Ella Read online

  Chapter 13

  Ella had sufficiently recovered from her accident to help her mother sort, pack and mark their few possessions. By the end of the week, they were ready for John’s help, when he arrived early Saturday morning in a State truck, Ella shouted, “Hi John, we’re packed and anxious to go.”

  “Good morning Ella. I can use this truck for just an hour and then I have to get back to work so let’s get started.”

  After they finished loading the truck with their things, Ella, her mother and the children squeezed into the cab with John. “Bye, bye, house," Little Rico said wistfully as he looked back while John slowly drove away from the Old Rule Ranch.

  When they arrived at Jenner-By-The-Sea, John drove to his home and stacked Ella’s boxes in his cabin. After he went to the shack that would be Frances’s new home, he quickly unloaded her possessions, saying, “Ella, I’ll see you later. I have to get back to work before I’m missed. Good bye Mrs. Schultz.”

  Ella remained with her mother to help her clean her new quarters.

  By late afternoon, the tiny shack smelled of bleach and was ready to be occupied.

  Sweat stained from mopping the plank floors, Francis dropped into a chair and wiped her face, saying, "Thanks for your help, Honey. Now that I can see what this place looks like, I can tell it's going to be just fine."

  Ella rinsed her hands, saying, "Well, I hope you'll be comfortable. Now, I need to go back to my new home and unpack my things."

  Frances heaved to her feet. "Ella, why don't you leave Rico here with me for the night? I'm sure you and John would like a little privacy."

  "Thank you Mama, I'll just take you up on that offer."

  She returned to John’s cabin and looked askance at all the boxes haphazardly stacked in the middle of the room. She shook her head, thinking, how in the world did I accumulate so much stuff? I guess I'll just have to ask John where to put my things.

  As she was preparing dinner on their hot plate, John came into the cabin, looking sour.

  "John, what's wrong?" she nervously asked.

  He Scowled at the boxes, replying, “I thought you would have this place straightened up by now."

  "I’m sorry John. I just got back from helping my mother, and I don't know where to put my things. Where do you suggest I hang my clothes?"

  "I don't care what you do with your junk! Just put them anywhere. "

  ”All right John, I don’t know why you’re so angry, but I’ll finish cooking our dinner. By the way, Mama’s going to keep Rico overnight."

  John sat down without responding, staring glumly at his boots, His day-old beard evident under a naked light bulb.

  What the hell’s going on? He acts like he has a bug up his ass, she thought and continued to fry the hamburgers.

  After she set the table, she informed John the dinner was ready.

  He sullenly sat at the folding table, noisily chewing his food with his jaw muscles working rhythmically. She shook her head from side to side in confusion, thinking, what the hell is wrong with him. He’s never acted like this before.

  After a dinner devoid of conversation, she picked up their dishes, asking, “John did you like the hamburgers?"

  He leaned back in his chair and replied, “Don't worry. I got used to all kinds of cooking in the Navy. If I don't like something you make, I'll let you know about it."

  While she scraped the plates in the sink, she thought, why is he acting so strange? This is the first time I’ve seen this side of him.

  John suddenly blurted, "Look Ella, can we call Rico by another name?"

  "Well, yes, I guess we could do that, but why?"

  "I don't want to hear your husband’s name mentioned all the time."

  So that's it. He's jealous! "Well, his middle name is Thomas. We could call him Tommy if you like."

  The hard plains in his face relaxed. "Okay. That sounds good."

  "Look, John, if you're so concerned about my lousy husband, maybe I should file for divorce right away."

  He drummed his fingers on the table. "All right; we need to do that, but first I need to get a car so we can do all the running around it's going to take."

  “John, now that we’ve taken care of your concerns, are you in a better mood?

  He patted her buttocks, replying, “I’m Ok now.”

  Ella anticipated making love with pleasure when they went to bed, but John groped her clumsily and quickly satisfied his need, rolling over on his side when he finished. When he began to snore, she got out of bed and sat by the window, watching the black river below, flowing, ever flowing. I hope this move wasn’t a mistake. But what else could I do? I don’t have money. I don't have a job. I don’t have transportation, but I do have the responsibility of taking care of Mama and the kids. By God, I'll just make this arrangement work, no matter the cost!

