Chapter 8

Aron could not wait, and came barrelling out and ran to give me a hug. I squatted down and gave him a hug in return and a kiss on the cheek. When I stood I said, "This is my little brother, Aron. He is the best one I could ever have gotten." Aron put his arm up to hide his face and I said to him, "Aron, this is Laura Vachon. I love her as much as I love you and Helen. Be nice to her, little brother."

Laura waited a second and Aron's training came out. He walked forward and held out his hand to shake and said, "Hello, Laura. I am glad to meet you."

Laura shook his hand and said, "I am very glad to meet such a handsome boy as you, Aron. Now come here and give me a kiss." Laura pulled him in as she squatted much like I had done and did as she said. Aron may have been reluctant, but after being hugged his usual feelings for family came out.

The spies at the window must have seen that it was safe and everybody came out as a group. The first was dad and I said, "Dad, I would like you to meet Laura. She is a very good friend of mine, and works at the school." Turning back to Laura I said, "Laura, this is my dad, Jozef. He and his wife Roch were kind enough to keep me out of an orphanage and took me into their hearts when my real parents died."

This time, Laura came forward. She dropped the two pair of hands she was holding and kissed dad the Italian way and said, "I am very glad to meet you, Jozef."

Dad took her hands in his, and stepped back to see. He thought for a few seconds, looking at the beautiful young woman before him. "I am glad to meet you too, Laura. If you are a friend of Alex, then you are welcome at any time in our house." Laura smiled and pulled her hands free and hugged dad again, this time she whispered in his ear. Dad pulled away with a quizzical look on his face, and I took Laura to see mom.

"Mom, this is Laura..."

Laura just sniffled, went to Mom, and wrapped her arms around her and started to cry. It just occurred to me that Laura's Mom had died when her brother Donald had. She had been without a mother all this time, with a father who didn't really want her.

I pulled Helen to dad and quickly told them my suspicions. Mom must have had some insight and held Laura to her. Mom rubbed Laura's back and whispered Polish to her. We all just waited. Finally, the two women parted and both had some tears in their eyes. Laura was upset at letting her feelings show, but Mom held her hand and would not let them go. She turned around and introduced her own parents to Laura.

Grandma and grandpa accepted her into the family, too. The three of them took Laura into the house, but I stopped the rest. I opened the car doors and got some help bringing the groceries and pizza into the house.

When we got into the kitchen, we found that Mom had taken her group to the living room. Grandpa soon came out, obviously feeling left out because this was not a place for a male. Helen put her burden down and was going to get more from the car. I stopped her and said, "Helen, please go and talk with Laura. I think she needs you."

Helen did what I asked, but I did not know if she knew why she had to go.

With only males in the kitchen, we put away the groceries. The pizza was left in the small boxes on the table. I wiped off the table and then set it. Aron even helped me with this 'woman's work'.

The stove was already hot from making coffee and tea. I took two cookie sheets, put some of the pizza pieces on them and placed them into the oven to keep warm.

Grandpa and dad were looking at more of the strange food on the table, while they listened to the women's indistinct voices from the other room.

"Dad, this is Italian food. You eat it with your hands, like this." I showed them how to take a bite. "The pizzas are all different. Look and see what is on the one you are eating, and then try to remember which ones you like better. This is important to the people who gave me this food for my family to try. There are even more kinds in the oven."

Dad was hesitant to try. I didn't know if it was because of the strange square food, or whether we should wait to eat with family. Aron could not wait, though, and took a piece right away. Dad looked at Aron and saw how fast the piece disappeared. He looked over the assortment and picked one piece. Grandpa could not smell very well, but the scent did get through to him. His hand came out tentatively, and he took his own selection.

By the time the third piece was eaten, the girls came out of the living room and saw us standing around the table. Mom had her arm around Laura, and Helen held one of her hands. Laura looked tired and in a way happy, but that could have been my own feelings.

