Voyage of the Dreadnaught: Four Stella Madison Capers (22 page)

Dear Millie,

It's going to be a girl! I wanted to name
her Princess Grace, for an extra advantage in life, but Cole said
she had to have an ordinary name, too. So, we're going to call her
Princess Grace Mildred DeForio, after the only mother I've ever
known. Royal people have longer names, anyway.

Cap has a couple more weeks of therapy,
then we'll all be home for Christmas. Can you believe we've
actually been on our own place all this time? How crazy is that? I
really think it's a God thing!

Love,

Lou

PS: Don't worry, I've taken care of
everybody's business and we still have money left over for
Christmas presents. The colonel's going to get a big one!

Those few lines—as comforting as they
were—didn't go a long way toward making any of them feel better
about their finances. Typical of Lou Edna, it pleased and horrified
at the same time. Especially the colonel, who—rather than
anticipating the largest Christmas present, was worried the girl
was going to spend all the money he had saved back so he and Stella
could make a trip south in the spring, to try and salvage what was
left of his writing career.

A thought so troublesome the two decided to
stoke up the fire in their own quarters, even though it was late
after the long, exciting visit (that included settling Sari into
one of the guest rooms), and talk over their options.

“
I've come up with a Plan
B,” he informed her after she had changed into her pajamas and
white terry robe with the Chinese collar (she loved getting
comfortable before a cozy fire). He smacked his hands together and
continued to pace in front of his desk. “Rather than airline
tickets and hotels, we can pick up a second-hand RV, and drive
down. Even if we're at zero, we will have accrued enough by then to
afford something. What do you think?”

“
I think it's a wonderful
idea, dear.” She snuggled into her favorite spot on the couch,
beneath the rose-colored afghan. “That would save us quite a bit on
the accommodations for that conference you wanted to attend, too.
The one you've been going to every year.”

“
That's right, I forgot
about that. It would, indeed.”

“
And I should have a bit
more saved up by then, too, don't forget. I'm actually glad I
decided not to combine all my accounts before we left, till we
changed states, instead. I only gave her one of my debit cards.
Thank heavens!”

“
Providential. I can see
it, now.”

“
And she really does have
a changed heart. Don't you think? So, maybe she'll feel a tap of
conscience if she starts to get too extravagant. It is difficult to
resist that Christmas shopping frenzy, though.”

“
God, help us!” It was an
exasperated plea. “What on earth could she imagine I would need—at
my age—that's big?”

“
Maybe it was just a
figure of speech,” Stella offered. “Like if she buys us all
bathrobes, yours would be biggest. Did she get you anything last
year?”

“
A bottle of
Jim
Beam
I'm
fairly certain she stole from some office party.”

“
Oh, but that was before
she changed, so we can't count that.”

“
Still, the girl has no
concept of money. That's something which takes time and experience.
The right kind of experience, I mean. She's smart as a whip with
numbers, and the inner workings of the banking industry. I can tell
you that.”

“
At her age? Goodness,
she's hardly twenty-four.”

“
She started
young.”

“
Then I suppose we'll
just have to wait and see.”

Christmas at
The Last Resort
was a grand affair. At
first, it didn't seem as if the DeForio family would make it,
considering it began to snow heavily, again, on the day of
Christmas Eve. However at the sound of an engine (this time, there
was no mistaking the familiar thump of their diesel) early
Christmas morning, as the
Mah-Bo II
chugged into the inlet, it was a pajama-and-jacket-clad group
that formed the welcoming committee on the bridge. Stella got a
lump in her throat at the squeal of delight from the Senator, as he
came riding up the path on Cole's shoulders, and suddenly
recognized where he was.

