ROMANOV AUTUMN
Chapter Forty-Two
Over the next several months,
Jack continued working for the squid trade. He got used to the long hours stuck
in the middle of the bay, and the constant smell of fish that took hours to
disappear. By Christmas, he actually felt quite happy in California, though he
continued to search for a job that would provide him with a better salary.
He continued to write to Olivia,
giving her updates on his current situation, and she wrote to him about little
Macena.
She is showing clear signs of
exceptional intelligence for a child her age and size, Olivia wrote. I am not merely saying
that because she is my niece, either. Esther and I are almost certain she will
start talking soon. Won't that be something!
Jack felt his heart sink; he
would miss his daughter's first words, her first steps. The more he thought
about her, the more determined he became about getting his life in order. It
wasn't easy, though, but by the following spring of 1905, he had a run-in with
his old boss from the motion picture industry. The two men stood gaping at each
other, wondering if this were some sort of dream.
"What are you doing
here?" Mr. Gleeson demanded, his mustache twitching a little, and once
Jack managed to find his voice, he tried to think of a good explanation.
"I decided the California
air agreed with me a little more than New York," he admitted, not wanting
to get into detail about Alyiah's death.
"I don’t doubt that!"
Mr. Gleeson guffawed. "Dawson, if you're looking for work, feel free to
stop by the studio in the morning. I will be paying you double the salary you
made before, as we have complete faith in your artistic abilities."
Jack stuttered his response,
unable to believe this. Here he was barely making a dollar fifty a day at the
docks, and the labor involved was completely ridiculous for the money.
"Sir, I'd be honored to come
back," he said, "but I'll be honest with you...my hope is to work for
maybe a year or two, and then return home."
"What for?" Mr. Gleeson
asked, confused, and Jack realized he contradicted himself before.
"I have a daughter," he
replied simply, and the elder man stared at him. "She was born last May,
but my wife died shortly afterwards. I came to California because it was as far
away from the situation as I could get at the time."
Mr. Gleeson's expression changed
from confusion to sympathy, and he placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'm
sorry for your loss," he said, and Jack shrugged.
"I'm getting a little better
every day," he admitted, "but I haven't been able to find work that
paid enough."
"Who is your daughter
staying with now?" Mr. Gleeson asked as they continued to stroll down the
sidewalk, feeling strange just standing there.
"My sister and
guardian," Jack replied.
"Well, Jack," Mr.
Gleeson continued, smiling a little, "I'll make sure you get back home to
see your child. There is nothing more pressing than that. Now, will you report
to the studio at 7:30 two mornings from now?"
Jack promised he would, and was
more than happy to turn in his resignation for the squid industry. Danny and
Robbie were sorry to see him go, for they'd become fairly good friends over the
past year.
"How about we take you to
dinner as a celebration?" Robbie suggested, and Jack had a feeling that
they were determined to have him try squid.
"All right," Jack
agreed; after all, he was the adventurous type.
Following his last day of work at
the docks, Jack joined the two other men at one of the local pubs. Sure enough,
they encouraged him to try squid, which in actuality wasn't terrible. Jack
allowed himself one beer, knowing his history with drinking too much in the
past.
"Good luck to you,
Jack," Robbie announced after they clanked glasses and took a large sip
each. "If you're ever in Monterey again, come and see us."
"We'll still be in the same
place," Danny grumbled, and Jack felt a wave of pity for them.
"Hopefully not," he
said, and Robbie smirked.
After saying good night to his
friends, Jack took his time walking back to his home. He found a letter waiting
for him at the door, and once he got inside and settled in with a candle lit,
he tore it open.
We had quite a scare. Macena
came down with influenza last week, and the doctor was not sure if she would
pull through. The poor thing had a terrible fever and a wretched cough for
nearly a week, and the crying was enough to weaken the strongest of men.
Thankfully, she is feeling better now, though Esther and I are watching her
like a hawk. And I thought you should know...her first word was daddy.
Jack felt his throat choking up
with tears and placed his forehead in his hands. He'd nearly lost her! Jack lay
awake in bed for quite a while that night, hoping he would be able to get back
to Wisconsin within the next year or two. Hopefully sooner than that, he
thought, and blew out the candle.
*****
Mr. Gleeson, true to his word,
provided Jack with decent pay. He had his old job back, though he had to admit
that it wasn't the same without Harry and Bridget. They were thrilled to find
out he'd gone back to the industry, and updated him with news of their son.
