CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Lane stood on the deck of the Princess two weeks later, he spoke of Senor Lopez and the offer he’d made. He was talking to Tiger.
“I prayed about it, too.” Tiger told him. “There is reason to believe the man. I think his offer is sincere, and the Lord’s always been good to us. I say He’s brought us here to introduce us, just like He did back in Tunisia. Remember?”
Lane didn’t have to think very long about it. The Lord had introduced them to Benny the warehouse owner. They had begun their stay in Tunis with a job and a solid place to stay.
He thought about it longer and realized that the Lord had also been with him in Joppa and every other place they had ever been.
“I agree.” Lane said. “It’s just amazing to me that the Lord provides another person to be involved in the very thing I wanted to do.”
Tiger smiled. “It’s funny how life works these sorts of things out. The Lord really is the master in every port city.”
“I’ve noticed that. Listen! There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Lane told him.
Tiger responded. “You’re going to ask me about the Captain. Right?”
Lane shook his head. “That wasn’t really where I was going with this, but I would like to hear about the place you’ve settled him in.”
Tiger laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Lane couldn’t quite understand.
Tiger explained it. “The way you said that. I bet he’d give you what for, if he heard you say I settled him someplace, like if he’s an old man.”
Lane admitted it. “He’s an old man, at least in my eyes.”
Tiger had a few years on Lane, but he wasn’t nearly as old as Captain Matthew.
“I guess he’s an old man to me, too. What was it you wanted to talk about?”
Lane got down to business. “I been thinking that, along with this idea of rescue and freeing those held in slavery that we might be able to do some other sorts of business on the sea.”
“Like what?” Tiger questioned him
Lane tried to explain. “Like regular business. You know. To buy one thing and to sell some other.”
Nathan, who had been standing with them but saying nothing, spoke up now. “I think that trade will be secondary to what we’re doing.”
That got the attention of both the other men.
Nathan kept talking. “Think about it. Both you guys tell the same story. The Lord has been leading you and providing for your needs.”
Lane nodded.
Tiger flat admitted it. “I can’t deny his hand in everything I’ve seen and done for over twenty years.”
“Don’t you think He’s going to continue moving you through this world, putting you where he decides to use your skill set?” Nathan put the question to them both.
They smiled and then watched Nathan’s hand move toward the men working on the Princess. She was getting a cleaning and a rebuilding.
Nathan said what seemed obvious. “The Lord moved Lane’s family from one side of the ocean to the other. He took Lane’s father before hand, maybe as bait to get Lane to come to the sea. He only knows what the exact plans were, but here we are in Matagorda Bay. We’re preparing for sea worthy travel.”
“What do you think of rechristening the Princess?” Tiger put forward the idea.
His two friends were not looking at him, so Tiger told them what was on his mind. “Her proper name today is the Palisade Princess.”
Lane confirmed it. “That’s right.”
Tiger shook his head. “But, we’re not in Palisade. If we take what Nathan’s just pointed out, that the Lord’s brought us to this harbor for His reasons, and we can probably do that, it makes sense to change part of her name.”
Lane liked the idea. “You’re thinking about christening her the Palacio Princess. Right?”
Tiger nodded his agreement. “Captain Matthew gave her over to us to use for the Lord’s work. We ought to honor Him by this recognition of the fact that the Lord’s moved us to this harbor.”
Nathan had something else to say on the matter. “I can think of another reason to do it.”
“What’s that?” Tiger asked him.
Nathan clarified the situation. “If we’re going to work for, and with Senor Lopez, and if he truly does run things in this city, we’ll be making friends by inviting him to the rechristening.”
Lane joined in the idea. “We ought to make it a festival to join our family with those already here, to join these people in friendship.”
Not that anybody formally voted on in, but that’s pretty much how the conversation went. It’s the reason Lane took the launch back to the shore, his plan to find ZIBA and retrace their steps to the home of Senor Lopez.
“Lord.” Lane prayed as he walked along the way. “This is a wonderful gift you’ve given me. Thank you for life. Thank you for giving me a life worth living. And, thank you for directing my family to this new home. May you continue to watch over them.”
He reached his Uncle MAHLI’s place, for that’s where ZIBA and the others were, and he saw that Senor Lopez’s man Jose was on the site.
Jose had brought friends, and they were assisting in the building of the barns.
“ZIBA,” Lane called his cousin. “We’re going to have a party.”
“A party?” This was a surprise to his cousin.
Lane told him about the rechristening plans for the Princess. In fact, he told him all that Nathan and Tiger had said back on the Princess.
“We’re finishing the barns.” ZIBA explained.
“Jose brought some men, and the work’s going fast.” ZIBA took a deep breath of fresh air.
Lane could see that his cousin had something to say.
“What’s on your mind?”
ZIBA smiled. “There’s another reason to celebrate.”
Lane saw a smile growing on ZIBA’s face. He waited for more information.
“You really need to talk to your cousin about this, because it’s his news to tell. Let’s go find him!!!!” ZIBA told him.
It didn’t take very long, either. Lane was with the men building the barns.
ZIBA faced his youngest cousin. “Tell him about the school.”
So, for the next two hours, as they all worked to move material and apply the nails, Lane’s namesake told him about his idea to begin a school.
He was going to teach his children to read and write, and he was also going to teach them about the Lord’s gift to mankind.
It turned out that, and anybody should have guessed this part, Senor Lopez was also involved. They had picked out a small piece of property nearer to the village.
Young Lane would have a home of his own there on the same land, but the school would belong to the community.
Lane had to admit that his cousin had very good language skills, perhaps better than his own.
ZIBA was very pleased with himself, and he said. “I told you there was more to celebrate.”
“You’re right. We have to make a party for everybody.” Lane walked alongside ZIBA. “I think we ought to do this at Senor Lopez’s place. I’m going to talk to my father first, but I’m going over there later today.”
He ate a meal with his father and mother and told them about the Princess. Senor Lopez had sent somebody over during the day, and his father had chickens now.
The three of them waited outside in the evening air to enjoy their time together and the Lord’s blessings. And, with a few hours left of the day, Lane left for the Lopez place.