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Chapter 154
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A Luncheon, A Ride,
and More Stocking Gifts
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"Grandmama, where are we going for lunch?" asked Allie excitedly, with her ears newly pierced.
"Well, a little bird told me you wanted to eat at my favorite restaurant on the wharf. I must warn you though, it's tiny and very much of a dive, but it has the very best seafood in all of Canada, and that's exactly where we're going!"
Allie clapped her hands!
"I even know what a 'dive' is now, Grandmama! Is it true you and Dad went there after you went ring shopping for Momma?" asked her granddaughter curiously.
"It most certainly is! The two of us pretty much having experienced or were about to experience the same thing, along with Margaret, who was in Toronto. Although mine was all those years ago when I first became engaged to your grandfather, while now, your Dad was about to become engaged to your Momma! We were the three in this family, at least so far, who truly understood what it was like to marry into such an overwhelming institution, well as much as one can understand such a cumbersome thing! I think our little talk helped me as much as your father!"
"I know Nathan was most grateful for that talk, Tori! He told me so," thanked a grateful Sophia. "Made him feel he had a couple of comrades in spirit. He said if you two ladies survived it, he could too!"
All the ladies laughed while knowing the Bradford enigma was real.
"I'm glad, Soph. We laughed, we cried, and we anticipated the family's coming joy, as well as Millicent's. Now, here we are, in our beautiful Wedding week, and we have so very much to be thankful for!"
"That we do, Mother! I feel like I'm floating. With every passing hour, I just get more and more excited," admitted a glowing Millicent.
"It shows, Dear Daughter, and rightfully so! You are about to marry the man of your dreams and become an official family with this beautiful child. What could be better?"
"Our family is the very best part," announced Allie to smiles all around. "But, Grandmama, does this restaurant even have a name?"
"It does, I suppose. Sort of," admitted Victoria. "It's strange. The current sign just says "The Best Seafood in all of Montreal," but I suppose the official name is Frankie's as Frankie owns and runs the place. Hmph! Come to think of it, there used to be a sign saying so."
"Finally, I get to meet this Frankie, and eat at your favorite restaurant, Mother!"
"So, this is new for both Momma and me?" asked Allie.
Auntie Luciana just harumphed then made her pronouncement to her great niece's cheers, followed by excited chatter from all.
"Child, this is new for all of us! Apparently, your Father is the only one in the family besides your Grandpapa who's been honored for your Grandmama to share this place with up until now. This is a momentous occasion, and we are very privileged, indeed…"
At the Bradford Estate, the men of the family had bundled up and were on their way to the stables, when Jonathan Ratzhammer, the equine veterinarian whom Nathan had met at their Engagement Party, came running up behind them.
"Heard there was a riding party. Mind a tag-along?"
"When that tag-along is you, Jon, our riding party is now complete," welcomed Edward with a hearty handshake.
"Jon, great to see you again," smiled Nathan. "How was your Christmas?"
"Wonderful, but with Charlotta having every single second planned, I must say, I was needing a ride, along with some male companionship, something fierce!"
The men all knowing Charlotta, couldn't help but chuckle, continuing to tease Jon as they walked on to the stables.
A jolly, older man who appeared to be the salt of the earth, and at one with the horses surrounding him, greeted them all profusely.
"About time you all come to ride!" he teased reaching out to shake his boss's hand.
"Jake, we've missed you since yesterday. Sitting in a room is hardly the same as meeting you out here in the open!"
"No, Sir, it's not! Give me the wide-open air any day, even when it is freezing cold!"
"Which reminds me, Jake, I have something for you. Two things! Opened our stockings and these had your name all over them. First, this one," and Edward pulled out a tiny package from his hip pocket. "Open it now, so I can see you, after all the fussing we've heard over the years. Don't know why I hadn't thought of this as a remedy before!"
Jake snickered.
"Guilty as charged, Sir! But I happen to take my horses quite seriously!"
"And we're most thankful for that, Jake. With you here, we know they are getting the best of care twenty-four-seven!"
Jake opened his tiny gift and burst out laughing.