I sat the women down and put a selection of pizza on each of their plates. The men folk sat, too, and I got some tea for the girls and some coffee for dad and grandpa. We remained quiet, as we ate the pizza. The girls talked as if we weren't there. Even though grandma didn't speak much English, it seemed that all of them could communicate somehow.

Through the course of the meal we learned that I was right about Laura having a need for a mother figure. The fact that Roch was my mother, and I was like her brother, Don, must have reinforced her feelings.

Laura was sitting between grandma and mom. Helen was sitting close enough that I could see both women at the same time. I saw quite a bit of similarities between them. They were about the same size. Helen was pure blood Polish, but didn't look like she belonged to our group as strongly as others did. I think if Laura were to lower her hair, it would look just like Helens. Even their colouration was very similar.

Their ages were a lot closer, too. After graduation Laura had entered nursing school and this was only a one-year course. Because she skipped grade seven, she was only turning twenty now. Helen was roughly three years older than me, and thus only three years younger than Laura.

As the meal progressed, I was able to see a small smile on occasion as the womenfolk talked to Laura.

When the tea and coffee was done, I took Mom's job and filled the various cups. When it looked like the appropriate time, I made some of my own conversation, telling them that, after eating, they had to discuss with me about their preferences in the various kinds of pizza they ate.

Dad used to smoke at the table while he ate, but thankfully the table was smoke-free during the meal. I rinsed some fresh fruit I had purchased and placed a bowl on the table for dessert.

I dragooned Aron to help me with the dishes, more to keep him away from the women. The girls must have thought the same, for Mom showed Laura the house. It seemed they spent an inordinate amount of time upstairs.

Dad asked, "What is all this about, Alex?"

"Laura had some problems growing up. She put on a good face till now, and then it broke. She sees Mom as what her mother would be like. It probably started when we were at the Leone's to pick up the pizza. Italians are passionate people who like to touch. Maria Leone is the type of a woman who either accepts a person unconditionally or not."

"Who are those people?"

"They own Mario's restaurant. Their daughter is in my class. I went there to eat after school, and they invited me to meet the family. I had a family meal with them in the kitchen. We talked till late at night about how their restaurant could be made even more popular. I slept over, and went to school the next day from there."

"You have changed a lot since the accident, Alex. Some changes I cannot understand, yet. You now have what looks like an older girl for a girlfriend. You sleep away from your home. You eat things that you never knew of before, and even tell me what to do."

"Dad, you know many things that I do not know. I just happen to know some things you do not. Did you not think that I would ever grow up and be a man one day? I was always shy. A shy person would not show others what he knows or what he feels. I am not shy now, dad, and it has been a slow time coming. Isn't it better to have a son who is growing up?"

He thought on my words and said, "You are just growing up all of a sudden."

"I was growing up before, but you never noticed because I was too shy. Now I want to help my family and myself, too. You have all cut back on smoking, and that will mean you might live longer. I have brought new food to make our lives more interesting. As for a girlfriend, you are right, but I am still a boy in my pants and there is no reason that all my friends need to be other boys. I want you to be my friend, too, and not just my dad."

Dad was saved from a reply when the girls came down the steps. Laura had her face washed and looked much better now. Mom still held her as if she needed to be protected. The other girls had smiles, even grandma. This might have been a way of showing solidarity with Laura, or because they were happy that Laura felt better.

We had a more family-type meeting now, where the men folk were finally invited to attend. General facts went back and forth till the photo albums came out, and then all the relatives came out. Laura spent quite a bit of time looking at my birth parents and looking at me.

Dad got his bottle of wine out, and we all got some to drink. It was good that the hard liquor was not used, and in fact had been used less lately, I hoped. I had no idea how much dad drank at the mine site when I wasn't there.

Some of the more embarrassing moments came out about Helen, Aron, or me; as if to show that we were improving. Aron usually tried to sneak off whenever this occurred but, surprisingly, now wanted to stay with Laura. He even sat on the floor and soon was by her feet. When he got close enough she pulled him up to sit on the couch with her and played with his hair as we talked. Aron seemed to be in pig heaven with his eyes closed.

