Gator Boy Read online

  “Well I found a good fishin’ hole way out. An’ I was fishin’ up a blue streak when all of a sudden I snagged my net,” Jed said, holding up the net.

  “Oh man!” remarked Tebeau.

  “What the hell done dat?”

  “Dat’s just what I don’t know. I dragged up an down dat sucker for a couple a hours and didn’t come up wit nothing,” answered Jed.

  “Where were you?” asked Tebeau.

  “Das for me to know an you to find out, Coon Ass. I caught a hundred and thirty-five pound catch today. I ain’t telling nobody where dat hole is.”

  “Well it’s good news you finally had some good luck, Jed. I hope dat’s a sign the fish are coming back,” said Tebeau.

  “Yeah man. Me too,” said Jed.

  Just about that time the gas pump shut off.

  “Well, she’s full. Dis’ll cover the gas. I’ll see you later, Tebeau,” said Jed as he handed him the money.

  “Yeah, if you’re lucky, dat is,” retorted Tebeau.

  “Funny man. You know you can’t stay away from Judy for too long,” said Jed as he started up and pulled away.

  Later that evening at home Jed unhooked the torn net from the hoist on Gator Boy. He kept his nets hung up under the house where he had hooks in the floor beams to hang them from. He would repair the torn net later so he just hung it up to dry. Taking down his next best net he hooked it up to the hoist. The nets Jed used were your basic funnel net supported by cables that ran through pulleys on the hoist, and then over to a wench that he operated from his pilot seat. There was a pull cable at the end of the net that closed the end of the cylinder to create a funnel. When the net was full the wench would pull it up out of the water. Releasing the cable at the bottom of the suspended net would dump the catch on to the deck of the boat. The deck of Gator Boy could hold a catch of several hundred pounds of fish though it had been a month of Sundays since Jed had made that kind of catch.

  “Hey Sher, what’s all dat commotion down dare?” asked Momma.

  “Aw I had to change nets, Momma, something cut a hole in my new one,” answered Jed.

  As he walked up the stairs to the porch he continued, “At first I thought I was hung up on something. But the net comes right up outa the water, and the hole in it was cut, not torn. I dragged dat bayou for two hours and didn’t find nothin’. But look at dis, Momma,” he said as he showed her the hundred dollars. “I caught a hundred an’ thirty-five pounds today.”

  “Dat’s my boy. I knew you’d find dem catfish. Well, come on an’ sit yo’self down right down here. I made a pot of chicken gumbo an’ home baked hard rolls,” said Momma.

  Momma had an old antique Victrola that she brought out only on special occasions. She rolled it out of the closet and plugged it in. In the record rack at the bottom of the stand she kept her prize possessions. It was her record collection. She had Hank Williams, Harry Schults, and Happy Fats and the Lafayette Playboys, among others. It was like ole times on the bayou listening to Momma’s records again. Why, she hadn’t had that Victrola out since Marcus died. Later that night out on the porch Jed said, “Momma, dat was the bess gumbo I ever had. It’s sho good to hear dat ole Victrola again, too.”

  “Well Sher, a good catch is a good reason to celebrate. But tell me more about dis net,” she asked.

  “Well dare ain’t too much more to tell. But I never saw a net cut like dat, an’ come up wit no reason for it. I don’t know what coulda made dat clean a cut.”

  Jed spoke, totally unsuspecting of the pathetic and bizarre creature listening below. As the words were leaving his lips about what could have made such a clean cut in the net, razor sharp fins stood up on the back of the slimy-headed eavesdropper down in the shadowy bayou. A sad look fell over the face of the nameless intruder as it hung its head, knowing that it was responsible for the damnaged net and the poor fishing but could not help itself. After it could listen no more to what it was hearing it turned and swam away into deeper water. Its long gator like tail could be seen flailing away in the dark water. As it submerged it made a splash out on the bayou.

  “What was dat?” Momma asked.

  Jed, who had laid his head back in the chair, lifted his head and said, “It sounded like a fish jumping, Momma.”

  His head dropped back on the chair. Chicken gumbo always made him sleepy. The silence of the bayou was interrupted by the sound of a boat approaching.

  “Dat would be Lena bringing Judy home. She went shopping wit Lena down in Lafayette,” said Momma.

