Hope House by Tracy L Carbone Read Free Book Online Page A

Haiti, late morning
     
    Martine smiled as she sat in the padded rocking chair in Maison’s nursery. Teddy bears were painted on the pale yellow walls and soft music played. She closed her eyes and smiled as she nuzzled her infant sons, blond and blue-eyed, their skin pale as the moon.
    Just like her little Luke. Three years gone. Martine had named him Luke because he was white as light, like all the others born in Maison. But God cursed Luke and Mr. Puglisi took him away. Martine pinched her eyes shut to stop the tears of rage that always came when she thought of him.
    Martine knew all the babies came from someone named Gloria, a name Dr. Tad revealed only to her. She knew this Gloria must be as light as a ghost, pale as the babies that came out of Martine and the others. But what kind of woman would give up so many to strangers?
    Martine had asked him how one woman could have so many babies, and he said it was a tricky science thing she wouldn’t understand. Maybe Gloria too lived in a compound somewhere, and had no choice in what she did. Poor Ghost Gloria, she thought, as she rocked her little babies in her arms. So beautiful. Martine would love them as much as she could until—
    Dr. Tad walked in and smiled at her as she held the twins. 
    “Amelie is having her C-Section at noon. Can you fill out the paperwork? I’ll write in the time and measurements after her twins are born.”
    She set the twins in their bassinets and then took two papers from the cabinet. She read the official hospital forms. Hope House, Windy Key, Florida.
    “If the babies are born here, why do the hospital papers say Florida?”
    “I knew you’d eventually ask that,” Doctor Tad said as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Mr. Puglisi makes more money if I say they’re born in Florida. A lot of questions and trouble for us all if we say they are born in Haiti.”
    “Is that against the law?”
    He nodded. “ Yes. Mick would kill me if he knew I told you.”
    “Kill you? I thought he was like your brother?”
    “His dad took me in when my father died because I had no where else to go, but it’s not the same as being part of the family. Not really. If I did anything to threaten the family’s enterprise, he wouldn’t think twice about getting rid of me.”
    “But he breaks the law too, no?”
    “His family is very powerful and sometimes controls what the police do.”
    “Like the Tonton Macoute?”
    He sighed. “Yes, like the militia Papa Doc Duvalier used when he was in power, but smaller.”
    “You have word for these Macoute, for these kinds of family like Mr. Puglisi’s?”
    “In America we call them Mafia.”
    Martine had always known Mr. Puglisi was a terrible man, but she had assumed Dr. Tad to be safe, above his cruelty. Now she understood his fear. Mafia, she thought. A word she had to remember. She needed to lie down, to think about all Dr. Tad had told her.
    “I am tired. May I take a nap before Amelie’s surgery?”
    “Of course.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry if I upset you but I need you to understand why I can’t walk away from Maison, why I won’t defy Mick and his family and say ‘to hell with the rules, I want to marry Martine.’”
    Once the words were out, he snapped his mouth shut and stared at her.
    Marry me, she screamed inside her head. Does he know I have dreamt of this proposal each night, that it is the hope that keeps me going?
    He finally spoke again.  “I’m a coward, Martine. Afraid of what Mick will do to us if we leave, afraid of what will happen if we stay. You should go while you can, before it’s too late.”
    His eyes were so sad. For him to admit his fear was courageous, she thought. Not easy for a man to do.
    “I will take my chances and stay with you. In your heart you want to marry me and that is enough.” She smiled and kissed his cheek, wanting more, but knowing that was not allowed. No sex for the girls of Maison D’Espoir.
    “Do you