It's Just Lola (36 page)

“If you find me unpleasant, he can assign someone else to you.”

“No, we don’t find you unpleasant; quite the contrary,” said Lola with a laugh, “but you must have other duties that need your attention.  I can
’
t believe the captain ordered you to be our guardian.”

Wulf
looked down at his shoes.  “He said it would mean my job if he heard a single word of complaint from our passengers.”  He looked up with a grin.  “Therefore, it
’
s my duty to insure you have a pleasant trip with no complaints.” He bowed slightly and excused himself.
 

“I can’t imagine what Secretary Smythe could have said to make the captain treat us like fragile porcelain,” Lola wondered aloud one evening as the two women were sitting and talking.

Inez laughed heartily.  “Lola, for a woman who
’
s been widowed twice, you
’
re really naïve.  Do you seriously think
Mr. Wulf is
following you around like a lost lamb because the captain ordered him to do it?” 

Lola looked at her friend in consternation.  “But he said
—
”

“He said the captain would fire him if you
complained
.  The man is hopelessly smitten with you, Lola.”

“No, you
’
re mistaken.  He enjoys being with the children.  It must be very difficult being at sea all the time and having no time with one’s family,” Lola smiled at Inez, “and even you must admit that he makes the journey more pleasant.”

“I suppose you’re right.  Once we reach Peru,
he’
ll get back on his ship and sail
away
with no harm done.”  Inez shook her
head
.  “However, heed my words and be careful.  Breaking the man’s heart would be poor repayment for his pleasant company on this journey.” 

It gave
Lola
a warm feeling to think that
Wulf
might have feelings for her. 
There may have been little passion in
James, but
he
was a good husband and
had provided for their future.
Unfortunately, that was all she knew.  S
he had no idea what
those provisions were
. 

“Inez, are you sure your sister won’t mind if you show up on her doorstep with all of us?”

“I’m positive. 
She has a large house and
she’ll be
happy to have children
around her
again. 
Her children are grown and gone. 
She’ll love having you and it
’ll
be the perfect solution for you while you settle your affairs and decide what to do next.”

Lola frowned
.  What
was
she going to do next?
 
Without
some clue a
bout
inheritance, she could not make any plans.

L
ola was smiling as she bounced along in the carriage with Carlota on her lap.  Estela was squeezed between herself and Inez, who was holding Joseph.  The ubiquitous Mr.
Wulf
was sitting next to the driver and their belongings were stacked wherever they would fit.  Inez had tried to dissuade Herman from coming along, but he insisted he would do porter duty and make sure
they
reached the house safely.

“It seems strange,” Lola said to Inez, “when I lived in Lima with James, I never thought of it as home.  Now
I’m pleased to be back.”

“We aren’t in Lima yet.  The port is in Callao, but the two cities run together.
”
  A few minutes later Inez said,
“This is the street.  My sister’s house is just a few...” 
She
stopped in mid-sentence and her face got pale.  As the carriage slowed, she thrust Joseph at Lola and fumbled frantically at the door. 
Before
the carriage had come to a stop she flung the door open and leaped out, running up the steps to
a
door hung with black crepe.  Someone within had died.

Lola wanted to run and comfort her friend, but she had two children in her lap and the third was clutching her skirt, frightened by her governess’ behavior.  She watched as the door opened and a uniformed maid literally pulled Inez into the house with a loud cry.
 
“Thank the Blessed Virgin!  It
’
s a miracle you came today!  Your sister is overcome with grief!”

Lola’s breath whooshed out in relief.  It wasn
’
t the sister who died.  She knew Inez could cope with anything else.  Herman and the driver had gotten down from their seat and Lola called Herman.
 
“We can
’
t impose on hospitality at a time like this.  Please, let the driver remove only the trunk that belongs to Inez
.  We’ll
go
to a hotel.
”  Herman and the driver wrestled the large steamer trunk through the door and returned to the carriage.  The driver clucked to the horses and the carriage began to move again. 

“Where
’
re we going, Mama?” asked Estela.

“To a hotel.”

“Will it have a place to eat?” asked Joseph.  “I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” said Estela.

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Children, let’s see how many automobiles we can see.” 

“One…two,” Lola smiled as Estela began counting in English.

“…free…four,” said Joseph proudly.

“When did you learn to count in English?”

“Uncle Herman taught me.”

“When did he do that?”

“When he showed me the engines on the ship and he showed me where real sailors sleep and we talked to the boat-sun and he let me blow his whistle
.
”

“He wouldn’t let me go,” said Estela with a pout.  He said only boys can go in the crew’s quarters.  I had to stay with Señorita Inez.
”  She turned to her brother.  “
What’s a boat-sun?”

“I dunno.  Mebbe he makes light when they run dark.  You know, like the sun but only for the boat,”
said
Joseph.

“Is that right, Mama?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m go
nna
ask Uncle Herman.”

“You
both
should call him Mr.
Wulf
.
”
Before the children could protest, the carriage came to a stop.
 
“Where’s the hotel?”
Lola stepped out of the carriage and looked around.  The driver was already unloading their baggage.

“You
’
re going to stay with some friends of mine for now,” said
Wulf
with a grin.  “They
’
ll be happy to watch the children if you have errands to run, and it
’
s a pleasant place to live.” 

Lola was aghast.
 
“How can you invite me to someone else’s home?” 
She
was interrupted by a cheerful booming voice.

“Boat-sun,” said Joe as he struggled to free his hand from Lola’s.

“Señora, welcome to our little home.
  Please come in.
”
The man
picked up a trunk and swung it easily to his shoulder.  “We can’t have you standing out in the street.  Come in, come in.”

