Blue Autumn in the Bayou (Gumbo Love)

by Clay, Ann

  He waltzed back into the room and picked up his wallet and keys he’d deposited on the countertop earlier. His mother, alarmed at his dark expression, asked him, “Where are you going, Travis? The news of the storm’s directions changes by the hour.”

  “I have to go and get my wife.” He walked toward the door and didn’t look back.

  Trae and Michael shared a knowing glance. They didn’t seem surprised by his claim. His parents were too shocked to say anything until after Travis walked through the front door and slammed it shut. Trae got up and went after him.

  Michael frowned and stood to follow his brothers.

  “Did he just say he was going to get his wife? Is Autumn his wife?” Diane looked from Alvin to Michael. Alvin glanced away. Michael didn’t dare reply or meet his mother’s puzzled glance. Instead, he moved, and kept walking until he, too, was on the other side of the door.

  Trae met Travis at the driver’s side of his truck. Travis was ready to pull off when he tapped on the window. “What are you doing, man? Where is Autumn?”

  He thought about just pulling off without acknowledging Trae, but he knew his brother was only concerned for him. He let the window down. “I’m going to Grand Isle. I’ll call when I get there.”

  “Whoa, Travis, you’re headed into that storm. Can’t this wait? If she’s on the island then hopefully she’ll stay put until the storm blows over.”

  “No, I’m not waiting Trae. I need to go and get her.”

  By this time, Michael approached them. “Want to tell me what’s going on?” He looked from Travis to Trae. “You know this storm has changed course, right?” He looked at Trae. “It’s not safe to go after her, Travis.”

  Travis looked at Michael. “Listen, I’m not waiting. I need to get to her. You and Trae can stand here and debate this. In the meantime, I need to kill some distance between me and Grand Isle. I’ll come back when I have my wife in tow.”

  “Wait, we’ll go with you.” Michael held up his hand.

  “No! You stay here. You both have someone else to look after. Autumn is my responsibility.”

  Both Trae and Michael looked down at their eldest brother. “Be careful and call us when you get there,” Trae added.

  “Will do.”

  * * * *

  Autumn settled into her room. It was exactly the same, which made Autumn feel secure and happy. She slipped on jogging pants and was pulling her dress over her head when her mother entered the room without knocking. Maree saw dark bruise marks on her daughter’s neck and the back of her shoulder. “What happened here?” She ran her finger across Autumn’s back.

  “What?” Autumn moved to the mirror and saw the visible marks still vivid on her back.

  Before she could say anything, Maree asked. “Did you get hurt during one of your performances?”

  There was no way she could make something up, nor had she intended to lie to her mother. “No.”

  Maree moved close to her again. “Then what happened?”

  Autumn hesitated before she answered. “It’s nothing, Mom.” She hastily put on a T-shirt.

  “I know you want me to drop the subject, but I won’t.”

  Autumn looked at her mother and determined that she wasn’t going to get any rest if she didn’t answer. She left her room and went to the kitchen. Maree followed her. “Autumn.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “Don’t play with me.”

  “I was with Travis a few days ago. It could have happened when we were together.”

  “And exactly what do you mean when you say you were with him?”

  She regarded her mother and without being flippant, she answered her. “You know what I mean, Mother.”

  “You’re sleeping with this man, Autumn? What’s gotten in to you? Haven’t you learned anything?

  “Mom, that stuff is old wives’ tales, and you can’t expect me to believe any of it.”

  “As I’ve said before, just because you didn’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

  “Mom, please, we’re in a different time now, a whole different world.” She dropped into an overstuffed chair and looked at her mother for understanding. She told Travis everything about her and the family. People from her past, when simply put in perspective, had made some very bad decisions. She didn’t love them any less for it. She refused to live in their shadow any more.

  Maree couldn’t believe her ears. “Girl, don’t you think I know the difference between living reality and living a dream? And what you’re doing is living a dream. But if you’re not careful, you’ll shatter that dream.”

  “Let her be, Maree.” Mer Drace came shuffling into the room and sat in the first open chair.

  “Mer Drace she has slept with this man.”

  “Yes, and as his wife she is obligated to.”

  Maree’s head swung so fast in Autumn’s directions that it should have snapped off. She turned back to her mother’s clear blue eyes; eyes that seemed to light up with her revelation. “Mer Drace!” Mer Drace just sat there and looked at them both.

  Autumn’s breathing accelerated. Beads of sweat gathered at her temple and in the center of her chest. She knows. She knew she would.

