The Typewriter

Chapter 14 or Day 14 of NaNoWriMo 2012 (1,723 words)

Chapter 14: Miles and Sally get a lesson in family history

Miles sat at the kitchen table watching Sally fix breakfast. It had been several weeks since he tasted her special Dragon's Egg Omelet. Since eating real dragon eggs were illegal because the animals are endangered, Sally used two extra large goose eggs. To make the eggs taste like true dragon eggs, Sally used two different hot peppers, one a deep scarlet pepper and the other a shiny green pepper. When she sliced the peppers she did not remove their seeds because the seeds enhanced the "Dragon Egg" flavor of the omelets.

Miles liked to watch Sally make this particular omelet because it brought back memories of his childhood. Every year for his father's birthday, his mother would buy a Dragon's Egg on the black market, and make a Dragon Egg Omelet for breakfast. Then his parents, his sister, and himself would sit at the kitchen table eating the omelet. When his grandfather was alive, he would tell them about the last great dragon hunt before the animals were declared endangered. After his grandfather died, his father would read the story from his grandfather's journal.

You know, Miles," said Sally as she placed the plates containing their omelets on the table and poured two large glasses of milk. "I think this omelet is the only reason you ask me to marry you."

"Well," he smiled, "not the only reason, but one of them. The first time you made this omelet was the dinner you made for my parents." He sliced the omelet and dipped it into a creamy white sauce. "Later that nigh, Mom and dad told me they had never tasted anything that came that close to a real dragon's egg omelet. Dad told me if I let you get away, he would disown me."

"So," she laughed, "you ask me to marry you so your father wouldn't disown you."

"That's about it," with his fork, he picked up another slice of omelet, but this time he dipped it into a honey sauce.

"Well, Miles," she took a sip of milk, "I guess that proves my mother was right. She always said the best way to win a man's heart was to cook a meal for his parents."

George came into the kitchen, removed the leftover cold cuts from the refrigerator, and made himself a sandwich. Then he poured a cup of coffee and with his breakfast sit down at the kitchen table. "Eating dragon's egg omelet again I see," he put some of the creamy white sauce on his sandwich.

"Dad, would you like me to fix you a hot breakfast?"

"No, Sally," he sighed, "ever since your mother's death, I haven't been able to eat a hot breakfast without crying."

"OK," she shook her head, "what do you want for lunch?"

"Whatever they serve at the Red Dragon Casino." George spread some on the honey sauce on his second sandwich, "What are you two going to do?"

"Well," said Miles finishing his milk. "According to local custom, this is the day of the week when one visits friends, family, new acquaintances, and business associates in their homes. My understanding of this custom is that it's considered improper to call first."

"Will the Red Dragon be open?"

"George," Miles laughed, "my Uncle Jake says that casino never closes, not for a death or for holidays." Miles stood up, picked up his breakfast dishes and took them to the sink. "I don't thin Uncle Jake was happy about the casino."

"So," said Sally joining him at the sink, "Are we going to see your Uncle Jake?"

"Probably this morning, but this afternoon we're going to see Miss Lydia." The doorbell ring and Sally went to answer it, while Miles washed the breakfast dishes.

"Good morning," Sally said as she opened the door. Standing on the front porch was a gray haired man.

"Good morning, Miss Sally," he smiled. "I'm Miles' uncle Jake Nolan."

"Please, come in," she unlocked the screen door, "Miles is in the kitchen."

"I was in the kitchen," said Miles coming into entrance hall. "George insisted on doing the dishes. Hi, Uncle Jake."

"Morning, Miles," Jake shook Miles' hand. "I brought my car over in case you and Miss Sally want to go visiting."

"You two go in the sitting room," Sally said, "I'll get some coffee."

In the setting room, Miles and Jake sit down on the couch. Jake opened the photo album to the photo of Stella Nolan and her four children. He stared at it for a few minutes, "Miles, I guess you noticed that the only ones buried at the Nolan grave site are my parents."

"Yes," Miles studied the expression his uncle's face. "I presumed that Uncle Ed and Uncle Clay, like Mom, left Dragonview."

"They did, but do you know why?"

"No, Uncle Jake, Mom never said much about the family. I know she came back here for Grandma Stella funeral and later for her father's, but that was all I was aware of until I came here."

