High Seas Series
Book One
The Stowaway
Chapter 03
Charles W Bird
[email protected]
This story is a fictional account of a period that begins immediately after the Second World War and chronicles what happens to a young teen boy who has escaped from a fiend who was sexually brutalizing him. While the story is completely fictional, actual names, characters, places and incidents that might coincide with actions, places, people or events have been changed to protect both the innocent and the guilty or are the product of my imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The actual shipboard processes, however, are based upon experiences of the author.
This story is copyrighted and may not be reproduced by any means without my express, written permission.
***************************************************************
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER TWO
After they finished loading in Melbourne, Joel told everyone that they would not depart until the next day. He had invited all the Licensed Crew to a dinner shoreside and he had Cookie prepare a dinner with all the “fixings” for the crew.
***************************************************************
TWO MARITIME CADETS STUNNED
Neither Angus nor Joel would answer any question about the shoreside dinner or what the occasion was. When Jeremy or Tommy asked, the only answer that either of them was given, “Be sure your good uniform is neat and pressed!”
The two boys were curious about what was going on, but both Joel and Angus made sure they were kept busy and that they had no opportunity to “nose” around.
The workday finally ended and Jeremy and Tommy headed for their stateroom to get cleaned up. The steward, Tong, had pressed their uniforms and they debated asking him if he knew what was going on.
In the end, even though they knew that Tong knew just about everything that was going on the Mattie, they decided to just let happen what was going to happen.
They hurried out to the pier to catch a cab to the restaurant, Antoine’s, and they spotted Angus and Joel waiting for a cab, also. The two older men invited the young men to join them and they would pay the cost of the cab.
Tommy and Jeremy were immediately suspicious when they were not asked to contribute to pay the cabby. What they did not know was that Joel and Angus had purposely waited at the foot of the gangway for them to join them.
They walked together into the posh restaurant and found the entire Licensed Crew already sitting at the tables. Jeremy leaned over and whispered in Tommy’s ear, “I’s smells a rat!”
Tommy replied, “Yeah, me too, but I sure don’t know who’s rat it is!”
They were told they could order from the menu and Tommy chose the Spring Lamb and Jeremy chose the Barramundi fish. When everyone had eaten their fill and drunk their wine, even the boys had been served wine, Joel stood and tapped his glass for attention.
The group quieted down and Joel began, “We have among us two fine young men who have become sons to Angus and myself. Sons whom we are very proud, so proud in fact, that Angus and I sent a petition off to The Maritime Administration just before we left the States on this trip. Three days ago, we received a reply to our request that I will read to you all now. To: Captain Joel David Carson, Master SS Matilda Carson with copy to Chief Engineer, Angus McPherson McDuffy, Chief Engineer SS Matilda Carson …. On the question of Shipboard Cadets Tommy Joel Carson and Jeremy Angus McDuffy, we agree with your proposal that they be made Full Maritime Commission Cadets and that their Service Records be adjusted to reflect their time in service to begin at First Appointment as Shipboard Cadets.” SS/ Robert M. Fall, Chairman, Board of Commissioners.”
There was silence in the room and everyone looked at the two young men, whose faces had been drained of blood, they were paper white and both of them were shaking like a leaf in a high storm!
Tommy was the first to recover, kind of! He stammered, “wwwWa a ah WHAT?” Jeremy had his face buried in his hands and his shoulders were shaking as he cried.
Tommy leaned over and held Jeremy and, in front of everyone in the room, kissed him on the cheek. They were unable to finish their meal as everyone in the room came up and congratulated them
Joel told everyone that The Commission had waived the requirement that they serve on other ships and that they could complete their training on board the Mattie Carson.
He later told the boys that they had three years in which to complete all their written work and apply to take the Third Assistant Engineer or the Third Mate License Examination.
He handed both of them their official Maritime Commission Department Insignia, a propeller surrounded by a wreath for Jeremy and an anchor surrounded by a wreath for Tommy. The two young men were numb and could hardly speak, so they just hugged their respective fathers and hung on for dear life.
The civilian Merchant Marine is not hung up on uniforms, only those mariners who serve on passenger liners ever wear their uniforms while working, but, over the next three years both Tommy and Jeremy would open their closet and look upon those uniforms with pride.
The next day, everyone was busy building cribbing in the holds to keep the cargo from shifting. It was the season for storms in the South Pacific Ocean and their next port was Noumea and then on to Fiji.
NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA
They sailed the next afternoon, hoping to beat a storm that was reported to be developing. They sailed North, Northeast to stay clear of the treacherous shoals around Norfolk Island.
The seas were already increasing as the storm intensified. The weather reports had the storm approaching from the North, out of the Coral Sea. Joel hoped to round Kingston Island and head more easterly towards New Caledonia.
Unfortunately, the Gods who govern sailors’ lives didn’t agree with his plans and the storm hit them with its full fury due east of Norfolk Island. For three days the storm held them in its grip, tossing them around like a rubber ducky in a bathtub!
Everyone’s sides and shoulders were bruised from being tossed against a bulkhead. They were living on sandwiches and coffee and the boiler firemen had burns on their hands from being thrown against the hot boiler casings.
Jeremy and Ed Fuller, the First Assistant Engineer spent half a day trying to lasso the swing weight on the main engine governor to keep it from tripping out. If the main engine ever stopped, they would broach and likely sink! It was dangerous to tie down the governor, but the alternative was worse.
Tommy was practically living on the Bridge, much of the time he was on the wheel with the helmsman, trying to keep the Mattie on course. His shoulders were sore from being bounced off the bulkheads and the strain of holding the wheel steady.
About mid-day of the third day of the storm, Archie Cranford, the Helmsman, was thrown across the wheelhouse, breaking his arm. Tommy held on to that wheel for a half hour before Joel could get anyone up to the wheelhouse to help him.
The First Mate got cracked on the head and had to put to bed, leaving Tommy as the only person in the wheelhouse when Joel went looking for someone to help out.
Tommy tied ropes to himself and to the railing in the wheelhouse to keep him from being tossed aside. Sometime later, Joel came up to the Wheel House and he could not help but laugh, Tommy had tied himself in all four directions and, as the Mattie rolled, Tommy was swinging horizontal to the deck!
Down below, the Firemen were only guessing how much water they had in the boilers, every once in a while they could hear a slug of water go racing through the steam piping to the Main Engine and it was a wonder that the engine did not choke.
Angus and Ed Miller had put both generators on the line in parallel, just in case one of them tripped from the violent surging and tossing.
