Chapter 52
That month had been one of the busiest of the year, from confirmation of Jewel’s pregnancy to commencement of construction work on the school building expansion. The administration had applied to the government and received permission to close school a week earlier, Friday the 20th rather than the 27th, in order to maximize the time available to complete the major aspects of concrete foundation, floor, columns, sills, verandas and stairs of the ground floor of the building in the limited time before the official opening of the next school year.

Two weeks before the 20th had seen the stockpiling of sand, cement, stone, steel, lumber for forms and other construction materials in the yard behind the school, in readiness for the venture three years in the planning. The school night watchman had been offered an honorarium to keep the boys, especially, from jumping up and down and scattering the materials during the daytime; and worked very hard for his pay, for the devil seemed to have taken up lodging in and directing the action of the young boys, and some girls too, who were attracted like a magnet to them.

“ Watchie,” as all watchmen in this country seem to be nicknamed sooner or later, was a “crabit” old fellow, who was at the ready to cuff anyone caught near “his” territory; and the appeal of dodging to get the better of him became a game providing great fun for many a young culprit.

Cap’n (Captain), as they called the supervisor of works, was genial but firm, and kept good control of the paid and volunteer workmen, making good use of the battery-operated radio/tape recorder provided by the Church Committee to keep his crew happy with a variety of music, much not strictly representative of Christian tastes!

Volunteers were paid by honorarium, at a different rate from the professional workmen of course, but all were provided with lunch and snacks, courtesy of the project and underwritten by anonymous donations, Miss Amanda and helpers being awarded the contract to prepare and deliver them to the work site.

Eric Coburn, the Chairman of the Church Committee, was in charge of the entire project, and being familiar with proper procedure from his years of experience in the government service, was expert at planning for all contingencies and empowered to tap the more affluent of the congregation’s members for any additional incentives he saw fit to provide.

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To please Jerome, who thought she should avoid overexertion, Jewel had given notice to stop her volunteer work at Nurse Pauline’s and the government clinic at the end of June, for the time being; and kindergarten for the children closing for the year at that time, also, had allowed them time to spend visiting and walking around the construction site daily, morning and evening.

Actual work had started on Monday, June 23rd; and there is something about watching the progress of a building taking shape that grips the attention of onlookers of all ages; and had held great fascination for the St. John children. In our telephone conversations with them they could speak of nothing else, and it was reassuring to see that they had found something else to take the edge off their disappointment at halting their visits to the capital.

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Something else to occupy their time and attract their attention, particularly Arreini’s, had showed up early on the second Wednesday morning in July, when a visitor had appeared at the main office of the hospital asking to speak to the Chief Surgical Officer. She had been referred to Nigel, the Hospital Administrator, and having made it clear to him that it was a personal rather than a professional visit, he had led her to the main lounge and sent a messenger for Jerome.

She introduced herself to him as Mrs. Dora Webster, returning home from the United States for a visit after some thirty years, telling him that she understood that he was married to her niece, Jewel Enright, who had been a baby when she had last seen her. Jerome had expressed pleasure at meeting her, confirming the connection and saying he could see the family resemblance.

Mrs. Webster’s having asked whether it would be possible for them to meet, Jerome had extended an invitation to take her home with him that weekend, as they did not live in the capital but in the town in the southern district where they had first met.

Since the pregnancy, Jerome had tried to go home every other weekend; and although no visit was scheduled until the next weekend, he had changed his plans and called Jewel to give the news and ask her to make preparation to entertain her aunt for a visit and to invite Lucille and Abel to meet her.

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Since emigrating to the United States, Dora’s life and outlook had changed radically when she had become attached to an Episcopalian church in Brooklyn, employed as an organist, and sponsored financially to continue her studies in Music; whilst her informally educated father had obtained employment in the offices of a legal firm where, familiar with procedures in such a venue, he had shone brightly, making great advancement in its administrative hierarchy, earning a good salary and retiring at age sixty-seven with a pension and social security benefits.

Dora, given the opportunity, had developed her musical talent and gained prominence among her colleagues and in the wider religious community. She had eventually received a proposal of marriage from the senior priest of the parish a few years after the death of his first spouse, surprising herself as well as her parents by becoming a bride late in life.

