Chapter 4

Early Monday morning Hannibal, BA, Murdock, and Face said their goodbyes and continued their journey to Ohio to pick up Mrs. B. They made quick time and within the week were riding into the town of Simpson Crossing, where Mrs. B lived. BA hadn't been back home since joining Hannibal's Regiment at the beginning of the war. He could see how the war had changed his town some bad but mostly good. The town had more freed slaves living there since President Lincoln had freed them than before. He led the way to his Mother's café intending on surprising her. He was dismayed to find that it no longer existed. The place he remembered at been boarded up.

"BA?"

When the large man didn't reply Hannibal used his commander's voice."Sergeant! Report!"

"Hannibal it isn't here! This is where it was when I left!" BA replied with anguish. He was fearing the worse.

"Maybe she just moved, big guy."

"Murdock could be right. Let's ask around and see if your mother just relocated her café. Don't think the worse until we find out the truth!". Hannibal dismounted and walked into a nearby store to ask. He was smiling as he exited the store.

"Everything is okay, Sergeant. The café was so popular that your mother opened a larger establishment in the center of the town. The storekeeper said we would have no trouble finding it. Oh, and it has a new name. It's now called KATHERINE'S."

"Why would my Mother change the name? It's always been Mama B's Pies."

"She probably sold the business since she is coming with us to Wyoming,"

BA smiled sheepishly, "I should have thought of that, Hannibal."

"Can we just go, I'm hungry," cried Face as he nudged Dandy forward.

A few minutes later found the four tying up their horses in front of Katherine's. "You go first, big guy….we will give you a few minutes to surprise your mother, but we aren't waiting long."

BA gave Murdock a rare smile before he entered. A moment later they all heard the scream of joy when Mrs. Baracus saw her son after a four-year absence. Face waited a moment before entering the shop.

"Aren't you two finished hugging yet?"

"Face! They haven't seen each other for four years," Murdock said as he grabbed Face by the arm.

"But I'm hungry and BA has been talking about his mother's pies and cakes for the last day and I want to try some!"

"Unless you want to be eating them standing up, I would suggest that you give BA and his mother more time to themselves," Hannibal said quietly.

Face immediately sat down at the nearest table to wait.

"So that is the boy, " Mrs. B said to her son.

"Yes, this is Face. Face come over and meet my Mother!"

Face hurried to stand before Mrs. B and said, "Please to meet you Mrs. Baracus" and then added a minute later, "can I get something to eat now?"

"What would you like young man?"

"A slice of apple pie, please?"

"In my restaurant, we eat a meal before we are served dessert. What do you want for supper?"

Face shrugged his shoulders

"How about I fix your plate and when you have finished I'll bring you a slice of apple pie?"

"Yes ma'am, that sounds good."

"Mrs. Baracus, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you bring us the same?" Hannibal asked as he ordered for Murdock, BA, and himself.

"I will on one condition…please call me Mrs. B or Ruth except for Face. I would really love for you to call me Mama B. Will you do that for me son?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Scooter, if you aren't too tired from traveling I could use some help in the kitchen?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Scooter?"

BA scowled at his teammates before following his mother back into the kitchen. He knew that his mother would soon tell the story that earned him his mother's nickname for him and he would have to live with their comments but for now he went to help his mother serve them their meal.

It didn't take Mrs. B long to load their plates with the special for the day and bring them out. She placed the first one in front of Face. It contained smothered chicken on a bed of rice and gravy on top of it all. As sides, she gave him a spoonful of black-eyed peas, greens, and corn. She returned a minute later with a glass of milk. The same meal was placed in front of Hannibal, Murdock, and BA with a cup of coffee for Hannibal and Murdock, but for her son, she brought out a large glass of milk. She served each of the men a larger portion than she did the boy.

"Once you have cleaned your plate, Face I will bring you a slice of pie, you only need to tell me what flavor you want."

Face nodded and dug in and he wasn't by himself, as the rest of the team began to eat. They didn't waste time talking when the food was so good and hot. They had gotten tired of eating cold meals and this all was heavenly.