  Jed stood and walked to the rail.

  “Hey Lena,” hollered Jed as he leaned over the porch rail.

  “Gal, you a sight for sore eyes,” he continued.

  “Hey Sher,” answered Lena as she tied up her boat.

  Lena was twenty-one and lived with her father up the bayou. She had gone to beauty school and now made her living cutting the ladies hair up and down the bayou. Lena was a real beauty herself. She had a chair at her place, but mostly made house calls by boat.

  Jed walked down to the dock and gave Lena a big hug.

  “How you been, Sheri?” asked Jed.

  “I been good, Sher.”

  Pushing him away and acting mad, she asked, “When we goin’ out again, boy? I’m gonna have to get me a new fella if you don’t start payin’ me some attention.” Smiling, Lena winked as she looked up at Momma.

  “Lena. Get yourself up here an get a bowl a dis chicken gumbo,” said Momma.

  “Momma, dat sho sounds good. I’ll be right up,” answered Lena.

  “Momma, guess what,” said Judy excitedly as she ran up the stairs.

  “What Sher?” asked Momma.

  “Well we ran into Aunt Helen and cousin Deadra in the mall in Lafayette. Deadra came down to Marks Ville from New Orleans to visit Helen and Diamond. Anyway, she said dat the restaurant in New Orleans dat she works at needs another waitress. It’s one a dose real trendy Cajun places an’ dey only hire real Coon Ass girls to be waitresses. Deadra says she makes over five hundred bucks a week, countin’ tips. She said I could room with her in the quarter till I could get my own place.”

  Momma turned around with two bowls of gumbo in her hands and set them on the table. Wiping her hands on her apron, she looked at Judy and said, “Well Sher, I know you been itchin’ to get off a dis bayou. An’ if I was yo age again I jus might go witcha. If you gotcha mind made up I sho ain’t gonna stand in yo way. You jus better watch yo ass in dat big city.”

  “Tanks, Momma, you da bess,” said Judy hugging Momma’s neck.

  Sitting down, and hungrily digging into the bowl of gumbo Judy continued, “And Momma I promise I’ll call y’all every couple a days an’ I’ll come see y’all every chance I get just like Deadra does wit her folks.”

  “OK baby, but most important you look out for dose big city fellas. A little gal like you might be an easy target for one a dose New Orleans Romeos.”

  “Don’t worry, Momma. Deadra tole me she’d show me all the ropes,” answered Judy.

  Lena, walking up behind Momma, fluffed her hair with her hands and said, “Momma, you can use a trim. Afta I eat dis gumbo I’ll get my tools an’ take care a dat. On the house.”

  Down at the dock Jed looked out over the bayou wishing that his daddy was still around. At times like this with the whole family around he sure missed him.

  “Hey Jed, bring yourself up here, boy,” hollered Momma.

  “We gonna have us a beer an’ play some Happy Fats records.”

  Friday night on the bayou was always special. Even if it was just Momma and Jed, they’d stay up late and have a few beers, maybe play some cards. Jed didn’t do any fishing on the weekends. He’d sleep in and spend his day tinkering around on Gator Boy. So tonight was the night to let the good times roll.

  “OK, Momma,” Jed answered.

  Jed walked up the stairs, opened the icebox, and got himself a cold one.

  “You know, Lena, nobody but nobody cuts hair good as you. And nobo
dy’s prettier either. Ten minutes and you got Momma looking twenty years younger,” said Jed as he stood there blowing smoke, pretending to admire Lena’s work.

  “Oh he’s a sweet talker, ain’t he, Momma,” said Lena.

  She leaned toward Jed with her lips puckered and he gave her a kiss.

  “I’ll tell you what. I had such a good day today, and Momma, you been cookin’ every night. So tomorrow I’m treating everybody to dinner,” said Jed.

  “Not me, baby,” said Momma.

  “I’m driving into Marks Ville to visit Helen and Diamond. I’ll stay the night dare and come home Sunday,” answered Momma.

  “How bout you, sweet Judy?” asked Jed.

  “Well, I’ve got to get everything ready to go. I plan to leave early Monday wit Deadra, so tomorrow I’ll be saying good bye to Ronny,” said Judy.

  “Well he can come with us, can’t he, baby?” Lena asked Jed.

