101 In the Shade Pt. 01

*Author's Note: Any and all persons engaging in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age.

*****

St. Elizabeth Parish Public Library sat on four acres of land, near the south shore of Baylor Lake in Louisiana.

The address is 1 DeGarde Chateau, the same address it had been when it was Lady Emily DeGarde's residence. Having no heirs; her only child had been killed as he and his male lover left a speakeasy in New Orleans, Lady Emily DeGarde left it to her sole white servant, Rachael Ann Baylor.

Rachael Ann Baylor, in turn, bequeathed the large, three story home to St. Elizabeth Parish. Upon her passing, the parish converted it into a public library.

Built in 1880 by Captain DeGarde, the home was in a dire need of repairs and renovation. The St. Elizabeth Parish Council appropriated one million dollars for this project. The main stipulation being that the exterior of the structure be repaired restored to the original façade of 1880.

Anita Michelle Lopez, the twenty year old owner of Lopez Construction, LLC, joined the five men and quietly took notes while Cindy Broussard-Robichaux, St. Elizabeth Parish President outlined the project and the budget allocated.

"Honey," one grizzled man said, sneering at the woman. "Those shingles are six by six cedar and that's a two hundred by two hundred and twenty foot roof; and it's got a fifteen percent pitch. You got any idea how much you talking about just for that roof alone?"

"Number one, my name is Mrs. Broussard-Robichaux, not 'Honey,'" Cindy said evenly. "And number two, that's your job, knowing the costs of your materials and your labor."

"Well, I'm telling you, a million is chicken feed to what this is going to run you," the man said, not apologizing for the 'Honey' comment.

Anita asked if the roof shingles had to be cedar, or could they be vinyl shingles, fabricated to look like cedar shingles.

"That's still too much," the grizzled man sneered.

When Cindy brought up that the structure's electrical system had not been upgraded since 1939, the grizzled man cursed and left the building.

When it was revealed that the plumbing, much of which was still the original terra cotta piping would also have to be replaced, two more men left the building.

The two men and Anita left the small office after Cindy Broussard-Robichaux thanked them, one man left the Library right away, Anita and the other man walked around the library.

Anita used her digital camera, as well as scribbling furiously into her notepad. She did the same on the second and third floors of the building, and then finally left.

The six small towns that comprised St. Elizabeth Parish, Louisiana, were represented at the next Council meeting and the last order of business was to address the repairs and renovations to the public library.

"Of the six firms that are licensed to do such remodeling and repairs, only two have submitted any bids," Cindy said, and moved that Ethel Yacks, the Council Secretary be allowed to read the bids.

"Schaub did submit a bid of one million, seven hundred and forty two thousand dollars," Ethel said in her nasal tinged voice.

"But the parish has only budgeted..." Rayanne Williams, the Baylor Lake representative said.

"And Lopez Construction has submitted a bid of..." Ethel said and stopped, piggish brown eyes staring.

"Of..." Cindy questioned.

"Lopez Construction, LLC has submitted a bid of one dollar," Ethel said.

"I grew up in a falling apart rental trailer," Anita said, getting to her feet. "We didn't have money for books, finger paints, and fairy princesses. When I got older, we didn't have money for encyclopedias, or computers, or Internet access."

She wiped a tear from her cheek.

"The public library supplied all of that for me. When I was four years old, they had a Fairy Princess come and read to us, every Saturday morning. And Miss Waggamon, the librarian? She'd let me take my finger paintings home,"" Anita continued and nodded to the African-American woman, now the head librarian. "I took full advantage of the services this building provided."

She wiped away another tear.

"I am a successful business woman today, and I truly believe that it was the library that laid the foundation of my success. A fairy princess told me I could be anything I wanted to be, and I believed her. A woman treated me like I was special, despite the fact that my shoes had holes in them and my shorts were filthy. So, yes, I will charge you a dollar, if you will use the nine hundred and ninety nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine dollars for books, and finger paints, and fairy princesses and you will encourage the next Anita Lopez to do her best."

"I move that we accept Lopez Construction's bid," Carrie Browner, the DeGarde representative called out.

"Seconded," Dee Dee Farbacher, Kimble's representative called out.

The repairs started on May of 2015 and was slated to be completed seven weeks later.

On a sweltering hot June day, one of the laborers was walking across the hardwood floor of the atrium, which used to be the original home's kitchen. Where the pantry had stood, the young man noticed an odd 'thunk' when he stepped on a board.