"Well, if this isn't the tiniest leather notebook I've ever seen, but hey, this one I won't lose. Why it even has a tiny pen! It'll stay right here in my pocket, so I can grab it and track my horses better than ever!"
"When you fill that one up, you just take the note part out, file it away, and replace it with a new filler! How about that for new-fangled?"
"That's uptown! Thank you, Sir, and thank the Missus for me, too. Might just be my best Christmas present yet! And I do mean ever," he laughed. "You know how fussy I am about my horse 'notes!"
"How well I know! But you might want to wait on that 'best ever' comment till you see this one," teased Edward as he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a bigger package. "This one was all wadded up in the bottom of my stocking, but I tried to straighten it up, and rewrap it."
"Nice wrapping job, Sir!"
Jake ripped off the paper and let out a low whistle.
"Is this what I think it is?"
"It's an original Stormy Kromer Rancher Hat with Ear Flaps. The story goes, Kromer who worked on trains lost hat after hat to the wind, not to mention he froze during those winter months, so in 1903, he asked his wife to make him a warm hat that would stay on more securely than what he had had before. She took an old baseball cap, thickened it up with fur lining, and modified it by sewing on a pair of ear flaps. The rest is history! Now your ears will be warm in this freezing cold, Jake, plus we're twins!" (*201)
Jake guffawed.
"Suede too! Can't think of anyone else I'd rather be twins with, Sir!"
Jake tried on his hat, and the two men posed side by side cutting up over their new matching garb!
"Which reminds me, I have a stocking gift for you, Jon," grinned Nathan shyly, reaching into his new suede jacket pocket, and pulling out a somewhat wrinkled package.
"Seriously? This is great! Do I get a hint?"
"Nope, just open it!"
Jon did and had the most puzzled look on his face.
"How did you know?"
"Know what?"
"I misplaced mine just before Christmas but hadn't had time to do any shopping to get a new pair. I've used that old pair of gloves every single day at work, since the cold set in. This is so thoughtful, Nathan! I'll keep these close. So helpful in performing equine exams!"
"What are they, Son?" asked Archie.
"Fingerless gloves, Dad. I knew you loved yours for examining the horses and thought Jon might too," explained Nathan. "I'm beginning to see the merit of these gift stockings, first-hand!"
"Well, Dr. Jon and I certainly see the merit," chuckled Jake. "How about we get our horses sorted and get some riding in? Chief, any preference for horses?"
"Millicent says to ask for Champion, Jake!"
"Ah! My girl always makes the best choices! For our Chief Inspector, Champion it is! Let's get this show on the road, Gentlemen…"
"Welcome, one and all to my humble little restaurant. Mrs. Bradford, we've closed down the entire place for you and your family, so all of you could have some well-deserved privacy on this auspicious Boxing Day!"
"Oh, Frankie, that is so very kind of you! Allow me to introduce you. This is Auntie Luciana, our family's fearless leader; this is my dearest friend and the Chief Inspector's mother, Sophia Grant; this is Estella, our dear family member who is our own theater star; this is my daughter-in-love Margaret Bradford and her daughter, my granddaughter, Maggie; these are my daughters, Millicent and Pippa, and last but not at all least, the star of the day, the one we are celebrating who happened to just get her ears pierced, Millicent's daughter and my granddaughter, Alison Rose, also known as Allie!"
"Such beautiful Ladies, all of you! I am deeply honored," pronounced Frankie making a deep sweeping bow of welcome.
"Again, welcome to my humble abode. The place is yours, so sit anywhere you like, but the banquette over there offers the best view of the icy waters, which shouldn't be missed. I've turned up the heat so it won't be too awfully cold by the glass!"
"My, what a magnificent view," whistled Luciana. "I'd be most happy to come to work each day to see this all day long!"
"It's quite remarkable, Miss Luciana! I am a lucky man. Would you all like to order from the menus? Or would you like me to choose our best?"
"Choose your best, Frankie. I know we can't go wrong with you in charge! Oh, but before you go, I have something for you! A little stocking gift, if you will!"
"For me? But whatever for?"
"Open it, Frankie and you'll instantly know why. Tell me, how was your Christmas?"
