Desperado Dale (Scenic Route to Paradise) (20 page)

Laughing in her soft way, Bethania said, “I’ll
keep that strategy in mind for any undertakings Sam and I attempt! But for now,
I’ll  help with the ruse too. If the New Dawn agents show up… when they
show up, I’ll throw open the window at Christina’s house and shout that you
have gone to Kavos on a much needed holiday.” She showed her gold teeth with a
wide smile. “It will take them three or four days to check out that story!”

Tina thought these splendid ideas. The last
thing she did before settling down next to Zeff in the front seat of the van,
was to tack a note of diversion to her front door after locking it.

The lock didn’t hold.
Six motorcycles sat in
front of the orphanage as Karlo kicked the door in. He was through the houses
and back at the front room before his cohort pointed to the paper fluttering at
the door.

Bethania shouted her red-herring before slamming
the window shut from Christina’s across the way. Twisting his head about Karlo
wondered which home the voice hailed from...
Never mind!
He held Tina’s
note in front of his headlight.

Call the mayor?

Karlo cursed and crumpling the paper, he threw
it to the ground. He had not planned on a beautiful young woman running the
orphanage. Such a distraction! His jaw still ached and his lip was split from
running into an unforeseen object in the early morning gloom at the side of the
house. He didn’t actually remember the incident as he had drunk too much before
and during their nighttime antics. Running his tongue across his front teeth,
Karlo was sure at least one was loose.

If only he had gotten the name of the old
Frenchman who had pawned the jewelry for the orphanage. Instead, he had dallied
after the gorgeous, Tina… The pawnbroker! Karlo had forgotten about him.
Perhaps, he hadn’t left for the mainland yet. He motioned to his men and they
mounted their bikes once again. The pawnbroker would pay for all the problems
and setbacks he had endured since the American had arrived with false hope
carried in a pink backpack… Or so Karlo assumed.

Instead, as the café racers roared noisily
exiting the
village
of
Evangelos
, Karlo noticed his
brakes on the descent toward the lower elevation of Avliotes were not
responding. Apprehension, gripped his chest. Keeping his eyes on the uneven
pavement ahead of him, he zipped past the two leading motorcycles. The three
others behind him accelerated to keep close to their daredevil boss. There were
several sharp curves between the mountainous village and the
valley
of
Avliotes
but the last one was
the worse. It was a hairpin turn without a guardrail. The vertical drop ended
in several large boulders and a pile of smaller ones, which were cleared to
plant grapevines some hundred years before. Karlo didn’t care why the rocks
were piled beneath the bluff but the boulders were the last thing he saw as his
motorbike headlight lit them during his free fall. Bernie’s World War II tactic
worked after all.

Mac swooped down
on the trespassing
urchin; a girl of no more than 3 or 4 years of age. Dusky hair shot out in
curls Harpo Marx style, hiding forehead and ears and falling about her
shoulders in loopy long curls. She wore a fuzzy beige hand-knitted wool sweater
made originally for some child twice her age. The sleeves were rolled up and
the hem went almost to her knees.

Merry hadn’t been herself in Mac’s estimation;
she needed the rest. Mac was quick but the child’s chilled fingers connected
briefly with Merry’s warm cheek and instantly, his wife’s eyes opened.

Holding the red-cheeked child snugly to his
chest with the light cast from the cabin door behind him, Merry thought Mac
both strong and nurturing. Forgetting the cold clammy hand that called her up
from a deep sleep, Merry wondered with a wistful smile…

Who is this adorable child? And… Who is this man
impersonating my husband?

Chapter 32  Fruitful Finale

“We are staying!”

Mac’s eyebrows shot up.

Merry giggled.

Junior looked away from Nerah to eye Zeff.

“We? You surprise me with 20 children – all
orphans! And now you take your leave? Zeff, I’m sure it is not a difficult
choice to make… I never liked children when I was a bachelor either,” Mac said
dryly, his accent heavy. The toddler who had intruded on Merry’s all night nap
lay in Mac’s arms asleep. Due to her
own
exhaustion, Merry had slept through
the noisy arrival of her family and the orphans.

