Baker's Dozen

1. The Beginning!-2

Edna, gave birth to Robert at home, in that ramshackle, little shack, with the help of a Mid wife, and just never seemed to miss a beat, in her busy life, and was back working, just as soon as she could. After he was born, the Midwife who was cleaning him up, noticed that he had a small red and very distinct birthmark on his left chest just above the n****e. She remarked at the time, that it resembled a wailing Banshee! She, being of old Irish stock, had experienced a life, rife with, and steeped in, old beliefs, superstitions, folklore and tales of the supernatural and such. She was a little unnerved by the discovery at the time, but no one else gave it any consideration and any concerns she might have had, were dismissed as happenstance.

He was to be their only child, and although Edna never complained, it was hard on her, as she and Francis, had both hoped for a large family. They would have liked more children, but they didn’t have much choice, money was tight, times were hard, work had to be done, and they chose to be thankful with what they had.

Young Robby, was a blessing to them, and he had such a good temperament, and could amuse himself for hours with the simplest of toys, was well behaved, mindful, and respectful of his parents. He, as well, seemed to pick up on his parents work ethic, and was always eager to pitch in wherever he could, even as a toddler.

But, he had a rebellious side to him, and as well, he possessed a fearsome temper! He was absolutely fearless in his approach to anything and everything. There was always a bit of a hard edge to him, although, it was undetectable most of the time, but it was definitely there. It lay, just beyond what was visible to the eye, so, if you looked closely enough, you knew that something ominous, dark and dangerous, lay dormant within, just below the surface. That, could, and did, cause some problems for him and his parents, from time to time. Robby was also very analytical in the way he dealt with things, and his actions even as a young lad, always seemed measured and well thought out. He very rarely, just charged into anything, without giving it some solid thought and consideration first, as to how he would go about things.

He, also had a true “Poker Face” even in childhood, and his facial expressions, other than pure joy or happiness, never betrayed his true emotions, thoughts, or whatever action or reactions lay in store. Emotions such as anger, fear, disgust, or hurt were masked and obscured by that “poker face”. His ice blue eyes, were his most dominant feature and, he could lock into an intense stare, that could make most people uncomfortable. Some said if he was pissed off, he would fix you with a look that while not showing any emotion or intent, would send a chill down their spines as if someone was digging their grave. He was skilled in letting the other person’s guilt, dishonesty, fear or anger betray them with just a look from him.

Robby was an average student in most subjects, but excelled in art, music, and sports. He was an excellent athlete and displayed natural abilities in any sport. This presented a challenge, to the hard-working family, for whom every penny was needed to keep their fledgling business going as they needed to expand their little shop, to keep pace with demand. Sports equipment was expensive and while they didn’t want to curtail their son’s involvement, it did present a problem. But things had a way of working out for them, as they had made fast friends in the community, through their honesty, hard work and their generosity.

When someone in Town got sick, or injured or had fallen on hard times; the Bakers were the first ones to offer to help. They would drop off large baskets of baked goods or a pot of home-made soup, or stew. They were always careful and mindful of their money but would occasionally miscalculate an order and drastically undercharge for goods for someone who was facing hard times. People would try to make them aware that a mistake had been made, but they would just get a smile in return, and know that it was no mistake. Often, they would add items to someone’s order and tell them that it was older stock that they didn’t want to stock any more, but it was still good, and they would rather, give it to them, rather that throw it out. Their customers certainly appreciated them.

One such customer was Police Chief, Stanley Marshal, who had known the Bakers since they first came to Town and was very impressed by the hard-working couple, and the way the fit into the Community. He also saw something in young Robby that he felt needed nurturing.

Stan Marshall, was not a big man by any means, and certainly, not typical of those hulking six foot, plus, ex football players, who usually were attracted to this type of work. He only stood five foot, seven and a half inches tall, and weighed in at one hundred and fifty-five pounds. He was well muscled and was as tough as they come, when he needed to be, and was certainly capable of making his presence known, again, the key words apply; when he needed to. His size and demeanor were deceiving and many a big tough man, was quickly made aware of his ability to scrap and take care of himself. He was totally fearless when faced with any situation. However, in his entire career, he never drew his g*n, other than to clean it, practice or lock it away. Secretly he hated guns! He knew how to use one as verified by his performance at the g*n range, he appreciated that guns had a purpose and were often necessary to have, but he still hated them! I guess his wartime experiences, led to his aversion to them. He was prepared however, and would do what he needed to.

