"I can't believe we came back without my baby!" wailed Mrs. Hardy. "Why didn't you make sure Frank was there?" she demanded angrily of her husband.
Knowing she wasn't really mad at him, Mr. Hardy pulled his wife into his arms and helld her tight as she cried. Joe, unable to watch his parents grieve, turned and left the room. Chet, who had been standing in shock since the Hardy men had arrived and let them know about Frank, followed Joe.
Joe went through the kitchen and out the back door, sitting down on the steps and burying his head in his arms as they rested on his knees. He couldn't handle going upstairs. There was too much to remind him of Frank.
Chet sat down beside Joe nad put an arm around his shoulder. "I know what you're going through," Chet said softly.
Joe said nothing, knowing Chet had lost a sister, Iola. She had been Joe's childhood sweetheart who had been killed in a terrorist attack almost a year before.
"Iola and I weren't as close as you and Frank were, but I know how much it hurts and how angry you are. It's okay, you know," Chet continued. "To be mad at Frank, I mean."
Joe lifted his head and turned on Chet, his blue eyes blazing. "I'm not!" he denied forcefully, realizing as he said it, he was. He was mad at Frank for leaving him. Tears sprang to his eyes and Joe fell onto Chet, sobbing.
"It's not his fault," Joe mumbled through his sobs.
"I know," Chet replied, his voice soothing.
"Why am I such a horrible person?" Joe demanded, turning his anger on himself.
"You're not!" Chet declared hotly. "Don't think such a thing. It's only natural you would feel mad at Frank for leaving you."
Joe leaned away from Chet and looked at him curiously. "You said something like that before," Joe commented. "How do you know it's natural?"
"Because I felt that way when Iola died," Chet admitted. "But after seeing a psychiatrist, it was mom's idea we all go to try and cope with the way Iola died, I found out it's a part of grieving." He shrugged his broad shoulders and looked down at his hands. "Denial, hurt, anger. All those emotions come, but they go away. Then the loneliness comes, it goes away too, but to a lesser degree."
Chet looked into Joe's eyes. "Frank would have flattened anyone who said you were bad. Including you," he added with a small chuckle. "He loved you very much and would never have wanted you to suffer because of him."
"But it hurts so much," Joe said, bursting into tears again.
The next day, Chet, Biff, Phil, Vanessa and Callie arrived at the Hardy home with their parents. Joe, unable to sleep upstairs, had finally crashed on the living room sofa about four that morning. When the bell rang at eight a.m., he leapt to his feet and opened it, hoping it was Chief Collig with news of Frank's whereabouts.
"Oh, hi," Joe said, his voice glum and his once bright eyes, red and lusterless. "Come on in," he invited, stepping aside so they could enter.
"Chet told us about Frank," Biff said in a hushed voice. "When you and your dad go back next week, we're going too."
"What?" Joe asked, shocked at their offer.
"We talked it over with our parents," Phil said. "They think it's a good idea if we go with you."
"Not the girls, though," Mrs. Shaw quickly put in. "They are going to stay here with your mother."
"That...that would be wonderful," Joe said, touched. "Thank you."
"What would be wonderful?" Mr. Hardy asked as he and Mrs. Hardy entered the foyer where everyone stood.
Mr. Hooper told them about the offer, then the adults went into the living room and the teens went outside and took seats on the porch. Vanessa sat on Joe's right side and held his hand as Callie sat on Joe's left side, her blood-shot eyes staring into space.
"Where are you going to start looking?" Vanessa asked, her fingers absently rubbing Joe's hand.
"The plantation," Joe said. "Chief Collig said the crate hadn't been tampered with, so Frank never left."
Callie glanced at Joe curiously. Joe's voice had taken a softer tone by the time he had finished speaking, but it wasn't actually sad. "Why did you say it like that?" Callie asked him.
"Say what like what?" Joe asked, unaware.
"You said Frank had never left like that might have been a good thing," Callie accused him.
Joe shrugged. "Frank loved Hiati," Joe admitted. "I don't think he wanted our vacation to end just yet. He...he tried to get me to go with him for a walk yesterday morning," he added, starting to cry again. "I should have gone."