Mac had said a few more would crowd the sloop
!

Merry giggled again.

The salon next to the galley was in shadows.
Children were strewn about like colorful leaves lying across the backyard on an
autumn day; some on the ground, others on a garden wall and some resting where
they had fallen on the patio furniture. After such an adventurous night, all
were asleep except Nerah. Even Dale and Anna had succumbed to weariness, retiring
to the captain’s berth and taking the slumbering Gwyneth with them. Nerah sat
at the galley table drinking hot chocolate with mini marshmallows floating
atop. Junior sitting straight and as tall as he could muster, although his
belly wounds ached, was next to her.

Zeff reached over, taking Tina’s hand. “Que? No,
I like children! That is why I
am
staying. And I
love
Tina. She
said she would be my wife,” he said looking at Mac as he lifted Tina’s hand
dramatically to his lips. Tina watched Zeff and then looking to Merry, she
blushed.

Giggles from Merry.

“You’re the captain, Mac. Will you officiate,
no? Tina and I want to honeymoon on the beautiful vacation isle of
Corfu
,” he said with a grin.

No nonsense Tina said, “I can’t leave Kerkyra...
And Sam is waiting for us on shore. Dale will update you on Sam and Bethania’s
plans to channel people, actually Jews through the island to
Israel
. We’re going to work
together on this and…And Merry, I am hoping you and Mac will help.” Shifting
her gaze from her old friend Merry, Tina looked to Mac. She saw that his face
revealed boredom. Quickly she said, “Of course, it is very brazen on my part.
We don’t have anyway to sustain the orphanage. Our capacity to feed, house and
educate them topped at 5 children but as you have noticed, in the last few months
we accumulated more than that.” Tina held a tight smile, restraining her
untimely nervous laughter. She wanted a response from Mac!

Merry had returned from settling the sleeping
girl Mac had held, in the salon. She asked, “Do you want supplies? Or what?”

Mac said, “They are going to need supplies,
laborers and transportation… and eventually protection. Right?”

“Captain Mac, you know exactly what is needed,”
Zeff responded. “Will you step up?”

Mac had cut his second molars on smuggling,
spying and guerrilla conflicts. It had been a barbaric upbringing and
therefore, for a wealthy D’Almatan wherein his history declared this warfare
lifestyle the norm, Mac found it culturally acceptable if not exciting. As a
Christian, Mac sensed that he was the correct person to be asked and to accept
Tina’s request. The bored look he wore was the same facial expression he donned
when readying to knock the opponent's teeth in at the onset of a fistfight. Or
if playing cards and Mac found he held an exceptional hand, a curtain of ennui
fell about his mannerisms. In spite of his appearance, Mac mentally coveted
their challenge.

To Zeff, he said simply, “Yes, of course. We’ll
need to set up a few logistic essentials.” Tina nodded in understanding but
Zeff wondered at Mac’s requirement.

Merry made coffee. Junior and Nerah listened
uncomprehendingly as Mac and Tina and intermittently, Zeff discussed
prospective
midnight
meetings in a nearby
cove to drop food, clothes and medical supplies.

Dawn was approaching when Zeff said, “People! I
think most importantly, people must be considered. Neither of you have said
anything about transporting Jews. If Kerykera is going to be a… a depot for
Jews making their way to safety… to
Israel
, we need to talk about it.”

Merry poured more coffee.

Mac nodded. “All of this sort of smuggling has
specialists. I will transport or arrange for transport but specialists must get
involved. They know the ropes but we are solely focusing on rendezvous points
and timing and chiefly, our communication. My duty first and foremost is to the
royal house of D’Almata. Everything else is secondary,” he explained.

Tina sprang up as one of the younger children
began to moan. Nerah left the table and took the boy from Tina. Tina stood with
Nerah for minute, as they whispered back and forth.

