Desperado Dale (Scenic Route to Paradise) (19 page)

He said, “Your mother’s note says so much. She knows
something about what is happening at the ‘backdoor.’” Mac thrust his chin
towards Kerkyra. “She expects us by Friday… It appears she and my uncle have
held up the wedding ceremony for our arrival as the feast is always afterward.”

“Oh?” Merry’s mind switched gears. Her thoughts
were jumbled. She had enjoyed the day on the tiny isle of Diaplo and yet
lately, she was tiring easily and light headed. Thinking about the impromptu
meeting with the D’Almatans, Merry realized her husband’s energy and foreign
ways seemed to have shifted up a notch as they drew near to familiar territory.
From her perspective, Merry sensed Mac had become distant. Her perceptions
worried and wearied her.

His mind is elsewhere... on D’Almata or his new
duties as head of the D’Almatan royal guard. Is the honeymoon over?

For his part,
Mac was sure she had eaten
something rancid as they hadn’t refreshed the sloop provisions in weeks.

“Your sister, Kate and my friend Roger… The
newly weds, Mr and Mrs Roger Cowels are either on D’Almata now or they are soon
to arrive for the wedding,” Mac surmised.

Yes, that makes sense
. Yawning rudely, Merry
said, “That’s good to hear... I’m going to take a nap. I’ll make dinner in an
hour or so.”

Going to the Captain’s cabin, Merry fell right to
sleep and didn’t wake-up until an icy cold hand touched her cheek at
3am
.

Chapter 31  “All Aboard!”

“May I see that?” Bethania asked in Greek. She
was so excited, she completely forgot that these Americans knew very little
Greek. Bernie handed the journal over not needing to understand the language to
know what she asked.

Bethania hands were trembling uncontrollably.
Sam had never seen her like this. He went to her and guided her to the wooden
bench at the front door. “Yiayia, please sit. You’re upset,” he spoke gently
but his strong hand led her to the seat.

“I’ve heard of these places. My family, all the
Ionian Jews spoke of Kerkyra and these islands being a depot of sorts for the
Jew returning to
Israel
,” she said. Her voice expressed awe and emotion. Kissing the
journal, she said, “
Ne!
I have heard of these places since I was a baby…
I’m telling you!”

Dale thought she might jump up and begin her
wedding march as she did on the coastal road. He prepared himself by stepping
back and leaning against the wall. Bethania would have a lot of other dancers
pulled into her reverie before she reached for him.

Looking at Samuel she said, “You’ve heard,
Ne
?
No! You are still new to this place but its well-known these famed secret
places… in the ruins, under the hills and up on the housetops. How do you think
we got so many people past the Mussolini crowd and then under the very noses of
the Nazis? How?” Bethania held up the journal. “We had a plan! Samuel, we must
do it again! Don’t you see? There is no place for us now but to go to Messiah
and if not Him, we must help our brethren to take refuge in
Israel
.”

Sam remembered her oft repeated story of the
1800 Kerkyrian Jews that died in
Auschwitz
. Samuel wouldn’t bring it up now...
But if
the hiding places were so effective what happened to them?

Watching with arms folded, Dale decided if he
had been a Jew he would be on board with her… He knew well the prophecy of
Jewish persecution for the final days before Jesus’ return. Christians
described the time as the Great Tribulation but
Israel
of old and their scriptures called the
persecution, Jacob’s Trouble.

Samuel didn’t rely on the Jewish religious
writings but he trusted the old Jewess. She was the real deal in an era of
counterfeits. Certainly, her new found faith was a thorn in his derrière but
his bond with her was not religious. It was ethnic. He was a Jew. She was a
Jew. The others coming to the villa regularly were Jews. Divided they fell but
together, they would stand.

He contemplated the rumors of influential newcomers;
Jews arriving even as others fled the capital,
Kerkira
. He heard these people had money and had
connections… Maybe Bethania’s idea was doable. Sam didn’t know but Bethania’s
excitement was infectious.