"You couldn't have known," Phil said softly.
"Did he..did he miss me at all?" Callie asked, changing the subject.
"What?" Vanessa, Chet, Phil and Biff all asked in shocked disbelief. Joe's brother had just died and Callie was on an ego trip!
Joe sniffed and looked at Callie. He saw the once sassy blond look at him with eyes which begged for a crumb of compassion.
Joe pulled his hand away from Vanessa and pulled Callie into his arms. He had been so wrapped up in his own grief, he had forgotten about the girl his brother had loved and who had loved him.
"Frank said, at least once every day we were there, that if only you had gone with us, Hiati would have been Paradise," Joe told her truthfully. Callie clung to Joe and buried her head in his shoulder.
"He really loved you," Joe added softly, rubbing her hair as he held her tight.
As darkness ascended, the ritual began. Women and men began gyrating to the rhythm of the drums. The Bokur stood on Frank's grave and began chanting to the Loa Ghede.
It is to Ghede the Bokur must first pay the request for use of the boy's flesh, for Ghede had power over the dead. Ghede is the Loa of resurrection as well as death.
The ritual was much the same as the night before save specific chants were said to obtain Ghede's attention. As dawn neared, Ghede's prescence was observed in the appearance of a young man who seemed to flirt with all the females while breaking into song every few minutes. Soon, he began the familiar banda dance, the special copulation dance known to be Ghede's favorite.
As the sun rose, Ghede's persona approached the grave where the Bokur was swaying and humming. All participants fell to the ground, covering their heads in respect. The Bokur asked one question and listened to the answer before falling to the ground in respect as the others had done. Seconds later, Ghede had gone.
"They're going to come back," Mrs. Duvalier stated, hearing the drums cease.
"Of course they are," Dr. Duvalier agreed. "We will just have to keep them occupied until Frank is released and his body can be returned to the states."
"Maybe they will give up," Mrs. Duvalier said, hopefully looking into her husband's eyes.
"Would you if it were our son?" he asked her.
"What if they find out what has happened to Frank?" she asked, still worried.
"Then God help them!"
Knowing she wasn't really mad at him, Mr. Hardy pulled his wife into his arms and helld her tight as she cried. Joe, unable to watch his parents grieve, turned and left the room. Chet, who had been standing in shock since the Hardy men had arrived and let them know about Frank, followed Joe.
Joe went through the kitchen and out the back door, sitting down on the steps and burying his head in his arms as they rested on his knees. He couldn't handle going upstairs. There was too much to remind him of Frank.
Chet sat down beside Joe nad put an arm around his shoulder. "I know what you're going through," Chet said softly.
Joe said nothing, knowing Chet had lost a sister, Iola. She had been Joe's childhood sweetheart who had been killed in a terrorist attack almost a year before.
"Iola and I weren't as close as you and Frank were, but I know how much it hurts and how angry you are. It's okay, you know," Chet continued. "To be mad at Frank, I mean."
Joe lifted his head and turned on Chet, his blue eyes blazing. "I'm not!" he denied forcefully, realizing as he said it, he was. He was mad at Frank for leaving him. Tears sprang to his eyes and Joe fell onto Chet, sobbing.
"It's not his fault," Joe mumbled through his sobs.
"I know," Chet replied, his voice soothing.
"Why am I such a horrible person?" Joe demanded, turning his anger on himself.
"You're not!" Chet declared hotly. "Don't think such a thing. It's only natural you would feel mad at Frank for leaving you."
Joe leaned away from Chet and looked at him curiously. "You said something like that before," Joe commented. "How do you know it's natural?"
"Because I felt that way when Iola died," Chet admitted. "But after seeing a psychiatrist, it was mom's idea we all go to try and cope with the way Iola died, I found out it's a part of grieving." He shrugged his broad shoulders and looked down at his hands. "Denial, hurt, anger. All those emotions come, but they go away. Then the loneliness comes, it goes away too, but to a lesser degree."
Chet looked into Joe's eyes. "Frank would have flattened anyone who said you were bad. Including you," he added with a small chuckle. "He loved you very much and would never have wanted you to suffer because of him."
