The Spirit Of Verona - Page 20

THE SPIRIT OF VERONA
Author: E. Verna Turner
Page 20

At the dinner table, they have lots of food to eat. There is a big plate of the left over turkey and a big platter of unknown meat. Lots of vegetables, crabs with lemons, bunch of bananas, guyabano, and macopa. The last of the boiled potatoes and the last of the steamed rice. There are only few spices left and half sack of wheat flour, barley and pasta in their bamboo pantry. Amelia don't want to tell the family about that. It might spoil their meal. However what the kids want to know is what kind of "meat" that is on the big platter. Jameson asked Amelia. Being the family cook for thirty years she knew her family wont poison them in anyway but the kind of meat on the table is not chicken nor turkey.

"Oh you know what Jameson," Amelia starts to tell him the story while she grinned at the elders. " We were looking for you and your brothers and sister when Stephano and I saw some water buffalo close to the river."

"You mean there are buffalos here?" In this island?" And there is a river?" Jameson asked Amelia.

"Yes there's a river and water buffalos. However the water buffalos stay on the muddy pond. That's where they are at when we found them. Under the guava trees close to the river is where the water buffalos roamed." " And because just like you we are so bored about the fish for food,  so...(while Amelia looked at the kids with their eyes wide like a window that never close she stand up and got a big bowl of food from the brick stove. When she returned at the table , she served the best food ever!

"Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Spaghetti and spare ribs!" the kids screamed loudly and the elders laughed at their abrupt reaction. "Oh thank you Lord God for the food, great food! " I miss spaghetti so much!" Jameson said as he forked the strand of spaghetti right to his plate.

"Beef! So much beef! Buffalo beef!!! Beef beef!" Joseph said laughing at everyone.

"We know you don't like beef, Joseph. You are a such a fish!" Ha ha ha ha !"roared Eric. Joseph actually hate the smell of beef and buffalo's meat has strong taste and smell. Anyway the whole clan enjoyed their dinner. It was awesome.

After dinner a long prayer was held. In unity with their parents, the teens and kids promised to pledge allegiance as an assurance that everything will be alright, that in unity there'll be peace and in unity there is so much strength. Life will continue to exist between them in the island. That they hope and pray that the Lord God will continue to provide and nurture their needs.They believed that they are in that mysterious island for a divine purpose and divine reason that's beginning to unfold one by one, step by step. In accordance with their religious belief they built a chapel where they installed a table made of cedar and bamboo. The table is like a counter with drawers and case where they placed their set of encyclopedia and atlas book. The map is missing. The map of their supposed to be destination of their voyage is missing and Grandpa Gustavo forgot where he placed it. He had forgotten that map since the time they were shipwrecked in that island. Nobody can remember the old map. It's no longer important to them anyway. Their mind is set on their religious vocation and devotion. They have Bible study on the importance of good family, good character, value of hard work and religion in their lives. The chapel become the house of worship and their library.

After every mass on Sunday the whole clan gather at the beach or near the lagoon for a picnic or depends on the kind of weather they have on that day.


 The whole clan is happy with their stay in the island, years after years and many years have passed...until one day after Grandpa Gustavo said his homily at the chapel, Elmo and Juanita announced a big surprise for the whole family, relatives and friends.

All eyes, all ears are focused on Elmo, Juanita and Loren, waiting for their announcement the kids seemed unfazed and impatiently wanting to stand up from their seats.

To be continued ----