The single ladies of the parish, who had looked after the priest since the passing of his first wife, vying for his attention, had all been surprised by his remarrying at all, since he had two adult sons and three grandchildren; but, even more so, at his unlikely choice, as it had been obvious to all that Dora had been absorbed and preoccupied with her music to the exclusion of everything else.

She had confided in Lucille some details of her experiences in the new environment in which she had lived since she had left the country not long after her brother’s death, when they had gradually become close after a couple months (her very indulgent husband having agreed to a six-month visit).

She and her mother had been uprooted from the country of their birth by a father unable to remain in a place where he had sustained the loss of the son whose welfare had been the great obsession of his life; and while she, Dora, had been given the blessing of a chance to develop and devote herself to her music, her mother had silently borne her cross, bolstered now and again by word received from home about the widow and daughter of her deceased and beloved son.

Her father’s eventual involvement in the affairs of their parish had led to a close acquaintanceship with the senior priest, Rev. Earl Webster, who, on one occasion, had been invited to dinner after service one Sunday night. Many of their fellow parishioners had been second-generation immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean who had carried on a friendly rivalry about delicacies from their countries of origin; and Rev. Webster’s invitation had resulted from his curiosity concerning the merits of the seafood from our country. Mrs. Enright, a first-class cook and a most excellent housewife, according to all those who got to know her, had been requested by her husband to serve conch stew on that occasion.

A now liberated Dora mentioned to Lucille how striking a contrast she had noticed in Rev. Webster’s treatment of her mother, compared with that of her father. After politely seating mother and daughter, while her father had ignored them both and taken his seat, the reverend gentleman had first congratulated her mother on the appearance of the table setting before sitting down. In addition, he had spoken so kindly to herself and her mother during the conversation at table, again in contrast with her father, who had addressed all his remarks to the visitor, that Dora had been charmed by a member of the opposite sex for the first time in her life.

She said how her mother had painstakingly sought out the special ingredients needed for preparation of the stew and accompanying side dishes of baked ripe plantain and white rice cooked in coconut milk, going long distances to obtain the freshest that were available in Brooklyn; and, for dessert, had baked a coconut pie made with “half green” coconuts, another item which was difficult to find. She had taken critical note of how her father, when their guest had complimented her mother on the superb quality of the meal, had seen fit to comment on what a pity that it had been spoilt by the baked plantain, which had been “hard-hearted!” Defending his opinion, however, the guest had insisted that the piece he had been served had been soft and had enhanced the meal, genially commiserating with his host on probably receiving a hard-hearted piece since, plantains not being grown in Brooklyn, sometimes unevenly mature produce were harvested for export before they were quite ready. This whole episode had opened Dora’s eyes to a different type of male from her father, who was without a doubt a chauvinist of the worst kind, whom she had never heard pay her mother a compliment!

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Mr. Enright had left a young half-brother to occupy and look after his property and business affairs back home when he had emigrated; and as he had advanced in status and financial circumstances had sent funds home for the maintenance of his son’s “outside” children. His wife had not dared to ask why Jewel, the youngest and only legitimate grandchild, had not been included in this arrangement, but had learnt the reason through her brother-in-law’s rather daring wife. Mr. Enright had been offended on receiving word of Lucille’s second marriage so soon after his son’s death, and had forbidden mention of the names of mother and daughter in the household from then on!

Although Mrs. Enright had lived in fear of her tyrannical husband all her life, she had secretly cherished her bold but kind-hearted daughter-in-law and Jewel, her child with her son, hiding whatever news about them that had come her way through fellow countrymen and women, sharing same with her surviving child, her only comfort.

Dora’s father had passed on a few years after his retirement; and her son-in-law, a mature, generous and amiable soul had invited his mother-in-law to share her daughter’s and his home. She had accepted this invitation, sold the house and furnishings inherited from her husband and, for the first time, had been free to do as she pleased with no one to censure or monitor her actions.

