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  HENRY

  HENRY

  A FATAL MISUNDERSTANDING

  Cilika Kunovic

  GENERAL STORE PUBLISHING HOUSE INC.

  499 O’Brien Road, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada K7V 3Z3

  Telephone 1.613.599.2064 or 1.800.465.6072

  http://www.gsph.com

  ISBN 978-1-77123-078-7

  978-1-77123-178-7 (EPUB)

  978-1-77123-179-4 (MOBI)

  978-1-77123-180-0 (PDF)

  Copyright © Cilika Kunovic 2014

  Cover art, design: Magdalene Carson

  Published in Canada

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher or, in case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a licence from Access Copyright (Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency), One Yonge Street, Suite 800, Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1E5.

  Cataloguing data available at Library and Archives Canada

  This novel is dedicated to my precious great-granddaughter, Mikhayla, who has often reminded me during the past five years of her life that she comes first, as I struggled to write as well as look after her full-time while her daddy was working.

  I love you, Darling, with all my heart.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  Henry Dobbs was the younger of two sons born to Walter and Edna Dobbs. Their first-born son, Edward, had no intention of following in his father’s footsteps. On the other hand, Henry became obsessed with his father’s navy career from a very young age. The uniform was one of the things that attracted him, as well as the possibility that he might one day be able to work side by side with his father.

  Once the boys reached the age of decision making about their future, Edward (Ed) wanted to get involved in the family affairs and investments. Henry, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in anything but a career in the navy.

  Both were good-looking. Ed was fairly tall and had a slight build, more like their mother, who was an average height but slender. His out-going personality was contagious. He was full of life and amused them all. Henry, who was very tall and handsome, resembled his father; he was more serious, sure of himself, but very kind.

  “You worry about the money, and I’ll enjoy the sea and the freedom that comes with it,” Henry teased his brother. He secretly wanted Ed to go with him, but Ed was already in the midst of running his business. “You take things far too seriously, you know,” Henry would remind his brother.

  “Just you worry about the navy, while I get to chase the girls right here at home. I will tell you all about them when you come home on leave!” Ed missed his brother while he was away.

  Their father didn’t make a lot of money during his service but he hardly spent any. Edna was a frugal wife and mother, satisfied with very little, so they were able to save quite a bit. When the Depression hit Hamilton, there were plenty of properties on the market. A lot of people lost their homes by not being able to pay their mortgages. Their homes were repossessed by the banks and/or other financial institutions. In some cases, there were numerous houses in a row on some streets, which were up for sale for next to nothing. Walter took advantage of the situation and purchased several of these row houses, as well as a corner lot where there used to be a service station. These particular houses were average two-storey homes, quite close together, and most of them had the old-style verandas at the front. He and Edna lived and raised their boys nearby in a bungalow. Hamilton was where they were born and where they were happy.

  In some cases, the previous owners remained after they lost their ownership and ended up paying rent to the new owners. This presented some problems. Those were rough years for many people everywhere, and Hamilton was no exception.

  “I don’t envy you for what you do. It must be hard to collect the rent from those people,” Henry would comment at times, but Ed was able to look at it from the business perspective. Those people were not alone in the series of problems that the Depression years imposed on many throughout the world. This lasted many years and some people never recovered from it. In fact, the resentments were even passed on to the children of these families . . . children who blamed those who had bought their homes and felt the “rich people” had benefited from their misery.

  Henry never actually worked side by side with his father, but the old pride was there just the same. His father was by now in a good position to retire and he did just that. He could now take things easy and enjoy the wealth he had managed to acquire.

  In the meantime, Henry happened to fall in love while on one of his rare leaves. Her name was Lily Holmes. She was much the same as Henry’s mother. She had the same calm mannerisms. Lily understood that marrying a naval officer would mean spending some lonely months at home; but she was willing to make some sacrifices in order to be married to Henry.

  “Lily, you had better think twice before you agree to marry my son, because he will not be home much of the time. There will be many nights when you will regret having married him.” Edna remembered how hard it had been raising her two boys without a husband.

  “Oh, Mother Dobbs, I will manage as you did!”

  So the two of them were married in a quiet ceremony, and Henry had to leave soon after that. But Lily was not in the best of health. She had acquired some breathing problems shortly after they were married. She missed Henry but she had the family to turn to. She was extremely proud of her husband and talked about him a lot.

  The two of them purchased a small house near Henry’s parents, so that Lily would be near them while Henry was away. Henry and Lily were not blessed with any children, so she didn’t have anybody to take care of. They usually had a dog to keep her company and to protect her. Henry’s brother, Ed, came by often just to say hello. Lily adored him.