While the others grew disinterested, Dale and
Sam talked with Bethania of a possible underground railroad of sorts. History
proved it had been successful in the past. Bethania was positive, by using the
journal’s information another escape route - this one to
Israel
, would work again.

As they sat on the bench planning, conferring
and scouring the travel diary, Bernie, Jellybean and Gwyneth went to nap.
Junior who had cigarette burns on his stomach had been cared for and given a
sedative. Zeff dozed off, snoring on the couch at the far end of the front
room. The household children were all put back to bed and even Nerah, the
eldest was sleeping quietly. It had been a trying night and most everyone was
up before sunrise. Anna and Tina returned to the kitchen to clean up after the
light breakfast of toast, jam and drilla that the household had consumed
earlier.

Anna tied an apron about her waist. “Dale plans
to head to the rendezvous point this evening,” she said.

Tina said, “I know. Zeff told me it took him and
Junior five hours but it was dark and they weren’t sure of their bearings. I’m
glad they showed up when they did!”

“Answered prayer!” said Anna.

“Truth be told, this last week has been one
answered prayer after another,” Tina confided. “I was at my wits end trying to
juggle the feeding, clothing and housing of this expanding household. I even
tried praying. You and Merry always were telling me to pray. When I was on top
of my game I didn’t think I needed to pray but when I cycled down having lost
my game and my guy and my job, I couldn’t pray! Crazy, I know… So I came back
here to Kerkyra for a hiatus.”

“Yes? And things got worse!” Anna reminded her
cousin with a laugh. They talked on until Anna asked out of the blue, “So Tina
what about Zeff?”

Tina reached for the last coffee mug to dry and
hang on a hook with the rest. Her white teeth, smiling at Anna and she started
to say mockingly,
Answered prayer!
But behind the women there was a
gritty shoe-on-sand sound. “Si, senorita Tina. What to do about Zeff! Eh?”

The women turned red faced at the voice of Zeff.
He was grinning at Tina. Anna made an excuse and she left the kitchen with her
apron on. Retreating down the hallway, Anna heard Tina laughing nervously.

Christina rushed through the front door.
The children at the
short table had eaten already and were scampering about the yard with Junior
and Nerah as playground guards. The adults were finishing a late lunch. The men
were making plans for the evening expedition in hopes of meeting up with the
Serendipity
.

Dale understood little of Christina’s alarming
news but he understood the reactions of his wife, Bethania, Sam and Tina. Sam
kicked his chair behind him when he leaped up at her announcement. It fell over
with a clang. Bethania began wailing and tightening her scarf. Tina laughed
anxiously. Her face faded to opaque rather than ivory; her dark eyes wide with
fear.

Anna looked to Dale. “Karlo and his men are
coming back!” she said above Bethania’s prayerful cries.

“What? Impossible! I fixed those brakes myself…
Don’t you youngsters ever apply your brakes? Youth is truly wasted on you
people!” said Bernie who showed comical hostility at the dearth of responsible
young drivers.

“Now honey…” began Bean trying to calm Mr Adams.

Bernie diverted from the momentous dilemma
before them, turned to Bean. “Did you call me honey? Why dear, that is the
second time in so many days!”

“Honey? Did I?” Jellybean responded. The elderly
couple tuned out the rest of the clamor to discuss whether or not Bean had
called Bernie “honey” once, twice or not at all in the last few days. She
hadn’t kept count but Bernie assured her – he had!

At the front door which stood open, a group of
children gathered.

Christina reported what she had heard from her
nephew who had heard it from his best friend’s father who worked at the sleazy
bar behind Georgios taverna. “Apparently, Karlo and the others came through
town this morning. They went up to the coast on some emergency errand but they
returned a few hours ago very tired and very mad,” interpreted Tina.

“My nephew is a good boy. He tells me that they
ate a huge amount of food and then went to sleep! Yes, but they told his
friend… his friends are bad and we’ve told him not to pal around with them but
my nephew, he doesn’t listen to common sense,” Christina shrugged as Tina
related the tale in English.

