Sugar House (9780991192519) (8 page)

The boat began to blow its steam whistle at
it approached Boblo Island. Joe looked over the railing and watched
as they closed in on their destination. Groves of green trees were
interspersed between large buildings, and pretty paths circled the
area. A large, white two-story building hovered over the water on
stilts, and its many arched windows reflected the sparkling blue of
the water. Grassy lawns created a rich carpet on the island's small
embankment.

The boat docked, and the Jopolowskis listened
to conversations of their fellow passengers as they waited in line
to disembark. German, Italian, Russian, English, Yiddish and Polish
conversations mingled. Ojciec laughed and shook his head. "Sounds
like the Tower of Babel on this boat!"

The family stepped off the gangplank and
walked down the long dock. A soft breeze blew over the island, and
seagulls swooped down, diving into the water. The sky was dotted by
only a few white puffy clouds; the weather appeared to be
cooperating for the outing. The shore was planted with beds of
roses, mums and marigolds. Delicious aromas wafted from the
cafeteria. Throughout the park hundreds of rustic seats and
hammocks were scattered to allow the patrons a place to sit and
rest. Laughter, music and squeals of delight mingled with the sound
of the river passing gently by.

A few hundred yards to the right lay a
massive, three-story stone dance hall. Its four corners were
anchored by square turrets with tall, arched windows. Covered
balconies ran the length of the building on four sides.

"How about a polka, Blanca? We'll show these
kids how to really dance," Ojciec said.

"Not now, Mikołaj. Let's explore a
little."

Passing by the dance hall, they came to a
smaller stone building that housed the carousel.

"Here's a dime, Joe. Take your brother and
watch him close. Get in line over there." Ojciec pointed to a line
of children waiting for their turn. The line moved quickly, and Joe
lifted Frank over the lower edge of the carousel as they climbed
aboard. Colorful chariots and carved horses stood amid the shiny
gold poles on the deck. Forty-four white, brown and black horses,
two goats and two white-tail deer stood proudly, reins beckoned the
young children to grab and hold on for a thrilling ride. Sparkling
mirrors positioned above the merry-go-round reflected the electric
lights that flashed from the middle of the ride in a dazzling
display of white light.

Frank chose one of the slender deer and Joe
gave him a push up onto its back. Joe climbed onto an elegant white
horse next to the white-tail and grabbed the reins. Cheerful music
flowed out of the steam organ from the middle of the carousel. The
ride began to move and the animals rose slowly up and down. Frank's
face lit up with joy as his animal began rising toward the
ceiling.

"Let's race!" Joe said to his brother.

"OK. Mine's faster!" Frank replied.

Circling around a second time, Joe saw his
parents sitting on a wooden bench watching the boys. They were
holding hands and smiling, enjoying their sons' good time. When the
ride was over, Joe helped his little brother down and walked over
to their parents.

"I won! I won!" called Frank. "My deer beat
Joe's horse!"

"What a fine rider you are, son. Now let's
see how you do on a live animal, shall we?" Ojciec replied. "Next
stop… the pony rides!" Walking down the stone path they passed many
families strolling about the grounds. Children ran through the
fields playing made up games and throwing balls in games of catch.
Nearing the small stable, Joe looked at a group of children hitting
balls on the ground with wooden bats. "Look Ojciec!" he said
pointing at the well-dressed group. "What are those children
playing?"

"That's called croquet, Joe. You hit a ball
through those wire hoops and the first person to reach the peg
wins," he replied.

Matka sat on a bench under the shade of a
large hickory tree while Ojciec took the boys into the stable. The
stable hand found a small pony for Frank, but when Ojciec lifted
him up to set him on the pony's back, Frank started to cry and said
he did not want to ride the "real horse."

"Just one then," Ojciec told the stable man.
Joe picked out a tall, handsome chestnut pony, and his father gave
him a boost. The man led the pony around a small ring a couple of
times while he explained to Joe how to hold the reins and how to
steer the pony with his feet. Then he told Joe he could take the
pony out for a trail ride for an hour if he promised to follow the
rules.

"Stay clear of the bike track and the
baseball diamonds, young man," the caretaker instructed.

"Yes sir, I will," Joe said.

