Chapter 2
"Rose!" Tessie called racing down the hall. "Rose, where's my Spanish comb?" The other girl's door opened a crack and a black lacquered hair comb was tossed out onto the carpet before the door was shut quickly and a giggle heard behind the door. Tessie hastily grabbed it and positioned it in her hair as best she could while hurrying back to her own room where Señor Valdez waited. She couldn't understand why he didn't just go back to Portugal or have some girl brought over if all he wanted was a Spanish woman? Tessie didn't really know anything about dressing like one, but she tried the best she could. She'd put her hair up and wear brightly coloured skirts and dance around like a gypsy, exciting him. She didn't know a word of Spanish, so she'd just moan "Señor, Señor." over and over. He never complained and always tipped generously and that was good enough for Tessie.
She had decided when Laura Collins came back that she would save her money so she could afford the nicest clothes Collinsport had to offer. Maybe if she looked like a Collins Quentin would pay more attention to her. She struck a pose in her open doorway and shouted "Ole!" The Señor clapped his hands appreciatively, grinning. "He looks like a pirate when he shows his teeth like that." She thought as she sashayed her way toward him, kicking the door closed with her heel. Señor Valdez was swarthy with a dark beard and mustache and he had a gold tooth. "Yes, he does look like a pirate. I wonder what Quentin would look like with a beard? No, I mustn't think of Quentin now. What is it I was going to do? Oh yes." She remembered as she wigged her hips and seductively removed the comb from her hair, swishing it wildly as she did her gypsy dance.
Some of the men of Collinsport had some pretty peculiar tastes she had to admit. There was Evan Hanley with his spanking fetish, Carl Collins, Quentin's younger brother liked to magically pull quarters out of interesting places afterwards. There was Emmaline Stanford who preferred women to her husband, Tessie couldn't really blame her though, Clive Stanford looked like a monkey. It was a good thing their son resembled his mother.
Tom Hooper, the portly and balding editor of 'The Collinsport Star', the local paper, liked to suck the girl's toes. Tessie couldn't understand why, toes didn't seem like anything to get excited about to her. Edward Collins, Quentin's older brother even had a sort of fetish, he liked to bark out commands like a soldier or something. She supposed it made him feel powerful. Quentin didn't have any peculiar things like that, but if he had Tessie supposed she would have welcomed the idea of whatever it was with open arms. Quentin was absolutely perfect, there was nothing in the world he could do wrong as far as she was concerned. She imaged that the hands that pawed her belonged to Quentin, but she had to at least pay some attention to Señor Valdez. She didn't want to make to make a mistake by calling him the wrong name. She had almost done that the other night with John Haskell (Who almost always smelled like fish), but covered it up by saying "Quicker" instead. Sure it may not have sounded like proper grammar, but she wasn't about to lose money. Not when she could look like a real lady for Quentin, when she had a real chance of getting him all to herself. What a lovely thought that was. She was still thinking of how wonderful it would be when she heard the Señor cry out his release. That was an hour ago, Señor Valdez had left and the house was starting to quiet down. There was a soft knock at the door and Miss Mae entered in her red silk dressing gown with the scent of gardenias wafting around her. "Good, you're awake." she said brusquely and sat on the edge of Tessie's bed. "Tessie, you know it's my way to just spit things out, so I'm not going to waste any time trying to sugar coat what I have to say. I hate to tell you this but there's no one else who can. Your mother's gone Tessie, Doc says it was her heart. I'm sorry, really I am. I know you were close to her. If you need anything you let me know ok?" Tessie nodded numbly. Her mother couldn't be gone, she just couldn't. "There's been a mistake." she said as Miss Mae reached to door. "My mother can't be dead. She's as