  “I don’t think Ronny would want all a y’all to see him crying,” said Judy, laughing.

  Everybody laughed, knowing that Ronny wasn’t going to take Judy’s leaving well.

  “Well Sheri, it looks like it’s you and me. Anywhere in the city you want to go, just name it.”

  Jed always got generous when he started drinking.

  After Lena finished cutting Momma’s hair they sat around and talked and had another beer.

  “Well, it’s getting late,” said Lena.

  “I gotta go. Come push me off, Sher,” she said taking Jed’s hand.

  They walked out on to the porch. Lena looked up at the sky and said, “It’s pretty tonight.”

  Looking at Lena, not the sky, Jed said, “It sho is.”

  Lena looked at him and said, “Oh you.”

  Then raising an eyebrow and thinking for a second she said, “You know, baby, Daddy’s gonna be out all night checking his trought lines.”

  She looked up and batted her eyes.

  “I sho hate to go to dat cabin all alone.”

  “Well, lead the way, gal,” said Jed.

  They hurried down the stairs like a couple of kids, untied their boats, and pushed off.

  “I’m on your ass gal,” said Jed as he started Gator Boy.

  “Eat my wake, baby,” said Lena as she punched it.

  Lena’s boat was a pleasure craft. It was smaller and faster than Gator Boy, but she held back, keeping Jed in sight. They arrived at Lena’s place in no time, being only minutes up the bayou from Jed.

  “Beat ya again,” said Lena, running up the path toward the cabin.

  Jed hurriedly tied his boat and followed.

  Lena’s cabin was set a little ways off the water. The levy wasn’t as steep there, on the inside bend of a turn in the bayou. Lena lived there with her father Louis, who was also good friends with Jed.

  Jed caught up with her, took her by the arm, and said, “Well don’t you want your prize for winning?”

  Lena answered, “Well tonight the prize goes to the looser,” as she unbuttoned the top button of her blouse in a suggestive way.

  They kissed. Then arm in arm they walked toward the cabin.

  Tiny waves rippled along the shore of the bayou as the hours passed. A little after midnight Jed said, “Hey Sheri, yo Daddy’s gonna be here in a little bit. I gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll pick you up about twelve o’clock and we’ll make an afternoon and an evening of it.”

  “OK Sher,” answered Lena as she turned over in bed.

  As Jed made his way back to the bayou he had no way of knowing that Louis would not be making it home that night, nor any other night, for at that very moment his fate was being sealed.

  CHAPTER 2

  Louis was a wild and youthful fifty-year-old man who had grown up on the bayou. Louis didn’t fish for cat like Jed. He went after the bigger fish like gasper goo, buffalo, and gar. There was a fish market in Lafayette that bought all he could bring in. Not everyone ate goo and buffalo but there are still a lot of folks that do. And most folks in that neck of the woods love gar.

  Louis didn’t fish like Jed with a net. He would go out every day after the net fishing was done and set his trought lines. A trought line consists of one large line strung across the bayou from one bank to the other. Along the line, every two feet or so, there were other lines hanging from it with hooks. He would bait the hooks with chunks of meat and as the bigger goo and buffalo and gar swam by they would bite on the meat and swallow the hook with it. Louis would go out every night gathering his catch and pull in the trought lines so the net fishermen could fish in the morning. But tonight Louis had no way of knowing what was waiting for him.

  As he was pulling in one of his trought lines he felt a jerk.

  “Damn, dat must be a big one,” he said to himself.

  So he pulled the line even harder. This time the line jerked back so hard that it slipped through his hands, plunging one of the huge hooks in one side and out the other through his wrist. As the blood squirted he looked at it in near shock. Then came the fatal jerk. He screamed all the way as he was pulled by the wrist down the bank and into the dark water, never to be seen again.

  About nine o’clock the next morning Lena’s boat came speeding up to Jed’s dock. Jed and Momma were having coffee on the porch.

  “Hey, what’s the hurry, gal?” asked Jed.

  “Jed, Daddy never made it home last night. I’m really worried.”

  Louis was a drinker and had been known to pass out on his boat from too much whiskey. As Jed ran down to Lena’s boat pulling on his T-shirt, he said, “Don’t worry, Sheri. He probably tied one on again. Let’s go. We’ll find him sleeping in his boat.”