Careful tapping with a rubber mallet disclosed a false floor. When the floorboards were pulled up, a cache of alcohol was discovered. The several bottles had been secreted during the Prohibition Era.

The St. Elizabeth Parish Council voted to auction off the liquor to raise additional funds for the library and adjoining park.

On a brutal late June Saturday, with the temperature hovering around one hundred and one in the shade, on the steps of the library a large, dusty, yet unopened bottle of cognac fetched six thousand dollars. A wooden crate containing twelve bottles of French champagne from Nineteen twelve went for nine thousand dollars.

The last three items were a wooden crate of Early's Sweet Whiskey, containing ten half-gallon bottles, a wooden crate of Early's Regular Whiskey, and a wooden crate of Early's Finest Whiskey.

"Thirty thousand dollars," Anita Lopez called out before the auctioneer could even call out the product.

"Sold," Cindy Broussard-Robichaux said quickly. "Thank you all for coming."

The three cases were loaded into the back of one of Lopez Construction, LLC's trucks as a sudden summer rainstorm brought the auction to a close.

At her home, Toni Delacroix, Anita's lover, looked on as Anita unloaded the truck.

"Okay, like, what's a woman that doesn't drink, and her girlfriend who like can't drink because of her medication going to like do with three cases of old whiskey?" Toni asked, holding onto Jake Lopez, who kept reaching out for his mother.

"Guy ordered a beer the other day at one of my food trucks," Anita explained and finally relieved Toni of Jake and made the boy giggle as she covered his face with kisses.

"Like y'all don't sell beer," Toni said.

"Exactly," Anita said and kissed the baby some more. "But I checked and did you know we don't have a brewery anywhere around?"

"And..." Toni slowly urged, pointing to the cases.

"Dead End, Jack's Hideout, Mickey's and the Foxtrot all said they would carry a local beer and Tony at Foxtrot said they sell more whiskey than beer so..." Anita said.

"Early's Finest... like any relation to Early's Grocery Store?" Toni asked as she read the handwritten label on one of the crates.

"Yes, it is; the original Mr. Early became a butcher to cover his whiskey making," Anita said as she heated up a bottle of formula for Jake. "You have a bunch of corn mash just lying around; the law knows you're making booze. Feed it to chickens and hogs and cows which you're selling, well, you're just an honest, enterprising butcher."

"Oh, no, no ma'am, like we are not going to become butchers," Toni said forcefully.

"Well no kidding; I've already talked with Young's Farms about buying the mash," Anita agreed.

Chapter 1

In 1997, Clayton Michael Chopin cried as his mother left their house. Earl Chopin did his best to comfort his eleven year old son, but soon tired of the boy's sniveling and slapped him.

Earl hired Jesse Johnson to represent him in the divorce. Because the divorce was set in motion by Cheryl Chopin's affair, and that affair was with a black man, Judge Harold Monroe agreed that primary custody should be awarded to the father. Any arguments from Kenneth Prejean, Cheryl's lawyer, were quelled by the disclosure that Cheryl was pregnant by her black lover, and the two of them planned to move to New York, New York as soon as the divorce was final.

A tearful kiss good bye was Clay's last memory of his mother. A crack head killed Cheryl and her lover in a botched mugging.

The crack head's defense was, "They shouldn't have fought back; they'd still be here they hadn't fought back."

Earl Chopin, being a successful investments broker, had no shortage of women that wanted to be Cheryl's replacement. Many were even willing to put up with Earl's cold, calculating demeanor to get close to his money.

Most also tried to ingratiate themselves into the heart and mind of Earl's chubby son. Clay was, however, not very responsive. He was still despondent over the loss of his mother and somehow believed, if he had been there, he could have fought off the mugger that killed his mother.

Then Earl met and very quickly married Candy Simone, a twenty five year old ex-stripper/prostitute and reformed sinner.

In his hormone-ravaged state, thirteen year old Clay could see why his forty three year old father would fall so hard for the blonde haired, blue eyed beauty. Candy's breasts, which had been quite large to begin with, were surgically enhanced to a truly stunning 40 F and collagen had plumped up her lips beautifully. If his father's crude jokes were to be believed, Candy was quite willing to put those puffed up lips to good use.