Lola had no choice but to follow her luggage into the house.  At least
they
seem
ed to be welcome.
 
She
was shown a room off a central courtyard. 
Wulf
explained that the house was home to several families, and each one had a room.  They shared the kitchen and bathroom.  Lola thought it must have been lovely when the garden was tended, but the high traffic had beaten the earth into a hard surface.  One room was furnished as a parlor, but most of the living was done in the
courtyard.

That night Lola put the children to bed and joined the adults.  She
’
d never seen such a carefree group of people.  The
conversation was lively
and
filled
with laughter.
 

“I’m the bosun’s wife, Maggie
,” said one of the women
. 
“
Wulf
says you have affairs to settle.  I want you to know you
’
re welcome to stay as long as you like.  Your youngsters will be safe with us while you run your errands.  Don’t you worry about a thing.  As long as you want us, we’ll be your family.”  She patted Lola’s hand.  “That’s the way we are.  Our men go off to sea and we stick together and help each other.” 

“Hey, Maggie,”
the bosun
interrupted the conversation, “come have a drink with
your
thirsty husband
.
”  The woman laughed and held out her hand
to
her husband.
 
“But when they get home
,
it’s party time
.
”

The next morning the men were gone.  “Did they sail already?”
 
Lola
was
disappointed
to think
Wulf
had
left without saying good-bye. 

“No, they
’
ll be here about a week, do
ing
maintenance on the ship
,
provision
ing
for the next trip
, and getting
new contracts.  They’ll be back this evening.”  It reassured Lola that
Wulf
would be returning later that day.  Everyone was very pleasant, and after sitting and talking with the women
,
she felt comfortable leaving her own children with them.

Her first stop was the Central Bank.  She knew James had an account there, and she needed to look into it.  The bank building looked very imposing, almost forbidding.  Lola had never been in a bank; banks were a province of men.  She put on her “great lady” personality, silently thanking her older sisters for showing her how it was done.  She asked to speak to a manager and was shown into an office.  The mask wavered when the bank manager
said
her name was not on the account and, although her passport identified her as the
wife
of James
Atkins
, she had not presented official proof of her husband’s demise. 

“I have nothing in writing.  I was notified in person by an official of the Chilean National Railway.”  Lola took a lace handkerchief out of her handbag and dabbed at
a stray tear
.  “There wasn’t a proper funeral.  My husband was buried in a rock slide.  I didn’t even get to pay my final respects.  It was so very sudden and unexpected.”  She reached into her purse again and withdrew her letter requesting safe passage.

“Minister Stronge of the British Embassy gave me his condolences in person as well.  He was informed of the accident by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.  Minister Stronge gave me this letter to ease my journey to Peru.  The Embassy arranged passage for myself and my children.”
 
Although her tears may have been helpful, Lola was sure it was the mention of two Ministers in the space of one sentence that bent the rules slightly in her favor.

“In view of the circumstances, perhaps we can accept something other than a
n official
government document.
  Perhaps
a letter from the British Embassy
?”
 
He cleared his throat.  “
I
’
m sure you understand our position.  The Bank must protect itself from possible fraud.  Of course, I understand your position as well, but that
’
s the best I can do.”

“Thank you, Señor…Fernandez,” said Lola,
read
ing the
nameplate
on the desk.  She dabbed at her eyes one more time and left the office.
 
She found a carriage for hire and went to the British Embassy.  She
was
soon talking
with
Secretary Smythe’s counterpart in Peru.  Unfortunately, he said he would have to communicate with someone in Chile to confirm her story
before giving her the requested letter
.
From the Embassy, she
went to give her condolences to Inez and her sister.  She assure
d
Inez that she and the children had found a suitable place to stay before bidding a tearful farewell to her friend.

That night she told
Wulf
of the events of the day.  The
bosun
and Maggie invited
Lola
to
stay as long as she liked.

“I hate to impose, but I’m sure it
’
ll only be a few days until my late husband’s death is confirmed to the bank’s satisfaction.”
 
Maggie
said
she welcomed the company, and
her children were delighted to have
Estela and Joseph around
. 

The bosun nodded. 
“Now you have the blessings of both halves of the house.”

“What do you mean?”

“The house is as much
Wulf
’s as it is ours.  We could never have bought it without his help.  He’s a good person and a good friend. 
I’m only the fourth mate on this ship
, but y
our chap’s a proper officer—
with navigator’s papers
.  Him and me, we’ve shipped out together for quite a few years.  We come down from the
U.S.together
and liked it here.  I found my Maggie and now here we are.” 

Lola
was
taken aback
by
his characterization of
Wulf
as “her chap.”  
Had she shown that she enjoyed his attentions
? 
She would have to be more careful to act as a recent widow should
—and she needed to leave as soon as possible
. 
Wulf
made her have feelings that were not suitable. 
She prayed
that James had left her enough to find a place to live near Enriqueta
,
maybe
even buy a place big enough for both of them
. 
Going back to the plantation wasn’t an option
—
Jacoba had closed that door. 
Her father
may
believe he could control Jacoba, but
Juan didn
’
t agree
, and
Lola couldn
’
t risk her children’s lives. 
She just had to stay here long enough to
settle her business
.

Two days later
Wulf
took
Lola
to the parlor.  “I thought I’d surprise you with an English tea.  I heard you were partial to Earl Grey.”

“What a nice surprise
.
  I haven’t found my way to the market yet.”

“Lola, I wanted to talk to you before I ship out.  I want
you
to
be here when I get back.”

“You’ll probably be back before the Embassy gets an answer
.
”