He reached out to Millie, first, then burst
into tears right along with her when she hugged him close (such a
sensitive boy!). Then he had to hop from person-to-person, and
Stella got another lump in her throat just to feel those little
arms around her neck, and that silky soft hair against her cheek,
when her turn came. His tiny black watch-cap (the same as his Uncle
Gerald's), fell off in the tumult, and the rest of him was like
hugging a pillow, since he was dressed in a blue snowsuit. Lou Edna
brought up the rear, hanging onto the Captain, who insisted on
walking himself (still aided by that familiar walking stick),
rather than being hauled around like so much baggage over the
shoulders of his First Mate.

It was a wonderful reunion.

No one went back to bed, even though it was
barely seven in the morning. Instead, they all retreated to the
glass-enclosed stern deck (made from the extra panes scaled down
from Gerald's greenhouse that had been moved ashore), decorated
with twinkly lights and a tree, and plenty of comfortable deck
chairs for relaxing in. There was even a small wood stove—removed
from the Chief Engineer's cabin—to keep the area warm, and still be
able to enjoy the winter views on three sides. There was a
veritable mountain of presents under the tree, too.

The men had brought them
in from the
Mah-Bo II
, while the
women put on coffee and carried in all the specialties of the
holiday breakfast they had prepared beforehand, and only needed a
quick warm-up. By the time everyone was settled, and the Senator
(in a new red bunny-suit, without holes in the knees) had happily
claimed the unwrapped wooden train set under the tree... the time
of reckoning had arrived.

“
OK.” Lou Edna started.
“I know it's traditional for Pop to be Santa, and hand out all the
presents. But there's a lot of explaining that has to go with
these, so I thought I better do the honors, this year.”

There was a heavy silence as everyone tried
to imagine what their own money had bought themselves. Except for
Sarie, who couldn't help giggling with pleasure, which transferred
over to Gerald, too. Mostly out of nervousness. He never had much
money, but had confided earlier to Stella that he only hoped there
would at least be enough left to buy Sarie a ring. The two of them
were sitting together in a porch swing on the starboard end, that
had been hung with chains from the ceiling, and had now become the
most enjoyable spot out there.

“
Mah-Bo,” said Stuart (in
a tone that clearly meant, get on with it) before taking a bite of
biscuit that had smoked sausage and cheese baked into
it.

“
All right, I am,” Lou
Edna replied. “Cap wants me to do his first, because it's the most
important. Which, I'm sure you'll all agree. Let's see...” She
turned to the tree. “I gotta find it, first.”

At which point the Senator noticed the
biscuit and sausage, and—almost without thinking—let go of the end
of Mason's deck chair he had been holding onto with one hand, while
playing with the train engine in the other, and began to totter
across the short space to Stuart. They were his first steps. The
women gasped and held their breath, and the two men sat forward,
ready to catch, should he fall during the journey. There were no
slip-ups. Other than than flinging himself with total confidence
onto the single arm held out to him, that Stuart caught him up with
to bring him safely onto his lap.

“
Mah-Bo!” He laughed, and
gave over the rest of his biscuit to the little hands. Then ruffled
the child's dark curls and whispered, “Mah-Bo.”

“
Hey...” Cole got to his
feet. “Hey, Cap...”

“
His first steps!” Millie
cried.

“
What?” Lou Edna came out
from behind the tree with a box in her hand. “I turn my back for
two seconds, and I missed it? Do it, again, for Mama, baby—I want
to see this!”

But the moment had passed, as he was now
more interested in the biscuit. However, the Captain and his First
Mate had locked eyes over the top of the boy's head.

“
I know what it means,”
the younger man told him. “I get it.”

The Captain smiled a satisfied smile and
leaned back in his chair as if greatly relieved. Lou Edna cleared
her throat, and for moment, Stella thought the girl was going to
get emotional too. But she tucked a few loose strands of blonde
hair behind one ear, took a deep breath, and recovered herself.

“
I guess that's about as
perfect an introduction as there is. Hmm.” She cleared her throat,
again. “Anyway. This...” She handed the square box to her husband.
“Is from Cap to Cole. And I want you all to know that it took me
almost an hour, last night, for him to explain it to me. I mean,
for me to understand what he was trying to explain. Open it up,
Cole!”