  “So, Ed: When are we going to hear the wedding bells for you?” Lily teased him.

  “Oh, I don’t think I am the marrying kind. Besides, there are no more Lilys in this area.”

  “Oh, Ed, you don’t have to humour me. I am doing just fine. Just promise me that you will tell me first who you plan on marrying. I happen to know that you are not dating just one girl.”

  Then one day Ed was killed in a car accident. He was broadsided by a hit-and-run driver and he died that same day. The circumstances were very suspicious. The other car, badly damaged, had been located nearby, but the driver had vanished into thin air. The police were unable to find any traces of the driver. It was thought he must have had help.

  Henry was summoned by his boss and got leave in order to go home and look after the funeral. Their parents had both passed on by now, so everything depended on Henry. This shook Henry very badly, as well as Lily. At fir
st he felt rage; then deep sorrow set in. Luckily, he had Lily, who had been so fond of Ed and was seriously mourning together with him. After that, things just took a turn for the worse. Lily became even more fragile, and there was no one to look after family matters. Something had to be done quickly.

  “Henry, what are we going to do now?” Lily pleaded with her husband. She felt scared. “What if this was done on purpose? I wish your parents were still alive.” She was seriously alarmed.

  “I will have to see what I can do.”

  He was able to retire due to special circumstances.

  While his father had retired as a commodore, Henry had to retire as “Commander Henry J. Dobbs.” Sadly, his career ended prematurely, but Lily needed him.

  For years, Henry tried and tried to find out what had really happened to his brother. The trail had quickly gone cold, and the police assured him that they would let him know if any progress was made. At the same time, he had to take over his brother’s business affairs, in which he had never been interested; and to look after their various properties. And Lily’s health deteriorated. They needed each other now more than ever before. They became settled in their comfortable home, but Henry missed the navy. His wish to follow his father’s footsteps had been denied him.

  “Lily, I’ve been thinking about buying a cottage for you. Being out of the city will do you good. We both know that Hamilton is a nice city, but there is so much industry and smog, which can’t possibly be any good for you. What do you think?” He was hoping her answer would be yes.

  “That would be great!” She was excited by it.

  So they purchased a cottage on Georgian Bay, near Collingwood. Although it was primitive, it provided the necessary tranquility for their comfort and relaxation. However, Lily’s health problems continued to worsen and once she ended up at the hospital, she had very little time left. Henry was devastated. Soon the cottage, no longer needed, became deserted.

  At that time, they had a dog named Serge. Serge also sensed the beginning of the end of an era. He stayed in his corner a lot, not sleeping but keeping an eye on everything that was going on. Henry would put his hand on Serge’s head and reassure him that he hadn’t forgotten about him.

  “Now, Serge, you know that I haven’t forgotten about you, for you are a very important member of this family.” While Lily was still alive, it was simply a matter of her needing Henry’s attention more than Serge. “Be patient, my friend,” he would say to Serge.

  After Lily passed on, Henry more or less kept to himself for some time, with Serge right by his side. The dog would put his head on Henry’s knee and look at his master’s face as if to say: “I miss her, too.” But Henry had plenty of fond memories of Lily. They were very devoted to each other.

  As time went by, he was able to pick up the pieces and move on. He never remarried but he managed to recapture a very normal existence. He was used to doing all the cooking and cleaning while Lily couldn’t; he was in no need except for his beloved Lily, whom he missed dreadfully. Serge was another one who needed a good word here and there. Going back to the cottage where he used to roam in the woods was not even an option at first without Lily.

  “No, my friend; I am not ready to face that part of our lives just yet. You will have to be patient with me for a while. If by any chance you think that she might be there and you will see her if we go there, that is not the case.”

  But Serge knew the reality of it. He simply wanted to ease his master’s pain by trying to accommodate him the best he could. Henry found it too depressing to go up there without her. It was simply too painful, so for the time being, he and Serge had to try and stick close to the house. There was always the park in their vicinity for a good walk. They also had visitors quite often. Their close friends felt sympathy for both of them.

  Having Serge was a blessing for Henry. The two of them became even closer after his beloved Lily passed on. They could be seen walking in the park, and slowly, Serge managed to bring his master to some sort of routine. Animals have a way of bringing people out of their misery; or at least they try. Henry made several attempts to pursue the tracing of his brother’s death circumstances; but having Lily in such bad shape and not knowing how much that project would affect her, he’d had to set it aside for the time being.

  Yet, something about it didn’t sit right. The question was: WHAT?