healthy as I am, she'll be sleeping in her bed right now. She's sleeping Miss Mae, just sleeping. I'll go over there myself and she'll be snoring away." Tessie jumped up and grabbed a thick cloak, wrapping it around her as she bent down for her shoes. "I'll go over there right now. He won't be there now anyway, it'll be ok" "Tessie." Miss Mae said softly, "Tessie honey, she's gone." "Did he tell you that Miss Mae?" She demanded, "Did he tell you to say that so I'd come home? He won't be there now, he won't get me. I'll go look in on her then I'll come straight back." She rushed out the door before Miss Mae could stop her. She pulled her cloak around her tightly as she ran down the darkened street. "I'll show her." she mumbled to herself. "My mother's just fine, he won't get me." She'd reached Carnation street where her mother worked. "She'll be back to work tomorrow, just like always." Tessie told herself. She'd just turned the corner when a dark shape blocked her path. It was a man. She dodged hitting his chest and made to go around when his hands grabbed her shoulders. "Let me go!" she demanded. "Where you going girlie?" he slurred. "You let me go!" she cried slapping his hands away, "My mother needs me!" "She can wait a few minutes can't she? I need you too." he leered drunkenly at her. Tessie tried to push past him again and he grabbed her around her waist pulling her to him. Her cloak fell open baring her thin nightdress. "Well, ain't no lady would go walking around like this would she? C'mon girlie, gimme some sugar." His mouth came down upon hers, his breath stunk of liquor. Tessie pushed him away as hard as she could. He wobbled unsteadily for a moment before falling backwards into the street. "What'd you do that for?" he demanded as she ran the rest of the way toward the small white house she once called home. The house was dark and still. "Of course it is." she told herself, "she wouldn't sleep without putting the candles out." She stealthily approached the bedroom window. Her mother had always slept in the house's only bedroom while she slept on a mat by the fireplace. Tessie looked into the grimy window, but could see nothing. "I'll just go inside quietly." the house wouldn't be locked. They'd never had any reason to lock it, there wasn't anything inside worth stealing. She was careful to avoid the loose boards on the porch, there were a few more than she remembered. The house was just as dark and silent inside as outside. Tessie wouldn't need light to see, this was her home after all. Even after all these years she could still find her way around her own house. She turned the knob slowly and opened the door even more slowly, she was sure it still squeaked. Silence greeted her as she entered the room. Tessie listened carefully, she didn't even breathe waiting for the sound of her mother's frequent snores and the sound of her deep even breathing. Nothing. Silence. "Mama?" she whispered. "Mama, it's Tessie." Still nothing. She walked over to the bed and shook the mattress a little like she'd done when she was little and wanted breakfast. "Mama? Wake up Mama, it's Tessie." Again, not a sound was heard. Tessie was getting scared now. Why wasn't her mother answering her? She had to be here, sleeping. She couldn't be what Miss Mae said she was, she couldn't be ....dead. No, not Mama. Tessie lowered herself onto the thin, worn mattress, stretching her arms out, searching for the familiar feel of her mother. Her fingers were met with empty air. "No!" she cried, "Mama? Mama! You've got to be here, you've got to be!" She heard footsteps on the porch. "Mama?" she called expectantly. "Who's there?" a female voice called. "Mama? It's me, Tessie." Tessie answered jumping up from the bed and running toward the front room. "Tessie?" the voice asked, "Is it really you? We didn't think you'd come back. It's Peg, Peg Jervis. From next door, I used to watch you." Peg Jervis, not Mama. "Where's my Mama, Peg?" Tessie asked worriedly, "They didn't tell you? You poor thing." Peg stepped closer to Tessie and put her arm around her. "She's gone Tessie, earlier this evening. I found her. She looked peaceful Tessie, really. She didn't suffer any. We've got the baby with us, like I said we didn't think you'd be back." "Baby?" Tessie