door with our children. We heard that some new folk were moving in and we wanted to bring you some welcome. I remember when we first came here. Goodness knows this place is lonesome enough by looks alone, nevermind unfriendly neighbors."
"Thank you Nell. I'm Bridget Dennis and these are my children. My husband Braden just left to get some wood for the stove but he'll be back in a moment." The children were quietly watching the two speak. Bridget pointed to each child and gave their name.
Nell smiled at Michael, who had just walked in. Immediately Michael liked their neighbor. "This here is your oldest?" she asked. Bridget shook her head. "No, Michael is my husband's nephew," she replied, putting an arm around his shoulder, "but we love him like he was one of our own."
"That's good." Nell nodded. "Children need to have family. You folks aren't frome here, are you?"
"We're from Ireland, really. Braden and I came right after we were married. We'd been living just a few miles down the road. Now here we are," she answered cheerfully. Forget the fact that she was heart-broken inside, Bridget was not about to show how she really felt to anyone, let alone a newly met neighbor.
Nell didn't need to be told how Bridget was feeling. "Most of us here have got similar stories. Pretty much everyone here is from some place else. Some folks like me are black, some are Irish, some German, some Swede, some all the way from China; all of us just trying to keep food on the table, hoping for better days to come." She sighed and brushed some dust off of her apron. "But I guess that life is what you make it to be. Well, I best let you folks get settled."
"Thank you again, Mrs. Winston, for coming over to make us feel welcome."
"I'm happy to do it, Mrs. Dennis. You all come and visit if you'd like. You'll find some folk here to be stand-offish and some folk real friendly. I figure that being friendly makes things more tolerable, don't you?"
"That I do."
"I'm glad. Don't be strangers, now." Nell Watson smiled her good-bye and left. At that moment Braden passed by, tipping his hat to Nell in polite salutation and entered his home.
"Looks you've met our neighbor, Bridge." he noted, happy to find his wife in good spirits.
"It's good to a have a friend nearby, especially when one's new to the area," she smiled as she gently laid Liam in his crib.
Last edited by awalkinavonlea, 12/25/2006, 9:36 pm
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12/25/2006, 9:11 pm
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awalkinavonlea
Ann without an E
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Re: A New Journey ~ Life After the War
*
Later that evening Michael took Aonsu riding through the forest behind the camp. This was good, because Aonsu was not used to be tied up all day. She would need to adjust to her new home just as her humans did. Behind the thick patch of trees lied a clearing of green grass. Michael gave Aonsu full reign and she took off at a full gallop. With pounding hooves the horse cut across through the field, leaping over fat fallen logs. Her rider thrilled with the sure certainty that he was indeed riding the fastest horse in the world. He imagined famed racing horses following behind them, all left behind, unable to keep up with the mare's pace.
Aonsu bit by bit slowed down to a walk and then finally stopped to graze. Michael looked at the scene around them. A mountain in the distance stood out against the sky. He wondered what it would be like to climb that mountain someday. How far can a person see from the top of such a mountain? Maybe across the country to the oceanside. He pictured himself scaling up over the jagged cliffs like the climbers of Mt. Kilamanjaro described in the reading primers McKenzie would send.
The sky began to change color, announcing the approaching sunset. Horse and rider turned back towards the camp. When they neared the patch of trees Michael slid off to walk Aonsu home. They weaved through aspens and pine, breathing in the sweet, fresh air. Suddenly Aonsu stopped and, raising her head, her ears pricked up to attention. Then Michael heard the sound of someone choppiing wood. Curious, he scanned the area to see where the sound was coming from. A few yards away he saw a man holding an axe strapped to his belt, tying a bundle of firewood together with a leather strap. The man's back was turned to them and he appeared too busy to notice them.
Last edited by awalkinavonlea, 12/26/2006, 11:17 pm
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12/26/2006, 11:03 pm
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awalkinavonlea
Ann without an E
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Re: A New Journey ~ Life After the War
'Mister!' he called out as he slowed Aonsu's gait to a walk once they reached a few yards behind the man. 'Hey Mister!' The man shifted the bundle of wood under one arm before he stopped, his free hand reaching for his hatchet. Then he turned to face the person calling him.