Angus had the bilge pump running constantly, just to keep the bilges from overflowing the lower level deck plates. There was no telling where the water was coming from, hopefully it was not from a sprung hull plate or popped rivets!
They finally escaped the clutches of the storm fifty-six hours later. There were a number of broken bones among the crew and more than a few sprained fingers, lumps on heads and black and blue shoulders and backs.
At one point, the anemometer up on the mast registered sustained winds over 100 knots! That was all the higher the scale went, so it was anyone’s guess just how strong the winds had actually been!
Everyone was exhausted, up on the Bridge, Tommy had been acting as Mate of the Watch after the First Mate got hurt and Jeremy suddenly found himself as the only Engineer in the Engine Room. He nearly panicked until the oiler told him that Mr. Angus was up forward, switching suction on a full fuel oil tank so they would not loose suction.
When Angus returned, Jeremy saw his face, it looked like old modeling clay, so he told his Dad to go sit down and that he would run the watch. Angus was so tired, he did not even bother to argue, he went over to a pile of rags and laid down on them, he was asleep as soon as he was horizontal.
The storm had blown them way off course and it took them an extra three days to backtrack to Noumea. When Jeremy finally was able to leave the Engine Room, he came up on deck and was met by wreckage of the cargo handling gear. The auxiliary boom was laying over at an uncanny angle and the main boom had fallen on the after hold cover, smashing the cover completely.
The cargo was soaked and he wondered how much of it was ruined. He went to his and Tommy’s stateroom to lie down and rest for a bit, he was a mass of bruises, cuts and aching muscles.
He stepped into their stateroom and spotted Tommy on his bunk with a bloody bandage around his head. Jeremy screamed and rushed to Tommy, crying, fearing Tommy had been seriously injured.
Jeremy was holding Tommy and sobbing, when Tommy woke and put his arms around his beloved, “I’m ok Jer, just I hurt everywhere and Dad agreed, we would clean up the mess when we got to Noumea.” He continued, “There is a pier at Port Despontes that Dad has reserved, where we can clean up the ship and repair the cargo gear.”
The Matilda Carson was hurt and, like an old lady, the crew swore they could hear her sigh in relief when the Bridge rang down, FINISHED WITH ENGINE! The mess was awful, it took them a week, just to make her seaworthy again. The Main Cargo boom was severely damaged and it was beyond their capability to repair it. That meant they were going to have to rely on the three auxiliary booms to work the cargo for the rest of the trip.
Tommy was up early, he hurt all over, but he had duties to perform and everyone else hurt just as badly as he did. When got down to the hold, the cargo had shifted during the storm and wedged in tight, almost as if it had been welded in place. He had all the deck hands down in the hold, prying the Noumea cargo out for delivery. They could not even begin to make repairs until the Noumea cargo was out of their way.
Without the main boom, working the cargo took twice as long as usual, Tommy was sure he was going to go bald, pulling his hair out. Three days later, they were completed and shifted the Mattie over to the pier in Despontes, where they could make emergency repairs.
Fortunately, they were able to salvage the main cargo boom, however, they would not put a maximum load on it until it could be tested in a shipyard. All but one of the auxiliary booms would need repairs and load testing. None of the cargo was damaged, but the crating took a terrible beating and Tommy had to have it repaired so that the cargo for Figi would not be damaged.
Everyone was exhausted, so they worked only 10 hours each day and let everyone, but for two watches at the gangway, sleep during the night. By the time they were ready to sail, the Mattie looked like a patchwork ship, but, she was sound and she would get them back home.
They were still heavily laden, so Joel waited for the morning high tide to sail out the shallow harbor. They would have a concrete pier to work with in Figi, so that delivery would, hopefully go faster
FIGI
Joel had made reservations for them to dock at the Imel Pier in Suva City. That was the lone concrete pier and they would be able to offload the main Cargo Boom and lay it out flat on the pier to work on it.
Joel knew that the boom would have to be replaced as soon as they got home, he could see the wrinkles of a kink on the boom itself, they would never be able to trust it again. Angus and Jeremy came up with an idea to strengthen the damaged section and Joel agreed to it, with the provision that nobody was to stand beneath the boom while they were working cargo.
They decided to repair the main boom before they worked any cargo and that proved to be a wise choice, the cargo boom fought them every time they put a load to it. It would swing to the left under load and, if the hoist operator was not quick, the chance of dumping the load was almost assured. After the repairs were made, it still swung to the left a bit, but not nearly as bad as before.
Even though he was part of the Black Gang, Jeremy followed his usual routine of helping Tommy in managing the cargo handling from down in the hold. The ABs were used to him and could almost second guess what his next instructions would be. More importantly, they trusted both of them and knew that they would not do anything that would endanger any of them.
It took them four days to clear the cargo and Joel had notified their customers that, due to storm damage, the Matilda Carson would not take on cargo to any destination until they could return to their Home Port and get the damage repaired and the booms recertified.
They emptied the cargo holds and covered the hatches in preparation to sail. They were empty, so they knew it was going to be a rough ride home. They sailed the next morning and began the long trek home.
HEADED FOR HOME
On the second day out from Suva City, the BR (Room Steward) stuck his head into Tommy’s and Jeremy’s stateroom.
The Steward was a small Korean man, nobody knew exactly how old he was, not even himself. Kai was an excellent room steward, so nobody really minded when he occasionally cooked up some of his favorite fish dishes. They smelled to high heaven and everyone’s stomachs would go unstable until after he had consumed his food.
Kai saw Tommy sitting at his desk, studying and Jeremy was trying to take a nap. Kai said, “Mista’ Tommo, us got trubbles in th’ broom n’ swab locker, Sar.” Tommy put his book down and said to Kai, “What kind of troubles, Kai?”
Kai replied, “I’s tinks us gots un stowperson in thar sar.”
Tommy woke Jeremy and told him what Kai had told him. He pointed to Kai, who was standing there and Jeremy jumped up and slipped his trousers and shoes on. As soon as he was dressed, Jeremy said, “OK Kai, come with us to the Swab Locker and let’s see what we have living in there, hopefully, it ain’t just rats!”
Kai led them down the passageway to a door that read, “CLEANING GEAR”. Tommy put his finger to his lips to indicate quiet and he quickly opened the door.
Both he and Jeremy saw two boys hiding among the brooms and dirty mops, they looked to be about ten years old and, other than somewhat dusty complexions, they looked like white boys. Their hair was curly, but their hair itself was fire engine red!
Jeremy and Tommy reached for the boys, who cringed as if they were expecting to be hit.