Sally and George entered the setting room, each carrying a serving tray. George set the tray containing a silver coffee pot, five porcelain cups, desert plates, and forks on the coffee table, he then sit down in an easy chair. Sally sit the pastry tray on the coffee table and sit down next to Miles.

"Uncle Jake," said Miles filling the cups with coffee. "This is Sally's father George Jenkins."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Nolan," George got up, shook Jake's hand, and then picked up a cup of coffee.

"Good to meet you," he smiled and took a cup for himself, "but please call me Jake."

"In that case, Jake, you have to call me George."

Miles placed a cup of coffee in front of Sally and took one for himself. "Chocolate cake anyone?" When the others nodded he placed a slice of cake in each desert dish.

"I was about to tell, Miles," Jake said, "about the family split."

"Go ahead, Uncle Jake," Sally smiled.

"Anyway," Jake began, "Ed and Clay left Dragonview a few days after Cora, but instead of going to Central City the went to the coast. Ed took a bus headed for the East coast and Clay the West. I stayed here to take care of Mom and the house."

He took a bite of the cake, while he decided what to say next. "Mom was upset at first, but then they each wrote her a letter and that seemed to calm her. For the first couple of years Ed and Clay wrote Mom once or twice a month, but then there letters stopped coming. Cora was the only one who continued writing Mom on a regular basis.

"When Mom died, I tried to contact Ed and Clay at their last know addresses, but the letters were never returned. I still don't know what happened to them. Cora attended Mom's funeral, but stayed in this house."

"What split the family, Uncle Jake," Miles took a sip of coffee.

"Foolishness," Jake sighed, "and pride. You see, after my father died, Mom cleaned houses to keep us fed and the mortgage paid. One of the houses she cleaned was this one, Mr. Applewhite rented it out to summer visitors. When the tenants left in the fall, Mom would give the house a through cleaning and then would come in about once a month to make dust and whatnot. Sometime during the fall or winter Mom and Mr. Applewhite became intimate and Cora was conceived. I think they ended the affair a couple of months before Cora was born, but I don't know for sure because Mom never talked about it."

He paused for a few minutes, "Anyway, right before the three of them left; Ed, Clay, and I decided we would confront Luther Applewhite to find out why he didn't marry Mom. I guess we were a bit drunk that night, because the only thing I remember is waking up in a jail cell sicker then a unicorn in a meadow of dust lilies. Ed and Clay were passed out on the floor, but with black eyes.

"When Mom came to pay our fines and take us home, she was angry as a cornered werewolf." He took a deep breath, "I didn't find out until later why. We made it to the Applewhite front lawn, where Ed and Clay got into a fight over which one was going to hit Mr. Applewhite first. While they were fighting, I staggered onto the front porch and pounded on the door. When Mr. Applewhite answered the door, I attempted to hit him, but missed. All things considered it's probably just as well. Anyway, he called the constable who took us to jail."

Jake poured himself another cup of coffee, "Split occurred the next day, when Cora ask us to explain our motives. Ed and Clay said they didn't think Cora should use the Nolan name when she wasn't a Nolan. Cora ask them if they wanted her to leave Dragonview and they said yes. I still regret not standing up for Cora and not apologizing to her. Maybe if I'd stood up for her wouldn't have left town in a fit of anger.

"When Mom found out Cora had left, she was livid. Mom then told us that the reason Luther never married her was that he thought his wife was still alive somewhere. Clay and Ed left the next day on different buses."

"So that's what happened," Miles frowned. "I'm glad Mom wrote Grandma Stella. Did she answer Mom?"

"Yes," said Jake. "She answered everyone, when Cora came to the funeral she brought the letters Mom sent her. When I was cleaning the house for you to move in, I found them and put them with the letter Cora wrote Mom." He took a bundle of letters out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Miles. "Here they are."

"Thanks, Uncle Jake."

"What are you and Sally planning to do this afternoon?"

"We're going to visit Miss Lydia. Why?"

"I suspected as much," Jake smiled. "Take me home. While you're there pick up a box of Jan's Dragon cookies and cut some roses to give to Miss Lydia."

"Sure thing, Uncle Jake."