Aron had to go to bed and I suggested that Laura sleep over tonight. "Maybe Helen will share her room with you?"

"I couldn't do that. You are all tired and need your rest."

Helen said, "It is no problem. There are lots of clothes that will fit you, and you are like one of the family now."

This brought a change in Laura's face and a tear formed in the corner of her eye. Helen got immediately up and took her hand, "Let me show you what you can wear." The two girls walked up the stairs holding each other for support.

Mom said, "Laura is a nice girl, Alex. Do you think she may be too old for you?"

"Mom, how old do you think my mind is, not my body? I am more than old enough. She is also my friend and perhaps Helen's now, too. You do not have to read too much into this situation. I might not have said it, but I love Helen too, and not as a sister." Mom got an odd expression on her face. "Mom, don't try to pretend that you do not understand. I think you saw the possibility of Helen and me forming a family soon after bringing me into your family."

When I looked at grandma she too lowered her eyes. Women can be devious, but they didn't have any malicious thoughts. I think that in my previous life, if Helen hadn't so tragically died, I would have married her.

The two girls came down the stairs later, completely changed. Laura looked good in some of Helen's clothes, but filled out the blouse better. Both of the girls smiled at me, then looked at the rest of the family. They looked even more like sisters now. They resumed their old seats, and Laura resumed her hold on Aron. Aron didn't put up too much of a fight, unless it was to comply.

We talked more about school and I mentioned some of the problems I had in school. Telling them now that the events were over, made them easier to take.

"Alex," Mom said, "why didn't you tell us before?"

"Before, I was too shy and embarrassed. Now, I wanted to see if I could change things without bringing shame on our school. Mr. MacNeil is going to make them change to a better way. Bullies will still be in schools, but the ones who fight will be sent away. To put more pressure on the school, the newspapers and the CBC were called. They may try to talk to you about me. You don't have to talk to them. They just want something special to talk about, so that people will read their newspapers or listen more to their radio news."

"They want to talk to us?"

"Probably; you are my parents and they will ask what you think of the way the school lets bullies do what they want. They will also try to get you to say that you hate the school or the boys who fought with me. This will not be good for me, because you will look mean."

We talked a lot longer into the night, discussing what would be asked and what should be said. I felt like a campaign manager discussing how to handle questions with his employer before an election.

The pizza was discussed and the likes and dislikes of each person were put on a list. Bacon and green olives seemed to be a hit by everybody, even those who never ate olives before. I made my own comments at the bottom and mentioned some small things, like the sausage cut smaller, or that a better mozzarella be used. I practised my written Italian and hoped that the spelling was correct. Most European languages were spelt as they were spoken, and students had no need for spelling tests.

"Dad, our business needs to be able to talk to the world. I would like to get the phone brought to our house. The business may be mine, but this house is yours. May I do this?"

He again thought, "I have thought of getting a phone, but never saw a need for it. If you want it, then get it."

"Thanks dad. I will leave a note on the table for Mr. Skryba and his son Elek. When I can get the people to put the wires in, then Mr. Skryba can show them where to put the phone." I didn't tell dad that I had already talked to the phone company. There was no need to, anyway, for it would take a while for them to string wire our way, because I did not want a party line, with the way neighbours usually were.

Laura went to bed with a happy look on her face. I guess she never got to sleep over at somebody else's house when she was young. I gave her a very good kiss that made her thrust her body against mine. When I pulled away, my pants were tighter. Helen got the same treatment and this, I thought, would be the first time she felt my erection against her body. When I pulled back I said to both, "I love you both, and I don't know what I would do without you. Have a good night's sleep, and try to keep the girl talk down to only an hour. You have to get up early tomorrow."

Aron crawled in bed with me again and asked, "Alex... is Laura your real girlfriend?"

"Yes, she is, Aron. I think you like her, too. I know she likes you. If I wasn't your big brother I would get mad at you trying to steal her from me."