  The next morning, she woke up when Rico rattled the door, yelling, "Mama, let me in! Mama, let me in!"

  She threw back the covers and got up, but John grabbed her arm, saying, "You’re not going anywhere. Get back in bed!"

  "But John, its Rico. I mean Tommy!"

  "I don't give a damn. This is our first morning together, and I don't want that brat bothering us."

  Rico yelled louder. "Mama, let me in! Mama, let me in!"

  She lay back down, biting her lip, thinking, maybe John's right. This is our first morning together, and Mama did say she would take care of him.

  Rico continued to bang on the door. When he gave up, she ran to the kitchen window to watch him return to his grandmother's cottage. "John, it was mean not to let him in. His feelings are hurt!"

  He got out of bed and grabbed her wrist, saying, "That kid is spoiled rotten. What he needs is a good beating. Now get back in bed."

  She wrenched her arm free. “John, let me go! I have to go to the bathroom."

  When she returned from the bathroom, John was waiting for her, Naked and erect. He grabbed her and began to drag her to the bed. She struggled to break free, yelling, "John, what are you doing? Let me go this minute! I don’t need this kind of treatment!"

  He laughed and slapped her exposed buttocks, replying, "What you need is what I got. Now you're going to get it."

  A few days later, while Ella and her mother were trimming a large gunnysack of artichokes for canning, Frances pointed outside. "Look, there’s John driving a car!"

  Ella went to the door and watched John getting out of a shiny green automobile.

  He patted the hood and shouted, "Hey Ella, what do you think of it?"

  Still feeling guilty about wrecking his Hudson, she skipped to the car. "Oh, John, it’s beautiful. Is it ours?"

  Grinning, he wiped a speck of dust from the fender and replied, "It sure is. It's a 1930 Nash, but it's hardly used. One of the guys at work had to sell it fast, so I got a good deal. What do you say? Let's go to Bodega Bay and get some oysters."

  "Can Mama and the kids come too?"

  "Sure. There's plenty of room for everyone."

  Ella dashed into the house and grabbed her sweater, saying, “Mama, John has invited all of us to go for a ride to Bodega Bay in our new car! Do you want to come?"

  Frances continued to cut the artichokes, replying, "I think I'll stay here, Honey. I'm feeling a little tired. You and the boys go ahead."

  "You’re not feeling sick, are you?" Ella asked, feeling her mother’s forehead.

  Francis brushed her hand away, saying, "I’m all right. Now, don't worry about me. I'll stay here and finish the trimming. You go ahead and have fun."

  On route to Bodega Bay, John passed the old ranch house where Ella had spent two unhappy years, but she thought it now looked deserted.

  When they finally arrived at the little fishing village known for its oysters, the sun was slipping below the horizon casting hues of red and orange across the bay. "Look boys, the fishing boats are in! They look like they have a lot of fish," Ella observed, pointing to the sq
uat broad-beamed boats that were nudging each other and bumping against the dock.

  As soon as John parked, everyone got out and walked hurriedly towards the wharf, but Rico and Kenny ran ahead. Ella ran after them, yelling, "Hey you kids! Stay away from the water! Big old sea lions live under that pier, and I don't want to jump in that cold ocean just to save your necks."

  After she caught up with them and pulled them back from the edge of the Warf, they watched fishermen in heavy woolen clothes toss silvery salmon from their boats into large wooden boxes. The men who were speaking Italian, laughed and loudly shouted at each other AS seagulls called and flapped their wings, darting for tidbits of fish.

  She took the boys to the open-air market where women were gutting and chopping fresh fish while a vender shouted, "Hey, folks, we got your real fresh salmon here. They were caught just one hour ago!"

  Ella pointed at the display case, saying, “Look, boys, I want you to see these fish. That's a salmon. That's a codfish, and those are surf fish. Oh, look! Those are crabs, and those are shrimp, but I don't know the name of that big black fish."

  Tommy held his nose. "Mama, it stinks here."

  She laughed. "Tommy, it's supposed to smell like that. That’s how dead fish smell."

  Kenny pointed to an octopus writhing in a cardboard box and squealed. “Oo, look, it's moving!"

