Chapter 46
I was just about in the mood to punch Tib myself. “Will you sit still?! You wiggle worse than Fabrice. This is only a cold pack for pity sake. Leave it where I put it so it will do some good. So, let me get this straight. It was Jackie and her two sisters that did this. And you couldn’t hit back ‘cause they’re girls. Fine … stupid, but fine. Why were you with her again?”
He blushed. I swear he did. All he would mutter is, “Doesn’t matter anymore.”
Having all the male friends I did and do I translated that one easy enough. “Oh. It was her ‘charms.’”
“Er …”
“So are you really shed of her? And are you going to be really dumb and be brokenhearted about it?”
“Yeah. Er … no? I mean I wanted to break up with her for a while but … she’s nice when she isn’t crazy. The only reason I escaped with my life is because Vadie chased ‘em off with a broom handle.”
“Who is Vadie?” I asked, having a feeling I didn’t really want to know.
“You’ve met her a few times. She’s the one that usually runs the big scale at the Produce Station next to the ‘Cane field. We’re going out on our next day off.”
I sat down and started laughing again. I did know who he was talking about, just had never heard her name. The girl was more downhome strange than I was. I don’t know what Em thought because he was looking at me funny then shook his head and turned to Tib. “Boy, you take the cake.”
“Dad said that too for some reason.” Tib really didn’t get it based on the confused look on his face which only made me want to laugh harder, problem was I didn’t have time for it.
I shook my head and then stood back up. “I’m sorry you got beat on but thanks for bringing the rest of my pay. There’s more of it than I expected. I didn’t mean to put you out.”
“Didn’t,” he denied. “I had to pick up my own over time and then come by here to pick Granpere and Momma L up. I’ll throw Franc and Fontaine in the back and get them out of your hair too. Speaking of, there’s a letter at home that they have detention for the next three weeks so don’t worry about feeding them.”
“Do I want to know why?” I growled hoping it wasn’t something that would upset Auntie.
“Mom wouldn’t say when I asked. But it is bad enough that I heard her telling Serafine by phone that if they screw up in detention, that it will be juvie hall next.” He shrugged again like he didn’t care one way or the other and I figure he might not. Those two were burning bridges faster than people could try and build them. Plus, Tib was looking as tired as I felt and that doesn’t leave you a lot of give a damn.
I looked over to Momma L and asked her, “You want to take something home so you don’t have to cook?”
“Naw Honey I don’t, got leftovers I plan on feeding those sitting at my table. ‘Sides you’re going to have to double what’s already making on the stove top as it is.”
“I’ll make onion rings and dipping sauce as a starter and that should hold them until I can get things doubled. How’s Auntie? I’m sorry … for this morning.”
“Don’t worry it to death. Wasn’t your fault. And don’t go feeling bad about those mens either. God moves in mysterious ways and it was His will those two bafoons got et or they wouldn’t have been. He would have sealed the snouts of them gators like he did the lions for Daniel. But He didn’t and that’s that,” she said as she sailed out of the room to gather up her things and to check on Auntie one more time who’d been sent to bed early with a tea, a pill, and a poultice.
I was trying to figure out how to stretch the meal when Tib said, “Wow, she’s wound up. Usually she waits until Sunday to throw Bible stories at us.”
I threw a wet rag at him and said, “Don’t be sacrilegious. Where did you say you left my pay?”
“It’s on a dolly out on the porch. You want it here or in your room?”
“Just roll it in here. I’ll go through it as I get a chance.”
“Oh, I forgot.”
Given his tone no one could blame me for asking carefully, “Forgot what?”
“There’s a box I shoulda already brought inside. Dad sent you a 50 lbs case of shrimp to pay for that case of liniment you made for him. He almost forgot to keep a bottle for himself it sold so well, and wants to know when you’ll have some more.”
“He want the same kind or mix and match?”
“Mix and match so long as you label it good like you did these ‘uns.”
“When is he going back out on the boat?”
“Not for awhile. He is running a partnership with a couple of other men. He’s letting them use his licenses and they pay him in seafood. He’s hoping by staying home he’ll keep Serafine’s feet to the fire and Dante out of her life.”
I glanced at Em but let him decide whether to say anything or not. Besides I have fifty pounds of shrimp to deal with.
##### ##### #####
Fabrice was licking his plate. Literally. “That was good Ava!”
“Glad you liked it. Now I want you to go wash up – don’t forget your nose where it is wearing that ketchup – and get some rest. Since school is canceled the rest of the week, you’ll be doing your work here. And if you get all your work and chores finished before lights out, you can pick a movie … one movie … from that pile of them I took in trade to watch on the portable DVD player I found.”
“For real?!”
“For real. Now git.”
