It's Just Lola (37 page)

“Lola, I
’
m serious. 
Y
ou
’
re the most beautiful woman I
’
ve ever seen;
y
ou have the most beautiful children I
’
ve ever seen.  I don’t want to come back and not find you.”

Lola
’s
breath
came
in short little gulps of air and her heart was beating wildly.  This was wrong
.
She shouldn’t be here; she shouldn’t be listening; she should be wearing black so everyone would know she was in mourning and act accordingly.  This wasn
’
t loyal to James.  He
’
d been
a good man, and she wasn
’
t being loyal to him.  She shouldn
’
t sit so close to this man who made her heart pump so hard she got lightheaded.  She forced herself out of the chair.

“Mr.
Wulf
, you shouldn
’
t be talking to me like this.  I
’
m still in mourning
.
”
S
he walked over to the door and opened it.  She returned and sat in a chair that was farther away from
Wulf
.

“Please, I told you the
day we met
to call me Herman.  I know I
’
m rushing you, but please, please think about it.  I understand you
’
re still in mourning, but
w
ould your late husband want you to be all alone in this world?  Would he want your children to be without a father to provide for them and protect them?  All I ask is that you think about it.  I
’
ll be here when you
’
re finished mourning.”   

“I
’
ll think about it.”  Lola reached for her cup.  “Shall we drink our tea?”  Herman gave her a heart-warming smile, or maybe it was a heart-beat-faster smile.

“At least that
’
s not a no.”

~ ~ ~

Weeks passed and life settled into a routine. 
Every week Lola went to the Embassy and every week she was told there was no answer from Chile. 
While it was very frustrating,
part of her
was pleased to be forced into waiting for
Wulf
to return. 
The truth was that she missed his cheerful presence. 

Estela went to school each morning with the bosun’s children; Joseph charmed all the women in the house; Carlota played contentedly.  Lola had gone to buy black fabric to make proper mourning clothes, but had returned with material to make dresses and shirts for all the children. 
It was her contribution
to the house.  Some women did the cooking, others shopped, everyone watched whichever children were around, and Lola decided to contribute her own skill to the mix. 

The lackadaisical attitude of the inhabitants of the house toward education was the one aspect she did not like.  It was difficult for her to continue her oversight of Estela’s learning while the other children spent so little time studying. 
One afternoon s
he overheard the oldest boy in the house, Pedro, bemoaning the fact that Uncle Herman was gone
.  She asked him why he wanted Uncle Herman.
 

“He’s the only one that knows about math,” Pedro said disgustedly.  “Don’t see why we have to learn this stuff anyway.  I wouldn’t do it but the nuns whale the tar out of us if we don’t bring in something.”

“I could help you if I weren’t so busy,” she said and walked away.

“That’s a good one,” the boy laughed.  Lola turned and raised one eyebrow.

“Would you care to place a wager?”

“How much?” asked Pedro warily.

“If I win, you bring the children to the parlor after school, and we
’
ll do homework together.”

“Hmph
.
  And if you lose?”

“If I lose, I
’
ll take you all to the store with me tomorrow to pick out a piece of candy for each of you.”

“You’re on
.
”  He read the problem to Lola.  She made him repeat it a second time and closed her eyes.  She could hear the shuffling of feet as the other children gathered.  They had heard the part about candy.

“Twelve,” Lola announced.

“Hey
—g
uessing isn’t fair
.
”

“I wasn’t guessing.”  Lola began to walk away.

“You were, too
.
”

“Was not
.
”
S
he tr
ied
to get just the right amount of bravado into her tone to make him believe she was bluffing.

“Prove it.”

Lola sat and explained how she solved the problem, making him write the steps and see for himself that her answer was correct.  Lola pretended not to notice Pedro watching her closely all evening.  He listened when she corrected Estela and she saw him shift the way he held his fork to match the way she held hers.  The next day he corralled the children into the parlor and Lola looked at their
schoolwork
.  At the end of the
session,
she awarded each child a piece of candy and promised it would be a weekly treat for everyone who worked hard.

Maggie
was grateful that Lola had taken her son’
s education seriously,
and
they soon
became fast friends.  Life in the house was like being part of a large relaxed family.  There was bickering; there were arguments; there were complaints, but most of all there was laughter and companionship.  The women talked about anything and everything in the evenings as they sat around the courtyard.  Anything and everything—except the war, the blockade, or the internment of merchant vessels suspected of transporting war materiel. 

Lola took on another task, one that she kept to herself.  Each day she went on a walk with her children, and she passed by a newspaper vendor.  For half the price of a
newspaper,
he let her read the names of all the ships that were lost or interned.  Each day she breathed a sigh of relief as she carefully refolded the paper and returned home.

~ ~ ~

“Herman
, p
ut me down
.
  Think of the children
.
”
 
Wulf
had run straight from the front door to the parlor and grabbed Lola to twirl her around the parlor in a dizzying dance.