He was affable, had a kind nature, a soft voice and an easy-going mannerism and attitude, which was sort of unusual for someone making a career in Law Enforcement. He had an avid interest in sports and was a contradiction to that old adage about coaches, that stated; Those who can play, play. Those who can’t play, coach!

The coach, could play as well as anyone, and in rough and tumble sports, like hockey, when someone would think that he could rough Stan up in the corners, taking him in hard against the boards, they were in for a surprise! Instead of an easy target, they found a formidable adversary, skilled in applying elbows and knees to vulnerable and painful spots on the body and the refs and linesmen were mostly oblivious to it. They thought twice about trying it again.

Stan however, found his true talent, was in coaching, teaching the game and its fine points, shaping future all stars and even had a couple of his charges make it to the NHL. He had a way of getting the absolute best performance from his players, be they top calibre or mediocre. He loved what he did and put his heart into it.

The same applied to his approach to Law enforcement, he did not regard his badge, as a privilege that gave him authority, with which to rule over others in the Community, but considered his job an honour to be charged with the responsibility to help and protect as many in his Community as he could. He preferred to be liked, and earn respect through his deeds and performance rather than by demands or fear and intimidation. You could always expect a fair shake from Chief Marshall, as long as you were up-front and honest, however, he could also be harsh, when and if he needed to be!

He took a real interest in young Robby Baker, and from time to time, could be seen, just sitting on the steps of the store with him, just having a conversation. The feeling was mutual, and Robby was thrilled when he got to be on coach Marshall’s Hockey team or when “The Coach” would drop by one of their baseball games or practices.

When Robby went to ** for the Baseball team, he found out that his only nemesis, Danny O’Reilly, was on the team already, and they didn’t get along, and rather than get the whole team involved in their rivalry, he decided not to play. Coach Marshall could understand his position, and sought him out, and it was his suggestion, that Robby start a team and league of his own. He knew Robby had the initiative, the drive and the ability to make it work, and he would be there to mentor him all the way through it. He had no idea, at the time, but Chief of Police, Stan Marshall had inadvertently set things in motion that would eventually lead to the formation of The Bakers Dozen, Motorcycle Club!

He recognised in Robby, a natural leadership capability, and charisma, and he also noticed, that many of the kids in Town, who did not come from affluent families, had fallen through the cracks, in the current sports programs that currently existed in the community.

Many of the more well-heeled parents, and politicians, were more obsessed with winning, championship pennants, trophies and the like, than having their children learning and playing, for the pure love of the game and just playing! Playing sports, was expensive, or at least, too expensive, for many families to buy equipment, pay to register, and all the rest!

Stan did what he could, but, he was far from wealthy himself, and just didn’t have the time it would take. But, he saw in Robert Edward Baker; the makings of a protégé and he did have many contacts and quite a bit of influence, with many of the major Sports franchises in the Province, and they came through for him. Robby was a natural, and he did the rest, with a lot of help and guidance from the Chief.

Stan, had two boys a little older than young Robby, and one slightly younger, and they were all into sports in a big way. He, himself, was coaching, baseball, football, soccer and hockey. He would drop off boxes of sports equipment, like baseball mitts, skates, balls, bats, pads, hockey pucks, hockey sticks, helmets and other items that he said his boys had outgrown, at the Baker’s house or shop.

Despite his assertion, as to the source of this much needed and appreciated equipment, by the sheer volume of stuff, you had to know, that he had sourced them from other places, as well, as his own collection of hand me downs and cast offs! This was especially evident, when shoes and skates in sizes like 14, 15, and larger which, co-incidentally happened to fit the “Beanpole”, Chuck Taylor, who, was always outgrowing everything he had.

Robby always found the right recipients for every piece of equipment and collected outgrown stuff and in turn found new owners for it as well. Stanley Marshall was pleased, as more kids who otherwise would do without, and not play, could! He figured, what goes around, comes around and always liked to pay it forward. Besides, if these kids were playing sports, they weren’t getting into trouble and making work for him and his Department!

Robby liked to play, but he had the ability to realize, that the game, always came first, and winning was just something that happened, when you played the game properly, and things went your way. He was patient and kids, of all ages, loved and respected him. He displayed no ego, and the other kids recognized that he was a truly gifted athlete, who chose to hang out with them, when he had the ability to play with those, older, and far more talented, than themselves.