Free Family Reunion by Mercedes Keyes

apologetic smile as she gave him another cup of tea. Rory smiled back feeling more relaxed. A moment later, Gydale returned with an armful of small statues that were in the back room where he worked on them. Rory helped him take them to the table where he explained what they would be when completed, since some were not. One was a carving of Mailon sitting with a small squirrel in her lap as she patted its head.
    Rory was really captivated by the statue of her, when he heard a slight coo cooing, he’d heard it before but he was too nervous to give it any attention.

"That is just an old cuckoo clock sounding the hour of four."
    Gydale explained, noticing Rory's response to it, his eyes widened and his hands flew to his head when he realized he had only one hour to make it to his first day at work. "What's wrong boy?" Gydale asked, noticing Rory's worried look as he leapt from the chair tipping it over.
    "Sir it's been real nice meetin' and talkin' to you, but I got only one hour to make it to my first day at work!" Mailon hurried from her chair picking up Rory’s on the way to where his coat and scarf hung. "Sorry to leave like this Mailon but I know there's no way I'm gonna make it if I don't leave now." He said rushing to get into his coat by the door as Mailon waited to hand him his scarf. "Thanks for the tea, and thank you sir for showin' me your nice work but I gotta run, and I do mean run." Mailon looked at him sadly. "I'm so-sorry Ro-ry, I did, um..." She couldn't finish for being so nervous and worried for him. "Not your fault, I just forgot the time but I gotta go. Thank you again." He said, shuffling out the door and leaping off the low porch, landing in a run as Mailon called to him.
    "Bon jour, Ro-ry!!" He spun waving at her as he ran backward, then turned again as he took off.
    'Oh No! Oh No! My first day, my first day! What will I tell him? I can't tell him the truth, that would make me seem all the more irresponsible.' He pained over an explanation ignoring the biting cold that increased as the evening progressed. 'I can't believe it, my first day. Damn! I'll never make it by five, there's no way!' Running as fast as he was, it was no time before he warmed up, thinking of what to say in explanation to being tardy.
    'Dammit Rollo, this is all your fault! If you hadn't started picking on me! I got to think of something good to tell him, something believable. Think Rory, think? Oh I know what, I'll tell him I was behind on my school work, and to make it up, I had a lot of tough assignments to do. Damnation! Rollo's got my work in the coach. I'll worry about that later. Let's see, and to back that up...um?? Yeah, by the time I was through, my mother asked me to do a long list of things for her that I couldn't possibly finish in time. That sounds good! I'll tell him that, he's into that learnin' and bein' nice to your mother stuff, that will make him think good of me.'
    It was already dark and almost six o'clock by the time he reached the docks. Upon his arrival, he realized he had no idea which ship belonged to Manny or the one he would be working on, they had discussed everything but that. Scanning the wharf to find his ship and red in the face from exhaustion, he wandered up to the Wind cutter, one of Manny's ships that had just docked in from Columbia.
    Of all people to be standing there, he saw and heard Manny with Mike, Leon and the captain from the Wind cutter.

Rory could not help but hear his booming voice as he directed his men into unloading crate after crate while there was still enough light to see by. He was obviously not pleased with the captain, as the group conversed tensely while Manny issued orders. The job was usually the captains but for some reason Manny had seen the need to take over. With dread, Rory realized his mood would not be good for his late arrival. The men worked at a desperate pace, having to be cautious as well with the much colder evening making the docks slippery with thin ice. A