Maria Daambra

By Alexander E. Goulet

Maria first met the rich and debonair Michael Daambra while she was skating with her friends on the frozen Peters River.

The fact that she was from a poor hard working family and that he was the sole heir to the rich Daambra familys fortune and lucrative business empire as well, did not dissuade them from going through a lengthy romantic relationship which eventually led to matrimony.

Their seven month old marriage was ideal until Michaels father died and the young man had to take over the reins of the familys extensive holdings, whereby he soon took on a new lifestyle of womanizing and alcoholism.

Fearing that Maria would create a scandal which could cause him to lose the election for the Governorship of the State, he placed her under the watchful supervision of Marie LaGrande, known simply as LaGrande, thus making his wife a prisoner within the Chateau.

LaGrande had a split personalitygentle as a lamb one moment, and as mean as can be the next; her bitterness towards people was a hangover from the harsh beatings that she had received at the diabolical DeVue Academy, a private school for wealthy insubordinate young ladies.

Maria was eventually freed from her imprisonment one day, when, in a fit of rage, Michael killed a man and was forced to go on the lam or face homicidal charges.

She then moved from the Chateau to a small farm, where at first she ran a small fruit and vegetable stand but which quickly expanded into a thriving lucrative Garden Center.

A decade later, she accidentally ran into her fugitive husband roving freely about in a shopping mall, and fearing for her life, she notified the police as to where they could locate the elusive murderer after she had shadowed him to his rental apartment.

The institutionalized Michael was never able to recover from the shock of having been apprehended after so many years of freedom, and died in a mental institution shortly thereafter, while awaiting trial.

Maria met an old acquaintance, Charles O'Shaughnessy, and married him after a long courtship. They raised four children, and went on to live a long and happy life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 27, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462822300

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Shipping Crate

Maria Daambra was very much alive.

The inside of the box was not unlike that of a casket; having a hinged wooden lid, covered on the inside with a thick acoustical material to muffle any sounds that could possibly emanate from within this eerie container, and a soft satiny cloth enshrouding this padding, was removable for washing and sterilization purposes after each human delivery had been completed.

Unlike the lid, the lower interior portion of this container was much more sophisticated in detail, as it was built for comfort, yet encompassed several necessary security restraints.

A firmed mattress covered the bottom surface, and it too, had a removable liner which could be washed and sterilized.

Leather wrist cuffs were affixed at both sides on the so-called upper end, while ankle braces were attached to both sides of the crate at the lower end; all placed there in order to curtail any excessive movements by the helpless occupant during transportation to and from Coche Island.

A series of inconspicuous tiny bored holes throughout the length and width of the confining chamber, provided for necessary ventilation so that the constrained rider would not suffocate.

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A wide belt spanning the width of the box at midsection, along with a neck collar attached to the mattress at the upper end, completed the required restraining essentials.

The box made of thick pine, and left in its natural state, gave it the appearance of being an ordinary shipping crate, strong and large enough for transporting a large piece of furniture or a unit of heavy equipment.

Sturdy rope handles located on both sides, as well as at both ends, provided ease for the strain required to lift and carry the perspective heavy, cumbersome cargo.

This would be the return trip from Coche Island for the young Maria Daambra, the second leg of an incredible journey on a small cargo plane from the vineyard island to the mainland. This journey was an unwarranted excursion that would shatter her life beyond belief for many years to come.

Just like so many others who had preceded her on a similar journey, Maria had been delicately and comfortably positioned in this unique box. Her dainty wrists and ankles had been firmly bound to the sides of the crate by the sturdy leather cuffs, and her frangible head was securely held in place by the soft leather neck collar. Her slight torso was secured by the wide leather belt stretched out across her fleshless stomach in order to prevent her from jostling about inside the crate during the short journey.

She was also blindfolded to assure that she would not panic should she accidentally awaken to discover that she was helplessly bound in place. As an added insurance so that murmurs would not be heard emanating from the inside of this ghastly receptacle, an adhesive-tape bandage held her mouth tightly closed.

Thus, totally immobile, Maria was neither dead nor in any physical pain, and at no time was she ever in any physical danger. She had been safely sedated, had been provided with every means of comfort available, and within a few hours she would awaken to find herself within the confines of her own home.

Chapter 2

The Baxter Farm

Having been returned safely to her home, after that incredible voyage from Coche Island, Maria now lay comfortably in her own bed, minus the blindfold, the mouth gag, and all of the other restraints that had constrained her within that unique crate.

However, some remnants of the last sedation that she had received before being shipped home still lingered within her system and kept her temporarily in a semiconscious state.