Leaving Frank and his parents, Joe trotted
off to explore the park. Joe headed south, the pony leading him
along the shore of the river. He was on the Canadian side of the
island and could look out over the water and see Amherstburg. It
was much quieter here. Blue jays and cardinals sang in the trees as
his pony clip-clopped along the sandy coast. As it was September,
no swimmers had been brave enough to enter the water, and he had
the beach to himself. Joe's small animal was gentle and obedient,
and he had no trouble directing her toward the lighthouse that
loomed ahead. The tower stood over forty feet in height and was
flanked on one side by the light keeper's house. Joe steered the
pony into a field of cornstalks and traveled down one of the rows
to the bottom of the tower.

"Hey, you!" Joe heard a voice shouting at
him. "Hey, you! You can't bring that animal over here!"

Joe turned toward the angry voice and saw a
young boy marching toward him. Dismounting from the pony, Joe faced
the hostile youth.

"Gee, kid. I'm sorry. Didn't mean anything by
it. Didn't hurt anything either. I'll take off. Just wanted to take
a look at the lighthouse is all,"

The boy neared. "That's our garden you just
rode through, dummy. We don't need a bunch of pony dung fouling up
our vegetables."

"OK, I said sorry. You don't have to have a
fit. Here, I'll give you my best marble if you don't tell no one I
was here," Joe said and reached into his right pants pocket for one
of the glass marbles he always carried. Palming a green one, he
reached out to hand it to the boy.

"Wow, that's a nice one. You sure?"

"Yeah, don't want any trouble, and didn't
mean to cause any. Now take it and I'll leave," Joe replied.

"Gee, thanks. Sorry I yelled at you. I just
get tired of people running around here like they own the place.
I'm not supposed to say anything, but by the end of the summer it
really wears on me. Name's Jimmy Hackett. My dad runs the
lighthouse and me and my ma live here."

"I'm Joe. Do you live here all year long?
Don't you get lonesome in the winter?"

"No, still gotta go to school. Take our boat
over to Amherstburg in the mornings and back again after. When the
river freezes I take our horse and sled over the ice. Only time I
don't have to go is when it's storming bad or the ice is real
thin."

"You drive a boat by yourself?" Joe
asked.

"Sure. It's just a small thing. Not hard to
steer."

"You ever help your Pa in the
lighthouse?"

"Sure. All the time. He's a sailor too, so Ma
and I got to tend the lights ourselves when he is gone. You want to
go up and see?"

"You bet I do!" Joe said excitedly. They tied
the pony to the outside of the garden gate and headed toward a
wooden door at the bottom of the tower. Jimmy turned the handle and
led them into the dark stairwell. As they climbed the stairs Jimmy
explained to Joe that his family had been running the lighthouse
for over seventy years.

"My great-grandfather was a ship's captain
before he was appointed to operate the lighthouse. My
great-grandmother got tired of him being gone all the time, and she
wanted him to apply to run the light when it was being built. But
he didn't think he would get picked so he didn't try for the job.
Well, she got real irritated and was sitting on her front porch
with her dog, just fuming about her lazy husband, when she saw the
governor of Upper Canada drive by in his carriage. All of a sudden
the carriage stopped and the governor got out and walked up to the
porch. He said, 'That's a fine dog you have, madam. Is it for
sale?' So my great-grandmother said, 'No, hadn't thought of selling
him. But my husband is a lake sailor, and if you appoint him as
keeper to the Bois Blanc lighthouse you can have the dog.' So the
Governor agreed, and we've been here ever since."

"Talk about being in the right place at the
right time! Too bad she had to give up the dog, though." replied
Joe. Reaching the top stair, Joe stepped into the bright glass room
and looked out over the water.

"I can see forever. Hey, I think I can see my
house all the way in Detroit."

"Probably not quite that far, but on a clear
day you can see almost seventeen miles," Jimmy replied. After he
showed Joe how the light was lit and how it signaled ships in the
river, they headed back down the stairs.

"Wanna go down to the beach?" asked Jimmy.
"Sometimes I can find old Indian spearheads that wash up on the
shore."

"Wish I could, but I'd better head back. My
family's going to wonder what happened to me. Maybe I could meet
you after we eat lunch."