Both Tommy and Jeremy got down on their knees so they were eye level with the two frightened boys and they each wrapped their arms around a boy. Tommy asked, “Do you guys speak English?” One of the boys replied, “yyyyyYeees MMaster, we larned ttthe Mmmaster tttalk.”
Both Tommy and Jeremy knew immediately what they were dealing with, these boys were runaway slaves. When the found fresh blood on the back of the boys’ cutoff trousers, they KNEW what kind of slaves they were.
Both Tommy and Jeremy were as angry as they had ever been, but Tommy managed to keep his voice calm. He told the two boys, “Lets get you boys to our room and get some food in you before we decide what to do.”
He turned to Kai and said, “Kai, ask Cookie to fix up two trays of soft foods with lots of sugar in it, some glasses of milk and bring it to our rooms. We are gonna need some extra towels, but we can wait a bit about some cots. Then, get Mr. Angus and Captain Joel and ask them to come down to our stateroom, please.”
In that instant, Mr. Jeremy and Mr. Tommy stood ten feet tall in Kai’s eyes. In a few years hence, he would become their personal man-servant and would remain with them for the rest of his life.
When Kai asked Cookie for the food, Cookie knew what kind of food was needed and why. He prayed to God the children that Mr. Tommy and Mr. Jeremy had found were in better shape than he had been almost forty years earlier when Old Cap’n Joel had found him cringing behind the lifeboat davit.
Cookie asked Kai, “Did Mr. Tommy or Mr. Jeremy tell you to go get the Captain?” Kai replied, “Yes, Sar, n’ Mr. Angus too.”
Cookie then said, “You go ahead and get Cap’n Joel n’ Mr. Angus. I will take the food down to their stateroom and some towels an’ soap bars.”
Cooky set about fixing some oatmeal mush that he sweetened with sugar and maple syrup.
He gathered up a dozen clean towels and some wash cloths and headed to the stateroom that all the crew called, “The Boy Locker”.
Cookie had been sailing on the Mattie for nearly forty years, there was not much that he had not seen, however, he was about to participate in a situation that would not only surprise him, but also make him thank God that there were people like Tommy Carson and Jeremy McDuffy in this world!
REPAIRING TWO HURT BOYS
Cookie stepped into the compartment with an armload of towels and two trays of food balanced on the top. He spotted the two redheaded boys with a death grip on Tommy and Jeremy. He quietly stepped over to the table and set the food trays down. He then placed the towels and soap bars on Tommy’s bed before he came over close to the small boys.
He said, “Boys, ya gots two fine men here ta’ care fer ya’ and their Daddies will help, too. Pointing to Tommy, he continued, “This man is the Captain’s son an’ his partner here is the son of the Chief Engineer. Ya’ couldn’t do no better than these two ta’ get ya’ back on yer feets.
About that time, both Joel and Angus came into the room and quickly appraised the situation and saw the young boys clinging to their sons. Joel said, “Boys, you are both legally men now, you are both over eighteen. Are ya’ gonna be Daddies to these two little ones?”
Tommy and Jeremy looked at one another and they both smiled.
Joel said, “I thought so, congratulations. I will send a Marconi to our lawyer and get him started on the paperwork.”
He knelt down in front of the two little boys and asked, “Do you guys want these two men to be your Papas?” Both boys nodded their head shyly, in a yes, so Joel asked them what their names were. He about took off like a signal rocket when he learned the boys’ names were, “One” and “Two”! Both Tommy and Jeremy spoke up, “Not anymore, they are BOTH Juniors!”
Angus was standing there, tears were flowing down his old face as he said, “Welcome Home, Boys” as he gave each one a kiss on their forehead.
Joel headed up to the Radio Shack and Angus headed back to his Engine Room. He had to laugh, somehow, the news was already spread around the ship and the Second Engineer said, “Congratulations, Grampa!”
Meanwhile, Tommy and Jeremy got their sons cleaned up before they would let them eat the food the Cookie brought down.
While Tommy was helping the boys with their food, Jeremy took a quick trip up to their small Sickbay and collected some medicines and soothing burn creams to treat their sons’ wounds.
The little boys were almost asleep in the warm shower and, other than a slight whimper, they made no sound as each Papa treated his son’s injuries.
After they had washed off the crusted blood and feces, the wounds did not look nearly as bad. With full tummies and freshly cleaned, both little boys were laid in their Papas’ beds.
Tommy and Jeremy lay beside them until they were asleep, then they got up and hugged each other and kissed. One little boy saw them through half shuttered eyes and giggled, “Yus same me n’ two!”
Both Tommy and Jeremy were determined to break their sons from calling themselves one and two. One was going to be Tommy, Junior and the other was going to be Jeremy, Junior. The only problem was, how were they going to tell who was who?
It would take several days before they were able to tell the two boys apart and even longer to convince them that they DID NOT want to have sex with them!
As time went forward, both men were pretty sure the two juniors did have sex occasionally with each other, but they never again asked their Daddies to have sex with them.
It was fortunate that all the crew understood the situation, both Jeremy and Tommy were becoming powerful young men and they would have shredded anyone they thought was sexually abusing their sons! That was how they thought of the two boys, they were THEIR sons. That Jeremy and Tommy were a couple was confirmed at that moment!
The days passed as the Mattie plodded her way back to San Francisco Bay. They were running light and the ship rolled like a log, but, amazingly, the little Junior Boys, as everyone called them collectively, took it all in stride.
They would run down a passageway, weaving as the ship rolled, but never clipping a bulkhead!
They were happy little boys who positively bloomed under their Papas’ care. The little boys knew absolutely nothing about their own heritage, but everyone was pretty sure that they had one white parent and one native parent, most probably a Figi Native.
They picked up words like sponges and, it was not long before the crew found its own language was improving. Like all little boys everywhere, those words only adults were allowed to say are the ones they picked up fastest!
After a few expletives like, DAMN, HELL and a few words even more steamy came out of their mouths, the entire crew was more careful about what they said and how they said it.
At long last, The Matilda Carson sailed under The Golden Gate Bridge and entered San Francisco Bay. It was a short hop across the bay and their Home Pier, everyone was happy and relieved with they heard the clatter of the Engine Order Enunciator as “FINISHED WITH ENGINE” was rung down.
Both “Old” Captain Joel and Angus’ wife, Frances, were standing on the pier as the Mattie tied up and went silent. They both had received Marconi messages that there were new family members on board the Mattie and they were anxious to meet them.
