Chapter 6

Posted: July 16, 2007 - 09:45:22 am

Updated: June 25, 2008 - 04:55:17 pm

The Vancouver Aquarium is definitely world class. The indoor area features just about every type of aquatic creature there is. From strange looking deep-sea fish to many types of starfish. The Jellyfish had a special meaning. The large round ones would flex and elongate and resembled, "Yes, I enjoy your breasts."

Wondering through a museum with seventeen kids is something. All of a sudden I had assumed a protective mode, as if a parent. It wasn't too bad as both Mattie and Hilda came with us. All twenty-one of us seemed to be having a lot of fun. The little ones enjoyed the beluga whales, dolphins and seals in the outdoor area. It was drizzling rain off and on but it didn't seem to affect the children or any of the other attendees there.

A recipe for disaster was when Michelle suggested we get the kids lunch at the cafeteria they had. It was amazing. Hilda stayed with the little ones while the entire troupe went to the serving line. Michelle led with one of the youngest. Mattie came second with another very young child then Antoinette was third with another of the younger ones. Next Marion followed with one a little older. The rest of the kids followed with the older twin boys bringing up the rear with me. When Michelle came to the cashier, Mattie took the little one Michelle had been helping and her own charge and took them to some tables that Hilda had been saving. The mob completed getting sandwiches and drinks, mostly juice and water, then went to the tables. Once the cashier had rung up my sandwich and bottle of water, Michelle whipped out a handful of bills and that was that. I had been reaching for my wallet when she had pulled her money. As she handed the cashier the bills, she looked at me and smiled. What I had thought to be an unbelievable undertaking was completed very orderly.

Michelle and I sat toward the rear of our group. As soon as she was seated, Hilda handed her a fussy infant. In an instant Michelle's blouse was open and the baby was nursing. Michelle began eating, but was interrupted by Hilda bringing the year old baby for its dinner as well. So there sat Michelle, smiling her serene mother smile while nursing two of her babies.

To be useful I offered Michelle a drink of her juice, which she greedily drank. Then I fed her bits of her sandwich while she continued to feed her babies. The other toddlers were too interested in their surroundings to need their Mother's comfort or treat. I watched how people passed wondering if they noticed a mother nursing. They didn't see anything but a group of children with some adults. Michelle and her group accomplished the feeding so naturally it brought a warm feeling to me.

After lunch, we visited the huge sea lion followed by touring the below ground viewing areas for the beluga, dolphins, seals, and sea lion. It was very interesting as well as entertaining. I think the dolphins and beluga's know people are watching so they go through many antics, probably teasing us. Michelle said we were going to leave soon and herded the entire crew into a huge gift shop. The kids scattered for a few minutes then all seemed to form a line by their Mom, each holding a small item. It was the same game here too. The kids filed past with their toy or souvenir until the twin boys had passed, then once again Michelle paid the cashier in cash.

We headed out to the parking lot where the bus was waiting in the light rain. The little ones couldn't be stopped from stamping through puddles on the way. Michelle didn't scold them, but smiled and just kept them all going in the right direction.

Traffic in Vancouver is maddening. Since this was a weekend it was probably worse. The driver seemed oblivious to the traffic and moved steadily toward his goal.

A blue dodge mini-van whizzed by us making police noises with lights blinking in the windows. This was one sneaky police car. He pulled up behind a car and kept following until they both stopped. Out pops a policeman who ran up to the car he had stopped, pulled open the door, and pulled the driver out. All traffic had stopped at that point. When the driver had been handcuffed and put to the ground, the policeman checked inside the vehicle that he had stopped, and used his personal radio to make a call. He half carried the cuffed driver to the side of the road and began waving traffic around. Who knows what that was about, but that was one sneaky police car.

We arrived at the main Vancouver library to find large tents displaying winter Olympic events and of course the countdown clock. The driver let us out and instructed Michelle to call him when we were ready.

We had to go through the large tents because of their advertising on the outside of them. There were some interactive games that some of the children tried, like snowboarding and skiing. There were several of the Canadian Olympic athletes talking to people and signing autographs. The older kids were very excited and stood in line for autographs. When we went out to the clock, we found that each side of the clock was for different events. One side was a countdown for the 2010 regular winter Olympics and the other side was for the 2010 Special Olympics. Learn something every day. By this time it was getting near five so Michelle called the driver and we went to the street where we had been let off.