"I wouldn't do that to you, Alex."

I simply pulled him close and kissed his cheek. "I was only pulling your leg, Aron. But she does like you, just differently from how she likes me."

The next morning I got up a little earlier again and started breakfast. Mom, or Dad, was usually first, but I found two pretty girls instead. Both were dressed similarly, as they walked towards me. Helen said, "Good morning Alex," then proceeded to give me a kiss similar to what I gave her last night. She came up for air and did it again as she snuggled close. Her hip found my erection, and I think that was what she was trying to accomplish. She moved back to give Laura a turn, and Laura tried to burn my lips with the kiss she gave me. The scent in the air told me that there was at least one aroused woman in the room with me.

I reached into my pants and rearranged myself in front of them. "You wenches will pay dearly for that. Now, you better run, or dad will see my tent and sniff the air. Then we will all be in trouble."

The two girls giggled like they were twelve and scampered away. I made bacon quickly and when dad did come down. Good thing for the smell of grease, there was nothing to find.

Breakfast was more lively than usual. Laura seemed to fit in as if she were born to this family. She talked to Helen about girls in school but never anything that would compromise her medical ethics. Mom tried her best, like many mothers, to make sure all her children had enough to eat. Laura, I think, was pleased that she was included in this effort.

Mom packed both Laura and me a lunch. Laura looked at the paper bag a few times on the way to school, and I think she found something very meaningful in a simple meal.

Everybody took time to send us off. My bike was still hanging out of Laura's trunk. At the last stop before we got to school Laura said, "Alex, I love your family. Your mother reminds me of what mine was like. If I had some photos, then I could show you that they even look similar."

"You may be right, but I also see a distinct similarity between you and Helen. I am not going to pry, but I hope the two of you got some sleep last night."

"We got some. It was just that we had so much to talk about."

Before class I got a chance to talk to Mr. Clark, and I found that he had been talking to trades during his evenings and was getting them to understand my concerns. Even Mr. Clark was not too sure about my insistence on this type of quality.

I made it to homeroom just before the bell rang. A moment later I saw that Nick had decided to come back to school. Both of his eyes were black from ruptured blood vessels in the vicinity of his eyes. The other two would have been able to go back to school the next day after the fight, but had decided to play hooky instead. Nick tried to glare at me, but I just smiled and ignored him thereafter.

After class, Nick had the chance to talk to me, but I think he was gathering courage from his circle of friends.

The next three classes only got me some nasty glances and some whispered words from the group of boys.

Rita held court at lunch. She must have talked quite a bit to her mother. The conversation was much more sparkling and everybody seemed to get involved at some point. After our meal I handed Rita the note to her dad with my critique of his new North American style pizza.

The last class of the day was French. Mademoiselle Bouchard seemed to be staring at me again. Perhaps Laura mentioned something about us. This was fine, and I just hoped it didn't upset Natalie too much. We got back our assignments personally and Mademoiselle Bouchard held mine longer in her hand, as if trying to hold onto the paper.

It was Friday, and everyone was anxious to get out. When the bell rang, the class quieted right down waiting for the order to depart. A mad rush as everyone left, and I only got another glare from Nick. Rita and four of her friends stayed for a moment. Rita asked, "What are you doing this weekend, Alex?"

"I am sorry, Rita, but I will be working all weekend and perhaps for the next six or so."

"Even graduation?" she said as she hung her head. She, I guess, wanted me to be her date at the year-end party.

"No, Rita, not that weekend. Would you do me the honour of being my date for the party?"

She sprang at me and gave me a kiss, then looked around at the teacher and her friends. "Yes, Alex. I would love for us to go together."

"Good. Then think of a good dress, but think of one that is Roman or Greek in style but will still fit in with the rest of the crowd."

"Oh, I will. Mom will help."

"I am sure she will. I have to talk to Mademoiselle Bouchard for a moment, and then I have to get home. I have a lot of work to do before I get to sleep tonight."