“And then what? What did Karlo say he was going
to do?” Tina asked as Christina took a break to eat a piece of bread left at
the center of the table.

“Heh? He said he was coming back to Evangelos to
finish what he started. And you told me that Karlo said…” Christina didn’t
finish because Tina put up her palm.

“Stop! Don’t repeat what I said. I was a wreck…
Out of my head,” Tina said with vigor and in Greek. She laughed her unique
laugh sounding like wind chimes in a contrary wind.

Dale said, “Its time to pack up. Tina, I think
you must be coming along with us.”

“Yes and these niños must come too. Our little
boat can handle quite a crowd and we have not far to go… D’Almata,” said Zeff.

Bethania had settled down to hear Christina’s
report. At Tina’s concluding laugh, the old woman turned to Sam and they began
a pow-wow. Dale and Anna began discussing a plan, as well as Tina and Zeff.
Bernie and Bean had decided that she had said “honey” only twice and it was of
no consequence.

Junior and Nerah and the older children gathered
at the door we’re talking about what they had heard and what it could mean.

Jellybean let out her signature whistle and the
entire crowd turned toward her, silenced. “Thank you,” she said with a grim
smile. “Now Dale has something to say… So everyone listen please.” Some
children at the door giggled at the foreigner’s siren-like whistle and strange
words but Nerah hushed them.

Startled, Dale cleared his throat as eyes and
heads turned to him. “Yes. I think it best to be far from here when this guy,
Karlo returns to town. Zeff, you need to head this up. I suppose we can divide
up to ride in Tina’s van and Sam…? You’ll take the rest in the truck. Each
person can take a small suitcase or bag with their personal items. Anna, you
help Tina get the children ready. Grandpa, you and Bean need to consolidate
your things,” Dale said. The room was deserted in a matter of seconds as each
went to complete a task.

Zeff, Sam and Dale went out back to examine the
vehicles. The airport rental car had been dropped at the designated petrol
station in Avliotes some days before. Junior was assigned to do a count.

“There are twenty-one children, including Nerah.
Plus, the rest of us. That’s 28 all together and I suppose Sam here will be
driving so that’s 29 people,” he said in his typical round-about way.

It was doable. Zeff said, “There is a road along
the northern coast but where we plan to meet Mac is isolated. There is no
drivable track for a mile or more. We didn’t see one although there were roads zigzagging
the groves but we climbed fences and gates to use them,” he explained.

It was getting dark when Anna, Tina and Nerah
began scuttling the children from the front of the house to the vehicles parked
in the back. Bethania returned to Tina’s cousin Christina’s home to tell
Jellybean that it was time to load up. Some fifteen minutes before, Bernie had
brought their down-sized luggage from Christina's house where he had been
staying along with Dale, Anna and Gwyneth.

It was a tearful goodbye for Bethania. Sam would
return for her in the morning but Dale… “Will I see you again on this side?”
she asked.

Dale hugged her tenderly. “I want to help you
and Sam with your underground railroad. Anna and I have decided to get
involved. We’re going to be praying about what God would have us to do… So yes,
I think we’ll be seeing you again – soon!” Their eyes were wet as Dale turned
to climb in the truck cab.

Zeff with Tina, and Junior sitting shot-gun at
the passenger window drove the van. Anna, Bean and Gwennie rode with several
younger children in the enclosed back. Dale drove the truck with Bernie and Sam
riding on the front bench seat and the rest of the children sat in the rear
under the tarp.

Tina had confided in Bethania and Bean that she
wasn’t at all sure she wouldn’t be back and soon.

“There will always be a need for an orphanage
especially in these dangerous times,” Tina had said. Her words were buoyed by
conviction.

Bean understood. She suggested leaving a note on
the front door that the children had been taken on holiday to the south of the
island. Also, the note should say something diverting like if anyone needed to
get a hold of the director that they should call the mayor’s office in the
city. “That will throw them off! Bernie and I used to say ‘confuse the enemy to
buy time,’” she told Tina.