Zeff watched them over his shoulder for a moment
and then turned back to Mac. “You know Tina and I are both new Christians… The
old woman Bethania Kalamaki, she is a new believer too. As far as I can tell,
our work to save children and to help persecuted Jews,
God’s
children
may be short lived.” He looked at the others seated around the table. He said,
“Mac, everything you’ve been teaching us from the Bible about Jesus, His return
and the signs that were prophesied so long ago… It’s happening now!”

Merry had not uttered a word in almost an hour
but now she said with the excitement of a child looking to Christmas morning,
“He is coming!” Mac looked at her with a nod. She added, “People who want
righteousness and who are looking for truth and won’t settle for less… They are
the people that are being gathered into God’s net of safety. You are seeing a
polarization. It’s almost like God is letting humanity decide individually –
the valley of decision, I suppose.”

Zeff stared at her, digesting her conclusions.
Mac said, “Work while it is light; night is coming when no man can work. The
spiritual night is
the
tribulation. That time, scripture describes as
being the worse era ever to be experienced by mankind.”

“Sí. I have been paying attention to your Bible
studies. I want to work while we can. I cannot go off and hide. My family
thinks I am dead… Well, so be it. I am dead to them and to this world but of
course, I am alive in Christ. Está bien,” Zeff said with a shrug and a smile.

Reaching over, Mac gave Zeff a blow to his
shoulder as way of approval for Zeff’s conscientiousness. He said, “My friend,
its time you got married. Come on now, step lively!” Zeff beamed at both the
prospect of getting married to Tina and from the manly smack of dignity
bestowed by Mac.

Merry gave Tina a linen-white cotton dress with
a multitude of colorful embroidered flowers cascading down the bodice as a
bridal gift. Mac had bought it for his own bride, Merry in
Mexico
. It wasn’t that Merry
didn’t like the dress but it had gotten too snug on her and she didn’t foresee
wearing it again anytime soon. She thought it appropriate as both gift and
wedding dress for Tina, besides the fact that the groom was a Mexican national
who would appreciate the familiar design.

Besides the half dozen seagulls and a single
albatross gliding high above the
Serendipity,
there were few spectators
at the brief ceremony just before sunrise for Mr and Mrs Joseph Zeferano.

The sunshine highlighted the green tips of the
island, as Tino took the bridal couple in the skiff towards shore.

Mac and Merry stood at the rail watching the
skiff. Bernie, always an early riser came up behind them and gave out an
introductive cough.

The couple turned. Merry said, “Grandpa! What
are you doing up so early? You barely fell asleep!” She went to him and took
his arm.

Mr Adams let his granddaughter lead him to the
rail. He said, “Ah? I see the love birds are heading back to
Corfu
. That fellow Zeff fell
hard for Tina. I can’t say I blame him. She is quite a gal… a looker too!”

Mac grinned and nodded. He said to Bernie, “Yes,
sir. They were married this morning on deck.”

“Grandpa, they’re going back to Kerkyra not
Corfu
.
Corfu
is where they plan to
honeymoon or at least, that is what Zeff said.
Corfu
is beautiful and romantic too from what I’ve
read,” She smiled reassuringly and gave his arm a soft squeeze.

Bernie and Mac looked at each other. Mac said,
“Dear, Kerkyra
is
Corfu
. It’s the Greek name for the island... D’Almata’s backdoor.”

Merry’s mouth fell open and then she said, “Hmm,
I learn something new everyday.”

With a bushy wink to Merry, Bernie said, “Good
for you! Me too. It’s an honorable habit even when one is 90 years old - like
me!”

Then he said, “Captain Malak you married those
two this morning, heh? Well, would you be willing to repeat the ceremony for
two old Yanks later today? Say at sunset? I think Jellybean would like a sunset
wedding ceremony… If it’s not raining, of course.”

Merry let out a whoop. “Grandpa! You and Bean
are going to get remarried? It’s been like 50 years or something… You’re going
to get remarried?”