"Uhm, it was quite nice. A full day off with the family. Good food too. On Christmas Eve, we had the Feast of Seven Fishes, and what a feast it was. I think each year simply gets better and better! Then on Christmas Day, we traveled to my mother's house for our family's Christmas Dinner. Let me tell you, if you think I can cook seafood, she is the pro who taught me everything I know!" (*202)
"How lovely, Frankie! I'm so glad she's still with you!"
"Ah, me too! Mrs. Bradford. We cherish every moment we have together!"
As Frankie happily opened his gift, a look of shock and solemnity, even consternation, fell over him as he lifted the silver bell.
"It's so your cooks won't have to yell at you a million times throughout the day, Frankie; they can just ring for you instead!"
But then Victoria noticed the heaviness on her friend's face.
"Frankie, whatever's wrong?"
Tears started to flow down the man's craggy face.
"My mother…" he was able to get out.
"My mother brought this same type of bell with her from Italy. Sterling silver, just like this one."
Frankie turned the bell upside down.
"I can't believe this, but it's made by the same company as hers: Robbe and Berking out of Germany! You see, the bell was originally a gift from a German couple who befriended my Mother. That bell sat on this very counter from the day of our opening and was used daily till a few years ago. But then it was stolen by some punk kids and sadly, as hard as we tried to recover it, we were never able to locate it. They taunted us that they dropped it in the sea. Whether they actually did, or not, we don't know. But the bell never turned up again. We were quite devastated as it was our family's heirloom and tradition from the old country. Also the heart, the symbol of our restaurant." (*203)
"But may I ask Frankie, why did you not just buy another bell and replace it after all these years? Especially since you knew where it was made?"
"That's the thing, Ma'am, I started to do just that many times over, but my mother insisted each time that the bell was a gift to the family and therefore it would never be the same, nor would it bring us the same good luck, unless an identical bell would be gifted to us again. That is what you, my favorite customer in the whole world has done today. You've gifted us a bell, an identical bell, and in so doing you have given us our tradition, my family's tradition, my restaurant's tradition, all back! The heart of our restaurant and family are now all back! Don't you see, it's a Fugazzi Christmas Miracle! Our esteemed bell has been re-gifted to us after all these years missing. Wait till I tell Mama! She will be positively elated, and she will say it is fate! That it is meant to be. Thank you doesn't begin to cover this," he pled as he took Victoria's hands. "But from my heart, our hearts, to yours, dear Mrs. Bradford, thank you! You have broken our lost years. Now I can put our sign back up!"
"Your sign?" asked Victoria puzzled.
"Our name: Frankie's!" he responded so matter-of-factly, but with elation popping through. "Don't you remember it?"
"Yes, I do! So, that's why the sign came down all those years ago?"
"Yes, Mama said we must remove it; it was taken down the day our bell went missing. But it is now going to be back, starting today!"
"I'm so grateful, Frankie, and I'm so sorry for your Family's loss of the bell all these years. I had no idea."
"In a way, it was a loss of our identity. However, this bell, your bell, has made us whole again! What a Christmas this has turned out to be, but I regress. You are here to eat, and it is my honor to feed you! Today is on the house! Today, Miss Allie, we celebrate you, and we eat, drink, and be merry in the house of Frankie's!"
Frankie moved toward the kitchen with a spring in his step, as the ladies chatted over what had just happened.
"What an amazing thing, for that little bell to mean so much, just like Dr. Haversham's fountain pen," noted Millicent.
"Well, I'm afraid my stocking gift can't possibly mean as much as the silver bell, nor the fountain pen we've seen gifted this morning. But as soon as I saw this, I knew it was meant for my sister-in-love who in truth is my sister, about to wed," smiled Margaret, reaching into her handbag.
The gift she withdrew was wrapped in white and tied with a blue ribbon, and she kissed Millicent's cheek as she handed it to her.
"Margaret, thank you! Do I open it now?"
"Please do!"
"Hmm. This feels hard. Do I get a hint?"
"Might come in handy on your coming travels. We hope not, but you never know. Best to be prepared. Especially on your Honeymoon!"
Millicent opened the package to find a small leather case patterned in the tradition of "Blue Willow China." (*204)
"Oh, Margaret, a sewing kit! This is adorable and so practical too!"
