The Right Man?

Francis and Maria talked for what seemed like hours. Finally, around eleven, she told him that she had to get to bed. After all, she did have work the next day. So she had to drop Malik off at the Enduros' house and then get cracking. Once she got a little closer to Francis, she hoped that he would be able to do some of the babysitting himself. His work hours weren't as fixed as hers since he had to wait for a ship to come in before doing anything. Thus, the young man could take care of Malik while she worked. The jobs found on the docks were surprisingly well paid despite their odd work schedules. It was due to the fact that the men had to endure a lot of manual labor while doing it. They also got paid on their downtime; with a little bonus every time a ship came in. Remember, this is a really well off port, so they could afford to give that much. Even when a ship arrived and he had to get to work, it wouldn't be that big of a deal if Malik sat and watched what was going on there. In fact, he and his friends all enjoyed doing just that on their own now.

The next day, she woke up around ten to six and began getting ready. At six on the dot she made sure her son was up. Then, the two would eat their breakfast together. Around a quarter to seven she took him to his babysitters' house; Jess opening the door with a smile. Finally, it was off to work for another day.

Thinking about what had happened last night made her day seem to go by even faster. She had told Malik that they had a guest joining them for dinner tonight and asked him to be on his best behavior. It went without saying with him, he was a polite boy who never went out of line with his mother, but she had wanted to make the night really special. If Malik didn't like the man she was falling for, then she couldn't continue a relationship. The opinion of her son mattered more to her than anything in the world. Unlike most single parents who fall in love and marry someone the kids barely know or don't like very much, she wanted the opinions of her child heard. It was the only way to achieve the dream family she so longed for.

Finally, it was three. After getting off her shift and picking up her paycheck, she ran to find her son. He was out playing with some friends; Jess watching the boys to make sure they didn't get into any real trouble. Maria saw the smile on her son's eyes; no matter how hard life was she would do anything to see that beautiful smile. The second he saw her, he ran right up to her screaming, "Mamma! You're home!"

Maria hugged her son close. "I'm so happy to be off of work. Lets go back home together. Or do you want to play a little longer? I'll stand off to the side and let you boys have fun." Of course, she could hear a few snickers from the other boys. It was the thing most children do; tease their friends about the funny quirks they had. Malik's close relationship with his mother had earned him the nickname "Mamma's Boy" among the local kids, but only his friends said it to his face. If anyone else said it, the bigger boys in his group would usually beat them up. For Malik wasn't that big of a child; he had his mother's slim build.

"No, I'm ready to go home," he stated, "I'm curious to find out about this guest you said we were going to have tonight. Is there finally someone who is willing to go out with you? I wish I was bigger so I could beat up those mean men who are always putting you down just for having a child. You didn't ask for that jerk of a father of mine to run away and leave you all alone. Nor did you ask to have a child at all."

"Don't put yourself down; it's not your fault. Just because I didn't ask for you doesn't mean that I didn't want you. You're the most important person in my life Malik. I won't let anyone else get in the way of that. I'd rather be poor and single while living with you than married to a rich man with a mansion and a ton of servants than without my son. Men who can't understand my feelings aren't worth my time," she replied.

. . .

Francis came at five o'clock on the dot. Maria was just finishing up the final touches on dinner in the kitchen, so Malik opened the door to their room. He asked, "Are you Mamma's guest? If so, she would like very much for you to take a seat and relax. Dinner is almost ready; she'll bring it up when she's done." He gave the man a small smile. For most kids, doing this would require a lot of acting and hamming it up. However, for Malik it was second nature. His mother had always taught him the proper manners when a guest is over. There were never any arguments in that family over him needing to learn how to treat others.

The older man looked to the boy. He then walked over to the table and sat down before turning back to Malik. "So, you're Maria's son. Such a polite boy you are. I'm sure your mother must be really proud to have raised a child such as you. My name is Francis. Am I correct in saying that yours is Malik?"

"Yes, that's my name," he said, "Is there anything I could get you sir? Something to drink perhaps? Or maybe a book to read?" Malik sat down at the table as well while he waited for his mother to return from her cooking. It was hard when the room they lived in was upstairs while the kitchen was back downstairs.

"No thank you, I am fine for now. I'll just wait for dinner," Francis politely replied. He appeared to be meditating. Not that Malik would understand what exactly that was, being only seven and all, but he knew enough about adults to figure out that the man didn't want to be interrupted. So he simply began to work on some of his homework; he usually did it on Sunday because his mother was home in case he got stuck on something. It's not like he had anything better to do and that would free up his time to be with his mother.

At that moment, he heard a hard knock on the door. It was followed by two quick taps. That was the signal that his mother used to tell that she was the one outside. She had given Francis an equally strange yet completely different code to knock in. Living on the top floor of a saloon assured them that there would always be strange people around. So she'd decided that everyone who knew the family would have their own signal to tell who was at the door. Although Malik's three best friends--Alex, Louie, and Derek--shared one; it was easier if they could ask someone else just in case they forgot it, they were still boys.

Malik ran to open the door. In came Maria with a large roast chicken. She also carried some corn and a side helping of rice. The chicken was topped with various herbs and spices, and the rice had cheese sauce drizzled on it. She stated, "Good evening Francis. I'm happy that you could make it. Well, let's not let dinner get cold then. I hope you enjoy the delicious meal I've prepared." She put it down on the table, sat down herself, and began to serve the food. When Malik took a look at his mother, he saw her smiling.

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

Well, we've got all the central characters introduced. Next chapter will see the results of the rest of dinner, and then what happens to them afterwards. It's got to get through all the boring stuff before the final resolution. Don't worry, it'll be dramatic.