Chapter 6 Growing Up

An excerpt from The Violet Series Book 1: The Water Nymph’s Tale.

Bonnie sighed. Her mother was finally asleep and peaceful. Bonnie stood up and walked out of the boarding house room downstairs to the dining room. She sat down and was able to order her dinner right away. She wondered how much longer it would be before her mother finally died.

If Bonnie didn’t have the job she had, she would have gone crazy long before now. She sighed as she looked around the dining room. There were plenty of men eating at the tables. They all noticed her. She just wanted to be alone. Her thoughts wandered as her dinner arrived. She ate without tasting her food.

She wondered who Melanie was, but didn’t want to ask. She knew Clyde was in mourning and probably missing most of his family. She had heard and read the stories about his mother dying from a disease which could have been treated if it was detected earlier and she had been on Earth. Later, Bonnie had heard and read about Herbert Mineur, Clyde’s father, disappearing without a trace. Many people thought he couldn’t take his wife’s death well and so left the colony. Some weren’t even sure he was still alive.

Bonnie did notice Clyde wasn’t mourning Melanie as if they were lovers. In fact Bonnie had overheard them talking about Clyde’s brother, Frank, and how much Melanie missed him. Bonnie continued to eat. Her thoughts continued. So, that meant the toddler was Clyde’s niece and the only living relative he had left.

She blinked back some tears. In a way, she found comfort in the fact that someone else was also sad about losing someone they loved. She also didn’t mind doing more work when he was busying taking care of a baby. The work was a comfort to Bonnie.

She finished her meal and went back to her room. She found her mother still sleeping peacefully. Bonnie sat down in a chair, covered her eyes with her hands, and cried.

Unfortunately, she didn’t notice the men in the boarding house who knew her mother was dying. They were waiting until Bonnie would be alone before they pursued her…

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Antoni stepped out on the porch to look up at the moon Dysnomia. He stared at the moon and then noticed there was a big tawny cat out in the yard staring at him. Anastasia was busy cooking in the kitchen. Antoni and the cat stared at each other, saying nothing.

Samuel looked at his son and wondered if he would become a werecat someday. What was there to say? No one had warned Samuel of what he would become until Betty mentioned it. The little boy seemed so human, as did Samuel. Perhaps later on, when Antoni would be a teenager, Samuel would tell him his secret.

Anastasia was finishing up the cooking. “Antoni, Samuel, it’s time for dinner.”

Antoni blinked. The big cat was still in the yard. Antoni turned and walked back inside the house and into the kitchen. He sat down at the table as his mother was setting the table. He watched her.

“Is something wrong, Antoni?”

“There’s a big tawny cat out in our yard.”

“Oh? That cat is harmless. I guess dad is working late this evening.” She served Antoni some food.

“I didn’t see him outside. Perhaps he’s taking care of Betty?”

“Yes, he must be. Well, no matter, he knows where the food is. He’ll be back later.”

Antoni blinked. Who was the cat in the yard?

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

Antoni got ready for bed. He had just had his bath and now he was sitting in bed with his mother sitting beside him on a chair. She held her tablet computer so he could see it. She read him a story. Then he laid down. She kissed him on his forehead and they both said goodnight.

Soon Antoni was asleep and dreaming away.

Anastasia closed the door to Antoni’s room and turned to see Samuel walking into the bathroom. She walked to the kitchen and began cooking again. By the time she was done, Samuel walked in the kitchen and sat down at the table. She brought him the food and sat down beside him.

“Antoni said he saw a big tawny cat. He doesn’t know it was you.”

Samuel paused in his eating. “I didn’t know what to say to him. He looks so human, like you.”

“People would say the same thing about you.”

“I know, but I don’t know how to tell him he could become what he saw tonight.”

“No one told you and I know there’s still prejudice against your kind.”

“It’s not fair. I wish I was warned. Sometimes it’s still awkward for me.” He resumed eating.

“I know. I can tell. How far do you run when you’re a cat?”

“I stay in the yard. I don’t want others to see me.”

“Sally knows.”

“Sally won’t talk, except to us. I don’t want to let other people know.”

“What about our son?”

“I don’t know. I should tell him. It would be the right thing to do, but what do I say? ‘Hey, Antoni, my boy, I’m a werecat and you may be one too’?”

“It’s a start.”

“He may not believe me.”

“He would if you shapeshifted in front of him.”

“It may also scare him as well.”

“Yeah, I forgot about that.”

Samuel finished eating. He and Anastasia cleaned up the kitchen and then they went to bed.

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“Hi, Anastasia and Antoni. Are you ready? We have a lot of guests today. A new town is growing nearby and they’ve hired more people. You know how it goes.”

“Yes, I remember. That’s why I have a job to begin with.”

“What do I get to do?”

“Oh, with all the extra guests, we’ll need someone to serve water and rolls or any missed dishes.”

“Yay!” He danced. “Do I start now?”

“Yes, go on back to the kitchen. Polly and Freddy are getting ready for lunch.”