"Blue and white for our Bride!"
"The thimble is the Blue Willow pattern too, a favorite of mine, and so are the little scissors and threader. This is so beautiful and so unique. This set definitely goes on my Honeymoon with me 'just in case' there's a sewing emergency! Thank goodness Essie has taught me the basics. Thank you, Dear Sister! I love it!" (*205)
"I have something for our two younger girls! I believe it's a set, but I think it's best broken and shared," winked Pippa as she handed a tiny, wrapped package to Allie, then another to Maggie. "Open, you'll see what I mean!"
"You open your package first, Maggie," urged Allie.
"Oh, it's a gold heart pendant! And it says 'Best Friend' on the back! Can you put it on me, Auntie Pippa? I love it!"
"Of course!" and while Pippa clasped the necklace on Maggie, Allie began to open her little package.
"It's a heart just like Maggie's and it says Best Friend too! But mine's on a bracelet. It's beautiful!" enthused Allie.
"Allie, you have your pendant from Dad that you wear all the time, so I thought the bracelet would suit you best. When I first saw this set, I couldn't help but think of the two of you and how close you instantly have become. You two are without a doubt 'Best Friends' and I know forever friends too. To Allie and Maggie!"
"To Allie and Maggie and their forever friendship!" chimed in everyone.
"And I have something from my stocking for Pippa and Allie, our budding artists in residence," smiled Sophia. "I believe it was a set as well, but since we have two young artists in the family, I also chose to break the set up."
Pippa and Allie excitedly reached for Sophia's gifts, knowing that with Sophia being an artist, she would know the value of what she was giving.
"If it has to do with art, you know I'll love it!" enthused Pippa.
"Me, too, Gramma. Especially because I don't have a lot!"
"I don't think either one of you has this, and I'll give you a hint, it's the handiest little thing!"
Pippa and Allie tore into their packages, each taking out an odd-looking, hand-blown, clear glass object.
"Oh, this is beautiful, but I haven't a clue what this is or what it's used for!" admitted Pippa.
"Me neither, Gramma! But it sure is pretty!"
"It took me a moment too, girls, as this is one of the prettiest pairs I've ever seen! They're called paint mullers and they're for making and mixing paint, watercolors, oils, or even tempuras. You grind paint pigments with it, and you two can't imagine how handy this is when you need to mix the perfect custom shade!" (*206)
"I love it! Thank you, Dear Sophia! This will be used so often as I'm always trying to come up with new and unique colors!"
The two ladies embraced.
"I love that we're a family of three artists now!"
"Me too, Pippa," agreed Sophia.
"I love this too, Gramma! It's so pretty. Will you please show me how to use it, sometime?" asked Allie.
"Of course, I will, Sweet Child. Nothing would give me more pleasure…"
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201. Stormy Kromer Rancher Hats, baseball caps with modified earflaps, invented and made by Ida Kromer, Stormy's wife, (1877-1960) for warmth but also to stay on the head during high winds, originated in 1903, Public Domain.
202. Feast of Seven Fishes, a tradition that comes from Southern Italy known as The Vigil (La Vigilia); consists of seven different seafood dishes or more, which include anchovies, whiting, lobster, sardines, baccala (dried salt cod), smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels, and clams. The celebration occurs on Christmas Eve while waiting for the birth of the Christ Child. The meal may also include pasta,l vegetables, baked goods, and wine. Public Domain Information.
203. Robbe and Berking Silversmiths, out of Flensburg, Germany, responsible for unrivaled cutlery worldwide, originated in 1874 and is still a family business, now run by the 5th generation, and in existence today. Public Domain Information.
204-205. Blue Willow Design, based on original Chinese designs known as 'estuary scenes,' the pattern is believed to have been originated by Thomas Minton for Thomas Turner's Caughley Factory in Shropshire, England, around 1780, Public Domain.
206. Glass Paint Muller, a painting tool used with a slab to grind artists' colors and or pigments by hand, although from ancient Egyptian times until the 18th century, porphyry was invariably used. After the 19th century, the muller and slab became obsolete except when small quantities of pigment were needed. Public Domain.