Jeremy and Tommy came down the gangway, each leading a small boy, at first, all they could see were two mops of bright red hair. As they got closer, they saw two slightly dark skinned boys in clothes several sized too big for them, but, both boys were smiling and they had Jeremy’s and Tommy’s hands tightly clutched in their own. Tommy was leading the parade and, with a little prodding by Tommy, the small boy stepped up to Old Cap’n Joel and said, “Me oonne, eeer Tommy Junior Sir.” The other boy, not to be outdone by his twin, shouted, “Me, Jer Junior, sir!”
The old Captain and Frances McDuffy each picked up a boy and hugged them tightly. Frances turned to her grandson, Jeremy, and demanded, “Why is this boy so skinny, have you not been feeding him?”
Jeremy grinned at his Grandmother and replied, “Ma’m, he has been eating enough for two boys, don’t get your fingers too close, he might try to eat them too!” Little Jeremy giggled and said, “Me no eat peoples, Papa, I’s eat only stuffs what been cooked!”
The Old Captain was trying mightily to keep from bawling like a baby, he had never expected to have a Son and now he had a GREATGrandson, too!
It didn’t matter to anyone that the two boys were of mixed blood and, at first sight, Old Cap’n Joel suspected that the two little boys were more than just brothers. He would soon find out that he was right.
Joel told the First Mate to give everyone overnight liberty, the two civilian guards would be enough to keep the empty ship safe for the night.
The Old Cap’n and Frances had brought their automobiles down to the pier, so, as soon as Joel and Angus had completed everything, the families piled into the cars and headed for home.
The two little boys were disturbed at being separated, but their eyes danced in joy as they saw their new home and, even more so when they discovered their new home were right next door to each other!
It got even better when the discovered the bedroom windows were directly opposite each other on the second floor. They waved at each other as they were shown their new rooms by their Papas. They were both bewildered by all the new clothes in the closet and they had their own private “pottie” next to their bedrooms.
Lunch was served in both houses and two sets of eyes were drooping, so, despite their protests that they were not tired, two little boys were soon sound asleep in their own beds, in their own rooms with their own Papa kissing them and telling them to “sleep tight”.
Both Tommy and Jeremy saw, however, that they were going to have to get their own place, they didn’t like be separated and they were sure that the “Juniors” didn’t much like it either. They could not know what was in store for them that same evening, it would be staggering.
A HOUSE THAT IS A HOME
They let the little boys sleep for a couple of hours, they were totally wrung out emotionally. Jeremy and Angus came over and they all sat down to talk while the little boys were sleeping off their excitement. Tommy broached the subject that both he and Jeremy were dreading, where were they going to live?
Joel smiled and said, “Why, in a Company House, of course!” Both Tommy’s and Jeremy’s eyes went wide and they asked together, “Company House?”
Joel said, “Sure” and he pointed to the house that stood directly behind Angus’ house. He said, “That house and the one right next door belongs to us as do the three houses across the street. The ones across the street are where the Purser, First mate and First Assistant Engineer live. The rest of the Licensed Crew all live one block over from here. Now all you guys gotta do is choose one of the two houses behind us and the Company Business Agent gets the other one.”
Both Tommy and Jeremy sat there with their mouths hanging open, they could only stutter, “wwwWhaaa ahh hhhouuuses?”
Angus chuckled and reminded their sons about it being fly season!
Joel handed the boys two sets of keys and told them to go choose which house they wanted.
Tommy and Jeremy grabbed the keys and went flying across the street. They spent a couple of hours touring every nook and cranny of the two houses before they agreed on the one that was directly across the street from Joel’s house. They felt the one on the corner might have more traffic and would be a danger to the little boys.
The rest of the day went by in a blur, Tommy and Jeremy had to go into town to purchase furniture and household items for their new home. Joel told them how much they could spend and it would take them a week to get all the things they thought they needed. They tried to return the money they had not spent, to Joel, who just laughed and told them to use it on the stuff they forgot to purchase.
Tommy and Jeremy were wondering about what they were going to do when they had to go back to sea. With all the purchases they had made, they feared that neither of them could afford to be out of work!
Joel sprung his last surprise on them, there were two housekeeper/nannies included in the deal, who were company employees! They would be live in employees and one could relieve the other, if one of them had to be off work.
By the end of the week, both Tommy and Jeremy were wishing they could go back to sea just so they could get a little rest! When was the Mattie gonna be ready?
Things did settle down and they got back into a routine, where the little boys would go to school from 8 am to 2:30 in the afternoon. Their nannies would take them to the school, which was only a block away, and retrieve them when school was over. It was a private school that fed them lunch.
The first couple of days were hard on the little boys, they were the “new kids on the block” and it was obvious they are not white. The children handled the latter much better than their parents did and several kids were yanked out of school. (remember, this part of the story lakes place in the waning years of the 1940’s)
As the work began to get finished up on the Matilda Carson, Tommy and Jeremy began working their sons toward their having to go back to sea. They had encouraged their sons to make friends with other boys at school and even to bring them home to play after school. Most of the boys at school lived in the nearby areas, as they all walked to school each day.
It was not long before there were several boys coming home with their boys and, either Anna or Mandy, the two housekeepers, would always call the visiting children’s parents to make sure they knew where their children were. Anna and Mandy were twin sisters and were the children of the company Business Agent.
Tommy and Jeremy looked into purchasing an automobile, but automobile manufacturers were just then retooling for civilian production after the war. Everything they looked at was ugly as sin and, being an Engineer, Jeremy refused to purchase a “cobbled together piece of junk” as he called every car they looked at.
The night before they had to sail, both little boys were in hysterics and neither Anna nor Mandy could calm them down. Grandma Frances came over and soon had them asleep. She just smiled when Anna and Mandy asked her what was the secret, she replied, “A little spice, a little love and a whole lot of hugs.”
The next morning, Jeremy and Tommy allowed the boys to miss school and Frances drove them all down to the waterfront to see the Mattie off. The little boys were still a bit sad and their lower lips were trembling as they kissed their Daddies goodbye, but their held off their tears and waved and shouted as the Mattie began to back away from the pier. There would be tears later, but they both put up a brave face for their Daddies.
The Matilda Carson would sail empty upbay to the steel works in Pittsburg, where they would take on a shipload of steel pipe and building steel. Both Japan and Korea were beginning the massive effort of rebuilding after the terrible war and the Mattie would be making round trip voyages, carrying supplies, steel, bagged cement and all the things needed to rebuild a shattered nation.
**************************************************************
TBC
There will be a steady stream of goods and materials need to rebuild war weary and shattered nations and give them a chance to reclaim their place in the world. However, already there were war clouds on the horizon and more ships were going to be needed. Joel was already looking for another ship. The poor old Mattie was slow and they needed another ship that could carry more and sail faster. He had no plans to retire the Mattie, the new ship would be an addition to the company.