"But it hurts so much," Joe said, bursting into tears again.
The next day, Chet, Biff, Phil, Vanessa and Callie arrived at the Hardy home with their parents. Joe, unable to sleep upstairs, had finally crashed on the living room sofa about four that morning. When the bell rang at eight a.m., he leapt to his feet and opened it, hoping it was Chief Collig with news of Frank's whereabouts.
"Oh, hi," Joe said, his voice glum and his once bright eyes, red and lusterless. "Come on in," he invited, stepping aside so they could enter.
"Chet told us about Frank," Biff said in a hushed voice. "When you and your dad go back next week, we're going too."
"What?" Joe asked, shocked at their offer.
"We talked it over with our parents," Phil said. "They think it's a good idea if we go with you."
"Not the girls, though," Mrs. Shaw quickly put in. "They are going to stay here with your mother."
"That...that would be wonderful," Joe said, touched. "Thank you."
"What would be wonderful?" Mr. Hardy asked as he and Mrs. Hardy entered the foyer where everyone stood.
Mr. Hooper told them about the offer, then the adults went into the living room and the teens went outside and took seats on the porch. Vanessa sat on Joe's right side and held his hand as Callie sat on Joe's left side, her blood-shot eyes staring into space.
"Where are you going to start looking?" Vanessa asked, her fingers absently rubbing Joe's hand.
"The plantation," Joe said. "Chief Collig said the crate hadn't been tampered with, so Frank never left."
Callie glanced at Joe curiously. Joe's voice had taken a softer tone by the time he had finished speaking, but it wasn't actually sad. "Why did you say it like that?" Callie asked him.
"Say what like what?" Joe asked, unaware.
"You said Frank had never left like that might have been a good thing," Callie accused him.
Joe shrugged. "Frank loved Hiati," Joe admitted. "I don't think he wanted our vacation to end just yet. He...he tried to get me to go with him for a walk yesterday morning," he added, starting to cry again. "I should have gone."
"You couldn't have known," Phil said softly.
"Did he..did he miss me at all?" Callie asked, changing the subject.
"What?" Vanessa, Chet, Phil and Biff all asked in shocked disbelief. Joe's brother had just died and Callie was on an ego trip!
Joe sniffed and looked at Callie. He saw the once sassy blond look at him with eyes which begged for a crumb of compassion.
Joe pulled his hand away from Vanessa and pulled Callie into his arms. He had been so wrapped up in his own grief, he had forgotten about the girl his brother had loved and who had loved him.
"Frank said, at least once every day we were there, that if only you had gone with us, Hiati would have been Paradise," Joe told her truthfully. Callie clung to Joe and buried her head in his shoulder.
"He really loved you," Joe added softly, rubbing her hair as he held her tight.
As darkness ascended, the ritual began. Women and men began gyrating to the rhythm of the drums. The Bokur stood on Frank's grave and began chanting to the Loa Ghede.
It is to Ghede the Bokur must first pay the request for use of the boy's flesh, for Ghede had power over the dead. Ghede is the Loa of resurrection as well as death.
The ritual was much the same as the night before save specific chants were said to obtain Ghede's attention. As dawn neared, Ghede's prescence was observed in the appearance of a young man who seemed to flirt with all the females while breaking into song every few minutes. Soon, he began the familiar banda dance, the special copulation dance known to be Ghede's favorite.
As the sun rose, Ghede's persona approached the grave where the Bokur was swaying and humming. All participants fell to the ground, covering their heads in respect. The Bokur asked one question and listened to the answer before falling to the ground in respect as the others had done. Seconds later, Ghede had gone.
"They're going to come back," Mrs. Duvalier stated, hearing the drums cease.
"Of course they are," Dr. Duvalier agreed. "We will just have to keep them occupied until Frank is released and his body can be returned to the states."
"Maybe they will give up," Mrs. Duvalier said, hopefully looking into her husband's eyes.
"Would you if it were our son?" he asked her.
"What if they find out what has happened to Frank?" she asked, still worried.
"Then God help them!"