"Ok, bye," she said, and with a quick glance at Mademoiselle Bouchard gave me another small kiss. This was never done in school, and I think the teacher was a bit shocked to see it happening.

I walked over to her desk after the group of girls left. Mademoiselle Bouchard said, "You have her wrapped around you finger, Alex. I hope you don't hurt her."

"I would like to think that I am not a cruel or callous person. I try to be honest with my dealings with others, and hope the same is done in return. If I knew that it would work, I would turn the other cheek if hurt. But I have found that doing so only gets the other side of my face struck, too."

"That happens many times, Alex. Now, what can I do for you?"

"The conversation will be delicate to say the least. Would it be possible to talk to you about this next Tuesday, after school?"

"What is it about, Alex?"

"I would rather talk about it then. Would you be able to give me some of your time?"

"I have a few things to do, but I think I can do them at other times. Tuesday will be fine."

"Thank you, Mademoiselle Bouchard. I will see you then."

Laura was waiting for me, and when I knew that we were safe, I kissed her very tenderly. "The first day I said you had my heart to add to all your others. It's true, for I think you got Aron's, too, last night."

She smiled at me, "I only want yours."

"That thought will have to tide me over the weekend. I have to work all weekend. The family will come home on Monday. Helen and Aron will be going to school for the rest of the year. There was just too much to do, and their help was needed to get the mine going."

"They looked a little tired. I don't think they were getting enough sleep."

"They are still too excited about the gold and drive themselves hard. Next week, I should be home every day. Partly because Helen will be there, and I do not want to do anything behind her back. Aron will be there also and is still quite impressionable. I would like you to come over and visit one night, but not Tuesday."

"Why not that day?"

"I want to have a heart to heart talk with Natalie about my girl. I do not want her hurt, and I definitely do not want you hurt. We have a lifetime to live through and I want to keep the scar tissue to a minimum."

"Do you want me to do anything?"

"The only thing that I can think of is to invite Natalie over to your apartment on Tuesday night. That would be the best place for our talk."

"I can do that. Tuesday is one of our days."

"After Tuesday, it may be a day for all of us."

I walked Laura to her car after sorting what I was taking with me. After Laura drove off, I walked quickly to the bikes. One wheel was flat and the valve was gone. I guess Nick had not learned his lesson. Instead of going home, I pushed the bike and took some of the load to the nearest service station. I bought a package of valves and got the tire inflated. Then I started for home.

Dad was working in the barn or hiding more of the gold they had harvested today. I kissed Mom and said, "It is nice to have you home."

"It is nice to be doing my job here, but I am needed at the mine too. It is hard to do both."

"I know that, mom. There is no justice sometimes. All a son can do is to help all he can. Now, give me that knife and drink some of your tea while I take care of the potatoes."

One by one, the family came to the kitchen. Helen was first, though, and kissed me in front of mom. It was not a sisterly kiss, though. "I see you and Mom had a talk. Is there anything that I should be told?"

"Not really. Mom thinks that I should give Laura a bit of competition."

"That can give me a certain problem, even if I am still a boy." I heard Mom laugh and Helen turned red. "Women are usually very knowledgeable in these matters. I assume that we will have to give dad more time to come by this information slowly. So here is your kiss and it better keep you till I can recharge it."

She got her kiss and I watched Mom looking at us. I would like to know what she was thinking. It still seemed odd that a mother would allow this, even if her daughter was 16.

I walked to Mom and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for trusting us. I will do nothing to hurt Helen. I have loved her since when I was just little and visiting. I just hope she loves me the same way I love her now. Maybe something can come of it. I don't think my feelings will change, but Helen has the option of finding somebody else if she wants to."

"You now seem older than Helen. I trusted you as a boy, and now I trust you as a young man. Go slow, and do not push. She is the only daughter I have."

I kissed her again and said, "Thanks again, mom."