He is just darling, Bridget wrote in her most recent letter. Harry
is so proud. You should see how he glows! I do believe Thomas is going to be a
professor one day, for he never seems to stop talking! Tell Mr. Gleeson we miss
him terribly, and are getting along well in our new circumstances. Do come and
see us when you have the time!
Jack continued to receive letters
from Olivia regarding Macena, which he treasured each week.
Now that she's learnt to walk,
she's a bit of a terror! Honestly, that child gets into everything...you can't
turn your back for more than a couple of seconds! By the way, when are you
coming home?
*****
The letters that crept into
mid-1906 amused him, because Olivia hinted that Macena was becoming a bit of a
handful.
"That's normal,"
Bridget promised when Jack took them up on the offer for a visit later that
summer. Thomas had grown quite a bit since Jack saw him last, and sure enough,
wandered all over the house and outside on his chubby little legs.
"So, why did you choose
Macena for the name?" Harry asked as they sat on a picnic blanket in the
backyard under the big oak tree.
"Honestly?" Jack
replied. "It was something Alyiah wanted more than myself. I would have
been happy with a traditional American name, but she's Russian at heart."
He bounced Tom on his knee, and the toddler looked up at him with a watery
smile.
"It's different,"
Bridget said. "But I'm sure she's beautiful."
"When are you going
home?" Harry asked, and Jack gazed up at the sky, its clear sapphire blue
quickly turning to twilight.
"Hopefully next
spring," Jack admitted.
"Maybe sooner," Bridget
encouraged, and Jack smiled at her. "Jack, you're much better now than you
were when we first saw you after Alyiah's death. It was awful before,
honestly!"
"You were pretty much an
empty shell back then," Harry said, and Jack made a face.
"It wasn't that long
ago," he pointed out, and Harry gave a shrug.
"You have to move on,
Jack," he said, and silence passed between them for a few moments.
"What matters most is that your daughter actually have one real parent who
loves her. And I can tell you do, so the sooner the better, I say."
Jack paused for a moment, knowing
how true Harry's statement was. "Alyiah wanted me to take her to
Russia," he began, and Bridget's eyes widened. "That's what worries
me. I can afford to have her in America, but traveling to Europe again is going
to be a bit on the expensive side."
"So, wait a while,"
Harry insisted. "Wait until she's old enough to understand what's going
on."
"I don't want to wait too
long," Jack pointed out, and the former actress and her husband shared an
amused look.
*****
Jack made it a point to send
little Macena a small gift every Christmas, which normally included a drawing
he'd recently done. Olivia sent responses to each of these gifts, describing
how the little girl's face would light up.
She's starting to ask when
you're coming to take her away, Olivia wrote around mid-February of 1907, and Jack sat by the
water, allowing the cool breeze to ruffle his hair. In this part of California
it never snowed, which was something he had to get used to after years in
Chippewa Falls or in Europe. It would be nice to have a time frame in mind,
Jack.
This time frame became more
apparent in the spring of 1907, when Olivia broke sudden news. I am engaged
to Henry Woodruff! We met last spring at a local picnic, and it was love at
first sight. I do hope you will be home for the wedding, Jack, because we would
love for you to attend. Esther is quite insistent about this fact.
Jack took this as a sign that he
should return to Chippewa Falls, and put in his resignation with Mr. Gleeson.
"Congratulations,
Jack," Mr. Gleeson complimented. "I hope the man your sister's marrying
is good to her."
"She sounds happy,"
Jack replied, glancing around the studio where he'd spent so much time on his
art. "Thank you for everything, Mr. Gleeson...you've been a huge help over
the past two years."
"Anytime, lad. And if you
find yourself in California again, feel free to look me up. And I want to see
that girl of yours, too."
Jack laughed and made the final
walk back to his flat.
Over the next couple of days he
made sure everything was in order and purchased tickets for the local train. It
was odd...the last time he sat in those departments, he thought he would never
be whole again.
But things change, he thought, gazing out the window as the
scenery flew by in a blur. I don't think I'll ever feel completely whole
without Alyiah, but I have my daughter to think of now.
He opened his sketchpad to flip
through the drawings, dating as far back as 1900, and swallowed past a lump in
his throat.
A few days later, the train
pulled up to the Wisconsin station, and his heart pounded hard in his chest. He
had not given Olivia an exact date and time of his arrival, so there would be
no one to meet him.
"Probably best," he
muttered to himself as he grabbed his old rucksack, shoving the sketchpad
inside.
"Good day, sir," the
conductor announced as he stepped onto the platform...he was home.