Unused to such freedom, however, she had ended up missing the only companion she had ever known, and had followed him about three years later; but not before transferring all her funds into her daughter’s name and asking her to make the effort to contact Lucille and Jewel and give them half. Mr. Enright, too, had made his arrangements before passing on, leaving the property at home to be shared jointly by the brother and Dora; in addition, leaving her the bulk of his savings less a small amount for his wife, without stipulating for any specific purpose.

That Saturday, Jerome and the visitor had arrived on the evening flight after Jewel and the children had come home from their usual trip to the building site, set the table for the dinner prepared earlier, and arranged for a car to pick up her mother and father.

The visit had turned out to be a great success, not only because of the friendliness and poise displayed by Jewel’s aunt, but for her impressive musical ability. On entering the living-room she had walked over to the piano eagerly, raised its cover and inspected it, then, commenting on the fine quality of the instrument, had asked who played it.

When Arreini stepped forward, her aunt had asked for a sample of her most challenging piece, paying close attention as she had shyly but purposefully complied. At the end, her aunt had turned to the company present, smiling brightly and saying that it had been a tactic of hers to ask that question of all her students in helping to assess their capabilities; and it had made her happy to discover from Arreini’s performance that she “had the gift,” admitting the special pleasure it had given her to recognise this in a member of her family at last. So far none of her deceased brother’s children or grandchildren, who had all eventually emigrated to the same area of the United States as they, had shown such ability or interest.

After the performance they had all sat down in the dining-room to eat so that the children could spend time with the guest before going off to bed, during which Mrs. Webster had spoken about some of the highlights of her time away from the country; and when dinner was over they had returned to the living room, while Jewel had excused herself to put the children to bed, and had engaged in general conversation.

On Jewel’s return, Miss Millicent had asked Mrs. Webster if she would kindly play something for them, at which she had risen and sat down at the piano and run her fingers lovingly over the keys before rendering Mendelssohn’s “O Rest in The Lord,” turning from the instrument at the end to explain that most of her repertoire was comprised of that genre of music, as her services to the parish had been mainly as an accompanist.

The performance had been met with spontaneous applause, Miss Millicent remarking that the piece was one of her favourites, and appealing to her to play some more. In response Dora had continued with Handel’s “Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion,” before easing into and ending with the lyrical “If With All Your Heart” by Mendelssohn, one of her own favourites, slowly turning from the instrument and expressing the hope that they had enjoyed the exercise as much as she had enjoyed playing for them. Miss Millicent had assured her that they had, indeed, and that she had been pleasantly taken back to the time when such music used to be played on her father’s “Victrola” (phonograph) of a Sunday evening!

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Before the gathering had dispersed that night, Dora took the opportunity to mention that included in her mission home was an errand on behalf of her late mother to transfer a legacy to her brother’s daughter and widow, apologizing for bringing up the subject in “Mr. Choc’s presence.” His quick and quiet reaction had been the invitation to, “Call me Abel,” and the statement that he did not mind mention of the truth that his wife had at one time been married to someone else.

The forthright and outspoken Lucille added that she appreciated being remembered kindly by her mother-in-law, whom she had liked very much, but would like to relinquish her share in favour of Jewel.

Thus, Dora Enright Webster had been introduced into the life of her deceased brother’s offspring and her family; and the next day had attended with them the church around which so much of their interest was centred.

During the school holidays, Mrs. Lynch had featured her students accompanying the services on the organ in her place, to give them experience, she said; and Arreini had played for two of the four hymns that Sunday, receiving praise and support from grandparents, siblings, uncles, teacher, fellow-students and Aunt, not to mention proud parents; plus special commendation from the visitor, with words of encouragement to “keep up the good work.”

After the service, Dora accompanied them on one of their regular trips to the construction site, not far from the church, and was regaled with the details of how the extension had come about. She had been delighted at the enterprising spirit shown by her countrymen and made an offer to contribute in cash and kind (materials for the music room), promising to channel this through them when she returned to the States.

She had spent the next few years between her homes in Brooklyn and our capital, setting up a second music studio here after her husband had passed on, spending time between her two homes until travelling became too cumbersome and she had stayed here, gradually taking over her grand-niece’s musical education exclusively over time.

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(Chapter 53 in next Tuesday’s issue of the Amandala)