"What do you want, kid?' he asked in a gruffed tone. Michael eyed the hatched and a sudden shiver of fear ran through him as he remembered his aunt's warning. If the stranger was a bad man then Michael could have been in grave danger. Aonsu sensed the boy's fear and snorted a warning to the figure standing before them. The boy's words failed him so he said nothing but opened up his right hand. When he saw the pocketwatch the man's first reaction was to check his pocket. Sure enough he found it empty.
"How did you get that?" he asked in surprise and suspicion as the pocketwatch danced at the end of its chain.
"You dropped it, Mister." Michael answered as returned the item. "It fell from your pocket back over there." He pointed at the patch of trees where the whole incident occurred.
The man brought the watch to his ear. He listened to it tick the seconds away, thankful that it had been neither lost nor broken. A feeling of relief washed over him. Then he looked at Michael. "Much obliged to you," he thanked him in a less gruff tone of voice. He placed the watch back in his pocket, being sure that he wouldn't lose it again.
Then the man turned back to the road again. It was the same path that led back to the coal camp. Keeping a safe distance away, Michael and Aonsu followed behind him. The man knew that likely his company would being sharing the road for the next few miles. Without turning around, he began to speak.
"Looks like we're both headed to the coal camp. Your pa work there?" he asked.
"My uncle does," Michael answered.
"What does your pa do? He a farmer?"
"He was," Michael replied soberly. "He died when I was little."
The man stopped and looked at the boy. "I'm sorry, kid. My pa died when I was a kid too. Hurts like hell, don't it?"
Michael nodded.
The man continued walking. "So your uncle works at the mines?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'll likely be meeting him tomorrow. The name's Winston. Earl Winston."
"Are you Mrs. Winston's husband?"
Winston looked over his shoulder at the boy. "Sounds like you've already met Nell."
"Yes, sir. She came by to welcome us this afternoon."
"So your people are the new folk in town."
"Yes, sir."
"Well it's good to meet you, neighbor. But next time," he warned, "be careful not to talk to strangers you meet on the road."
"No sir."
"Good. And be especially careful," he warned, "of the coal bosses. You're just about that age that they'll start recruiting. They're always looking to get some poor kid working real cheap there in the mines. It ain't no place for a kid to be. It don't matter to them whether a worker lives or dies, much less a kid." The camp then came into site and for the rest of the walk the two were quiet with their own thoughts.
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1/2/2007, 2:16 am
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awalkinavonlea
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Re: A New Journey ~ Life After the War
*
With some adjustments made, the Dennises settled down in the camp house. There was one room for the adults, one room for the older children, and makeshift beds in the warm kitchen for the littlest ones. Sometimes it felt uncomfortably crowded but for the most part the family looked past this.
The seasons changed as the weeks passed. Michael, Peter, and Thomas Quinn were at school one September day. This day stood out for two reasons, first of which being that Michael's thirteenth birthday was a week a way. The other reason was that, instead of their regular lessons, the students would be listening to a guest speaker in class that morning.
It would not be honest to say that their teacher welcomed the speaker. Mr. Orwell knew the reason for the presentation all to well. Each year the mine manager, Mr. Perkins, would come to encourage those children big enough to work to come and help their fathers in the mine. Orwell detested the fact that such young ones would be put to work in something so unforgivingly dangerous as a coal mine. In his years there countless students left school to enter those dark tunnels, many lost forever in freak or careless accidents.
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1/5/2007, 11:20 pm
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awalkinavonlea
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Re: A New Journey ~ Life After the War
The schoolbell rang and the children sat down at their desks. Orwell tapped on the chalkboard to get their attention. "Children," he announced, "we have a guest today. Mr. Perkins, who many of you may know, is the mine manager here and he would like to speak with you about something." Then Mr. Orwell said no more but went to stand at the back of the room.
Perkins' objective was to recruit young laborers, who would be paid a fraction of the meager wages that their fathers received. The reduced wages did not mean reduced work. On the contrary, they were expected to work just as much. Yet he did not mention these things to his audience. Instead he spoke to the boys about their responsibility to their family to help put food on the table.
To his own credit, Perkins was a very persuasive speaker. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it. Not that he had succeeded in convincing all of the students. Some, like Thomas Quinn, were too young to pay very much attention. A few, like Peter, already hated the mines from seeing their fathers come home ragged and worn from work. By the time that Perkins finished his speech, though, he had managed to convince certain students that leaving school for the mines was the right thing to do.
"What was all that about?" Peter wondered aloud as the boys walked back to their home. "Why would anyone want to work in some mine?"