[email protected]
This story is a fictional account of a period that begins immediately after the Second World War and chronicles what happens to a young teen boy who has escaped from a fiend who was sexually brutalizing him. While the story is completely fictional, actual names, characters, places and incidents that might coincide with actions, places, people or events have been changed to protect both the innocent and the guilty or are the product of my imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. The actual shipboard processes, however, are based upon experiences of the author.
This story is copyrighted and may not be reproduced by any means without my express, written permission.
***************************************************************
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER TWO
After they finished loading in Melbourne, Joel told everyone that they would not depart until the next day. He had invited all the Licensed Crew to a dinner shoreside and he had Cookie prepare a dinner with all the “fixings” for the crew.
***************************************************************
TWO MARITIME CADETS STUNNED
Neither Angus nor Joel would answer any question about the shoreside dinner or what the occasion was. When Jeremy or Tommy asked, the only answer that either of them was given, “Be sure your good uniform is neat and pressed!”
The two boys were curious about what was going on, but both Joel and Angus made sure they were kept busy and that they had no opportunity to “nose” around.
The workday finally ended and Jeremy and Tommy headed for their stateroom to get cleaned up. The steward, Tong, had pressed their uniforms and they debated asking him if he knew what was going on.
In the end, even though they knew that Tong knew just about everything that was going on the Mattie, they decided to just let happen what was going to happen.
They hurried out to the pier to catch a cab to the restaurant, Antoine’s, and they spotted Angus and Joel waiting for a cab, also. The two older men invited the young men to join them and they would pay the cost of the cab.
Tommy and Jeremy were immediately suspicious when they were not asked to contribute to pay the cabby. What they did not know was that Joel and Angus had purposely waited at the foot of the gangway for them to join them.
They walked together into the posh restaurant and found the entire Licensed Crew already sitting at the tables. Jeremy leaned over and whispered in Tommy’s ear, “I’s smells a rat!”
Tommy replied, “Yeah, me too, but I sure don’t know who’s rat it is!”
They were told they could order from the menu and Tommy chose the Spring Lamb and Jeremy chose the Barramundi fish. When everyone had eaten their fill and drunk their wine, even the boys had been served wine, Joel stood and tapped his glass for attention.
The group quieted down and Joel began, “We have among us two fine young men who have become sons to Angus and myself. Sons whom we are very proud, so proud in fact, that Angus and I sent a petition off to The Maritime Administration just before we left the States on this trip. Three days ago, we received a reply to our request that I will read to you all now. To: Captain Joel David Carson, Master SS Matilda Carson with copy to Chief Engineer, Angus McPherson McDuffy, Chief Engineer SS Matilda Carson …. On the question of Shipboard Cadets Tommy Joel Carson and Jeremy Angus McDuffy, we agree with your proposal that they be made Full Maritime Commission Cadets and that their Service Records be adjusted to reflect their time in service to begin at First Appointment as Shipboard Cadets.” SS/ Robert M. Fall, Chairman, Board of Commissioners.”
There was silence in the room and everyone looked at the two young men, whose faces had been drained of blood, they were paper white and both of them were shaking like a leaf in a high storm!
Tommy was the first to recover, kind of! He stammered, “wwwWa a ah WHAT?” Jeremy had his face buried in his hands and his shoulders were shaking as he cried.
Tommy leaned over and held Jeremy and, in front of everyone in the room, kissed him on the cheek. They were unable to finish their meal as everyone in the room came up and congratulated them
Joel told everyone that The Commission had waived the requirement that they serve on other ships and that they could complete their training on board the Mattie Carson.
He later told the boys that they had three years in which to complete all their written work and apply to take the Third Assistant Engineer or the Third Mate License Examination.
He handed both of them their official Maritime Commission Department Insignia, a propeller surrounded by a wreath for Jeremy and an anchor surrounded by a wreath for Tommy. The two young men were numb and could hardly speak, so they just hugged their respective fathers and hung on for dear life.
The civilian Merchant Marine is not hung up on uniforms, only those mariners who serve on passenger liners ever wear their uniforms while working, but, over the next three years both Tommy and Jeremy would open their closet and look upon those uniforms with pride.
The next day, everyone was busy building cribbing in the holds to keep the cargo from shifting. It was the season for storms in the South Pacific Ocean and their next port was Noumea and then on to Fiji.
NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA
They sailed the next afternoon, hoping to beat a storm that was reported to be developing. They sailed North, Northeast to stay clear of the treacherous shoals around Norfolk Island.
The seas were already increasing as the storm intensified. The weather reports had the storm approaching from the North, out of the Coral Sea. Joel hoped to round Kingston Island and head more easterly towards New Caledonia.
Unfortunately, the Gods who govern sailors’ lives didn’t agree with his plans and the storm hit them with its full fury due east of Norfolk Island. For three days the storm held them in its grip, tossing them around like a rubber ducky in a bathtub!
Everyone’s sides and shoulders were bruised from being tossed against a bulkhead. They were living on sandwiches and coffee and the boiler firemen had burns on their hands from being thrown against the hot boiler casings.
Jeremy and Ed Fuller, the First Assistant Engineer spent half a day trying to lasso the swing weight on the main engine governor to keep it from tripping out. If the main engine ever stopped, they would broach and likely sink! It was dangerous to tie down the governor, but the alternative was worse.
Tommy was practically living on the Bridge, much of the time he was on the wheel with the helmsman, trying to keep the Mattie on course. His shoulders were sore from being bounced off the bulkheads and the strain of holding the wheel steady.
About mid-day of the third day of the storm, Archie Cranford, the Helmsman, was thrown across the wheelhouse, breaking his arm. Tommy held on to that wheel for a half hour before Joel could get anyone up to the wheelhouse to help him.
The First Mate got cracked on the head and had to put to bed, leaving Tommy as the only person in the wheelhouse when Joel went looking for someone to help out.
Tommy tied ropes to himself and to the railing in the wheelhouse to keep him from being tossed aside. Sometime later, Joel came up to the Wheel House and he could not help but laugh, Tommy had tied himself in all four directions and, as the Mattie rolled, Tommy was swinging horizontal to the deck!
Down below, the Firemen were only guessing how much water they had in the boilers, every once in a while they could hear a slug of water go racing through the steam piping to the Main Engine and it was a wonder that the engine did not choke.
Angus and Ed Miller had put both generators on the line in parallel, just in case one of them tripped from the violent surging and tossing.
Angus had the bilge pump running constantly, just to keep the bilges from overflowing the lower level deck plates. There was no telling where the water was coming from, hopefully it was not from a sprung hull plate or popped rivets!