The trip back to the house was uneventful with two exceptions. The first exception was the little girl who had sat on my lap before, came and sat on my lap again. This time she stayed for the entire trip. Once again she just climbed up, put her arms around me then placed her head on my chest. The second exception was an observation I made. I had a chance to watch the people outside the bus while traveling this time. There seemed to be seven oriental people for every three Caucasian. I asked Michelle about the heavy Far Eastern mix and she said it had been easier for the Chinese to immigrate to Canada than to the U.S. in the early days. Once the main part of the railroads in the U.S. was built, many of Chinese went to Canada to work on the railroads and stayed. Also when World War II made so many suspicious of people of Far East heritage, many of them migrated to Canada. Along almost any street you could see Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai, and Indian restaurants and stores.

Once back at the house, the children all instantly disappeared. Michelle, Mattie and Hilda tended to the babies and toddlers to get them taken care of. Michelle said we should cleanup for dinner so we wondered down the hall to her room. Once there Michelle had me sit on the couch before opening some doors where there was a large entertainment center and a bar. She found ice and Beefeaters and handed me a nice drink. She poured herself a small glass of wine and sat with me.

"Chuck?" She started, "This has been a very nice day. I have enjoyed you being with us and all of us being together. I know you may have plans for more of your vacation, but could you stay a little while longer, at least tonight and maybe tomorrow?"

I was too relaxed to think of abandoning what was presented to me. "Sure Michelle, I would love to stay longer. If you get tired of me, say so, as you make it far too comfortable to want to leave right away."

She put her glass down hugged and kissed me. It wasn't a peck either. It was a full-blown I want to eat you up kiss, Whew!

"To bad dinner will be ready so soon as I would enjoy making sure there is a baby in here," She said this while rubbing her tummy.

I held her and kissed her forehead thinking, 'What in the world have I gotten myself into.'

We did wash up before heading for the lounge where all the children were gathering. Michelle made me another drink, (I hardly had any of the other) and we talked to all of the kids for fifteen or twenty minutes until, "Dinner is served." That is some kind of announcement. It is so cool to hear that for real.

During dinner, Michelle asked, "So you are going to stay with us for a day or so more?"

"Yes Michelle, I enjoy being around all of you. You all make me feel very comfortable." I said looking at her then looking at each of the children around the table.

Two of the little girls smiled and said "Goody, we have not had the chance to talk to you yet. We want to play a game with you before you leave."

After supper, all the children again went to the lounge. Some pulled out games while others settled in a chair with a book. Some were reading to one or two of the smaller kids.

Michelle and I were sitting together on a couch when the two "Goody, goody, we want to talk to you" girls came up to us and sat at our feet. Almost in unison they said, "We want to know more about you."

Michelle said. "You two, be nice to Chuck. I have to do something but will be back in a few minutes."

We all watched Michelle leave the room before turned back to each other. The girls got up and sat on a love seat that was right across from me.

"Okay," I asked. "What do you want to know?"

They looked at each other and then one asked, "First, what is your whole name?"

"Charles Marshall." I answered.

"Do you have a wife?" the other asked.

"No I do not."

"Did you ever?" The same one asked.

"Yes."

"Why don't you have her anymore?" The same one persisted.

"She liked someone else more than me, so we parted."

"You mean you divorced, right?"

"Yes," I said flinching through this third degree.

"Do you work?" The first girl asked.

"I am a teacher."

"What do you teach?" She continued.

"This next semester I will be teaching economics, business management 101, and a statistics class," I said.

They both looked a little confused. "What grade do you teach?"

"I teach at what we call a community or junior college so the grades would be grades 13 and 14."

There was a mutual drawn out "Oooh" then they spoke with each other a second.

The first one looked at me again, "Where is your home? Where is your college?"

"St. Louis, Missouri."

"What kind of house do you have?" The same girl asked.

"I don't have a house. I live in an apartment," I said.

Michelle came back and sat next to me in time to hear.

"Is it big enough for us to visit?" She asked.

"No, not really, it is smaller than this lounge is. I don't need much room as I am alone." I said.

The second little girl looked surprised. "Why are you alone?"

"I don't know. I guess it's because I have not met someone to have as a friend and roommate."