The announcement that we was to be blessed with a baby boy was received with much celebration by my family in Bermuda, as well my in-laws here in Oberlin. As the arrival date approached excitement filled the air and suggestions of given names for boys continued to grown at an astonishing rate. I decided I needed some time to be alone to think and went out for a drive in my car along a pleasantly scenic route to put my thoughts together, and clear my mind. That afternoon when I returned home I proclaimed the name for my future son  - Monte Scott.  Names I had chosen because of my admiration for Montgomery Cliff the movie actor, and a young person I cared deeply for who lived in Oberlin at the time.

By the time Monte was 10 months old I was faced with a decision that every mother dreads. The need to seek employment and leave an infant to someone else's care. I felt as if history was repeating itself, feeling both the pain and the required strength needed from my grandmother, and mother before me. I was relieved when Monte's paternal grandparents, who lived nearby, agreed to take him.  Each morning I left his side with a heavy heart which was lifted at the end of the day. There he was smiling and screeching with joy to see me, arms wide open, welcoming me home. That made everything all right!
 

As a young boy Monte exhibited great respect and admiration for his grandparents, and his aunts. That respect flowed through him to me. His first lessons in trust outside the home were gained in their presence.  I could see the tapestry of his life starting to be entwined with theirs. This caused a strong desire for me to take him to Bermuda in order for him to meet, and get to know his maternal grandparents, and the rest of his Bermudian family. I knew the strong roots he would encounter there. Every Summer we took a trip HOME.  There they would be, all at the airport waiting with wide smiles on their faces. Mother and grandmother, sister and aunt, nieces, nephews, cousins - all come to welcome us home. Laughing, talking, kissing, hugging. Yes, I thought, this is what he needs to have in his life. This wonderful, welcoming, family from St. David's Island. 

The first stop was to Mama Myrtle and Aunt Jessie's house.  As usual, they had stayed at home to cook all the delicious, secret family recipes we had not had the entire year, but craved for.  Peas and rice, fried fish, fried chicken, curried mussel stew, conch stew, fish cakes, cabbage and rice, bananas, all arranged with loving care on the table waiting for us to make our choices. The bounty of the sea, the yard, and their garden was positioned beautifully on their best china on the table.

Mama Myrtle, Aunt Jessie and her family, lived in a 3-bedroom humble cottage by the sea that one entered through a door that was never locked.  Pictures of every family member were strategically placed in every room. Bibles on the end tables. Crocheted lace table clothes, doilies, and bedspreads all co-ordinated in soft pastel shades graced the tables and beds throughout their home. The best came out of the trunk for such events. This was a homecoming and we were always made to feel welcome from the minute we walked through the door until the last second we left. There was no demand for you to leave until you were absolutely good and ready. Oh, how I cry when I think of the goodness of their lives and the openness and simplicity with which they accepted everyone.  Nothing but pure love for each other, their family members and anyone else who visited them.

As I continued to introduce Monte to each member of his  family, cries of glee came forth, "Leave him here, so he can get to know the ocean, learn how to fish and sail the boats".  Within the blink of an eye he was off to the sea. Some summers, Monte and I would make the trip home, and I would return alone. He had opted to stay the entire summer, returning just in time to ready himself for school in September. Brown as a berry, burnt "to a crisp", hair bleached from the sun, but he was happy and fulfilled, and talked of the next summer as soon as his plane landed in Cleveland.  Monte was also welcomed to accompany my sister Millicent and her two sons on trips to foreign countries along with their church group during his summers in Bermuda. This was a learning experience that he would not have had, or as often as he had it, if his summers had been spent in the United States. Each year, prior to returning home, he made the rounds visiting as many relatives as he could, and friends he had made, in order to extend his best wishes and thank-you's until his return.
 

His paternal grandparents, the Champe's of Oberlin, Ohio, also gave him a full appreciation for life, but from a different perspective. This included farm animals, particularly horses, trips across the United States from Ohio to California with "Gramma Ginny", going on camping trips, and even learning to cut grass. There were two aunts, Aunt CiCi and Aunt Margie, who adored him. They read to him, told him stories of their lives, took him on tours of Oberlin pointing out the historical buildings and monuments.  He would ask them to repeat the stories many times over, just as I had asked my grandparents in my youth.

Monte was attending high school when it became necessary for me to return to Bermuda because of illness in the family. He choose to stay behind with these grandparents and aunts to complete his education and upon graduation came to Bermuda to live with me.  He was nineteen at the time. Back in Bermuda he decided to attend Bermuda College in the Adult and Continuing Education Department to master the skill of European bartending from a French lecturer.  He also had waiter training. Monte was colourful in his approach, and soon mastered the techniques of twirling the wine bottles, pouring without spilling a drop, the abundance of mixed drinks were in his memory, as well as the theory of the world of spirits. He graduated with flying colours and was proud of his accomplishment, well prepared for the finest hotels, cruise ships, or to start his own business. 

Much like my father he spent several enjoyable years conversing with tourists from around the world, meeting celebrities, hob-nobbing with the rich and famous, and fellow Bermudians while employed at the Sonesta Beach, Lowe's Bermuda Beach Hotel, Grotto Bay, and the Police Club. Monte has a wonderful sense of humour, and was as charming as my father had been. He had a cherished collection of autographs that he secured while working in these hotels. He also developed a deep appreciation for island culture and its music.

Eventually Monte decided to returned to Ohio. The scene he had become accustomed to in the night spots and hotels, was not with the flair he had been trained to accommodate. He lost interest in the profession because there was no excitment in it for him in the United States. He returned to school and studied mechanics, specializing in computerized vehicles. He now works as a Shop Manager in an auto garage. He has his own family. These are the five wonderful grandchildren which I am blessed with.