It was during those intervals between light sleep and total recovery from the last of the lingering tranquilizing that she had received, that much of her early life was being reenacted in several dream sequences.

The first of those dreams took her all the way back to her early childhood, long before she had met the rich, debonair Michael Daambra and falling madly in love with him. It was then she had enjoyed a lovely upbringing, simply satiated with love, happiness, and security that her immediate family provided.

Her parents, Theodore and Marguerite, born and educated in the province of Quebec, had immigrated to the outskirts of a small New England textile mill city in the 1920’s.

Maria was the youngest of their three daughters.

The family always had plenty to eat, even during the worst of the great depression of the 1930’s, because her father always managed to find the time to cultivate a small garden every year. This was in addition to working at two and sometimes three various jobs to supplement his usual income.

Unlike her sisters who showed no interest whatsoever in their father’s gardens, Maria, even at that early age, showed an affinity for agriculture, wanting to learn all that she possibly could about growing things. Following her father about in his garden, she was ever so helpful to him, and was forever asking him pertinent questions about the science of cultivating.

It was through that experience of helping her father in the garden plot, along with her weekly visit to the Baxter farm (up the road a piece), that Maria established a knowledge base for what would someday become her lifetime career, Horticulture.

When the ripened vegetables from Mr. Champagne’s gardens were harvested, it was then left up to the girls and to their mother to see to it that everything was preserved and stored away on cellar shelves in preparation for the forthcoming of another long and bitter New England winter.

Come girls, Mrs. Champagne would announce, "Today, we must put up a few dozen jars of fresh tomatoes, you can forget whatever else that you may have planned on doing for now, tomato canning comes first. There will be time for other activities after this chore is completed.

I guess we can just about forget living like normal people for the next three weeks or so, each one of the girls thought to herself. Oh sure, we’ll get this one project done today, but we can all rest assured that this is just the beginning of another long and demanding Canning Season.

We all know what’s in store for us from now on: days of peeling, cutting, dicing, steaming, and cooking bushel upon bushel of fruits and vegetables, and then packing them into jars which will need to be sterilized, sealed, and stacked neatly on the cellar shelves before we can live like normal beings once again.

Every member of the Champagne Family was also musically talented, each having a beautiful singing voice as well as mastering a musical instrument or two. Maria’s specialty was singing and playing the Spanish guitar.

The Baxter farm, where she spent most of her Saturdays, visiting her best friend and classmate, Nancy Baxter, was located two miles up the road from Maria’s home.

Every Saturday morning, Nancy’s father would drop by in his small truck while on his way home from the feed store and give Maria a ride to his lovely farm up the road, and would graciously return her to her home in the evening, after she had spent an enjoyable day at the farm.

It pleased him and his wife very much to see his only daughter playing with Maria, her favorite friend, in the safety and wholesome atmosphere of the farm.

Those weekly visits also met the approval of Maria’s parents, as long as it wasn’t during the canning season.

Dressing in farmer jeans and wearing rough work boots, provided a diversified relief in attire for Maria and Nancy, who otherwise wore conservative regulation school uniforms on days when school was in session.

Appreciative of Maria’s attitude, enthusiasm, and love for the farm life, Mr. and Mrs. Baxters treated her as though she was a second daughter.

Of special importance to Maria’s future, were the many hours that she spent in consultation with Mrs. Baxter, who was usually preoccupied with caring for her beautiful flower garden.

The young girl simply admired the beauty and wonder of all that she could see growing and was forever asking Mrs. Baxter a million questions about the propagation of plants and flowers, all of which were graciously answered for the interested girl:

"How often does one water the flowers, Mrs. Baxter?

"What is bone meal and what’s peat moss?

Why do you spread the cow manure all over the fields?

However, it wasn’t all work on the farm for the two girls, as they spent many hours rambling all over the fields playing all types of games, some inside of the barn and some in miscellaneous sheds. They laughed and giggled among themselves and occasionally got themselves into youthful mischief.

However, Saturdays came to an end too quickly for the young Maria. The real end was only realized when upon returning home and before even being allowed to enter the house, she was compelled to go into the garage and remove all of her outer clothing as well as her boots. She then proceeded immediately to the bathroom for a much needed bath, all in a dire effort to remove the barnyard smells from her body, hair and clothing.

Her boots, as one might expect, were left out on the back porch for overnight airing.

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Even as she lay there on the bed, still in a partial coma, reminiscing about her youthful pass, Maria was displaying a smile on her face, suggesting that she was really enjoying reviewing that specific phase of her past.

Chapter 3

Skating at Peters River

Maria continued to maintain that smile on her face as she recalled another memorable segment of her life.