“They’ll get their turn.”  He set her down and swooped up Estela and Joseph who had followed him into the parlor.  The
y got an equally dizzying dance before he dug in his po
cket and produced candy
, sending them out of the room.  He turned back to Lola.  “
I’m so happy to see you.  We could see the lights of the city
last night
, but we had to wait for the tide.  I was so afraid you
’d
left,
I nearly swam ashore for fear
I
’
d have to search every house in the whole country to find you again.”

Lola laughed as she pictured him going door to door asking about her.  Then her face got serious
.
“I haven’t heard from the Embassy yet.”

“
I
believe you
’re a widow
,” he said solemnly. 
“I’m ready to marry you today. 
I can’t bear the thought of shipping out again without knowing whether or not you’ll be here when I come home.
  Don’t fret over proof.  What do you need with whatever he had?  You have the most valuable treasure a husband could
give you
—three beautiful children.
”
 
He took her
hand and her body
tingled with excitement
.
“
Lola, it would be my honor and my pleasure to care for you and your children the rest of my life.  I love you with all my heart.  Please, tell me
that you missed me just a little while I was gone
.”

“Maybe just a little,” said Lola. 

Then
Wulf
’s
irrepressible grin reappeared, and he
pulled her toward the door.
“Come on
then, w
e
’
re home and it’s time to celebrate.”  The bosun was already pouring wine from an enormous jug.  There was food and wine and laughter that never seemed to stop.  Lola was too shy to
say
she didn
’
t want any wine.  She sipped slowly.  When
Wulf
’s arm slipped around her
waist,
it was strong and comforting. 
She relaxed and listened to the flow of talk around her. 

“Are you happy here?”  The quiet question cut through her reverie.  Lola nodded.  “I’m only a working man, and I’ll never be rich,
but I’ll do my best
to give you whatever you want.”  His arm tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head. 
She knew she should pull away.
  Someone brought out snacks and the moment passed. 

An hour later he turned her face toward him and kissed her.  Her eyes flew open wide and she struggled to free herself from his embrace.
 
He caught her wrists and whispered in her ear,
“Don’t embarrass me in front of my men
.
”

“What—“  He put a finger on her lips.

“Lola, I
’
m the First Mate of the ship.  Do you know what that means?”  Lola shook her head.  “It means I
’
m the second in command.  If the captain isn
’
t there, my word is law. 
In an emergency they must obey me without question.  It could be a matter of life and death.  I can’t let them see weakness. 
I have to keep the respect of the men.”

“What about my respect?
  You take liberties with me in full view of everyone, but I can’t complain because
you
might lose respect.
”
  The warm glow from the wine and company evaporated as Lola struggled to keep her voice low enough
for
their conversation
to
remain private.

“I’m sorry, Lola. 
I didn’t mean any disrespect
, and I promise not to do it again unless you say it’s all right
. 
My commission says I’m an officer and a gentleman, but I wasn’t raised a gentleman.  I love you so much I couldn’t help myself.”

“You can’t expect me to believe that. 
No man in a position of command would have so little self-control.”
Lola had a brief
memory
of her father standing tall and strong at her mother’s grave
and
galloping off by himself after the ceremony. 

“
Lola, I’ve loved you since the moment I set eyes on you. 
I rearranged the duty schedules so I could be free in the evenings to have dinner with you.”

“You said the captain commanded you.  This is what you call love?  Lying to me?”

“I didn’t lie. 
The captain
said, ‘All right, but if I hear one word of complaint from the passengers you
’
ll never work for me again.’  I
’
d have lost my berth if you
’
d complained.”

Lola’s mouth dropped open, but she found no words to express her outrage.  “You…you…you are incorrigible
.
”  Herman bowed his head, not meeting her eyes.

“Yes, I am.  I admit it.”  After a brief pause he added, “And I’ll admit it even after you tell me what incorrigible means.” 

Lola turned her face away from him, but it was to hide the laughter that was bubbling up inside her.  What a scamp he was
.

“Lola, I want you to be waiting for me every time I come ashore.  I want to care for those wonderful children and their beautiful wonderful mother.  If you say so, I’ll go right now and beat on the priest’s door until he gets out of bed.  I’ll bring him here by force if necessary and marry you within the hour.  I promise I
’
ll be your slave for life.  I
’
ll do anything you want—always.”

“What if your men find out that you
’
re my slave?”

“Then you’ll have to live on ditch digger wages.”

He looked at her for a long moment before reaching out to touch her cheek.  “You’re so beautiful.  I love you with every fiber of my body and soul.  I promise I’ll always love you.” 
He
pulled her toward him. 
“Lola, my love, may I please kiss you?” 
Taking her silence for the assent that it was, s
lowly and gently he embraced her and
their lips met
. 
W
armth spread throughout her body.  She reached up and pulled him closer.  A small sound escaped from her throat and he hummed a deep response.  She had never felt so alive.  Reluctantly she broke the embrace.