NOWHERE MAN chapter one

NOWHERE MAN

                                                             THE ABDUCTION

"Din't wanna wake ye," John said softly, as he prepared to leave in the morning. He lay beside Mavis and took her into his arms. "The coffee's ready, the fire is up, and the lad is in the kitchen preparin' to burn the place down, or cook the potatoes, whichever happens first. Are ye feelin' all right this mornin',. Mavis? Ye were tossin' and turnin,' all night."

"I'm just fine, never you worry," she replied, kissing his cheek. "The baby was just restless. I'm up now, you go on ahead and roll Sycamore out of bed, and be off with you. Have a good time with your friend, and tell him I said hello."

"I hate to do that," replied John. "He always says it back and tells me to give ye a kiss from him, but I'm not about to deliver kisses to ye from any other man. He's his own wife to kiss, if he's a mind to."

He kissed Mavis again, and was out the door.

Sighing, Mavis got out of bed. She removed her nightgown, and surveyed her naked body in the mirror.

"Big as a house, I am," she said softly. "Hurry along, little one, before I absolutely burst! I certainly feel as if I could."

She went into the bathroom and started the shower, waited shivering for the water to warm, then stepped into the tub. When she came out, she dressed for the day, and went down to see to the eggs.

Joshua was waiting in the kitchen for her. 

 "Mornin', Miss. Are ya feelin' pert? John said ya didn't sleep well last night, so he wanted to let ya sleep in this mornin'," he said, stepping back from the stove to make room for her.

"Yes, I'm just fine, Joshua, only you don't need to keep calling me 'Miss'. I'm not your mistress, I'm only your friend, just as John is. You don't call him 'Sir', do you?"

"No, Miss--I mean, Mavis," replied Joshua, looking at his feet. 

His cheeks burned, bright red.

Mavis was touched by the boy's discomfiture; apparently John had been correct in saying that he had a crush on her. She supposed that he would get over it, once he made friends with some of the island's girls.

"Well, come ahead then, Joshua, and help me tend to breakfast. With John away, you're the man, so you go on out; check on the fire and open the door. It's the weekend, so we've a busy morning ahead of us."

After the breakfast rush had been cleaned up, Joshua made Mavis a cup of tea and had her sit by the fire. He sat beside her and they discussed Mavis' plans for Christmas, which was by now only a few weeks away.

"I've been wondering what to get John for Christmas," Mavis confided. "What do you think he might like? He talks to you a lot."

"I don't know, but next time we talk, I'll see if I can find something out," Joshua promised. 

He tossed another log on the fire, then looked closely at Mavis. 

 "Are you all right?" he asked. "You look really tired."

"Now that you mention it, I am sort of sleepy," she admitted. "It must be the baby. Maybe I should go lie down for a---"

Mavis' head slumped forward, and her breathing deepened. 

 Joshua smiled, and took her cup to the kitchen, rinsed it out, and came back into the front room. He touched Mavis' shoulder and bent close to her.