The Salk Island West Legacy, Gen. 5, Ch. 5

School had started again on the island! Brede had seven children in her class and plenty more on the way. She could see many busy years stretching ahead of her. Andre had come in to talk to the children about the planting he and Nell (and Hazel and Jay!) were doing, and now Maria was there for a music session.
“When yopu’re all a little bit older, maybe some of you can learn from me. And from Laura too.” “Luisa’s already teaching me how to sew and embroider.” That was Matilda, Anna and Marco’s eldest. “It’s fun!” “Could I learn too?” Brigit asked, blonde hair dancing as she wriggled on her seat with excitement.
“I’d rather be outside,” Hazel said softly. “I love the woods.” “You’re all going to learn,” Brede told Nell and Jacques. “Everyone needs to know how to do things. After all, you can all fish now, can’t you? And help in the garden. Well, you’re all going to learn more new things over the next few years.” “I love this,” Hazel said, sitting round the fire that evening. “School’s fine, but this is the best.”
The stars were out, the fire was warm on their faces – Nell and Andre smiled at each other.
“Me too,” Jay said. “So tomorrow, we carry on clearing this bit?”
“Yes,” Andre replied. “And check the young trees in the other areas, and in a few weeks we’ll be planting here!”
“And it’s ages until winter,” Hazel said with deep satisfaction. It was another girl! Viola this time – both Maria and Michael rather liked the flower names. Though they’d have to think of something else if they ever had a boy… The library was being used! Thorold, Jeanine and little Natalie were there – Rose was pleased to see her cousin – Lucie was there with Fleur and Marco.
“This is wonderful,” Maria thought. “Ben would have been so happy.” Though in a few weeks’ time, they’d be harvesting grapes from sun-up to sun-down, and she’d have no time at all for doing anything like this, so she’d better make the most of the time she had!
“Come on, Natalie,” she called. “Come and listen to the story with Rose.” And Natalie did. I’m so happy for Thorold, Maria thought, even as she re-read the story. He was so lonely and miserable – and now he and Jeanine go on so well together. And their cottage and gardens are fast becoming the most productive on the island. And everyone wants Jeanine’s honey! “What do I do next?” Nell was all long legs and a ridiculously short skirt, helping her father and grandfather in the vineyard. Michael smiled at his eldest daughter’s enthusiasm – and her skirt! But Nell had made it herself, with a bit of help from her Great-Aunt Luisa, and even though it was worn and patched, she still loved it. Maria, meanwhile, was spending a bit of time with Viola, teaching her to walk. And wondering whether she and Michael should have another baby, and if Jacob and his Laura were ever going to have a child. The island was full of children now – seventeen of them at the last count, and more on the way. Dusk was falling as they all sat down to eat after a long day’s work. Carla smiled to herself: once again, the table had lots of children sitting around it. She and Jon had six grandchildren now, and Thorold and Jeanine were expecting another child. Only Jacob and his Laura remained childless. She wasn’t sure if this was by choice or not – maybe Bianca would know. “What do you think then? Shall we try for one last child? If we’re going to have another, I’d like tthem to have the chance to know their grandparents. And – well, I think we both know we’re not going to have our parents around forever. But can we cope with another?”
Michael smiled fondly at his wife.
“Of course we’ll cope. Nell is already helping, and she’ll be able to do more as she gets older. And Rose isn’t too far behind her. It’ll get easier with time, not harder.” “Right,” Jon said, gathering everyone’s attention. “We’ve got one elder from each household here, so that’s good going! This is what I’m proposing – that as well as the island council, we have a council of elders. Not to make decisions, but to make suggestions, and record them. We’ve seen a lot of change in our lifetimes. What would we like our children and grandchildren to see?” That got everyone talking! At some length, and across many areas. Eventually, various themes began to emerge.
“It’s all right if you’ve got a skill and children – they pick it up, growing up round you.”
This was Luisa.
“But the few hours that the children have to learn from me isn’t enough. I’ve got so much more to teach them.”
“Apprenticeships,” Bianca said, recognising the truth of her little sister’s words. “We need to start apprenticeships. Or we’ll lose what we’re just gaining.” “What’s an apprenticeship?” Morag asked. Island born and bred, and with no appetite for travel, she had no idea what Biance was talking about. But Gil Bouleau knew, and leant forward to explain it to her. “It’s a way of passing on trades, skills, knowledge – of giving a young man a way to earn a living. When you are young, you are indentured to a new master. You can pay handsomely to apprentice you son to a master-craftsman, but I don’t think we’d copy that! The point is, you go and live in their household. Like Luisa said, you take in the skills from being around all day long.” “Your grand-daughter, Matilda,” Luisa said to Hannah, “she’s loving what she’s learning. And she could be really good at it – with more time. Brigit wants to learn more too – we could take both of them, and they’d be company for each other. If they wanted to – and if Anna and Marco, David and Katherine, would let them do it.” Presently they moved on to tother topics. The success of Ben’s library was talked about, and then the idea of having other communal buildings besides that one, and the one they were now sitting in.
“Somewhere to make music and listen to it together,” Bianca said. "Laura is amazing – we should all have a chance to hear her. And Maria too. And some of the younger ones – they could play for more than just their parents when they’re good enough.”
“I love the idea!” Luisa whole-heartedly agreed with her sister. “Anything that gets us sharing our gifts, talents, skills!” “Boy or girl? What do you think?” Thorold was patting Jeanine’s ever-expandingbump.
“The sooner the better! Being pregnant in this heat is no joke!”
“Did I tell you Maria’s pregnant again?”