Mrs. B smiled as she watched them all eat, but frowned when she realized that Face was only eating the chicken and rice. "You need to clean the whole plate, to get that slice of pie," she warned him.

"But I don't like those things Mama B."

"Have you ever tried them?"

Face didn't reply and that gave Mrs. B her answer. "You need to try them, dear. You may like them if you give them a try."

Face sighed his displeasure but took a small bite of the corn and to his surprise found that he liked it and clean the portion right up.

"Very good, dear. Now try a bit of the peas and greens. They are Scooter's favorites and if you want to grow up to be as strong as him you need to eat more vegetables."

"That's okay Mama B, I don't plan on getting as big as BA."

"Face, mind Mrs. B, and clean your plate, and don't forget to drink your milk!" Hannibal ordered the boy.

Face made a face but picked up his glass and took a few swallows. He watched as Hannibal started a conversation with Mrs. B about how much time she needed so they could get on their way. Soon they were all talking and not paying attention to what Face was doing. He was steadily emptying the vegetables from his plate and sharing them with Murdock and BA until it was emptied.

"I'm finished Mama B, can I have my pie now?" he asked innocently. "I'm still hungry."

Mrs. B beamed at him and got up. "What type of pie do you want dear?"

"Apple, please"

Mrs. B was so pleased to see that Face had done as she asked that she hurried to the kitchen to get him his slice of apple pie. "Look, Katherine, he cleaned his plate." Mrs. B bragged to her partner and soon-to-be new owner of the restaurant.

"Oh, he cleaned his plate alright …right onto the plates of the two men sitting next to him," she said with a chuckle.

"He did what?!"

"He waited until everyone was talking before he quietly and carefully transferred the vegetables," Katherine explained as she watched her partner's face take in the truth.

"That little scamp…I'll fix him." Mrs. B then refilled Face's plate with a larger spoonful of peas and greens and took it straight back to the table and put it in front of Face.

"There you go, dear. I saw how much you enjoyed your vegetables so I brought you some more. Now dig in and finished your second helping…if you are still hungry afterward I'll bring you a slice of pie!"

Face looked at the plate of vegetables and then back at Mrs. B. "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" he shouted.

His shout caused Hannibal to bark out "FACE! You apologize to Mrs. B at once. You will not raise your voice to adults, especially family members."

Face looked up with fire in his eyes. "She told me that if I cleaned my plate she would give me a slice of pie. I cleaned my plate but instead of pie she brings me more vegetables."

"Mama, he did clean his plate. I don't understand."

"Guess how he did that son."

"He ate them?"

"Nope, while you and HM were talking with Hannibal he was adding his vegetables to your plates!" Mrs. B informed the table.

"Little brother, did you do that?"

"I was told to clean my plate…not once was I told that I had to eat them," replied Face.

That caused Hannibal, Mrs. B, Murdock, and BA to all look at each other remembering the conversation before Mrs. B said, "You little scamp, you are right. I never told you to eat the vegetables, but you had to know what I mean."

Face nodded, "But that isn't what you said."

"Okay, you win this time, but I'll be keeping my eye out for any future attempts to get out of eating your vegetables." She picked up his plate and returned a minute later with a large slice of pie.

Face made short work of the pie and wanted another slice and decided not to ask but get it for himself. He noticed that his family was once again in deep conversation with Mrs. B and slipped from the table with an empty dessert plate in hand and headed for the kitchen. He was just about to eat his second slice of apple pie when Mrs. B entered and took the plate away.

"Face!" She grabbed him by the arm to lead him back out to where Hannibal and the others were looking around for him.

"I found him!" Mrs. B said as they got closer.

"Where was he?"

"In the kitchen about to eat another slice of pie."

"Face! You know better than to disappear without telling someone."

"If I had said something, would you have given me another slice?" Face asked Mrs. B.

"No, you have had enough. Maybe after supper, you can get another slice."

"But, I'm still hungry," whined Face as he put on his most innocent look.

"Oh, really…well I can't have you hungry. You just sit yourself down. I'll be back with something really tasty.". Mrs. B hurried away as Face took his seat and smiled triumphantly at his family.