asked utterly confused. "What baby? There's just me Peg, you know that." "She had a baby after you left." Peg said, "I thought you knew. He's about three now, little Gregory." "Gregory? Not that man Trask's baby?" Tessie demanded, her voice rising with hatred. How dare he! How dare he do that to her Mama! "She started getting sick after little Gregory came." Peg said, "She figured it was cos she was so old when she had him. But he's just fine, he's such a sweet baby. I'll get him for you, and you can take him back with you. He should be with you. Take him back to where ever you've been, there's nothing here in Collinsport for him now. He never did really know her anyway. Why, I practically raised him myself. I'd hate to see him go, but you're his family Tessie. I'll just go and get him." A baby. That man Trask had given her mother a baby and she'd just as well died from it, even if it did take nearly three years. Trask had killed her mother. From the porch Tessie watched the Jervis house fill with light and heard the whimpering of a young child who had been awakened from sleep and taken from his nice warm bed. The light from the opened door spilled out into the dark street and Tessie made out the shape of Peg carrying a softly whimpering bundle in her arms. "Hush now. Your sister's here. She's going to take care of you now, hush." Peg handed the boy over to Tessie who stood as still and straight as a post. "But Peg, I-" "You take him." Peg interrupted her protest. "Your mama would have wanted him to be with you. Doesn't matter who his daddy is. You take care of him, and take care of yourself Tessie Kincaid." Peg said and walked back toward her own small house. The light went out and Tessie still stood bewildered with the boy in her arms. "Mama?" the boy asked her curiously. "Can you walk?" Tessie asked the boy. He nodded. Tessie began to put him down when she realized he didn't have any shoes on. With a heavy sigh she shifted him back into her arms, tucking his old and slightly soiled gown under his bare feet and began to walk back to Miss Mae's with him. What was she going to do with him? Sure, he was her responsibility, she was his family. But Miss Mae's wasn't the kind of place for a child, and Tessie didn't know how to take care of a little boy. She supposed she could take him to the Collinsport orphanage, but she didn't think her mother would like that. She was no doubt looking down on her right now. Miss Mae would know what to do. She always knew what to do. Little Gregory. No, she couldn't go on calling him that. She didn't even want to have to think about his father. She'd call him something else, but what? She thought a moment, she could call him Quentin. Yes, she could call him Quentin and pretend that he wasn't the child of her mother and Gregory Trask. He could be her child. Yes, she could pretend that he was her and Quentin's child. Oh, but that wouldn't work. It might get confusing if he were named after Quentin. Tessie knew some people had names planned out for years for their children, unfortunately she wasn't one of those people. "Let's see," she thought to herself, "If Quentin and I had a child what would I name it?" Tessie thought a moment, Michael. Yes, Michael was a nice name. He could be named after the Archangel Michael. Michael Collins, she liked the sound of that. But she and Quentin weren't married yet so it'd have to be Michael Kincaid. That still sounded good though. She looked at the little boy. "Your name is Michael from now on understand?" she told him. "Greggy." the boy insisted. "No, you have to be Michael where we're going. Because, because...well you just have to. Because.....there's a bad man looking for you. He'll hurt you, understand?" the boy nodded. "So you have to have a new name so he won't find you and hurt you. So you're Michael now. If anyone asks you that's what your name is understand? You can't tell anyone your real name or they'll tell the bad man where you are." The newly christened Michael nodded and put his head on her shoulder. Tessie, satisfied that she had that problem taken care of thought of what she was going to do with him now. Whatever his parentage had been before, now he was hers. Michael was fast asleep when she reached Miss Mae's.