  CHAPTER TWO

  Susanne Lambert, who lived in a row house down the road, was a single mother who struggled to keep up with everyday demands. Recently divorced, she often spent her daytime hours in bed while her two children were at school. She was depressed. She was not an attractive lady and was slightly overweight and unkempt. Her ex-husband, Larry Lambert, was too busy feeling sorry for himself. The Lamberts were one of those families that couldn’t hold on to their home during the Depression. The senior Lamberts were unable to keep up with the mortgage, and the children were too small to help. They were able to rent their place for a reasonable amount but were unable to overcome the bitterness. While their son Larry should have concentrated on his marriage and on finding a good job, he instead chose to hate everything and everyone. His parents allowed them to live with them while they were still alive; once they were gone, Susanne and Larry never stopped fighting.

  So when Larry moved out of the house after their divorce, Susanne was able to manage with the social assistance to provide for the children. Larry preferred to be unemployed in order to avoid having to pay for the children. He claimed to have hurt his back at work. The truth was he more likely faked it, for he did not get along with his co-workers.

  They had a son and a daughter, Dominic and Sasha. Sasha was the younger one and she desperately tried to keep her parents together and later tried to get them back together in vain. Susanne often mentioned getting a job, but never did. She was a procrastinator. She no doubt loved her children but she was battling depression in more ways than one.

  The children knew this and tried to make excuses for her lack of commitment. Dominic kept to himself, while Sasha talked endlessly, driving everyone to avoid her in a nice way. After all, she was as pretty as she was bubbly. But one could tell that she was improvising for something that was missing in her life. A child has a way to fill in the gaps, in this case, the emotional ones. Susanne had, by being such a procrastinator, denied them all a better life. She refused to face the reality of self-destruction. Those children often went without a meal, which they not only needed but deserved. They were good kids. They both did well in school but they knew how to hide the shortfalls in their private lives.

  In their private environment, things were different. Sasha could be heard saying to her favourite doll: “Now, you know better than to complicate things. I am tired this morning, so you get yourself that waffle, so you won’t be hungry at school. Mommy has a headache this morning.” After all, the child had heard those words often enough from her mother, so she simply repeated the same to her doll. While Susanne kept fantasizing about a better future without doing something about it, Sasha was known for having a vivid imagination. Most of her imaginary friends had good families, big houses, money, good clothes, and two parents. But, regardless of her fantasies, she managed to stay on the positive side. In her own little world, things likely seemed temporary, so she simply improvised for the time being. Her brother, Dominic, was her whole world. She could depend only on him.

  “Sasha, I am off for my run. I will be back soon and then we can both eat.”

  “Okay, you do that and say hello to Serge for me.” She knew that her brother would be taking Henry’s dog with him for the run. Although Henry was well known locally, Serge was loved by the Lambert children. Quite often, they both walked the dog and had a blast. Henry was particularly fond of young Dominic, who was a bit of a loner. Henry would watch the boy and the dog and was convinced that a boy and a dog spelled companionship. He watched them disappear into the bushes, then he would turn around and pick up the newspaper to see what was new in the world.<
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  “Come on, Serge; you can try to outrun me, but it won’t be easy, as I am in good shape,” Dominic teased his friend, and Serge wagged his tail in reply.

  Dominic sort of took over a man’s role after his parents’ divorce. What a heavy load to carry on such young shoulders. The sad part was that he never had the luxury of being a little boy. He kept to himself but was not without friends. But then, being a good student provided good opportunities for him to hope for a brighter future someday. He was quite comfortable and surprisingly confident on his own. Even as a little boy, he seemed to know what he wanted, and Henry hoped that he would succeed in achieving his goal someday.

  “Dominic, could you get some breakfast for the two of you this morning?” Susanne could be heard from the bedroom. “I have a headache.”

  But at this point, the boy would have had it ready anyway. He was used to doing these things on a regular basis. Anyway, it was easier to do it than to listen to their mother complaining the whole time while doing it herself. She was always tired and depressed. She never wondered if her children had their homework done for the day. She was too busy feeling sorry for herself to be bothered by such things. Susanne knew her children very well.

  “What can I get for you, Mom?” Frustrated and by now late for school, he would nevertheless willingly serve his mother in bed. It annoyed him a lot to be late for school. He wanted to be like the other children and not be singled out.

  “Oh, don’t bother about me — I am not hungry.” And before he could say anything more, she was asleep as if she had not a thing in the world to worry about. Depression is a miserable illness and one can easily fall into its trap. It seemed that she was waiting for something to happen and then and only then would she be able to function properly and start a new life. But what was that something? Her head was never quite clear enough to figure it out. Something or someone had a hold on her and wouldn’t let go. Sadly, her wish and hope was eluding her.