  “I don’t know,” answered Lena. “I got a bad feeling dis time,” she said as they pulled away.

  Lena knew all the places where Louis set his lines. Sometimes she had gone with him to bring in his catch. So systematically they checked every one with no sign of Louis.

  “Well, dare’s only one place left dat I know of down dare,” said Lena as she pointed down a narrow channel.

  As they looked in that direction Jed said, “Look, dare’s his boat. Come on, let’s go wake his sorry butt up.”

  As they approached Louis’s boat they could see that he had pulled up to the bank and tied it off just as he always did whenever he was bringing in a line.

  “Hey Louis,” hollered Jed as they pulled up.

  When they came alongside of Louis’s boat they could see his catch stinking on the deck with flies buzzing around it, but no sign of Louis.

  “Daddy!” Lena yelled frantically.

  “Hey Louis. Where you at, boy?” hollered Jed.

  They looked all over the area, including the woods, but there was no sign of Louis. As Jed looked at the tracks on the bank he said,

  “Well it looks like he was pulling dis line in when, what the shit?” Jed asked as he saw the drag marks where Louis had been pulled into the water.

  “Oh my God. Daddy!” screamed Lena.

  Jed stooped down and started slowly pulling in the line. All of the fish had been eaten off and just the heads were on the hooks and there were some really big ones.

  “What da hell is dat?” asked Jed as he pulled in the line.

  There was Louis’s arm, bitten off at the shoulder, still hanging on the hook. Jed could tell by the tattoo on the forearm that it was Louis’s arm.

  “Daddy no!” cried Lena as she fainted away and fell to the bank.

  Jed jumped back quickly dropping the line in disbelief then leaning over he threw up.

  He wiped his mouth then ran over to Lena. He scooped her up and laid her in the passenger seat of her boat, then pushed the boat out, climbed in, and took off to get help.

  By the time Jed had pulled up to his place Lena was coming around. Jed said, “Come on, baby,” as he helped her out of the boat.

  “Momma!” cried Jed.

  “Damn it. She’s already gone over to Aunt Helen’s. I bet Judy went with her, too. Come on, Sheri, let’s
go,” said Jed.

  “No, you go. I don’t want to go back down dare. Can’t I just stay here and lay down?” asked Lena.

  “Sho you can, Sheri. You just come over here and lay down on my bed. Try to get some rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can get dis reported to da cops,” answered Jed.

  Jed helped Lena to bed.

  “I’m gonna take your boat. It’s a lot faster,” said Jed.

  “OK,” Lena answered in a state of shock.

  Then Jed ran down to her boat and was gone in a flash. He had it wide open as he sped down the bayou to Tebeau’s gas pier. As he pulled up to the pier Jed hollered over at Ronny to come over.

  “Hey Tebeau.”

  As Tebeau approached he asked, “OK, OK. Where’s the fire, Coon Ass?”

  “Tebeau, something really bad’s happened. God, I can’t even believe it myself,” said Jed as he pushed his hair back.

  Ronny, noticing that Jed was really upset, went down to one knee and pulled the boat steady and asked, “What the hell happened, man? What you doing in Lena’s boat?”

  “It’s Louis, man. He’s dead,” said Jed.

  “Dead? How’d it happen, man?” asked Ronny.

  “I don’t know for sho, I think it might a been a gator attack.”

  “Holy shit!” said Ronny.

  “Can I use y’all’s phone?” asked Jed.

  “Yeah, come on. Let’s go call the cops,” Ronny answered.

  “I need to get back to Lena. She’s bad off,” said Jed.

  “You don’t look too damn good yourself, Jed,” said Ronny.

  “Daddy, Louis is dead. Gator attack. Jed needs to use the phone,” hollered out Ronny as they entered the store.

  “Louis dead? My God! Hell I just seen him yeaserday,” said Perry, Ronny’s father.

  “Here’s the phone, Jed,” said Perry as he brought the phone up from under the bar.

  He reached back under the counter and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels. He poured a shot for Jed and said, “Man, you sho look like you can use dis.”

  “Thanks Perry,” said Jed as he threw back the shot.

  He made a face as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He seldom drank hard liquor straight.