Tom Hooper, the portly and balding editor of 'The Collinsport Star', the local paper, liked to suck the girl's toes. Tessie couldn't understand why, toes didn't seem like anything to get excited about to her. Edward Collins, Quentin's older brother even had a sort of fetish, he liked to bark out commands like a soldier or something. She supposed it made him feel powerful. Quentin didn't have any peculiar things like that, but if he had Tessie supposed she would have welcomed the idea of whatever it was with open arms. Quentin was absolutely perfect, there was nothing in the world he could do wrong as far as she was concerned. She imaged that the hands that pawed her belonged to Quentin, but she had to at least pay some attention to Señor Valdez. She didn't want to make to make a mistake by calling him the wrong name. She had almost done that the other night with John Haskell (Who almost always smelled like fish), but covered it up by saying "Quicker" instead. Sure it may not have sounded like proper grammar, but she wasn't about to lose money. Not when she could look like a real lady for Quentin, when she had a real chance of getting him all to herself. What a lovely thought that was. She was still thinking of how wonderful it would be when she heard the Señor cry out his release. That was an hour ago, Señor Valdez had left and the house was starting to quiet down. There was a soft knock at the door and Miss Mae entered in her red silk dressing gown with the scent of gardenias wafting around her. "Good, you're awake." she said brusquely and sat on the edge of Tessie's bed. "Tessie, you know it's my way to just spit things out, so I'm not going to waste any time trying to sugar coat what I have to say. I hate to tell you this but there's no one else who can. Your mother's gone Tessie, Doc says it was her heart. I'm sorry, really I am. I know you were close to her. If you need anything you let me know ok?" Tessie nodded numbly. Her mother couldn't be gone, she just couldn't. "There's been a mistake." she said as Miss Mae reached to door. "My mother can't be dead. She's as healthy as I am, she'll be sleeping in her bed right now. She's sleeping Miss Mae, just sleeping. I'll go over there myself and she'll be snoring away." Tessie jumped up and grabbed a thick cloak, wrapping it around her as she bent down for her shoes. "I'll go over there right now. He won't be there now anyway, it'll be ok" "Tessie." Miss Mae said softly, "Tessie honey, she's gone." "Did he tell you that Miss Mae?" She demanded, "Did he tell you to say that so I'd come home? He won't be there now, he won't get me. I'll go look in on her then I'll come straight back." She rushed out the door before Miss Mae could stop her. She pulled her cloak around her tightly as she ran down the darkened street. "I'll show her." she mumbled to herself. "My mother's just fine, he won't get me." She'd reached Carnation street where her mother worked. "She'll be back to work tomorrow, just like always." Tessie told herself. She'd just turned the corner when a dark shape blocked her path. It was a man. She dodged hitting his chest and made to go around when his hands grabbed her shoulders. "Let me go!" she demanded. "Where you going girlie?" he slurred. "You let me go!" she cried slapping his hands away, "My mother needs me!" "She can wait a few minutes can't she? I need you too." he leered drunkenly at her. Tessie tried to push past him again and he grabbed her around her waist pulling her to him. Her cloak fell open baring her thin nightdress. "Well, ain't no lady would go walking around like this would she? C'mon girlie, gimme some sugar." His mouth came down upon hers, his breath stunk of liquor. Tessie pushed him away as hard as she could. He wobbled unsteadily for a moment before falling backwards into the street. "What'd you do that for?" he demanded as she ran the rest of the way toward the small white house she once called home. The house was dark and still. "Of course it is." she told herself, "she wouldn't sleep without putting the candles out." She stealthily approached the bedroom window. Her mother had always slept in the house's only bedroom while she slept on a mat by the fireplace. Tessie looked into the grimy window, but could see nothing. "I'll just go inside quietly." the house wouldn't be locked. They'd never had any reason to lock it, there wasn't anything inside worth stealing. She was careful to avoid the loose boards on the porch, there were a few more than she remembered. The house was just as dark and silent inside as outside. Tessie wouldn't need light to see, this was her home after all. Even after all these years she could still find her way around her own house. She turned the knob slowly and opened the door even more slowly, she was sure it still squeaked. Silence greeted her as she entered the room. Tessie listened carefully, she didn't even breathe waiting for the sound of her mother's frequent snores and the sound of her deep even breathing. Nothing. Silence. "Mama?" she whispered. "Mama, it's Tessie." Still nothing. She walked over to the bed and shook the mattress a little like she'd done when she was little and wanted breakfast. "Mama? Wake up Mama, it's Tessie." Again, not a sound was heard. Tessie was getting scared now. Why wasn't her mother answering