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll meet you by the
north baseball diamond around one o'clock. OK?"

"All right," Joe called, getting back on his
pony and heading toward the stables. Joe found his family buying
soft drinks at a small log cabin store that sold refreshments.

"Have a good time, Joe?" his mother
inquired.

"Yes, ma'am. I met this boy who took me
upstairs in the lighthouse, and I could see for miles! Thanks for
letting me ride the pony, Matka."

The foursome headed toward a shady picnic
spot near the baseball diamond. "Let's watch the game while we eat
our lunch, shall we?" said Matka.

Ojciec took a blanket out of the basket and
spread it on the grass under the trees. Matka handed everyone a ham
and cheese sandwich on bread she had baked the day before. Joe took
a sip of the lemonade his parents had bought for him and sat down
on the blanket. The drink was cool and sweet and he had to sip
slowly so he wouldn't drink it down in one gulp. Sitting on a small
rise under the trees, they had a perfect view of the game that was
already in progress.

Joe pointed out some of the finer points of
the game to his father. "See, Ojciec, that guy on first base starts
to lead off when the pitcher is about to throw to the batter. If he
gets a real good lead he can steal second base. But he's gotta be
real fast, cause the pitcher can throw it to first or second and
get him out." Ojciec continued to ask questions as he observed the
game and Joe answered with best of his limited knowledge, having
learned mostly on the playground and on the street in front of
their house.

The game became slightly heated when one of
the players rounded third base and slid into home plate just as the
catcher caught the ball coming from the infield. Shouting ensued
and both teams stormed the plate and began to argue that the player
was out or safe. After several tense moments, the player was deemed
safe and the game continued. Joe explained that in professional
leagues there were two umpires that determined the close calls.

When he finished his lunch, Joe asked his
parents if he could meet Jimmy down by the baseball field.
Agreeing, they told him to meet them at the cafeteria at five
o'clock. Joe hadn't known they were going to eat at the restaurant,
and he felt as though clouds were riding beneath his small shoes as
he ran down the hill toward the game. He found Jimmy already
waiting for him behind the bleachers by the first base line.

"Hi Jimmy. You want to watch the game?"

"Nah, these guys aren't very good. Let's go
try to find some arrowheads on the beach." The boys headed through
the trees to cut across the island. The stillness of the grove
encouraged a quiet atmosphere, and the two boys walked in friendly
silence. Suddenly, Jimmy put his hand up, signaling Joe to stop.
With a finger at his lips to let Joe know to be quiet, he moved off
the little path into the brush. A mosquito buzzed in Joe's ear as
he followed him into the small woods. Then, he heard what Jimmy had
heard; the sound of a woman's laugh and a man's mumbled voice
coming from within the copse.

Jimmy led them closer, keeping out of sight
of the voices. Hiding being a bush, Jimmy waved Joe over. Joe
peered over the shrub and saw a young couple lying on a blanket
between two trees. The young woman stood up and pulled on her long
skirt over her petticoats; the man sat on the blanket buttoning his
shirt. He leaned over and reached for the bottom of the lady's
skirt and tried to pull it down in a teasing manner. "Stop Kurt! I
have to get back before my mother notices I've been gone so long.
Now help me button the back of my dress", the lady admonished,
slapping the man's hand away.

"All right, all right, Rose. Only if you
promise to meet me here after supper." The man stood to help with
the tiny buttons on the back of her frock.

Jimmy grabbed Joe's arm and pulled him
quietly back toward the path. When they were far away enough to
speak safely, Jimmy said, "Well, I guess you can tell it's just not
just a family getaway on Boblo Island, huh Joe?"

Joe wasn't exactly sure what the couple had
been doing before the boys had come across the couple's secret
spot, but he thought he had an idea. Not wanting Jimmy to think he
was immature, he played along. "Yeah, pretty funny. Hope she
notices the leaves in her hair before she goes to meet her ma."

"That was nothing. I've caught three
different couples this summer. Pretty cheeky, if ya ask me. Their
mothers think they are going off to have a sweet old time—get away
from the city for a day—and then they meet their boyfriends in the
woods and do all kinds of immodest things. This one time I was
walking back from the cafeteria and saw two of them stark naked
rolling around in the grass like two rabbits."