They finally escaped the clutches of the storm fifty-six hours later. There were a number of broken bones among the crew and more than a few sprained fingers, lumps on heads and black and blue shoulders and backs.
At one point, the anemometer up on the mast registered sustained winds over 100 knots! That was all the higher the scale went, so it was anyone’s guess just how strong the winds had actually been!
Everyone was exhausted, up on the Bridge, Tommy had been acting as Mate of the Watch after the First Mate got hurt and Jeremy suddenly found himself as the only Engineer in the Engine Room. He nearly panicked until the oiler told him that Mr. Angus was up forward, switching suction on a full fuel oil tank so they would not loose suction.
When Angus returned, Jeremy saw his face, it looked like old modeling clay, so he told his Dad to go sit down and that he would run the watch. Angus was so tired, he did not even bother to argue, he went over to a pile of rags and laid down on them, he was asleep as soon as he was horizontal.
The storm had blown them way off course and it took them an extra three days to backtrack to Noumea. When Jeremy finally was able to leave the Engine Room, he came up on deck and was met by wreckage of the cargo handling gear. The auxiliary boom was laying over at an uncanny angle and the main boom had fallen on the after hold cover, smashing the cover completely.
The cargo was soaked and he wondered how much of it was ruined. He went to his and Tommy’s stateroom to lie down and rest for a bit, he was a mass of bruises, cuts and aching muscles.
He stepped into their stateroom and spotted Tommy on his bunk with a bloody bandage around his head. Jeremy screamed and rushed to Tommy, crying, fearing Tommy had been seriously injured.
Jeremy was holding Tommy and sobbing, when Tommy woke and put his arms around his beloved, “I’m ok Jer, just I hurt everywhere and Dad agreed, we would clean up the mess when we got to Noumea.” He continued, “There is a pier at Port Despontes that Dad has reserved, where we can clean up the ship and repair the cargo gear.”
The Matilda Carson was hurt and, like an old lady, the crew swore they could hear her sigh in relief when the Bridge rang down, FINISHED WITH ENGINE! The mess was awful, it took them a week, just to make her seaworthy again. The Main Cargo boom was severely damaged and it was beyond their capability to repair it. That meant they were going to have to rely on the three auxiliary booms to work the cargo for the rest of the trip.
Tommy was up early, he hurt all over, but he had duties to perform and everyone else hurt just as badly as he did. When got down to the hold, the cargo had shifted during the storm and wedged in tight, almost as if it had been welded in place. He had all the deck hands down in the hold, prying the Noumea cargo out for delivery. They could not even begin to make repairs until the Noumea cargo was out of their way.
Without the main boom, working the cargo took twice as long as usual, Tommy was sure he was going to go bald, pulling his hair out. Three days later, they were completed and shifted the Mattie over to the pier in Despontes, where they could make emergency repairs.
Fortunately, they were able to salvage the main cargo boom, however, they would not put a maximum load on it until it could be tested in a shipyard. All but one of the auxiliary booms would need repairs and load testing. None of the cargo was damaged, but the crating took a terrible beating and Tommy had to have it repaired so that the cargo for Figi would not be damaged.
Everyone was exhausted, so they worked only 10 hours each day and let everyone, but for two watches at the gangway, sleep during the night. By the time they were ready to sail, the Mattie looked like a patchwork ship, but, she was sound and she would get them back home.
They were still heavily laden, so Joel waited for the morning high tide to sail out the shallow harbor. They would have a concrete pier to work with in Figi, so that delivery would, hopefully go faster
FIGI
Joel had made reservations for them to dock at the Imel Pier in Suva City. That was the lone concrete pier and they would be able to offload the main Cargo Boom and lay it out flat on the pier to work on it.
Joel knew that the boom would have to be replaced as soon as they got home, he could see the wrinkles of a kink on the boom itself, they would never be able to trust it again. Angus and Jeremy came up with an idea to strengthen the damaged section and Joel agreed to it, with the provision that nobody was to stand beneath the boom while they were working cargo.
They decided to repair the main boom before they worked any cargo and that proved to be a wise choice, the cargo boom fought them every time they put a load to it. It would swing to the left under load and, if the hoist operator was not quick, the chance of dumping the load was almost assured. After the repairs were made, it still swung to the left a bit, but not nearly as bad as before.
Even though he was part of the Black Gang, Jeremy followed his usual routine of helping Tommy in managing the cargo handling from down in the hold. The ABs were used to him and could almost second guess what his next instructions would be. More importantly, they trusted both of them and knew that they would not do anything that would endanger any of them.
It took them four days to clear the cargo and Joel had notified their customers that, due to storm damage, the Matilda Carson would not take on cargo to any destination until they could return to their Home Port and get the damage repaired and the booms recertified.
They emptied the cargo holds and covered the hatches in preparation to sail. They were empty, so they knew it was going to be a rough ride home. They sailed the next morning and began the long trek home.
HEADED FOR HOME
On the second day out from Suva City, the BR (Room Steward) stuck his head into Tommy’s and Jeremy’s stateroom.
The Steward was a small Korean man, nobody knew exactly how old he was, not even himself. Kai was an excellent room steward, so nobody really minded when he occasionally cooked up some of his favorite fish dishes. They smelled to high heaven and everyone’s stomachs would go unstable until after he had consumed his food.
Kai saw Tommy sitting at his desk, studying and Jeremy was trying to take a nap. Kai said, “Mista’ Tommo, us got trubbles in th’ broom n’ swab locker, Sar.” Tommy put his book down and said to Kai, “What kind of troubles, Kai?”
Kai replied, “I’s tinks us gots un stowperson in thar sar.”
Tommy woke Jeremy and told him what Kai had told him. He pointed to Kai, who was standing there and Jeremy jumped up and slipped his trousers and shoes on. As soon as he was dressed, Jeremy said, “OK Kai, come with us to the Swab Locker and let’s see what we have living in there, hopefully, it ain’t just rats!”
Kai led them down the passageway to a door that read, “CLEANING GEAR”. Tommy put his finger to his lips to indicate quiet and he quickly opened the door.
Both he and Jeremy saw two boys hiding among the brooms and dirty mops, they looked to be about ten years old and, other than somewhat dusty complexions, they looked like white boys. Their hair was curly, but their hair itself was fire engine red!
Jeremy and Tommy reached for the boys, who cringed as if they were expecting to be hit.
Both Tommy and Jeremy got down on their knees so they were eye level with the two frightened boys and they each wrapped their arms around a boy. Tommy asked, “Do you guys speak English?” One of the boys replied, “yyyyyYeees MMaster, we larned ttthe Mmmaster tttalk.”