her? She had to be here, sleeping. She couldn't be what Miss Mae said she was, she couldn't be ....dead. No, not Mama. Tessie lowered herself onto the thin, worn mattress, stretching her arms out, searching for the familiar feel of her mother. Her fingers were met with empty air. "No!" she cried, "Mama? Mama! You've got to be here, you've got to be!" She heard footsteps on the porch. "Mama?" she called expectantly. "Who's there?" a female voice called. "Mama? It's me, Tessie." Tessie answered jumping up from the bed and running toward the front room. "Tessie?" the voice asked, "Is it really you? We didn't think you'd come back. It's Peg, Peg Jervis. From next door, I used to watch you." Peg Jervis, not Mama. "Where's my Mama, Peg?" Tessie asked worriedly, "They didn't tell you? You poor thing." Peg stepped closer to Tessie and put her arm around her. "She's gone Tessie, earlier this evening. I found her. She looked peaceful Tessie, really. She didn't suffer any. We've got the baby with us, like I said we didn't think you'd be back." "Baby?" Tessie asked utterly confused. "What baby? There's just me Peg, you know that." "She had a baby after you left." Peg said, "I thought you knew. He's about three now, little Gregory." "Gregory? Not that man Trask's baby?" Tessie demanded, her voice rising with hatred. How dare he! How dare he do that to her Mama! "She started getting sick after little Gregory came." Peg said, "She figured it was cos she was so old when she had him. But he's just fine, he's such a sweet baby. I'll get him for you, and you can take him back with you. He should be with you. Take him back to where ever you've been, there's nothing here in Collinsport for him now. He never did really know her anyway. Why, I practically raised him myself. I'd hate to see him go, but you're his family Tessie. I'll just go and get him." A baby. That man Trask had given her mother a baby and she'd just as well died from it, even if it did take nearly three years. Trask had killed her mother. From the porch Tessie watched the Jervis house fill with light and heard the whimpering of a young child who had been awakened from sleep and taken from his nice warm bed. The light from the opened door spilled out into the dark street and Tessie made out the shape of Peg carrying a softly whimpering bundle in her arms. "Hush now. Your sister's here. She's going to take care of you now, hush." Peg handed the boy over to Tessie who stood as still and straight as a post. "But Peg, I-" "You take him." Peg interrupted her protest. "Your mama would have wanted him to be with you. Doesn't matter who his daddy is. You take care of him, and take care of yourself Tessie Kincaid." Peg said and walked back toward her own small house. The light went out and Tessie still stood bewildered with the boy in her arms. "Mama?" the boy asked her curiously. "Can you walk?" Tessie asked the boy. He nodded. Tessie began to put him down when she realized he didn't have any shoes on. With a heavy sigh she shifted him back into her arms, tucking his old and slightly soiled gown under his bare feet and began to walk back to Miss Mae's with him. What was she going to do with him? Sure, he was her responsibility, she was his family. But Miss Mae's wasn't the kind of place for a child, and Tessie didn't know how to take care of a little boy. She supposed she could take him to the Collinsport orphanage, but she didn't think her mother would like that. She was no doubt looking down on her right now. Miss Mae would know what to do. She always knew what to do. Little Gregory. No, she couldn't go on calling him that. She didn't even want to have to think about his father. She'd call him something else, but what? She thought a moment, she could call him Quentin. Yes, she could call him Quentin and pretend that he wasn't the child of her mother and Gregory Trask. He could be her child. Yes, she could pretend that he was her and Quentin's child. Oh, but that wouldn't work. It might get confusing if he were named after Quentin. Tessie knew some people had names planned out for years for their children, unfortunately she wasn't one of those people. "Let's see," she thought to herself, "If Quentin and I had a child what would I name it?" Tessie thought a moment, Michael. Yes, Michael was a nice name. He could be named after the Archangel Michael. Michael Collins, she liked the sound of that. But she and Quentin weren't married yet so it'd have to be Michael Kincaid. That still sounded good though. She looked at the little boy. "Your name is Michael from now on understand?" she told him. "Greggy." the boy insisted. "No, you have to be Michael where we're going. Because, because...well you just have to. Because.....there's a bad man looking for you. He'll hurt you, understand?" the boy nodded. "So you have to have a new name so he won't find you and hurt you. So you're Michael now. If anyone asks you that's what your name is understand? You can't tell anyone your real name or they'll tell the bad man where you are." The newly christened Michael nodded and put his head on her shoulder. Tessie, satisfied that she had that problem taken care of thought of what she was going to do with him now. Whatever his parentage had been before, now he was hers. Michael was fast asleep when she reached Miss Mae's.