The twenty five year old moved in, with her ill-behaved daughters, and proceeded to make Clay's already unhappy life an absolute living nightmare. Gone was the television; the shows he liked were sinful anyway. Gone were the sugar-laden cereals, the snacks, the chips. The computer, which had been his refuge, was smashed beyond repair, deemed sinful by his step-mother. In the place of the television and the computer was a large Bible, which remained on Clay's desk, unopened.

And when his step-mother found a pornographic magazine under his bed, the door was removed from his bedroom so privacy was a thing of the past.

Her two daughters, younger than Clay, seemed to delight in causing Clay grief as well. And Candy, unable to believe that her daughters would ever do wrong, punished Clay for any of Colleen or Collette's transgressions.

"God damn it, Dad! Do something!" Clay screamed after Candy beat him for the carton of milk that Collette had left out that morning.

For using the name of the Lord in vain, Clay was force fed a spoonful of cayenne pepper.

Clay's grades had been excellent; some had pushed to advance him one or two grades. But those grades dropped while his mother and father were fighting and dropped well below average upon his mother's death.

Candy would not be satisfied with anything less than an A on anything. A 'B' was rewarded with a leather belt. One time, Clay erroneously brought home a 'C' which was later amended to an 'A' but Candy nearly beat the skin off of his bare buttocks for that unacceptable grade.

In 2004, Clayton Michael Chopin was the valedictorian of the Kimble Academy graduating class; Candy Chopin took full credit for this fact.

A week before his graduation, Clay sat at the dinner table, celebrating his eighteenth birthday. Because it was his birthday, there was a chocolate cake, which Collette loved and Clay could barely stomach. And there was chocolate mint chip ice cream, which Colleen absolutely loved and Clay despised.

"And we have you enrolled at Atwell College of Divinity; with your fine speaking voice, you'll make a wonderful minister," Candy said smugly as she lighted the eighteen candles on the cake.

"Well, that was pretty foolish," Clay said easily. "Why would you enroll me in a place I'll never go to?"

"Now see here," Early snapped. "We've already paid the tuition."

"I heard you fire Jim Taylor for making an unauthorized purchase," Clay said calmly as Candy again took her seat next to her husband. "Guess I should fire you for making an unauthorized purchase.

"Now see here, I'm your father..." Earl said.

"No, you are not! You quit being a father the minute you let this evil whore into this house," Clay screamed. "You quit being a father the minute you let this plastic boobed bitch start ruining my life! Grow a set of balls, you pitiful excuse for a man!"

"As long as you're in my house..." Earl bellowed when the shock wore off.

"Oh fuck you; I don't live in a house! I haven't lived in a house in years! It's been a Hell," Clay screamed, picked up the cake, complete with flaming candles, and hurled it at his father, getting Candy liberally with it as well.

"Happy birthday to me," Clay laughed. "I am so out of here."

Collette and Colleen sat, frozen in fear.

"Fuck!" Earl screamed as he realized one of the candles had managed to set his Candy's hair on fire.

A week later, Earl, Candy, Collette, and Colleen sat in the crowded auditorium for Clay's graduation. There were twenty six students seated on the small stage, but no sign of Clay.

They did not know where Clay had gone to; he had no car or driver's license. They assumed he had spent the week with one of the few friends Candy had not managed to alienate with her religious fervor.

Then Principal Donovan stepped to the podium and answered their question.

"Our valedictorian, Clayton Michael Chopin graduated a two weeks early," the man intoned. "He had joined the United States Marines and said he was anxious to get started on the next chapter in what we are sure will be an exciting and rewarding life..."

"We're not going to get to see Clay?" Colleen asked, eight year old face twisted in self-pity.

"We're not going to get to see Clay?" ten year old Collette mocked her sister.

"I guess not," Earl said heavily.

Candy took his hand, wisely keeping her mouth shut.

Then Collette gasped, a realization striking her.

"The Marines? Like the Army? They're going to Iraq! Clay's going to be killed!" Collette cried out.

Colleen burst into wails at the thought of her big brother being killed.

Chapter 2

Clay Chopin crawled out of the wreckage of the transport vehicle, rifle spitting lead. He couldn't see; blood was dripping into his right eye. He didn't know it, but there was a gaping hole where his left eye and eye socket used to be.

He hurled a grenade into the open window of a house and cut down the insurgents that spilled out through the open door.

It took a sniper's bullet in the chest to bring the fearless U.S. Marine down.