  While they were occupied at the market, John paid fifty cents for a large gunny sack of oysters. He hoisted them to his shoulder and shouted, "Hey, Ella, I'm going to put these in the trunk. I'll meet you at the beer joint."

  "Oh swell, a beer would taste great!" she yelled and took the boys to a small inn at the end of the pier. When they were inside the steamy café, she pointed at the antique maritime equipment on display. “Look boys, there’s an old time diving helmet. It was used to go under the water."

  Kenny looked at the helmet and asked, "Why do they go under water?"

  "I’m not sure. Maybe they were looking for pearls."

  John, smelling of oysters, joined them and chose a booth with a view of the bay. "We want two Budweisers and Cokes for the kids,” he said to the waitress.

  She returned with their drinks, but when she put a bowl of oyster crackers on the table, Rico and Kenny grabbed handfuls of crackers and sprinkled them in their cokes, blowing bubbles through their straws. “You kids stop that! You're making a big mess!" Ella scolded, slapping their hands and wiping the table with a napkin.

  John lit a cigarette and offered one to Ella, but she said, “Not now, thanks, what are we going to do with all those oysters?”

  He scratched his chin. "Well, we can have fried oysters, raw oysters, stewed oysters, oyster hash, oyster sandwiches, and Oysters Rockefeller. I never get tired of oysters, and we can give some to your mother."

  Ella drank the last of her beer, saying, "John, I think it’s time to go. Just look out there! The fog is obscuring the boats anchored in the bay.”

  While riding back home, she thought, I’m worried about Mama. She gets so tired these days. I hope she’s all right.

  John’s cabin was dark when they returned home, but the door was wide open.

  “John, I don’t like how it looks!

  "Don’t worry. She probably went back to her own place,” he replied and parked the Nash.

  Ella got out of the car, dashed to the cabin and snapped on the lights. Frances was sprawled on the floor with artichokes spilled everywhere. Ella immediately went to her mother and frantically shook her, yelling, "Mama! Mama! Wake up!"

  John ran into the cabin, shouting, "Ella, what the hell's wrong?"

  "There's something awfully wrong with Mama. She isn't moving. We have to do something quick!"

  He dropped to his knees and felt for her pulse, and then held a mirror to her mouth. After several minutes, He sadly shook his head and took a sheet from the cabinet. Ella began to cry. "John, what's wrong with her?"

  "I’m sorry, Ella. She’s dead."

  Tommy and Kenny watched in alarm as Ella stood rigid, not breathing. John tried to put his arms around her, but she pounded his chest and screamed, “No! No! No!"

  He took her arm and gently said, "Come with me, Ella. I'll take you and the boys up to her cabin, and then I'll call the coroner."

  As she left the cabin, she looked back at her mother, lying under a white sheet, silent and still. She buried her face in her hands and wept, "Oh Mama! Oh Mama! Please don’t leave me."

  Chapter 14

  Ella sat in the family section of O'Riley's Funeral Parlor near her mother’s casket, silently weeping while John blew his nose and wiped his eyes. The dry musty air was tinged by the fragrance of a single spray of carnations. The four weathered men who had been recruited from John’s work as pallbearers, squirmed uncomfortably in their tight-fitting suits, but Mr. O'Riley, wearing a black suit with shiny lapels, calmly stood by the door with his hands clasped professionally behind his back.

  When Ella looked around the sparsely attended room, she bitterly thought, where are all of Mama's friends? Where is that rat Kyle? Where is James? She helped so many people, not to mention all those lazy louts she used to feed on the ranch. Where are they now?

  The organ began to play a doleful dirge, and she lowered her eyes, thinking, Mama never complained about anything, even about her bad heart. If only I had known…

  Someone touched her shoulder. She looked up with a start and saw her favorite brother smiling with his gold tooth glimmering.

  She stood up and clasped his hands, excitedly saying, “Why James! Hello. I'm so glad you're here. When did you get back?"

  "Hello Ella. It’s good to see you again, I just returned yesterday from Venezuela. Kyle wrote me about Mama so I got back as soon as I could. He's supposed to be here, but I don't see him anywhere.”

  Ella stepped back, still holding his hands, and said, "Oh, James, it's so good to see you again. Let me have a good look at you. Oh my goodness! You’ve become quite substantial and older. What happened to that thin young man I used to know?"