His smile disappeared a minute later when a plate of black-eyed peas appeared before him. "You said that you were bringing me something tasty!"

"And I did. I love black-eyed peas and so does Scooter. So dig in, I don't want you to leave this table until your hunger is gone." Mrs. B said with a chuckle.

Face reluctantly picked up his fork and began to eat the peas. He ate two bites before he pushed away from the table. "I'm full…are you ready to leave, Hannibal?"

"Sure kid," he said with a laugh. "Everything was delicious Mrs. B. We need to rent some rooms. Can you suggest a good place?"

"You all will be staying with me until we leave. I've got plenty of room. The Thomas' left me their house when Mrs. Thomas moved back east with her son, " Mrs. B was quick to explain.

"I know the house. We will go and unpack…is the key in its usual place?". His mother always hid the key under a flower planter near the door, or at least that was where it was at the last house.

"Yes, there are three extra rooms…pick the ones you want. I even have a bathroom at the back of the house with its own fireplace and a large porcelain tub with a water pump. You can put your horses in the barn behind the house. Make yourselves at home."

As soon as they arrived at the house they followed Mrs. B's suggestion and made themselves at home. They first decided on what rooms they would take. Hannibal and BA would have a room of their own with HM and Face sharing the last one. They quickly put their stuff in their rooms before returning to their horses to take care of them. Soon they were brushed and fed and turned out in the corral next to the barn.

By the time they returned to the house Mrs. B had returned and had a plate of cookies out with two glasses of milk and three coffees ready for her guests and herself. "Help yourselves while we talk about the next part of the journey. I have a wagon but not sure what I need to take and buy."

The cookies soon disappeared long before his glass of milk did and Face looked around the kitchen to see if there were any more to eat. "Face, you are going to have to wait until supper before you can eat anything more."

"Aww, Hannibal…do I have to?"

"If you want another slice of apple pie, you will," added Mrs. B with a smile.

Face smiled and nodded before he picked up his glass and finished his milk.

XXXXXXXXX

Face could barely finish his pie, he was so tired. Weeks on the road, sleeping on the ground, and jerky for meals had finally taken its toll on the boy. He had two good meals under his belt and all he wanted to do now is sleep in the soft bed that he would share with his big brother, Harry.

"Come on kid, let's get you ready for bed," Hannibal said as he nodded to BA and Murdock. The two men rose and hurried to the bathroom to prepare the boy's bath. There was no way that Hannibal was going to allow the dirty boy to sleep on the clean sheets on the bed. By the time the water was ready, Hannibal had arrived with Face. He made sure that he visited the outhouse first before he entered the bathroom. Face was nearly asleep by the time they approached the tub filled with warm water. In a matter of minutes, he had been stripped and was being washed by his uncle and brothers. With so many hands helping he was bathed, dried, and clothed in a clean nightshirt in a matter of minutes. BA picked him up and soon he was sleeping soundly in the bed. He probably wouldn't even remember that he had a bath when he woke the next morning.

The next morning Hannibal and BA got up and after breakfast left the house to start stocking the wagon. Harry stayed to wait for the youngest member of the family to wake up.

Face slept for around twelve hours before he opened his blue eyes to search for the rest of his family. "Hannibal! BA! Harry!" he called out but only hearing silence he began to panic. He ran barefoot and still in the nightshirt down the hall hoping to find someone but didn't. The tears started to run down his face when Murdock strolled back in.

"Harry!"

Murdock looked up to see his little brother crying and ran to his side, kneeling next to him. "Face, what's wrong, kid?"

"I woke up and couldn't find anyone…I..I thought you had left me by myself."

"Oh, Facey, I'm so sorry, I was just walking around outside. We knew that you didn't like to be alone so I volunteered to stay here with you," he said as he embraced the boy. Face laid his head on Murdock's shoulder and tried to get his emotions under control.

Once Harry was sure that the tears had stopped said. "Come on, let's get you dressed and fed. I bet Mrs. B makes a fantastic breakfast."

Face nodded and followed Harry back to their room where he hurriedly got dressed.