The Sins of the Father ( Chapt. 8 Mathilda)

Mathilda lay down on the sand with her feet crossed at the ankles, she raised them in the air so that she could see them and her new sandals. They were not really “new” but they still had the faint smell of newness on them. She had gotten them from madam that morning when the two of them were busy with cleaning up the wardrobes trying to make room for the new clothes that madam had brought back from her trip overseas.
Mathilda found it a great pity that the vacation had been so short , just two weeks. She had enjoyed having the house to herself while madam and her husband had been away. She smiled as she remembered how she and Calvin had done as if they had been in their own house.
Turning to Calvin who lay near her on the sand she giggled, “Do you think that madam will enjoy it the same way I did? She asked him. “It is after all her new bed!” Calvin pulled her close to him lifting her up to rest on his broad chest. “I don’t care about them, if you enjoyed it and if you ready to enjoy it now is all I care about,” he answered her as he eased his finger up the elastic of her bathing suit. She slapped his hand away,. “You mind where you put your hand Calvin, I am no street woman you know.”
She rolled away from him trying to look offended. He smiled and turned to look at the sea. “I could come over tonight when things quieten down.” He suggested. “You know that I am leaving on Monday and I don’t know when I will be back. The boss is going on a work trip and I have to go with him. He doesn’t trust anyone else to take care of things.” He was proud of his status as the sort butler to his boss. He was important by virtue of his position and Mathilda knew that she was very lucky to have him show an interest in her. Her boss was not so important. Calvin was also a very handsome, sexy man and he could have any of the other girls on the island but he chose her.
She shivered with anticipation as he traced her spine with his finger. “Yes, come on over,” she told him “But don’t make it as late as the last time. I got hardly any sleep at all before I had to get out of bed to fix coffee for the boss. He said that I looked a bit tired.” She giggled again and poked Calvin in his ribs. ”If only he knew !”
Calvin a bit tired of her irritating giggling got up from the sand pulling her up also. “Come it is time for us to go back,” he said dusting the dry sand from his body. “The boss will be asking for me in a while to get his things ready for his trip. We are leaving early in the morning so you don’t have to worry about not getting enough sleep,” he added.
Mathilda pouted she did not like it one bit that Calvin was going on this trip She wondered if he would forget her, it made her a bit sad to think that she might not ever see him again and unable to express herself in any other way she gave him a hard slap and ran off. He did not bother to go after her. “Crazy bitch” he muttered rubbing his face. He decided not to visit her that night. The new live in maid would not mind spoiling him before he had to leave for his trip, he didn’t even have to sneak out of the house for it. He smiled at the prospect. He had already forgotten Mathilda.
It was six weeks after this that Mathilda discovered that she was pregnant. Madam in fact was the one who discovered it. She had been worried about Mathilda for a while and when she saw her rushing away from the table while serving breakfast she followed her to the bathroom where Mathilda was busy being sick at the toilet. Madame took Mathilda to her own doctor. She had just discovered that she herself was expecting a baby and was glad of someone with whom she could chat about all she was going through. It was going to be her first also.
Mathilda and Madam both had their babies at about the same time and so Mathilda could take care of both children without too much trouble. Madam bought Mathilda a crib for her room which was far enough away from the master bedroom so that the cries of the children did not disturb madam and her husband. Five times a day Mathilda brought little Michael to his mother to be fed. If he awoke in the night she fed him herself, she had after all enough milk for two. Mary was a beautiful and easy-going child never crying very much even though her mother had more time for Michael than for her. She was rarely sick. Michael seemed to catch every virus in the neighbourhood. On her free day Mathilda took Mary to the village where her family lived. They all found it very generous of madam that Mathilda could keep her baby in her room.
Mathilda never saw Calvin again though she heard of his exploits as lover in that far away land where he still served as butler to his boss. She never told him about Mary preferring to keep the child to herself.
