ROMANOV AUTUMN
Chapter Four
Jack began to recover a week or
so later and eventually was moved from the bedroom to the parlor. Olivia
carried his sketchbook, and placed it on his lap once he was comfortable.
"Thank you," he told her hoarsely, coughing. Esther took a seat in
her rocker, her expression thoughtful.
"Tomorrow, I think, or at
least as soon as possible, we need to take a trip to the courthouse. I want to
have this business cleared as quickly as it can be."
Jack looked at her curiously.
"What business?" he asked, having been fairly out of it the last time
she mentioned the idea of their adoption.
"Esther wants to adopt us,
Jack! We won’t have to go to an orphanage at all! Isn’t that wonderful?"
Olivia grabbed his hands, which were slowly regaining their usual warmth. He
smiled weakly, and nodded. Anything was better than being thrown into a single
room with crowds of boys, hardly any privacy, and outrageously strict rules.
Then again, probably living with this woman wouldn’t be much better in the rule
area, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about being left behind while
other boys were chosen.
"Thank you," he told
her, and Esther chuckled.
"Well, don’t thank me until
the matter is settled, dear. I’m not sure how long this will take, because
there are quite a few loopholes when it comes to the adoption situation. I was
talking to your sister, and she said you have very few relatives still
living."
Jack pursed his lips. He knew his
father had been an only child, and his mother belonged to a large family.
However, there were certain circumstances about his mother’s side that he did
not want to tell Olivia yet. Especially not in front of Esther, whom he’d
barely gotten to know. "I only told her about our uncle, Jack. I don’t
know about any others, because Mama and Papa never talked about them."
"Do you know of anyone else,
Jack?" She watched as Olivia climbed onto the couch, snuggling beneath the
blanket. Jack held her close, stroking her sienna-brown curls. Esther sat in
her favorite rocker, putting a pair of spectacles on her nose.
"No," Jack answered,
and from what he knew, that was technically true.
"What was your husband
like?" Olivia changed the subject as Jack opened his sketchbook. His
crystal blue eyes focused on his sister as he began to draw her, shading in her
most prominent features. His hand flew over the paper, like wind blowing over
water.
"He was not exceedingly
handsome," Esther began, sipping from her teacup. "And rather short
and plump. He was balding and had gray hair, with a round, rosy face."
"Like Santa Claus! Did he
have a beard?" Olivia asked, and Jack pursed his lips to keep from
laughing out loud. Esther, however, did laugh.
"No, not quite. But, oh,
what a darling he was! We met at an auction…where I bought this old chair,
actually, and we immediately fell for each other."
Jack suddenly sneezed, startling
Olivia, who shrieked in surprise.
"Bless you, dear!"
Esther found a spare handkerchief, which he accepted without argument.
"Where did you get those awful sneezes from? You’re such a small
boy!"
Olivia burst into giggles, hiding
her hands behind her mouth. Jack glared at her, sticking out his tongue, and
she merely returned the gesture. "I don’t know," he admitted, and
leaned back against the couch with a groan. "I’m not feeling so good
again," he muttered, his entire body aching.
"Here…let’s bring you right
back to bed, love. We’ll only go to the attorney tomorrow if you’re feeling
better." She went to feel his forehead, frowning.
"You are a little warm
again. Olivia, hop down, darling."
Olivia did as she was told, and
helped Jack to his feet.
"I can walk," he told
them, not wanting help. Both hesitated, but stepped away all the same. He took
a deep breath, and made his way very carefully towards the guest room. Esther
walked closely behind him, just in case he happened to stumble, but he didn’t.
"Well done," she
complimented, once he was back in bed. Jack managed to get the hanky in place
before he sneezed again, wanting to be left alone with his misery for the
moment.
"Bless you. Would you like
another mug of tea? That might help." Esther clicked her tongue. Jack
looked so disgruntled that she decided it would be best to leave him be for a
while. "All right. We’ll let you alone for a bit so you can get some
rest." Esther led Olivia out of the room, and Jack watched as they
disappeared through the door.
He sighed, looking up at the
ceiling. He missed his parents horribly, feeling angry that they had to perish
in such a terrible way. The vision of the smoldering barn filled his mind, and
he felt tears fill his eyes. Just the night before the fire, he and his father
sat on the porch naming the different star patterns.
*****
"Look, Jack," Mr.
Edward Dawson told his son, pointing up at the ink black sky. Jack raised his
head, noticing a shooting star. "That’s a big one," Mr. Dawson
explained. "Make a wish, son."
Jack closed his eyes, and
opened them after a moment. "Okay," he whispered, and his father gave
him a hug.
"I hope whatever you
wished for comes true," the elder man told Jack, who merely smiled and
drew his knees up to his chest. The night was so peaceful, only the sound of a
gentle breeze blowing through the trees and the sound of crickets chirping.
*****
Jack allowed the tears to fall
freely at last, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed quietly. Eventually, he
sobbed himself to sleep, amidst a feverish haze.