At that moment, she was recalling a very special day in her life, when she had first set eyes on Michael Daambra. She was seventeen at the time and was skating with several of her friends on Peters River.

It had been a good year for skating. Once again, an overnight winter storm had dumped four inches of snow on the frozen river. The neighborhood kids had readily cleared a large area on which to skate on.

They were well rewarded for their strenuous efforts. They were able to enjoy themselves on that quarter mile length of the creek, gliding back and forth, racing each other, playing such games as snap the whip, or just showing off their individual ability at figure skating.

One segregated area was always set aside for those boys who wanted to play hockey.

The biggest thrill of all for a teenager, however, was the chance to skate with a partner of the opposite sex, especially if it was someone that one was infatuated with. To be able to glide over the ice with arms intertwined in a special intimate manner, up and down the frozen river, like waltzing across a smooth dance floor was a routine they would love to duplicate many times over.

One particular Saturday afternoon while Maria was having a great time showing off her attempts at figure eights, for the benefit of anyone who might happen to be watching her, it so happened that a handsome young man, a newcomer to the area, suddenly appeared on the scene.

Look at this new cute guy who just stepped on the ice, her friend Norma noted. "I wonder who he is… sure would like to meet him."

I don’t know, and I really don’t care who he is, an apparently unconcerned Maria nonchalantly responded. I have never seen him around here before, he must be visiting some relative in this neighborhood.

Though she had shown no interest in the new skater initially, she soon changed her mind after having given him a second look.

She couldn’t help but notice that he was quite different from any boy that she had ever seen or known before, feeling a sudden sentient change in her emotional chemistry.

She could readily tell that he definitely hailed from a well-to-do family just from the expensive clothes that he was wearing. Only someone from a rich family could afford the expensive looking sweater, trousers, stockings, gloves, and woolen toque that he wore. His luxurious skates resembled those worn by professional hockey players. Had she seen him when he had first arrived at the river, she would have observed him alighting from a very expensive and sporty automobile.

He meanwhile, was immediately struck by Maria’s beauty and the overwhelming magnetism that she embodied in him the very moment that he had first set eyes on her.

With an air of total independence, he went on to skate with all of the other girls who were there that afternoon except Maria, deliberately snubbing her.

Each one of those fortunate girls seemed to swoon in his hold, as he promenaded them up and down the tree-lined icy path. Even Maria’s own sisters displayed an air of immense pride at having the honor of skating with him when it became their turn to do so.

However, this did not bother Maria in the least, because she too could be just as independent as he was at the moment. She wasn’t about to admit her true feelings and display any signs of interest in him and mused:

If he has any feelings towards me, then let him make the first move. Yet, I can’t blame him for his lack of attraction to me. After all, just look at what I look like, wearing my brother’s baggy woolen pants, my father’s old tattered sweater, his long woolen hunting socks, one of mama’s tattered woolen toques, a faded scarf, and a pair of threadbare mittens. I look like a Raggedy Ann doll. I am also wearing my aunt’s old-fashioned black shoe skates, whereas the other girls whom he is skating with, all have girl’s white shoe skates, and all are wearing cute little skating outfits.

As he skated the length of the creek back and forth with other girls and she strolled on her skates with other boys, he could not help but savor the glowing beauty that Maria emitted each time that their paths crossed. He was apparently blind to the ragged clothing and the old fashioned skates that she was wearing, and he could see only the uniqueness of this very special person whom he thought was the loveliest girl that he had ever seen in his entire life. She was truly the girl of his dreams.

After having totally and deliberately ignored Maria for a couple of hours, the independent Michael finally decided it was time to make a bold move and ask Maria to skate with him, and not push his luck any further.

However, when he returned to where he had last seen her chatting with her friend Norma, he was surprised to find that she had left the area.

Maria and her sisters had to be home by four o’clock, Norma informed Michael. So the three of them left in a hurry.

He was so disappointed upon hearing this, that the thought of never seeing this lovely girl again, made him sick to his stomach.

And yet, in spite of his disappointment and his hurt, he became simply annoyed with the fact that she had left without having sought him out and saying goodbye to him.

How could she be so inconsiderate? he thought to himself. Why couldn’t she have been a bit more forward and have initiated a conversational overture?

She should have skated right up to me and introduced herself and propose that we should get to know each other better. After all, in the past, it has always been the girls who have chased after me and not the other way around.

How dare she ignore me?

What sort of a girl is this?

How dare she treat me like that?

Michael, as one can see, wasn’t accustomed to not having his way all of the time, and thus had great difficulty in accepting the culmination of that afternoon.

He left Peters River in a fit of anger. He was more upset than he had ever been at any time in his life, and would spend