Calumbra 23 - Book 1: The Maid

23 - Leaps and Bounds

"Delaware."
Huntley stared at his uncle in shock and looked at the nurse hugging him tightly. In all the years that Huntley had lived, he had never once heard his uncle speak and yet this woman could make him open his mouth.
Delaware pulled back and put her hands on either side of Trinidad's face, taking in the features of the older boy. He was so much like his younger self but different; wiser, hardened, manly. There was something else there too but Delaware couldn't figure out what it was for the life of her.
"Um... How'd you do that?"
Delaware turned to Huntley and smiled as Trinidad set her down.
"Do what, dear?"
"Get him to talk. He's never said anything and then you come and he speaks..."
"He's always talked to me. Even when he was small, he would speak to me often."
Huntley watched his uncle look at the former maid of the Blackwoods and had to smile at the happiness he saw in his eyes. Trinidad was not one to show emotion for much if not anything. He was stoic most of the time, making jokes every once in a while but the beaming and glowing look that Trinidad was displaying was something foreign to Huntley. This woman must have been someone very special to him.
"How is Tavit?" she asked Trinidad.
He started to sign fervently and Delaware turned her head at him. He slowed down when he realized that she couldn't understand him. He looked over at Huntley and asked for translation.
"He says that Tavit is doing well from what he heard last but that was before we all entered the army. We haven't heard from him in a couple of years but because me and Sully will be dispatched home, he will be able to go home too."
"Is this sign language?" she asked, looking at his hands as they settled down.
"Yes." Huntley said. "My grandmother got tired of trying to talk to him and writing or something so she sent him to a school in America."
"I see... I will have to learn how to read your hands then." She said with a smile to Trinidad. "Did you know that your general was Arnold's son?"
Trinidad narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head no. He touched his stomach, looking at her with expectancy.
"Yes, I'm fine. I haven't had anything come apart if that's what you mean. It's been thirty years since then so I'm sure it's all attached by now."
"What does he mean?" Huntley asked, hoping it was something interesting.
"I was gutted by Jack the Ripper and General Sexton's father, Arnold, sewed me back up and put me back together."
"Jack the Ripper gutted you?" he asked, his green eyes wide in amazement.
"Yes." She said with a chuckle from the look on his face.
Trinidad laughed too. Sullivan coughed and everyone looked over at him. He looked like he was having pain and Trinidad turned to Huntley, signing to him.
"I see... Well, can you see if he'll come now? I don't think Sullivan will be happy if we bring his son home to him dead."
Trinidad nodded and then grabbed Delaware's arm to come with him. She was dragged for a moment and then found her bearings.
"Little One, you're dragging me." She said softly.
He let her go and they slowed their pace as Trinidad put his hands in his pockets. Delaware busied her hands on her apron as she tried to figure out what to say to him. Even though he was glad she was back, she was sure he was very angry with her. She had promised him that it wouldn't be a long time before she came back but she had taken more time than she had meant to going out about the world.
"Gone." He said. She looked up and saw that he had stopped and was looking intently at her. "Gone."
Delaware sighed. "I know... I was meaning to come back to you all-"
Trinidad grabbed her shoulders and pinned her to the wall.
"Gone." he snarled, looking at her angrily, his golden eyes seeming to pierce into her like they did when he was a child.
"Let me explain."
"Lie."
"No! Listen to me, Trinidad. Let me explain..."
He let her go but crossed his arms over his massive chest and stared at her.
"I waited for a little while and was going to come back but I overheard that Olivia was still spreading the word about me being a witch. I knew that I would have to wait until things died down before I came back. I went to Scotland and from there I traveled. I only meant to be gone a couple more years but the sights and wonders caught me up and I..."
The sadness in Trinidad's eyes told her she was just making things worse.
"Forgot." He said softly.
Delaware chuckled humorlessly and looked away, feeling her regret and shame well up inside of her.
"No one can make me feel so hurt like you, Little One... You did this to me once before, yeah?"
"How?" She looked up at him. "How?"
"I didn't forget you at all. In fact, I was planning to go back whenever I got the chance from this war. I have presents from the other lands. I never forgot you, Trinidad."
She pulled a dingy, dirty and frayed string out and showed it to him.
"I wore this until it broke in half from being so worn out. I kept it with me always to remind me of going home. I always made my way there but things held me back. I'm sorry that it took so long to come back home, but I didn't lie."
Trinidad started to sign to her quickly but remembered she didn't understand him and grabbed his hair in frustration. He hit the wall behind her with his fist and closed his eyes, breathing heavy. Delaware looked at his arm and noticed that the scar from when he was attacked looked like it had never healed.
"Did that never close?" she asked, reaching for the scar.
He pulled back and gave her a menacing growl that sounded like an animal. She gasped and looked away.
"We- we should get that doctor for Sully's son... Go back to the room and I'll get it."
Trinidad walked back, leaving her to herself.

*******************

"Are you not going to see Ms. Tate again?" Huntley asked as Trinidad took him around the hospital a week or two later.
Trinidad shrugged. There's no need. She is working.
Huntley lifted an eyebrow. "You seemed pretty pissed off when you came back to the room and you haven't said anything since... Did something happen?"
Yes... I don't want to talk about it.
"You look like you need to. Does she know?"
No. He sighed and massaged his arm a little. It hurts...
"You should tell her about it. She might be able to help you out."
I doubt she'd know what to do. It's beyond her expertise. She's only skilled in it so much...
"You like her, don't you?" he said with a grin.
Trinidad looked at him in surprise.
What do you mean? Of course I like her-
"Nah, not like that. I mean you really like her. As in, you want her."
Trinidad scoffed. Gross. She was my maid.
"Who doesn't grow old. Hey, I think she's pretty lovely. If I knew you didn't know you liked her-"
Stop, stop... Enough of this nonsense. She's off limits.
Huntley smirked. "Is that so? How about this, Uncle Trin: we'll have a contest. The first one she kisses gets to keep her."
I'd keep her anyway. he signed with a look to him. I'm not doing this with you.
"Chicken... You're afraid she is going to like the younger Blackwood model, aren't you? I have moves, Uncle Trin, and I could get her to kiss me. I'll do it too since when I'm dead it won't mean a thing to her. What's one kiss?"
Trinidad looked at him as they stopped. The gleam in his eyes was just like his own when he set his mind to something, and just like himself, he knew he wouldn't let it be. Especially since the little bugger was right.
Just one kiss?
"Has to be on the lips though. Nothing nasty... You in?"
He held out his hand and Trinidad grabbed it, looking at his nephew in competition.