“
For me, huh...” Her
husband winked at her from across the room. “I haven't had a
Christmas present since I was a kid. Thanks, Cap. I hope it's not
a—” He took the lid off the box and saw the Captain's old battered
hat lying inside.

“
It's a promotion!” Lou
Edna exclaimed to his sudden silence. “You're the captain of
the
My Boy II!
That's what it
means, Cole. Mah-Bo means my boy!”

He didn't take it out of the box right
away. Instead, he reached out slowly to shake hands with the old
man, then bent down to give him a hug, instead. “I knew what it
meant when I saw you pick up the boy, just now. I'll never let you
down, sir. I swear.”

“
You're smarter than me,”
Lou Edna declared. “He had to spell it out with the alphabet blocks
I was wrapping up for Buddy last night, before I got it
right.”

The boy flashed a glance back at his mother
when she spoke the name he was finally beginning to recognize as
his own.

“
Ooops!” She covered her
mouth for a moment, and then wagged a finger at the child. “But you
don't know what those are, yet, do you. Have to wait and
see.”

So, the pile of unusual
gifts began to diminish. Each one, well chosen, turned out to be
some thoughtful—not too expensive—token of Lou Edna's special
appreciation for each family member. There was a new clip for
Millie's lovely auburn hair, along with a home permanent kit the
girl promised to take the hours to apply for her. For Mason, a set
of lined work overalls (for the really cold days), and for Gerald,
a packet of heirloom seeds that came from an apple tree next to
George and Martha Washington's estate, ordered specially from a
seed catalog. For Stella, there was a first edition autobiography
of Mary Roberts Rinehart, that much-loved American version of
Agatha Christie.

The larger boxes turned out to belong
mostly to the Senator (aka Buddy). Big bouncy balls, a riding
scoot-along toy that looked like a tugboat, and various other
things that would keep him entertained throughout the winter. With
each reduction, they all breathed much easier, since no matter what
she had bought for the colonel—barring a villa in the south of
France—it couldn't possibly bankrupt everybody. Still, Stella could
sense that her husband was practically beside himself, worrying
over it. Especially since the small box remaining could not
possibly hold a bathrobe. There was nothing big about it, at
all.

“
And now for our
wonderful Mr. Colonel!” Lou Edna's eyes were especially bright and
mischievous as she picked up the package. “First of all, I have to
say how many times you made me nervous when I was sure you knew I
was...” She thought for a moment. “Taking advantage of everybody.
You won't believe how many times I was worried you were going to
tell.”

“
Well, I thought about
it,” he admitted, “but there was always something that constrained
me.”

“
I really didn't like
you, back then.”

“
I understand
completely.”

“
But—man—you were the
most patient guy in the world. I tried so hard to irritate you, but
you never fell for it.”

“
Oh, you irritated me
many times, Lou.” He admitted that, too.

Please, Lord, Stella prayed silently, let
it be something inexpensive, like a wallet. Or, an item she stole
from him, and is trying to give back, maybe? The thought of anyone
hurting her wonderful husband, in any way, was almost unbearable
(he was such a good man!).

“
But you forgave me for
all that. I mean really forgave me.” She thumped the slender box
against her palm as she thought about it for a moment. “And then
you trusted me. I don't know why. Pop and Millie—they love me. I
don't know why, either, they just do. But you're the first person,
in my whole life, who ever trusted me. So. I was trying to think of
something special for you. Except you seem to have everything,
already, and don't really need anything. Then I got this amazing
idea. I actually think it was a God thing. Anyway...” She handed
him the box. “Merry Christmas.”

“
Thank you, my dear,” he
replied. “I'll treasure those words.” He began to take off the
wrapping. “And whatever this is, I'm sure it will be the perfect
expression of who you are, in every way.”