Both Tommy and Jeremy knew immediately what they were dealing with, these boys were runaway slaves. When the found fresh blood on the back of the boys’ cutoff trousers, they KNEW what kind of slaves they were.
Both Tommy and Jeremy were as angry as they had ever been, but Tommy managed to keep his voice calm. He told the two boys, “Lets get you boys to our room and get some food in you before we decide what to do.”
He turned to Kai and said, “Kai, ask Cookie to fix up two trays of soft foods with lots of sugar in it, some glasses of milk and bring it to our rooms. We are gonna need some extra towels, but we can wait a bit about some cots. Then, get Mr. Angus and Captain Joel and ask them to come down to our stateroom, please.”
In that instant, Mr. Jeremy and Mr. Tommy stood ten feet tall in Kai’s eyes. In a few years hence, he would become their personal man-servant and would remain with them for the rest of his life.
When Kai asked Cookie for the food, Cookie knew what kind of food was needed and why. He prayed to God the children that Mr. Tommy and Mr. Jeremy had found were in better shape than he had been almost forty years earlier when Old Cap’n Joel had found him cringing behind the lifeboat davit.
Cookie asked Kai, “Did Mr. Tommy or Mr. Jeremy tell you to go get the Captain?” Kai replied, “Yes, Sar, n’ Mr. Angus too.”
Cookie then said, “You go ahead and get Cap’n Joel n’ Mr. Angus. I will take the food down to their stateroom and some towels an’ soap bars.”
Cooky set about fixing some oatmeal mush that he sweetened with sugar and maple syrup.
He gathered up a dozen clean towels and some wash cloths and headed to the stateroom that all the crew called, “The Boy Locker”.
Cookie had been sailing on the Mattie for nearly forty years, there was not much that he had not seen, however, he was about to participate in a situation that would not only surprise him, but also make him thank God that there were people like Tommy Carson and Jeremy McDuffy in this world!
REPAIRING TWO HURT BOYS
Cookie stepped into the compartment with an armload of towels and two trays of food balanced on the top. He spotted the two redheaded boys with a death grip on Tommy and Jeremy. He quietly stepped over to the table and set the food trays down. He then placed the towels and soap bars on Tommy’s bed before he came over close to the small boys.
He said, “Boys, ya gots two fine men here ta’ care fer ya’ and their Daddies will help, too. Pointing to Tommy, he continued, “This man is the Captain’s son an’ his partner here is the son of the Chief Engineer. Ya’ couldn’t do no better than these two ta’ get ya’ back on yer feets.
About that time, both Joel and Angus came into the room and quickly appraised the situation and saw the young boys clinging to their sons. Joel said, “Boys, you are both legally men now, you are both over eighteen. Are ya’ gonna be Daddies to these two little ones?”
Tommy and Jeremy looked at one another and they both smiled.
Joel said, “I thought so, congratulations. I will send a Marconi to our lawyer and get him started on the paperwork.”
He knelt down in front of the two little boys and asked, “Do you guys want these two men to be your Papas?” Both boys nodded their head shyly, in a yes, so Joel asked them what their names were. He about took off like a signal rocket when he learned the boys’ names were, “One” and “Two”! Both Tommy and Jeremy spoke up, “Not anymore, they are BOTH Juniors!”
Angus was standing there, tears were flowing down his old face as he said, “Welcome Home, Boys” as he gave each one a kiss on their forehead.
Joel headed up to the Radio Shack and Angus headed back to his Engine Room. He had to laugh, somehow, the news was already spread around the ship and the Second Engineer said, “Congratulations, Grampa!”
Meanwhile, Tommy and Jeremy got their sons cleaned up before they would let them eat the food the Cookie brought down.
While Tommy was helping the boys with their food, Jeremy took a quick trip up to their small Sickbay and collected some medicines and soothing burn creams to treat their sons’ wounds.
The little boys were almost asleep in the warm shower and, other than a slight whimper, they made no sound as each Papa treated his son’s injuries.
After they had washed off the crusted blood and feces, the wounds did not look nearly as bad. With full tummies and freshly cleaned, both little boys were laid in their Papas’ beds.
Tommy and Jeremy lay beside them until they were asleep, then they got up and hugged each other and kissed. One little boy saw them through half shuttered eyes and giggled, “Yus same me n’ two!”
Both Tommy and Jeremy were determined to break their sons from calling themselves one and two. One was going to be Tommy, Junior and the other was going to be Jeremy, Junior. The only problem was, how were they going to tell who was who?
It would take several days before they were able to tell the two boys apart and even longer to convince them that they DID NOT want to have sex with them!
As time went forward, both men were pretty sure the two juniors did have sex occasionally with each other, but they never again asked their Daddies to have sex with them.
It was fortunate that all the crew understood the situation, both Jeremy and Tommy were becoming powerful young men and they would have shredded anyone they thought was sexually abusing their sons! That was how they thought of the two boys, they were THEIR sons. That Jeremy and Tommy were a couple was confirmed at that moment!
The days passed as the Mattie plodded her way back to San Francisco Bay. They were running light and the ship rolled like a log, but, amazingly, the little Junior Boys, as everyone called them collectively, took it all in stride.
They would run down a passageway, weaving as the ship rolled, but never clipping a bulkhead!
They were happy little boys who positively bloomed under their Papas’ care. The little boys knew absolutely nothing about their own heritage, but everyone was pretty sure that they had one white parent and one native parent, most probably a Figi Native.
They picked up words like sponges and, it was not long before the crew found its own language was improving. Like all little boys everywhere, those words only adults were allowed to say are the ones they picked up fastest!
After a few expletives like, DAMN, HELL and a few words even more steamy came out of their mouths, the entire crew was more careful about what they said and how they said it.
At long last, The Matilda Carson sailed under The Golden Gate Bridge and entered San Francisco Bay. It was a short hop across the bay and their Home Pier, everyone was happy and relieved with they heard the clatter of the Engine Order Enunciator as “FINISHED WITH ENGINE” was rung down.
Both “Old” Captain Joel and Angus’ wife, Frances, were standing on the pier as the Mattie tied up and went silent. They both had received Marconi messages that there were new family members on board the Mattie and they were anxious to meet them.
Jeremy and Tommy came down the gangway, each leading a small boy, at first, all they could see were two mops of bright red hair. As they got closer, they saw two slightly dark skinned boys in clothes several sized too big for them, but, both boys were smiling and they had Jeremy’s and Tommy’s hands tightly clutched in their own. Tommy was leading the parade and, with a little prodding by Tommy, the small boy stepped up to Old Cap’n Joel and said, “Me oonne, eeer Tommy Junior Sir.” The other boy, not to be outdone by his twin, shouted, “Me, Jer Junior, sir!”