Antoni ran back to the kitchen.

“Where do kids get all their energy?” asked Sally’s husband.

Anastasia and Sally laughed.

“They wear the rest of us down too easily and yet they keep right on going. It’s wonderful when they’re sleeping.”

“Dear, our children are grown up and they don’t wear us out. That’s all the guests who keep coming to stay with us.”

“Right, I forgot.”

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

“Freddy, I’m baking extra rolls. Are the warmers all working?”

“Yes, sis, they are. I just finished fixing them this morning.” He turned on the food warmers. “Ready for the rolls when they’re ready.”

Antoni stopped when he saw Polly and Freddy. “Sally says I get to serve water and rolls today!”

Freddy and Polly smiled at him.

“Good. I’ve baked extra and soon they will be up in the warmers. Freddy, show him how to serve the drinks and rolls.”

Freddy grabbed a tray and demonstrated how to carry it and how to fill it up. He set the tray down and showed how to serve the table. Antoni watched closely.

“Okay, my turn.” Antoni grabbed another tray and soon he had a tray with water glasses and rolls which he served to the kitchen table.

“Not bad. You’ll be fine and help keep the guests calm while they’re hungry.”

Antoni nodded.

The dining room was packed. All the guests were talking so the room was noisy. Little blonde Antoni carefully served trays of water and rolls to every table. The guests were happy to see him. None complained of their hunger or how long they had to wait for their food.

The sight of the little boy put many people at ease.

“Hey, boy, is your mother around?”

“Yes, she’s that server right over there.”

“Oh. You’re doing a great job.”

“Thank you!” He ran back to the kitchen to fill up his tray again.

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

Clyde was busy with Violet one evening helping her get ready for bed. They were both tired. He stifled a yawn.

“Uncle Clyde, when is Bonnie coming back?”

“What? Oh, tomorrow morning. Why do you ask?”

“I miss her.”

Clyde frowned. “You know Bonnie does a lot downstairs and she’s here to work as my assistant.”

“She’s not your assistant. She runs the business.”

Clyde smiled at his niece. “How do you figure that?”

“You’re too busy playing with me to do any work.”

“So, Bonnie has been doing more work and not complaining.”

“Yes, and she’s so sad, but she won’t say why. She just keeps working.”

“Oh? Perhaps you’re right.”

“Can she come live with us? Then I won’t have to wait to see her.”

Clyde grabbed a towel and wrapped his niece in it. “Perhaps that’s a better idea. I know she’s staying at a nearby boarding house. Staying here could save her some money.”

“And I’ll see her more. Maybe she’ll play with me when you need a nap.”

“Yeah. I should check over what work she has been doing lately. Here you need to get into your jammies.”

“Okay.”

Once Violet was dressed, Clyde carried her to her room and sat down with her on his lap. He reached for his tablet and read her a story until she fell asleep. Then he tucked her into her bed and kissed her lightly on her forehead. He took his tablet, turned off the light and walked out of her room.

He walked to the couch and sat down. He checked the business records and found that Violet was right. Bonnie had been doing more work and not complaining. He smiled. Ever since the robot had stopped working, Clyde had too much work to do. It didn’t help that his brother wasn’t around very long to help out.

He set the tablet down on the table. He yawned. He could see why Violet thought Bonnie was sad. Sometimes he heard Bonnie sigh when she was working. Clyde stood up and yawned again. He walked to his room and crawled into bed.

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Bonnie woke up in the middle of the night. She could hear her mother gasping for air. Bonnie got up and ran to her mother. She held her mother’s hand. “Mom, I’m here. It’s okay.”

Her mother was feverish, but relaxed when she felt her daughter hold her hand. She took more shallow breaths. She couldn’t talk, but she was scared. She didn’t know what would happen to Bonnie once she was dead.

But there was nothing she could do. Her body was worn out and lost the battle to a serious and fatal illness. She could see Bonnie watching and crying. Finally, she took the last breath and relaxed. She no longer could breathe and soon her heart stopped.

Bonnie cried for a few minutes. Then she pressed a button on the end table.

“Front desk. How can we help you?”

“This is Bonnie. My mother just died.”

“Bonnie… oh, I’m sorry. I’ll get the undertaker immediately. Just hang on.”

“Thanks.” Bonnie let go of her mother’s hand and stood up. She wasted no time getting dressed.

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A couple of hours later, Bonnie was packing her mother’s few things and deciding what to do with them. The door to her room was unlocked and slightly ajar. A man walked by and walked into her room.

“I’m sorry for your loss, miss. Perhaps we can have dinner later and discuss future plans.”

“What?”

“You know, you really shouldn’t be alone. Now that your mother is dead, you need a man in your life.”

“Get out!”

A handyman walked by. “Is there a problem?”

“Yes, please escort him out of my room.”

“Yes, ma’am. Let’s go.”

“Now wait a minute…”

Bonnie watched them go. She could see more men watching in the hallway. She walked to the door, closed it, and locked it. She turned around and leaned against the door and slid to the floor. She cried.