"Holy fuck! He's alive! This one's alive!" Clayton Michael Chopin heard someone scream.

He came too briefly in the field hospital. The next time he was aware of anything, he was in Germany. The next time he woke up, he was staring through a window at a beautiful San Diego sunset.

"Where am I?" Clay asked a man who was missing both legs and his left arm.

"Fucking told you yesterday," the man snarled. "We in San Diego."

"Oh," Clay said and looked at the sun's last rays.

The University of Louisiana at DeGarde did have a graduate program in Chemistry. Before his parents' divorce and step- mother had entered his life, Clay had been very interested in the sciences, in particular chemistry. While he had been recuperating in San Diego, he took several undergraduate courses at a nearby community college and most did transfer to U.L.D.

Dormitory life was no different than barracks life for Clay so he had no problem living on campus even as many of his fellow students were clamoring for the freedom of apartment life; Clay was content with his small real estate of bed, desk, and chest of drawers.

The eye patch over his left eye socket did give him a certain charm and he did not lack for female companionship but Clay had difficulty forming any lasting relationships.

His bachelor's Degree with a major in Organic Chemistry and a minor in synthetic engineering was soon followed with a Master's in Organic Chemistry and then he managed to obtain his doctorate degree in Chemical Engineering.

A Petroleum Giant did express some interest in him but because they wanted to send him to the Middle East, Clay looked elsewhere for employment.

"Thank you for your service to our country," Anita Lopez said and Clay smiled but shrugged it off.

Ms. Lopez outlined her goal; she wanted to replicate the formulae that had made Early's Finest, Early's Sweet, and Early's Regular whiskeys so sought after.

"There was no shortage of bootleggers, moonshiners in the Atchafalaya region, but Early's outsold them all, according to all the research I've done," Anita explained.

She showed Clay that they had managed to copy the handwritten labels that adorned the earlier versions of Early's Whiskeys.

"But now we want to duplicate the flavor," Ms. Lopez said.

"Ma'am, I honestly believe, with my degrees in Organic Chemistry, Biosynthetic, and Chemical engineering, we should be on track to start shipping soon," Clay said with confidence.

"I believe you," Anita said and stood up. "Let me show you your office and your lab. Of course, you're going to have to tell me what you need for your lab."

While Clay was being shown the laboratory he would be utilizing, Earl Chopin mopped his sweating face.

"Damn it, Bonnie, turn the air conditioning up, huh?" he barked at his Administrative Assistant.

He looked again at the latest P.I. report; they'd managed to find Clay; the last one had told him that Police Officer Clayton Michael Chopin had been killed in the line of duty in St. Louis, Missouri. But when he and Candy had flown to St. Louis, to see about bringing the remains back home, they discovered that Officer Michael Clayton Chopin had been thirty nine years old at the time of his death. Clay was only twenty seven; twelve years younger than this latest dead end.

This current report, however, said that Clay had been right there, under their noses, the whole time. A student at the University of Louisiana at DeGarde.

"Bonnie, can't you..." Earl screamed again as his sweat trickled into his eyes, making the report hard to read.

"It's set at sixty, oh my God, Earl!" Bonnie said then gasped as she looked into his office.

Earl groaned, and then slipped to the floor.

The beeps and whirr told Earl he had not died. The elephant sitting on his chest made him wish he had, though.

He looked and saw his wife Candy, as she quietly read from her Bible. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a groan. Her cold blue eyes snapped up and she looked into his bloodshot eyes.

"Oh, Our Savior is truly miraculous indeed," Candy cried out. "We lost you three times but I just knew..."

"We found Clay," Earl groaned but Candy was too busy praising the name of Jesus to hear him.

The next day, Candy was back, with Parker Johnson in tow. The one thing Earl had denied Candy, the one thing Earl Chopin had steadfastly refused her, was in adopting her two daughters. In his eyes, Collette and Colleen had not warmed up to him, did not respect him, and when Earl tried to be a father to them, the two girls did remind him, very snidely, that he was not their father.

"Enough is enough; those girls were terrified," Candy simpered. "You're the only father they've ever known and..."

"So if you'll just sign here and here..." Parker said, stepping up.

"Your daddy's Jesse Johnson?" Earl asked the man.

"Why yes sir, he is," Parker said.

"Good. Leave these here; I'll look over them later," Earl said.