  He laughed. "I am older, Sis. Don't you remember? I'm ten years your senior."

  She motioned to John to join them and said in a hushed voice, "John, I want you to meet my brother, James. James, this is John. We're going to be married."

  James extended his hand. “Congratulations John. It's nice to meet you."

  John shook hands and awkwardly mumbled a greeting.

  After James looked around the room, he said, “I see old Reverend White is about to begin. I'll introduce you to my new wife later. Her name is Florence."

  The murmur of conversation ceased when Reverend White cleared his throat and began to speak. After several passages from the Bible, he gave her mother’s eulogy, describing her as a pioneer woman who was known for her charitable works. While a few individuals said their tribute to her mother, Ella felt numb, unable to hear their words.

  At the conclusion of the service, Reverend White bowed his head and invited everyone to join in a silent prayer.

  With tears spilling down her face, Ella prayed, God bless you Mama. I know you’re in heaven where you can rest in peace, but I miss you terribly.

  When a bell began to ring, the pallbearers carried the casket outside to a waiting hearse.

  Ella and John joined a small procession, driving slowly through Sebastopol and on to the cemetery. When the procession arrived at the family plot, the hearse backed up to freshly turned earth. After the pallbearers gently placed the casket over an open hole, Reverend White read from the Twenty-Third Psalm, saying, “As I walk through the valley of death…”

  Ella was unable to think, as if in a bad dream.

  After the Reverend finished the prayer, the pallbearers lowered the casket into a gaping pit and began to shovel dirt on the coffin. The clods striking her mother’s casket sounded like muffled explosions. My sister, my father and my mother are now gone forever, she sadly thought.

  James touched her arm,
quietly saying, "Sis, this is my wife, Florence. Florence, this is Ella, my baby sister."

  Ella wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up, seeing a tall blond woman beaming a wide smile. “I’m happy to know you Ella,” she said as her multiple hoop earrings dangled and clanked.

  Hello Florence. I’m glad to meet you too,” she replied.

  “Ella, I’ve heard so much about you. You and John simply must come to Petaluma. It would be simply marvelous if we could all get together for a lovely dinner."

  Ella immediately liked her new sister-in-law and replied, "Thank you Florence, I’d love to get together with you guys, but let’s make plans later."

  A yellow roadster slid to a stop at the far end of the cemetery. Kyle jumped from the car and began to run, zigzagging around headstones while Gloria followed with a bundle in her arms.

  Kyle, wheezing loudly, reached them and gasped, “Sorry I’m late, but it’s not my fault. That damn ferry wouldn’t go any faster!"

  James who dwarfed his diminutive brother, gripped his hand, saying, “Hello, Kyle. I'm glad you finally made it, but you’re just a bit late. The service is all over."

  Kyle replied with little snorts coming from his nostrils, "It’s not my fault. You should have waited for me!"

  Ella ignored his excuse and turned to her sister-in-law, saying, “Hello Gloria, let me have a look at that baby.”

  Gloria smiled weakly and pulled the blanket back from her baby's face, saying, “His name is Ralph. He weighed over ten pounds at birth. I thought I was going to die!"

  "Oh Gloria, he's beautiful!"

  "Thank you Ella, but how is Kenny? I'm dying to see him."

  "He's just fine. Violet is taking care of both boys, and we’re going to her house. You can follow us."

  When Kyle pulled up in front of Violet’s home, Gloria got out of the car and called, "Hello Kenny. We’re here."

  At first, he seemed confused, but then he ran to her and hugged her knees, crying, "Mama! Mama!"

  Kyle picked him up, snorting through his nose. "Hey there Clipper! Are you ready to come home?"

  Kenny struggled to get down, yelling, "I want my Mama! I want my Mama!"

  She smoothed his hair and said affectionately, “Calm down son. You’re all right and you’re coming home with us."

  She turned to Ella. “Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done without your help."

  “You’re welcome, but I’m going to miss that little boy.”

  When Kenny climbed into his father’s yellow roadster, Tommy cried out, "I want Kenny. I want my Grandma."

  Ella picked her son up. With an aching heart, she said, “Tommy you will be able to see Kenny again, but your grandmother has gone to heaven, and she won’t be here anymore.”