When the children started primary school they went to the same school. It was easier for Mathilda who had to collect them after school. Together they had a snack at the kitchen table with Mathilda and then she sent them into the garden to play until just before dinner. If Michael’s parents had a dinner date he went off to sit with his parents for a while before they left, then he hurried back to the kitchen to have dinner with Mathilda and Mary. After dinner the children Mathilda listened to them as they chatted or did their home work for the next day. If his parents had dinner at home then Michael had dinner with his parents after which Mathilda put him to bed. She tucked him in and read him his favourite bedtime story. Mary was left to her own devices ‘til her mother had finished her household tasks and then, too tired to pick up another book Mathilda fell into bed
After Mary left the primary school her education was complete. Michael went on to secondary school and business classes. He needed to know something about business if he had to take over the firm from his father later in life.
Mary knew that she was going to inherit her mother’s position in the house holding when Mathilda got too old to keep up with the work. On her fifteenth birthday Mary got her official contract as maid in the house of the Williams’. She was proud and delighted with her very own money even though she had to hand it over to Mathilda who took care of the expenses for them both just as she had always done.
Mary, easy going as always did not protest, She had no need for money; Mathilda bought her everything she needed.
Today Michael turned eighteen year, his parents were giving a big party in his honour and all his friends would be there. Mathilda and Mary had been busy with the preparations all week long. There was going to be a big barbeque on the beach and all the food and music had to be brought there to the big tent that Michael’s father had hired.
There was going to be some help for Mathilda and Mary but they were going to have to do most of the work.
Mary and Mathilda were to be on hand to serve the guests. It was a great party and when the last of the guests had gone home Michael who was a bit under the weather from the delicious rum cola sat outside the tent and waited to walk home with Mathilda and Mary.
When Mary came out of the tent she was alone. “Where is Mathilda? “ asked Michael while he tried unsuccessfully to get to his feet.
Mary gave him a hand as she answered “She has decided to ride home with the caterer to make sure that the refreshments that are left over will not disappear before they reach our kitchen.”
She laughed at Michael’s attempts to stand, in spite of her help he kept falling down. Suddenly he pulled her down to the sand and said “You know, I just thought of something. I am the birthday boy but it’s your birthday also and the only present you got is taking care of drunken friends of mine.”
In his drunken state he took her chin in his hands and proclaimed in all solemnity “I hereby wish Mary a very happy birthday and may all her dreams come true!”
Before Mary could pull back he was kissing her on the lips. She felt his excitement and could taste the rum on his tongue even as she struggled to free herself from his arms, then suddenly he let her go and springing to her feet she ran from the beach as if the devil himself were after her.
She burst into the kitchen where Mathilda was still trying to get rid of the caterers. “What’s the matter with you? “she asked “And where is Michael. You know that you were supposed to wait for him.”
Mary still breathless from her hasty departure from Michael’s company stammered. “He is still on the beach.”
Her mother looked at her not comprehending. “But Mary, I told you to bring him home. He has had too much to drink and you know that if you leave him on the beach he will most probably fall asleep there. Madam will not be at all pleased if we left him to sleep on the sand. He is so delicate he will probably get a cold”
She turned to the two men from the catering. “Okay you can have one bottle each but then you have to go, and I want to see you bright and early tomorrow to get rid of the tent.” She ushered the two men out the door.
“Mary,” she commanded. “I will go and get Michael you finish cleaning up here and then you can go to bed.”
Mary nodded and started in at once with the dirty dishes. She did not intend to be present in the kitchen when her mother brought Michael home. She still felt his lips on hers and the feeling that gave her was a strange one. She did not know what to make of it.
Mary lay on her bed with her head on her folded arms. She was pleasantly exhausted but did not seem able to fall asleep, finally she gave it up altogether and let her mind fly back to the last half an hour of the party. She felt again Michael’s arms pulling her down to the sand and the beating of his heart against her breasts. Mary sighed, he had been drunk otherwise he would have never kissed her as he had. She heard his voice in the kitchen and his footsteps as he walked up the stairs to his bed. Mathilda, she was sure was going to see to it that he did not stumble on the stairs. Mary fell asleep with the fire of Michael’s lips still filling her senses.
In the weeks and months that followed Michael seemed to be avoiding her. Mary did not know what to make of him. She did not delude herself that that one kiss would lead anywhere but she cherished it and she hoped that he remembered it also.