A TWIST OF FATE
Chapter Forty-Five
Jack was enjoying himself as the cart rattled
round the back streets of New York in the summer sun. The uneasy feeling had
either passed or he had put behind him. He was more concerned about Fabri, who
was becoming increasingly anxious as the day wore on.
“Hey, take it easy” Jack softly chided Fabri
as he threw some empty baskets onto the cart.
Fabri’s dark eyes shot him a look and he
wiped his forehead with the back of a floury hand.
“I’m OK. It’s just Saturday. There are extra
orders and I just want to get this over, get back and …and. well, start to get
on with it.”
Jack laughed. “You, my friend, have pre
wedding nerves.”
“No I do not. I just want to….. get out of
this sun. The horse, she too is hot and she wants to get home too!” Fabri
retorted. He climbed back up beside Jack, picked up the reins and gee’d the
horse on, muttering to himself all the time “nerves? Hah! Why should I have
nerves? I wanted to get married!”
Jack still grinning passed Fabri a bottle of
soda to drink.
“This time tomorrow it will all be over!”
The last drop finally made, congratulations
passed and another bottle of best Italian wine safely tucked in the now bulging
box behind Fabri, they turned for home.
“You have some good customers and friends
there.” Remarked Jack. “They must like you!”
It was not too long before they had returned
to the yard. There was a flurry of activity as the bake house was being cleaned
out as the flour delivery was being unloaded. Fabri unhitched the horse and led
her away. Jack offered to lend a hand moving the sacks and was soon covered in
flour. Fabri soon returned and between them they moved the delivery, not before
both of them were as white as ghosts and in need of a bath.
Maria appeared from the bake house door and
came over to greet them, wiping her hands on her apron. She wiped Fabri’s face
before planting a kiss on his cheek.
“Hey look Maria at what we have been given!”
Fabri picked up the box to show Maria, who
cried in delight when she saw everything.
“Oh Fabri, isn’t this all wonderful! We must
take it upstairs and put it with the other things” She smiled happily then gave
Fabri a hug. Then he whispered something in her ear which made them both laugh.
Jack smiled at the scene, then became painfully aware of what it was to not
have the woman you loved with you. Saddened, he turned away and left them to
enjoy their moment together.
Bathed and changed, Jack was trying to organize
his mop of hair. Fabri was pacing around the room.
“Are you ready yet Jack?”
“Ok, OK I’m coming!” Jack ran one last hand
through his hair and gave up. He followed Fabri down the stairs and towards the
main house. They were about to go up the stairs when Maria rushed down and made
them turn away.
“You can’t come up! You can’t! she squealed.
Theresa was close behind her.
“We have the dresses out, you can’t see
them!”
Guiseppe appeared at the top of the stairs
and walked down straightening his shirt and jacket. He obviously was not used
to being dressed up and looked uncomfortable. Seeing his two squealing
daughters he sighed.
“Women! Jack you are better off without”
Jack grinned but thought differently.
Maria hugged Fabri
“So, my beloved, I will see you in church
tomorrow?”
“You bet!” Fabri squeezed her hand. Jack
noticed Theresa smiling at him, which made him blush for some unexplainable
reason. Maria speaking to him, made him look away.
“Jack you look after him for me?” she asked.
“Of course I will Maria, I’ll take good care
of him” Jack promised.
Goodbyes were hastily exchanged as the girls
were as anxious to begin their evening as the boys.
Benito’s restaurant was across the town, but
Fabri insisted they stop for a drink at most of the bars on the way. By the
time they got there, they had had a few drinks already.
The restaurant was quite large and
beautifully decorated Jack noticed. As they pushed through the door, the place
seemed full of men talking and laughing. Somewhere, music was playing. They
were greeted warmly by the crowd who Fabri seemed to know. He hastily tried to
introduce Jack to the many friends and relatives of Maria’s family. In the end
Jack gave up trying to remember names.
Guiseppe came over with two full glasses of
wine and his brother Benito, who was a large, pleasant man. He shook Jack’s
hand vigorously and welcomed him to his restaurant. Jack was grinning now,
partly from the alcohol, partly from the warm feeling he was getting from
belonging somewhere.
“The band are playing for us tomorrow”
explained Fabri. “Tonight they practice”
They were quite good, thought Jack. A large
table at the end of the room was spread out with plenty of food, much the same
as the night before, but even more.. Bottles of wine stood laid too. It was
going to be quite a night.
“Rose? Rose? “ Ruth asked in an almost shrill
voice that made Rose cringe. She came and sat beside the bed and took Rose’s
hand.
“I am alright Mama” Rose answered, almost
automatically.
“Oh Rose, I thought you were going to die”
“Well I am still here” for the first time
Rose turned her head to look at her Mother. She had awoken not long ago and
after being checked over by the nurse, her Mother had been allowed back in. The
course of events still ran vividly through her mind, as did the consequence of
those events. The nurse had told her about the baby.
“But the baby. . Oh Rose I am so sorry” Rose
had to admit that her Mother did look a little shaken. But she was not in mood
for her sympathy.
“Please leave me to rest Mother. I am tired.”
“Yes dear, of course. I will see you soon.”
Ruth left the room. Rose sighed and stared at the ceiling. She hurt all over,
but worse was the pain in her heart.
Ruth found Cal in the drawing room, looking
at the newspaper.
“Rose is awake now” she told him curtly,
pulling on her gloves.
Cal glanced up from the paper. “Yes, so I
have been informed.”
“So, do you intend on going to see her or are
you continuing to hide down here?”
Cal glared at her for a moment, then threw
his paper down.
“I will visit my wife when she is well enough
to receive visitors. Perhaps you should bear that in mind Ruth and go home and
get some rest yourself.”
“That is where I am going now Cal.”
“I presume you wish to borrow my car then.”
Cal emphasized the word ‘my’ strongly.
“I will find out what happened Cal” Ruth
finished pulling on her glove with a sharp tug.
“Nothing happened Ruth, it was an unfortunate
accident.”
“We will see. Rose will tell me”
“Maybe Rose has no recollection of what
happened” challenged Cal. “Now, if you are ready, I am sure the car is” Cal
gestured to the door. He followed Ruth out and as they crossed the hall he
paused at the bottom of the stairs and glanced up. He turned away and followed
Ruth to the door.