He got. Even remembered to take his dishes to the side of the sink to be loaded in the commercial dish washer. The family had to eat after the guests this time and I had already cleaned the three different dining areas. All I really had left to do was load the dishes and wash some of the serving pieces by hand.
“I’ll help,” I heard a gruff voice say from the table where he sat eating a second helping that hadn’t been hard to persuade him to take.
“I’ve got it Em. You’ve got to get to the school in the morning.”
“I can still help. You need to sleep at some point too.”
“Sleep? What’s that?” I ask with a laugh that somehow has too much of a catch to it.
I quickly switch to loading dishes and then had my hands grabbed gently and pushed toward the serving pieces. “I helped Auntie with this before you came along. It isn’t going to break me. Just finish those metal pieces and we’ll lock up here and go back to our rooms.”
“Thanks. Hopefully the machine will finish before they turn the electric off.”
“All the more reason for me to help.”
Em and I were nearly finished when Kramer stuck his head in and asked, “Em you got a sec? Something isn’t working with that solar gennie Colonel Morgan brought back from DC. Can you take a look?”
While Em went off to do what was requested I finally stopped long enough to go over my pay and make sure that what I had brought in from the community garden was put away. Then I thought about the garden chores tomorrow and that led me to thinking about not having garden gator guards and why. I refused to give in to more tears, but it wasn’t easy. Poor Green. Poor Greener as well as I hope I hadn’t made it too difficult for him to go back to being a completely wild thing fending for himself.
Bless the Major. I’d been prepared to start sleeping in a tree near the garden when she told me that from here on out there would be patrols covering the Compound and they’d just make a habit of walking by the garden a few times each shift. This was also going to happen at the Bayou Cabins as they’d had people coming around at night as well, probably those that normally hang out at the Food-n-Fun. When I mentioned it to Em he muttered, “’Bought damn time.” When I told Auntie she wept a little bit in relief then went back to sleep mumbling about reports and I’m not sure what all. She’s getting bad again. I hope she isn’t going to have another bad turn like she did back in February. Em and the rest are noticing it. Last time the lawyers called I covered for her, explaining that Auntie was going over inventories. They seem to be fine and don’t care so long as the work gets done and money isn’t wasted. They make a solid income from the guests here so they shouldn’t complain.
It was a weird assortment of things in my pay and I guess they were trying to get rid of things they consider “junk” and “loss leaders” while at the same time thinking of me as a girl. And while I’m a girl and know it I’d just as soon have had a can of beans as a package of make up from the junk box. What the heck am I going to do with mascara and lipstick? Honest to pete. I don’t even trade with people looking for that stuff anymore. Au natural is the fashion of the day and has been my fashion since the beginning. I don’t need razors either though those are good trade goods so at least I can use them that way. I gave Em one of the straight razors when he caught me using one on my pits when I slipped a little and knicked myself.
“Just use a damn razor,” he growled as I tried not to show it tickled when he was putting a bandaid on it for me.
“You know you’re one to talk. Look it you growing that crazy thing you call a beard because you’re trying to save money. Summer is coming and I don’t want the road rash pit hair will cause me.”
He opened his mouth a couple of times and then leaned against the door jam of my room and asked, “I am going to hate myself for asking but how do you know this?”
“I’ve worked enough summer camps out west and in Florida to know exactly how my body is going to react in that kind of heat doing this kind of work. Let me ask you, how is your face gonna feel with that beard when it is 95 degrees and 100% humidity?”
A couple of days later we’re at the storage locker and he asks what I’ll take in trade for one of the extra straight razors I found in Uncle Henley’s stuff. I tell him, “Nothing if it means you’ll get rid of that curly caterpillar trying to crawl off your top lip. I’ve never seen anyone with a curly mustache before. It looks like you’ve given it a perm.”
“Well if you’re serious you won’t be seeing this one for much longer. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a reason why I keep my head hair short.” I laughed and so did he. I didn’t want to admit to looking but his chest hair is curly too. I know girls that would give their eye teeth for that kind of hair … just not on their chests.
In addition to some of the junk I got some prime trade goods and I’m wondering how they got away with it since they are things that normally require a ration coupon. A four-pack of TP, a four-pound bag of processed sugar (I normally get the raw local stuff), a 4-lbs box of canning & pickling salt, a 2-lbs bag of citric acid, a jar of bulk pectin, a 2-lbs bag of pink curing salt. Then there was the just plain odd stuff like a package of cheese cloth. A couple of boxes of this stuff called Gulf Wax paraffin that looks like it is older than I am if the condition of the box and the pictures on it are any indication. A can of black olives. A tube of vanilla bean paste that I almost mistook for toothpaste. Sundried tomatoes in oil. A jar of pickled peaches. Two cans of bean sprouts and a small can of bamboo shoots. Some weird cream called ghee and some brown spread that might be creamed chestnuts? I’m pretty sure that’s what it says but I’m almost too embarrassed to ask Momma L what it is used for. She laughs at me enough as it is.