"I dunno," said his brother with a shrug. He was too busy wondering how he'd be able to talk his parents into getting a puppy. David Johnson's dog just had puppies and he was looking for homes for them. A dog was just the thing that they needed. At least, that's what he'd tell his parents every chance he could get.
Michael said nothing but thought about what he had heard that morning. Perkins mentioned that it was the responsibility of every young man to provide for his family.
Those words branded themselves into Michael's head. His uncle came home every night exhausted, his eyes strained from working in the dimly lit tunnels to put food on their table. Perhaps this was his duty to his children, but what duty did he really have to a nephew? Now neither Braden nor Bridget had ever said anything about Michael owing anything to them. It never crossed there minds that the boy should pay back for the room and board given to him.
Michael hung his head as these thoughts ran back and forth. Sure he did his chores, but everyone he knew did chores. It was his responsibility to earn his keep. Shouldn't he be doing the responsible thing, especially now that he was turning thirteen?
The boys put away their homework to do after dinner when they got home. They helped with the evening chores until Braden came home. "Hi, love," he greeted his wife as he walked through the door. The twins ran to hug him but Thomas Quinn stopped them. "Remember what Mother told you," he reminded them. "Wait until afterFather has a chance to wash up." It may seem harsh, but if one could see just how much coal dust were on Braden's clothing, one would understand. So the twins waited at the kitchen table until their father reappeared from his room. Then they ran to him again.
"Here now, look at you," he said as they each grabbed one hand and led him to his chair. "What fine hosts you are." Bridget walked by with Liam in her arms. "How are you, Junior?" Braden asked the toddler as his mother sat him down on her lap. "Da!" the little boy yelled as he reached for a spoon on the table. "That's a good enough answer." Braden turned his attention to the older boys. "How was school, lads? What did Mr. Orwell teach you today."
"Some fellow came to talk to us today," Thom replied.
"What he talk to you about?" his mother asked as she fed Liam a spoonful of cabbage.
"He came to tell us about working in the mines," answered Peter glumly. He was afraid that his father would agree with Perkins that a son should follow in his father's line of work.
"Do you mean to tell me that they're trying to bring wee children to do a grown man's job?" Bridget asked with a tsk.
"They've got boys Thom's age working there now," Braden informed his wife. Peter stole a quick glance at his brother and then his father before casting his eyes back down to the bowl in front of him. He prepared himself to hear his father suggest that they do the same.
"I don't think that it's right," proclaimed Bridget, turning her attention back to Liam. "I won't have any child in this house leave school to work in those mines. It's bad enough for a woman to have to worry about her man, let alone her children."
"Well, I'm inclined to agree with you. The company won't make it's profit at the expense of our children, I'll tell you that." Braden stated before Thom changed the subject to the matter of getting a dog. Peter breathed a sigh of relief while Michael, on the other hand, felt his stomach tie into a knot. He still carried the conviction that it was his responsibility to pay his way in the family. There were no other jobs for boys his age to be found.
Later that night, after his cousins were all asleep, Michael heard his aunt and uncle talking in the kitchen. He knew that he should have been in bed, but he had such a need to speak with them. Quietly he crept out of the room towards the kitchen. He cleared his throat as he approached them so that they'd know he was there.
"Michael, you should be in bed by now." Bridget said as she laid out her husband's workclothes for the next day.
"Something on your mind, Mike?" Braden asked. Michael nodded and Braden motioned to an empty chair near him. "Let's hear it."
"Uncle Braden, I want to go to work at the mines with you."
"What's this now?" Bridget asked. "Michael, you can't be serious."
"I am, Aunt Bridget," he answered politely but with resolve. "It's what I should ought to do."
Braden sat quietly, rubbing his face with his hand as he thought of the best way to handle the situation. He believed that children should do their share of the work, but that was about chores and not actual labor. "What do you mean that it's something you ought to do?"
Slowly Michael explained his reasoning. "You and Aunt Bridget took me in when you didn't have to. It's my responsibility to pay you back for that. Now that I'm almost an adult, I should help to support the younger ones."
When he heard his nephew refer to himself as almost and adult, Braden knew not whether to feel amused or sad. The boy was certainly growing up too quickly--all of the children were--but he was still far from an adult. For a brief moment he remembered back to when he was a boy on the brink of turning thirteen.
Last edited by awalkinavonlea, 1/7/2007, 2:01 am
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1/6/2007, 7:55 pm
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