I looked at Helen and her expression could almost be seen to glow. "I will talk to you later, wench. There are many things for us to discuss."

"Yes, Alex," she said; the same way Mom replied to Jozef.

After the meal, I finished the remainder of my homework and then got what I thought would be needed for the mine. To get the most out of our time, dad, grandpa and I would drive to the mine tonight and work till Sunday night. Sunday morning, I was told, we would have a small service.

Mom packed us some more food in case we found ourselves in danger of starvation and we were off. It was still light out when we got there.

Mom and grandma were going to try to catch up on their chores that they had let lapse for a week. Helen and Aron were staying home to do some of their own chores and rest. They would be going back to school on Monday.

Both Rolph and Lester were there to greet us. Both had rifles over their shoulders, and I was thinking we were repelling the Huns. Dad was just being cautious, and I commended him for it.

The camp had grown in a few ways. The tent was to one side, and there were many tarps all over the place protecting equipment. I guess all our tarps had gone into this endeavour, in addition to others that they had to buy.

The vertical drill had its own canopy that would keep out the strong sun and the occasional rain. The dark sky indicated that we might get some, but the radio had said that there was only a 30% chance.

Dad had decided to follow the blaster's handbook in reverse. My flags, as to the probable location of the large nuggets, were still in place. He had drilled and blasted almost all around the flagged-off area. He explained that now he could use smaller charges to just break apart the area under the flags a little at a time. Only as a last resort would he now blast further in.

The overburden was already removed, and dad used a sledge and wedges to break the rock away. I was not tall enough or strong enough to swing the hammer. When we had a good-sized step made, I did work, but I could not do it for long. Night did not bring relief, for dad just turned on the generator and used portable lights to continue.

Rolph and Lester were not seen. Rolph was out doing his patrols, while Lester was trying to get some sleep. He was even more worn out than dad, because he stayed here all the time and tried to give us our 50 dollars' worth.

It was midnight when we quit. I was tired and cramped. All I wanted was to crawl into bed, but I went to the river and washed first before heading back to camp. I crawled under a large tarp and just pulled a sheet over me and fell asleep right as my head hit the pillow.

The night had brought some rain, and with the dew it made most things wet or at least damp. After a quick breakfast our labour started again. Mosquitoes bit me. 'Deet' had not been invented, and the tents didn't have the fine screening to keep the critters out. My back arms and legs were still sore, and I hoped that some stretches would get the worst of the stiffness out.

Removing rock was easier in the daytime, and I had a whole new crop of pain when Guy Rousseau pulled up with a large hamper of food. Work stopped abruptly and we cleaned our hands and faces.

"No sense wasting soap on the rest, when we are just going to get dirty again," dad said.

We had hot fried chicken, fresh bread, steaming vegetables and even some cake. I could see that dad had gone all out in ordering food. This was the traditional way of feeding a work gang.

Guy smiled at us and took away the food containers used last time, to be cleaned and reused.

Helga came over with a gun strapped on her shoulder. There was a bit of light-hearted banter between dad, Rolph, and Lester. Grandpa and I were tired and didn't have the energy to spend on this talk. After the meal we had lots of river water and put the covered food in the shade. There was not much to go bad, and salmonella would not be a problem unless we tried to eat any remaining food, the following day, for breakfast.

We worked hard till five, when we again stopped to eat the remainder of the food. Lester had worked on the sluice, while we continued reducing the size of the outcrop. We did find a few nuggets, and I kept mine in my pocket till they would go into a mason jar back at camp.

Grandpa fell a few times and I always checked him. He would always refuse my help stating that he was just clumsy. "Grandpa, I love you. If you die, how do you think I will feel for the rest of my life?"

"I am fine, Alex. Now, let me up."

"No. You need to rest here for an hour. After that, you can work for a half-hour, then another half-hour off."

"I am not dead yet. I can do more than you."

"Yes, you can, and you have been doing so for a week longer. Either you rest, or you will go home. That is not an idle threat. I will not have your death on my conscience."