The Last Letter from the Maestro
Chapter 2 The Last Letter from the Maestro
Happy Reading
....
[There was a sudden retreat ]
...
WILLS AND LETTERS
Lucas smiled slightly as his hand slowly flipped over every single sheet from his old photo album, a memory left behind 30 years ago. His thin, dry fingers stopped flipping and began to gently rub the beautiful figure depicted there, a feeling of guilt instantly seethed in his heart.
Maria Santa Salviano is her younger sister. After the death of her parents, the first thing she worried about was Mary. The day before his parents were found dead, Lucas remembered how their faces looked when talking to him.
' Lucas, in the future when we're not around, please take care of your brothers and sisters. No matter how difficult you are, please don't ignore them. You are brothers, especially Mary. She's your youngest daughter and sister. You must live together, support each other and protect each other. "
Lucas did not know if it was the last message from his father and mother.
" I'm sorry dad, mom.. I did not keep my promise. I didn't manage to protect them.. " Say Lucas with his raucous hoarse voice. His hands squeezed and banged his chest suddenly tight, that night Lucas sobbed like a child.
" Papa." a young man approached Lucas and sat down beside him. Hugged that skinny body gently.
There were 4 young men in the room, one of whom was Richard who was hugging Lucas. As Lucas asked yesterday, Richard brought his other brother. But who would have thought they would see their father's condition like this, crying out for the guilt that kept piling up in his heart.
Richard did not know who the person Lucas always saw in the photo album, all he knew was that Lucas always cried when he saw the Poto. A young man and a beautiful girl, who seemed to be younger than her father.
Last night when Helio was coming home, Lucas asked him to bring him the photo album. Throughout the four children growing up, never once Lucas told them who the figure in the photo album. Once upon a time the youngest opened the album, and it ended with Lucas' anger. Since then, none of them have dared to open it.
But now Lucas invites the four young men to come look with him, the old, worn-out photo album. Even some of the photos already look blurry because of time.
" I'm sorry, son" Lucas said as his cries calmed down. " I can't take care of him, and make your lives like this. "
" What does that mean, papa ?" asked the other young man with brownish blonde hair, his eyes staring confusedly at Lucas.
" This woman is your mother, Helio, and she is my sister" Lucas said as he thrust a picture toward the 4 brothers.
Helio and his three other siblings were of course surprised, the person who had been caring for and raising them turned out to be their own uncle. The new fact they know makes the four young men stare with a chaotic feeling, between confused, sad, and also curious. But no one opened their voice, as if they were waiting for the answers to the questions in their minds.
" I'm old and I might be dead soon. I don't want to keep this important thing a secret to you, I don't mean to bring this truth buried with me. I'm not your real father.. "
Lucas hoped his 4 nephews could live well, even though he was gone. He never imagined if he had opened a secret that he had been keeping tight. Lucas still remembers how his 4 nieces cried and whined at him, bathed them, fed them to play together. Now that 4 toddlers have grown up, at least Lucas feels relieved.
Lucas never expected the four toddlers he brought with him, now growing up well. Lucas will never forget that moment, when the four toddlers were crying and starving next to the body of his mother who had begun to rot.
" It seems like there are a lot of things that Papa wants to talk to us about" Helio said with a warm smile.
Among the four children, Helio was a sensitive and gentle child, in contrast to Richard who was always hard on himself and others and also firm. There is also a third child, Allano who is quiet and a little indifferent, and the youngest child named Alessio who is a little rebellious and very carefree.
" Yes, so much so that I'm afraid I don't have enough time to tell you everything.. "
Allano and Alessio began to approach and sit on the bed near Lucas' feet, while Richard sat leaning on the head of the bed next to Lucas and lastly Helio who was sitting on the chair beside Lucas lay down.
They listen to the story that Lucas tells with uncertain feelings, restless, confused and also curious, what kind of truth his father hides until now.
" It's going to be a long story" Lucas said with a deep sigh before starting his first word.
The four young men listened solemnly, so that no time passed quickly.
At three o'clock in the morning Richard, Helio, Allano and Alessio were walking unsteadily in the hospital hallway, stepping lethargic as if their energy had run out. A few hours ago they had just heard a painful tale about the past of their mother and uncle.
It was never imagined that his uncle was harboring such a shocking secret.
***
[Loois and Lucy are the names of Lucas' biological parents, who originally planned to move in mid-1918 to Florida. But for whatever reason, the plan was delayed until in October they were found dead floating in the waters of the Sicilian strait.
At that time the atmosphere in Europe was precarious, the aftermath of the first world war put many countries in a bad situation, unrest spread uncontrollably. That same year, a pandemic emerged that killed more than a third of the people on earth. There are millions of people from Europe who have traveled a long way to avoid the outbreak, be it to Asia or America. One of them was Lucas who took his two younger siblings sailing to the United States at the end of November 1918. Although strong initial suspicion of the outbreak spread from the United States, but Lucas sailed to it.