The old Captain and Frances McDuffy each picked up a boy and hugged them tightly. Frances turned to her grandson, Jeremy, and demanded, “Why is this boy so skinny, have you not been feeding him?”
Jeremy grinned at his Grandmother and replied, “Ma’m, he has been eating enough for two boys, don’t get your fingers too close, he might try to eat them too!” Little Jeremy giggled and said, “Me no eat peoples, Papa, I’s eat only stuffs what been cooked!”
The Old Captain was trying mightily to keep from bawling like a baby, he had never expected to have a Son and now he had a GREATGrandson, too!
It didn’t matter to anyone that the two boys were of mixed blood and, at first sight, Old Cap’n Joel suspected that the two little boys were more than just brothers. He would soon find out that he was right.
Joel told the First Mate to give everyone overnight liberty, the two civilian guards would be enough to keep the empty ship safe for the night.
The Old Cap’n and Frances had brought their automobiles down to the pier, so, as soon as Joel and Angus had completed everything, the families piled into the cars and headed for home.
The two little boys were disturbed at being separated, but their eyes danced in joy as they saw their new home and, even more so when they discovered their new home were right next door to each other!
It got even better when the discovered the bedroom windows were directly opposite each other on the second floor. They waved at each other as they were shown their new rooms by their Papas. They were both bewildered by all the new clothes in the closet and they had their own private “pottie” next to their bedrooms.
Lunch was served in both houses and two sets of eyes were drooping, so, despite their protests that they were not tired, two little boys were soon sound asleep in their own beds, in their own rooms with their own Papa kissing them and telling them to “sleep tight”.
Both Tommy and Jeremy saw, however, that they were going to have to get their own place, they didn’t like be separated and they were sure that the “Juniors” didn’t much like it either. They could not know what was in store for them that same evening, it would be staggering.
A HOUSE THAT IS A HOME
They let the little boys sleep for a couple of hours, they were totally wrung out emotionally. Jeremy and Angus came over and they all sat down to talk while the little boys were sleeping off their excitement. Tommy broached the subject that both he and Jeremy were dreading, where were they going to live?
Joel smiled and said, “Why, in a Company House, of course!” Both Tommy’s and Jeremy’s eyes went wide and they asked together, “Company House?”
Joel said, “Sure” and he pointed to the house that stood directly behind Angus’ house. He said, “That house and the one right next door belongs to us as do the three houses across the street. The ones across the street are where the Purser, First mate and First Assistant Engineer live. The rest of the Licensed Crew all live one block over from here. Now all you guys gotta do is choose one of the two houses behind us and the Company Business Agent gets the other one.”
Both Tommy and Jeremy sat there with their mouths hanging open, they could only stutter, “wwwWhaaa ahh hhhouuuses?”
Angus chuckled and reminded their sons about it being fly season!
Joel handed the boys two sets of keys and told them to go choose which house they wanted.
Tommy and Jeremy grabbed the keys and went flying across the street. They spent a couple of hours touring every nook and cranny of the two houses before they agreed on the one that was directly across the street from Joel’s house. They felt the one on the corner might have more traffic and would be a danger to the little boys.
The rest of the day went by in a blur, Tommy and Jeremy had to go into town to purchase furniture and household items for their new home. Joel told them how much they could spend and it would take them a week to get all the things they thought they needed. They tried to return the money they had not spent, to Joel, who just laughed and told them to use it on the stuff they forgot to purchase.
Tommy and Jeremy were wondering about what they were going to do when they had to go back to sea. With all the purchases they had made, they feared that neither of them could afford to be out of work!
Joel sprung his last surprise on them, there were two housekeeper/nannies included in the deal, who were company employees! They would be live in employees and one could relieve the other, if one of them had to be off work.
By the end of the week, both Tommy and Jeremy were wishing they could go back to sea just so they could get a little rest! When was the Mattie gonna be ready?
Things did settle down and they got back into a routine, where the little boys would go to school from 8 am to 2:30 in the afternoon. Their nannies would take them to the school, which was only a block away, and retrieve them when school was over. It was a private school that fed them lunch.
The first couple of days were hard on the little boys, they were the “new kids on the block” and it was obvious they are not white. The children handled the latter much better than their parents did and several kids were yanked out of school. (remember, this part of the story lakes place in the waning years of the 1940’s)
As the work began to get finished up on the Matilda Carson, Tommy and Jeremy began working their sons toward their having to go back to sea. They had encouraged their sons to make friends with other boys at school and even to bring them home to play after school. Most of the boys at school lived in the nearby areas, as they all walked to school each day.
It was not long before there were several boys coming home with their boys and, either Anna or Mandy, the two housekeepers, would always call the visiting children’s parents to make sure they knew where their children were. Anna and Mandy were twin sisters and were the children of the company Business Agent.
Tommy and Jeremy looked into purchasing an automobile, but automobile manufacturers were just then retooling for civilian production after the war. Everything they looked at was ugly as sin and, being an Engineer, Jeremy refused to purchase a “cobbled together piece of junk” as he called every car they looked at.
The night before they had to sail, both little boys were in hysterics and neither Anna nor Mandy could calm them down. Grandma Frances came over and soon had them asleep. She just smiled when Anna and Mandy asked her what was the secret, she replied, “A little spice, a little love and a whole lot of hugs.”
The next morning, Jeremy and Tommy allowed the boys to miss school and Frances drove them all down to the waterfront to see the Mattie off. The little boys were still a bit sad and their lower lips were trembling as they kissed their Daddies goodbye, but their held off their tears and waved and shouted as the Mattie began to back away from the pier. There would be tears later, but they both put up a brave face for their Daddies.
The Matilda Carson would sail empty upbay to the steel works in Pittsburg, where they would take on a shipload of steel pipe and building steel. Both Japan and Korea were beginning the massive effort of rebuilding after the terrible war and the Mattie would be making round trip voyages, carrying supplies, steel, bagged cement and all the things needed to rebuild a shattered nation.
**************************************************************
TBC
There will be a steady stream of goods and materials need to rebuild war weary and shattered nations and give them a chance to reclaim their place in the world. However, already there were war clouds on the horizon and more ships were going to be needed. Joel was already looking for another ship. The poor old Mattie was slow and they needed another ship that could carry more and sail faster. He had no plans to retire the Mattie, the new ship would be an addition to the company.