Chapter 12 Decorating & Designating
"Jack?" Laura called into the cafe. "Jack?" No, not a little toddler here. "Ice cream!" Laura closed the door and ran to the cafe.
Laura had taken Jack out for a walk in his red wagon since it was a nice breezy Thursday. She stopped for one minute to look at one of the horses in the barn and next thing she knew Little Jack had removed himself from the wagon and was now gone. Usually she could find him in less than five minutes but now he was the king of hide and seek.
She walked into the pharmacy and soda fountain and called his name out. "Jack? Jack?" No, just Mei working in the back of the pharmacy. Laura left the store and tried to think of a new place where Little Jack may have gone. "He wouldn't have gone to the school house...Would he?" She asked herself. She came up with three more places to search before heading to the school.
Bill sat outside of the building. One of the rare few days he could now. Staring off at a few trees ahead of him that moved gently. "This weather is something." He mumbled. He looked down at the hand drawn picture that Little Jack had made for him, and smiled. "Don't worry kid. I'm coming home."
"Grandson?" One of the nurses asked as they came out with Bill's medicine and water to swallow.
"You could say that." Bill coughed several times, using a napkin to cover his mouth. A tiny bit of blood came onto the napkin which he knew that the nurse had seen. "I ate red paint." He butted.
The nurse laughed and handed him the meds, "Time for your medicine, Grandpa."
"I'm not Grandpa." Jack groaned. He took the medicine and handed back the cup and now empty water. Bill and the nurse made small chit chat for a few moments and then the nurse left. Jack glanced back at the picture.
"Jack!?" Laura called out into Fiona's empty barber shop. Elizabeth had her hair done here once and had to bring Little Jack with her. Fiona had known about Little Jack coming and bought some toys for him to keep occupied. "Jack?" Nope, no Jack.
The last place that Laura could think to look before going to the school house was the saloon. Laura had seen Lucas go off earlier in his car but Little Jack was occupied with a butterfly he had noticed. Maybe he figured Lucas was in the saloon. Laura hurried to the saloon praying that Little Jack was inside.
"Jack!?" Laura called into the saloon. She glanced around slowly. Some of the staff were still here working, but not many. The ones who are here now we're cleaning up the tables and chairs and getting tables set and ready for the hours to come. She gave one more glance and saw in the corner of the saloon was the missing boy. "Jack!"
The little boy looked up from the laps that he sat on and saw the babysitter he had run from . "Hi!" He waved to her wildly. "Look!"
Laura came over to the boy and said, "Jack, please don't run away like that." She then saw whose lap he was sitting on. "Thank you, Ms. Baudelaire."
"No problem at all." She said, adjusting Jack's cap hat. "I didn't mind the company one bit."
"Look!" Jack gestured again. "Pumkins!"
Laura looked at the table and indeed saw several mini and medium size pumpkins. Paint sets and knives were out too, though the knives were placed far away from toddler sized hands. "Is today your day off?" Ramona nodded. She then explained Minnie gave both her and Anna the day off. Anna was going to town to visit an old school friend who also graduated, Hattie. So Ramona decided to start her pumpkin decorating early, Caspur in the basket below her feet. "What's all this for? Halloween?"
"Kind of." Ramona answered. "The day after Halloween is called Día de los Muertos. Day of the Dead."
"What's that?"
"A holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. Its origin is from Mexico but I personally know of other Latin communities that celebrate the holiday. It's more about remembering the spirit of our loved ones who have past on rather than the spooks and scary of Halloween." Ramona explained. "I always paint a few days before to get into the spirit."
"Laura look!" Little Jack held up one of the smallest pumpkins to her that revealed fun splatters of paint. "Mine!"
"It looks great Jack," Laura smiled. "So what exactly do you paint?" Jack leaned down and began petting the cat inside of the basket.
"Most people make skeletons. I do some but mainly flowers," Ramona said as she turned one around to show Laura. "Fairly easy since the pumpkins are already orange, so painting marigolds isn't bad. But more colors are fun."
"You are so good with kids, Ms. Baudelaire."
"It's nothing." She looked down and saw that she had to get a new cup of water to keep refreshing. "Be right back."
Ramona stood up from her chair and grabbed the basket below her, scooting Caspur out of it for the brief time knowing that he was safe here with a toddler so fascinated by him, placed her paints inside the basket and cup and went off to the cafe to clean her set. Ramona had just stepped outside of the door when she paused and looked around the town. Memories of New Orleans filled her mind. Mostly happy ones remembering her friends and the made-family she had in the city. The brunette looked up briefly and noticed Curtis Howell sitting outside of the cafe keeping to himself but looking as if he was scouting out. She could have sworn he was out in Union City today for God knows what reason.
Curtis Howell ruined everything good.