In January 1919, Lucas pulled over at the port of Manhattan. And start a new life. ]
*** ***
Last night after returning home from the hospital where Lucas was treated, Richard did not close his eyes for a second. His mind floated back to the story his father had just told him, or perhaps he could now call him uncle.
He doesn't know how to express his feelings right now, thinking his parents' past is so complicated.
Lucas told me slowly..
"... November 1918, Italy then ... "
...
[The past four years or so countries in Europe have been engaged in large-scale wars, or known as the first world wars. The aftermath of the shooting of the Austrian-Hungarian heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand by Bosnia was quite severe.
As everyone mourns the many deaths that have fallen, so do the apprehensions that have plagued the endless plague. But recently Italy was surprised by the discovery of many bodies floating in the waters of the Sicilian strait. Different from the dead bodies of the plague, the bodies found there have the characteristics of death based on mengijayaan.
And the news of the discovery of the body in the Sicilian strait arrived at Salviano's residence.
Early in the morning the courtyard of the Salviano family home was so noisy, many cars were parked there. Some people came out and carried two coffins that were greeted by two teenagers, Nolle and Maria, because Lucas happened to have a job outside. With a confused face to the two teenagers approached and asked, until a soldier then told what happened quite briefly.
Mary, who was basically a woman, had a soft heart and was easily touched, weeping and wailing beside the coffin. Just at that point Lucas came shortly after getting the call if anything important happened at his house.
His wide footsteps stopped immediately, Lucas pecked not far from his two younger brothers who now looked very sad. Maria who wiped the coffin with tears and Nolle who looked so shocked that she could not make a sound and even cried, just stood staring at the coffin with a pale face.
" .. Maria.. Nolle. "call Lucas in a hoarse voice, come closer and bring me the two teenagers in his arms.
Feeling resuscitated, Nolle began to sob small on her brother's shoulder, no matter how soon she entered adulthood, Nolle still cried like a child in her brother's arms. The fact that Nolle who never cried is now all that bad, makes Lucas' heart ache.
At the end of the day when the sun began to set, the situation began to calm after his two sisters in the end fell asleep with a swollen face and eyes.
According to the examination of the condition of two of his parents died from gunshot wounds in the heart and head, but before dying they were suspected of getting some kind of severe persecution, he said, seen from the bruises and wounds all over the body both.
And the conclusion drawn by the military army is that the death of his two parents was a case of mass murder, he said, because at the time it was found there were several bodies with the same condition not far from the location of the discovery of the bodies of his parents.
Lucas never told the reason for the death of his father and mother to Maria and Nolle, his siblings only knew that his mother's father drowned. A few months later, Lucas brought his two younger siblings to move in. And the long journey that requires crossing the ocean began.
" We're moving out today, don't be so sad. We will start a new life in a new place. " Said Lucas to his two younger siblings, "I hope this can at least ease our grief.. " ]
*** *** ***
The hospital room door with the number 402 VIP opened, a man sitting leaning on the hospital bed greeted them with a faint smile. Some of the men in uniforms were black with their hair neatly polished, bowing respectfully for a moment after standing before the sick man.
" What's up? " ask Lucas with serious eyes, the thin smile that was embedded now disappeared somewhere.
" Some people saw the woman in an area in Brooklyn. Here are some of the data and attachments you get. " Say the man with a well-built body and has charming blue eyes.
Lilia Del Moura, a 27-year-old woman. Working as a waitress at a tavern called "Westham" in suburban Brooklyn. Lilia lives with her two siblings, 25-year-old Daisy and 22-year-old Allen.
" Bern, it's possible I don't know myself. Please take this as my last request. If I don't soon, take my kids to this woman. Whatever happens they have to meet" Lucas said in a hoarse voice, Bern was a little surprised to see how Lucas asked him in a desperate tone.
Bern is a man who used to be just a vagrant kid scavenging for leftovers on the streets, then one night he met Lucas. Their meeting was quite strange, Bern who stole some food wrappers from Lucas' shopping bag.
Bern is caught by a few bodyguards who are around Lucas and takes him, Bern thinks he will end up arriving in front of Lucas. But Lucas asks what makes him steal.
It's not unusual actually why many teenagers do such actions, at the exact time 2 years after Lucas decided to move to America. In 1929 America experienced a major crisis, one of which was a fall in the economic sector. Bern, who was only an immigrant from a black-colonized country, kept him from doing much, and ended up doing the job of a thief and petty robber.
" I can feed you. And probably many other facilities" Lucas said, looking warmly at those eyes. " In return give your loyalty to me. "
Now Bern saw the figure of his savior could only lie down and wait for death.
" Whatever your request, I will carry it out, sir"." said Bern firmly.
" Here keep this letter, if it is time to give him the letter and the album. Take care of them when I'm not around, and also take good care of yourself Bern." said Lucas, his hand slapped softly on the man's shoulder.
After a while the people in suits were quiet and the nursery was quiet again.
*** *** *** ***
Seriate