Читать книгу Safety Harbor - Chuck Cooper - Страница 14

“There are going to be a heap of changes in the big parade coming up tomorrow,” Katye began.

Magdalena looked puzzled. “How would that possibly affect us here at the Unsettlement?”

“We want you all in the parade!” she said simply. She was never one to add a word to a sentence if it wasn’t needed.

“What do you mean, you want us in it?” Magdalena asked.

Katye looked to Father.

“The thing is,” he said, “you know Joe is gone. Disappeared.”

“Yes?” She failed to connect the two events.

“Even though he is gone he left instructions for us to carry out that have been deemed by some to be, shall we say, unusual.”

Carmelita nodded in agreement.

“Since Carmelita here is in charge of the parade, along with Katye, I’ll turn this over to them.”

It was difficult for Father to stop talking, but he did. He nodded to the Chief.

“We want to ask Rock and you to be the Grand Marshals of the parade.”

“No!” Magdalena responded in disbelief.

“This was the first of Joe’s instructions.” Carmelita continued. “Because so many respect and love him, we want to carry this plan out on his behalf.”

“Well, I’ll have to talk to Rock about it,” she said.

“There’s more,” said Father.

Katye spoke up. “We want the good people of this place to be first in line in the parade!” she said.

Magdalena was flabbergasted. “I don’t know where to begin telling you how logistically impossible this is going to be,” she said.

Father’s eyes twinkled. “All things are possible.”

“We would have to have a community gathering to talk about this. They aren’t just something to be put on display, you know.”

“I know Joe didn’t have that in mind at all,” said Father.

“I’m sure he didn’t either,” she responded, “but many of those who live on the harsher side of life are either invisible or two-dimensional. They need to know they are a part of things. They can’t just do this and then come home and then never the twain shall meet.”

“You mean the people of Safety Harbor and the Unsettlement,” said Katye.

“Exactly!”

“I’m not sure we’ve thought that far ahead,” said Father wistfully. “Yes, there will be implications, and perhaps complications.”

“Some of these people go to work at regular jobs; some are infirm and are on some kind of assistance; some are unemployed and there are some who stay here all day taking care of their children and the children of others who’ve gone to work. Their economic status is unstable at best and to make their lives easier, they help one another out with the basics of life. We’ll call a meeting at dinner time this evening when most everybody’s here. I wish Rock were here. He’s always good with these things and has the energy and vision to get everybody in action.

“I’m the thinker and the planner,” she smiled coyly. “Rock says that things have a way of working out. Little does he know that, before he gets there he has a partner who has quietly smoothed the way ahead.”

“How about the Grand Marshal business?” asked Father.

“Oh, I’m sure,” Magdalena offered, “when Rock is told that Joe wants it that way that he will do it.”

“There’s one more thing,” said Katye. “I think we should invite you to be a part of the Steering Committee. I haven’t talked to the rest of the members but I’m sure that since we’ve endorsed Joe’s Plan that they will agree that it makes sense.”

There was immediate assent by Carmelita and Father Callaghan.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” said Father. “If we want to do as Magdalena says and not put people on display or patronize them, we need to ask the Monastery of the Unsettled to be a real part of this whole thing including the planning.”

“I would agree with you,” said Magdalena. “I will assent to coming on board if Rock and the group approve of going forward with this.”

When she got back to her office, Carmelita quietly put out a BOLO on one, Joseph Vincent Magnus.