“No! But she won’t be as big as this – not yet, anyway.” “What about you? Would you like to have lots of brothers and sisters?”
“One more only. I want us to be well-established, to become prosperous here, and a huge family makes that hard,” Jeanine said firmly, and Thorold laughed. And it was a boy – Nicolas – much to Jeanine’s delight. She’d always wanted both sons and daughters. Maria could still lift Viola – who was as blonde as her father – but it was getting harder as the bump got bigger.
“Pretty soon it’ll be Daddy who’s getting you out of your cot,” she told her daughter. “Your brother or sister is beginning to get in the way!” “If it’s a girl, I hope they don’t give her a flower name,” Rose said to her grandmother.
“Why not?”
“I hate being called Rose. It’s such a pretty name, and I don’t think I’m pretty at all.” Carla looked at her grand-daughter and took her point. Of all the children, she was the most like Michael in looks – but lacked his colouring: she’d inherited her grandfather Jon’s brown hair instead.
“Being pretty isn’t all that life’s about,” Carla began tentatively, but Rose interrupted her.
“I know that! I’m just saying Rose is a silly name for me. I don’t look like a rose. I wish I had a more sensible name instead.” Nell had gone to see Brigit: today her friend was leaving to go and live with Luisa and begin her apprenticeship there.
“It’ll be just the same really,” Nell said reassuringly. “We’ll still see each other at school and so on.”
But Brigit still looked apprehensive.
“If it doesn’t work,” Katherine said patiently, “you can come back home. But you won’t learn half the things Luisa can teach you by staying here.”
“That’s true,” Brigit admitted. “And Matilda will be there too…”
“And you are also going to be living with Great Aunt Sarah as well as Great Aunt Luisa. And Siobhan is Matilda’s great aunt. This is all family, Brigit. Just different parts of it. And we’re only a short walk away.”
“I wish I could go to your house,” Benjamin said to Nell. I’d love to learn about how to grow vines and make wine and everything.”
David looked down at his son. “Really, Benjamin?”
“Oh yes. Grandfather Barnabas was telling me all about it and the things he did when he was young and it was really interesting.”
Hmm, thought David. It looked as though Benjamin had inherited more than just the red curly hair from that side of the family. But first Brigit had to leave home. Benjamin would have to wait a while longer… Their bedroom was small but pretty, with flowers in the box outside the window. And Luisa had made patchwork bedspreads for them both.
“This is going to be all right really, isn’t it?” Brigit said a little nervously, but Matilda just laughed and said of course it was! Pregnant or not, the grapes still needing treading. On the whole, Maria thought, her lower centre of gravity made her less likely to fall over. And the added weight certainly helped squish everything more efficiently! “Michael, this is our fourth child! Why are you panicking?” All right, Maria knew she was being a bit short-tempered with him, but she was entitled!
This time it was a boy! And to Rose’s delight, they gave him the plainest of names and called him Jack.
“It won’t matter what he looks like – with a name like Jack,” Rose said to her grandmother later, who laughed and agreed with her. Bianca had taken Laura to the other side of the island – ostensibly, to show her the ruins there, but in reality to have a chance of a private conversation. By now she was very fond of Laura and admired her hugely for the courage she’d shown adapting to the island lifestyle – and she told her so. “Really?” Laura’s lovely face was sad. “I still feel so – so behind everyone else.”
“You’ve been amazing! You are so capable. And you’ve brought so much else with you as well. Laura, the island is better – we are all better – for having you here. You’d make a good mother, you know. You don’t have to be afraid of it.” “How did you know I was afraid?” Suddenly, Laura was in tears, and Bianca put her arms round the girl.
“Because I love you very dearly. I never had a daughter – but now you’re here, and I love you like my own.” “I’ve felt so nervous about it, so afraid…”
Jacob wrapped his arms around his beautiful wife. “My poor darling. I thought it was just because you were so far from home – I was going to suggest we moved back for a while, if that would help.”
“No. It’s not as if my mother’s still alive – and I have so many friends here. I just didn’t think I’d be any good at being a parent.” “I’ll help too you know. It’s not just your responsibility. And so will Bianca and Barnabas…”
Laura nodded, misty-eyed. “I realise that now. I just got things so out of perspective…” Jacob had been right: they were doing this together. Bianca and Barnabas had been a huge support through her pregnancy (which had seemed to feature a lot of backache!). And soon their child would be born – another island baby to join the twenty or so children of this generation. Marco had passed his cot on to them, and it was all ready and waiting for their baby. “You did it! You’re amazing!” Jacob was over the moon. And Laura – well, she wasn’t so sure about the amazing, but she was certainly amazed! “This bedspread that my grandmother embroidered for us as a wedding present – it’s faded,” Carla said wistfully. “Like me.”
“I don’t think you’ve faded at all.” Jon gazed into his wife’s eyes. “To me, you’re still as vibrant and glowing as ever.” Carla smiled lovingly at him.
“And we have another grandson,” she said “Now Jacob has a child as well, I truly feel our family is complete.” “You’re the one who made me complete.” Jon surprised his wife by seizing her and kissing her as passionately as he did when they were courting.
“You have made me so happy, I don’t have the words to express it.” “You rescued me.” Carla’s eyes filled with tears, but her mouth was smiling.
“You rescued me, and my grandparents and my sisters. And brought us all here to more happiness than we ever thought would be ours. Because of you, my days have been long and happy.”
And they stood there in each others’ arms, reflecting on all they’d seen and done together, all they’d built, and knew that they’d be leaving a good legacy behind them.