The rest of it looked like someone had knocked over a Mexican grocery store. Guacamole salsa, a couple of cans of hominy, a bag of dehydrated refried beans, a can of Nido which is basically whole milk so they probably didn’t know what they were giving me as that is valuable stuff when you can get it. Then I got some really useful things like borax, bleach tablets, a container of powdered scrub like the old Comet used to come in, and what blew my mind was some lye. Momma L was just telling stories of how her grandmother used to make soap but that it took lye. We aren’t as hard up as that around here, but there are plenty of places that are getting that way.
I had just finished scalding the cleaning rag and hanging it to dry – something Momma LeBlanc insisted I do – when Em limped back into the kitchen. “You ready?” he asked.
“As soon as I lock down the house and check on Fabrice.”
He grabbed a box, put in on the dolly, looked like he wanted to put me on the dolly, while saying, “Already done. The boy is asleep on a cot set up in Auntie’s room – and when did you let him do that? Now let’s get before they find something else for us to do. The lights will be going out in about 30 minutes and I’d like to get a shower first.”
I let him herd me like a sheep dog just ‘cause he seemed to need to exert the authority, but I took the dolly from him. “Ease up Em. I’m not disagreeing about it being time.”
He snorted but was less grumpy as we walked to the Old House, both of us checking things along the way. Only when we got to the Old House there was a line for the shower and it seemed to take all the starch out of Em. I whispered to him to grab his shower gear and I was going to show him something. He gave me a funny look but was agreeable. I found out later he thought we were going to use the pool water. Fat chance that I was going to get that undressed around all these guys.
After I stuck the dolly of boxes in my room I just acted like we were returning the dolly to the work shed. When we got there I told him, “Be my guest.”
He looked where I was pointing and it only took him about ten seconds to puzzle out what it was. “When you do this?” he asked as he pulled the curtain closed for privacy.
Rather than answer him I said, “Be careful, the hot side is kinda …” Only I didn’t get to finish.
“Whoawhoawhoa … damn that’s hot!”
I stepped outside the work shed and swept down the cobwebs and wasp nests that needed it. I’d already sprayed both so it isn’t like they had any occupants.
Ten minutes later he sticks his head out and says, “Your turn. I think I left you some hot water.”
“You didn’t have to. I usually take a cold shower when it is this warm.”
I was in and out as fast as he had been. We were walking back to the Old House when I saw he was really limping. “Want some help?”
“Huh?”
“With the liniment. You’re hurting.”
“No. But I wouldn’t mind a cup of that yellow tea you made me last time. I mean … er … if you have any.”
“You mean Golden Milk and of course I don’t mind. I wish I could get Auntie to drink a cup but until Momma LeBlanc agrees that it works she is turning her nose up at it. I keep trying to tell them it isn’t a placebo but getting them to accept something new is like telling the Mississippi to flow the other direction.”
He snorted at my tall tale then said, “I slept good after I drank it last time.”
“Is it your leg or back that hurts?”
“Both. Got stupid and lifted something wrong instead of using that jack we fixed up to do that kind of thing. Next time I won’t let myself think it is too much trouble.”
Not willing to ride him when he already knew it had been stupid I told him about my newest batch of liniment. “It’s an oil really. It won’t make you smell funny like the last stuff. Wanna try it out? Can’t hurt and it might help.”
He agreed after I told him what was in it, and I did that while I made the Golden Milk. I suppose it is better called an infused oil than a true liniment. It is cayenne, mustard, and ginger in olive oil. It works on joint pain. The mustard pulls blood towards the skin, ginger acts as an anti-inflammatory. And cayenne adds some heat. Into each jar I put one tablespoon of cayenne pepper, two tablespoons of crushed mustard seeds, and two teaspoons of grated ginger. Over that I pour one cup of olive oil and mix it well. I then put the lid on and let that infuse for a week. At the end of the week I sieve out and strain the infusion and toss the herbs on compost pile. I pour the infusion back into a clean jar, put the lid on it, label it, and put a sticker with instructions on it. Labels are hand written with a pointy sharpie pen so I suppose it is a good thing I have decent handwriting.
To use the stuff you dob some on the place that is hurting, massage it well, and leave it on to dry completely. You’ll feel the heat the first time you use it but to get the full effect you are supposed to use it regularly. I asked Em, “What do you think?”
“It’ll warm you up,” he said with a wry grin. “But at least I don’t smell like a funeral parlor this time.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I said with a grin that told him I wasn’t all that sorry about it.
I hand him the Golden Milk and then start trying to figure what to leave in my room and what to move to the storage locker. And then almost snapped out a curse when the lights flickered and went out.