  Maree watched Autumn and couldn’t believe her ears. This was the same young woman who at sixteen, had convinced her and Gator to let her get color contacts. “I can’t understand why we have to pay good money to cover eyes that don’t need covering,” her father complained. But Maree knew the difficult time their daughter was having; the fear of people was something she was very familiar with; after all Maree was Mer Drace’s daughter.

  So if having contacts was going to make her feel better, so be it. Just like the dance lessons she’d taken, she instantly saw a difference in her daughter’s confidence in herself. People didn’t look at her and wonder how she came to inherit the same eyes her mother had. Tempest took everything in stride and could adjust because at six foot four and two hundred and sixty pounds by the time he was sixteen, Maree didn’t have to worry about anyone messing with him. But Autumn stressed over what people thought of her for the longest time.

  Now, it would seem Autumn had stopped running. She’d accomplished a lot in her short life. She thanked the maker that her daughter had taken a turn in her life without care of anyone but her own happiness. Maree wished she’d had the opportunities Autumn had. Mer Drace attempted to push her out there, but unlike Autumn, she was too afraid to leave the Isle. It was all she knew. And to know that her only daughter took the rites of passage without consulting the wisdom of family who loved her dearly seemed to come too fast.

  * * * *

  Travis began to worry once he turned the bend of Highway 1 after trudging ninety-five miles down and through two parishes on mostly a two-lane highway, to include ninety-degree angles. He prayed as he crawled through traffic lined mostly with people driving in the opposite directions as he was. In some cases, they’d taken to using both lanes for one direction instead of the two-directional roads the highway was meant to accommodate.

  When he saw the bridge, he knew there was no way to get across at the shore because he could see utility poles and wires bending and leaning as the gusts whipped across the way. He flipped his turn signal on once he got to a fork in the road. Car horns and rattled mufflers competed with the winds and water gushing onto the shores. A man in a beat-up white truck had mercy on him and let Travis make his left turn onto a gravel road.

  He crept down the narrow lane and stopped. He had no idea what he would do at this point. Maybe waiting a couple of hours was the best choice. But what would he do in the meantime? He couldn’t just sit in his car. He wasn’t sure it was safe. He tried all the way there to reach Autumn on her cell phone with no success. He didn’t have a number for her grandmother’s house. If he could find a phone book, maybe he would find a listing for Autumn’s Mer Drace.

  He got out of the car to survey his surroundings, and spotted a house with boarded-up windows at the very end of the street an
d headed directly for it. He rapped on the door several times, but got no answer. So he walked around to the back, just as a man as tall as a tree came around and met him face-to-face. He wore a bright yellow rain slicker with a hood covering a baseball cap. He could just barely make out the man’s features hidden beneath the hood.

  However, no sooner had he looked up and cast brilliant blue eyes on him than Travis knew without a doubt that the man was his brother-in-law, Tempest Thibodaux. Autumn told him that there weren’t many African Americans living in those parts. He couldn’t imagine that there was anyone else on the island that looked like him. “Tempest?” Travis shouted above the wind.

  CHAPTER 30

  Tempest frowned at first but the frown instantly vanished. He wondered if the man was lost. Why would he be there anyway? Most of the tourists had already left. “Yes. I’m Tempest. What can I do for you? Do you realize that there’s a storm headed this way?” He stood directly in front of Travis.

  “Yes, I know. I’m Travis. Travis Brooks. I’m looking for Autumn.”

  Tempest’s wide smile slipped into place and he reached for and grabbed Travis’s hand in a hearty shake. “Man, so you’re the one who has stolen my little sister’s heart. It’s great to finally meet you. But what are you doing out here?” He led Travis back to the front of the house.

  Travis wore a camouflage rain poncho that came down mid-thigh. “I came to get Autumn. Can you take me to her?” He followed closely behind Tempest.

  “She’s at Mer Drace’s house. It’s safer than most places, and we figured the road would be exactly as they are. Most of the foreigners left days ago. But here, most of the folks think they can ride out a storm and most of us hope that it gets downgraded before it hits inland. Once the forecast predicts that the storm actually grows strength, people start panicking. They line the roads like I’m sure you saw earlier. I’m surprised you made it this far.” Tempest pushed opened the front storm door and held it open for Travis. “Come in.”

  Once inside, the dim light from the lantern provided just enough light to keep them from bumping into things. Tempest peeled away the rain gear. Travis stood near the door and kept his gear on. He was on a mission. He had to find his wife and he planned to do it with or without her brother’s help. “Will I be able to get over the bridge?” Travis’s gaze followed him as he moved farther into the room.

  “Traffic is still pretty backed up. I’m not sure how long it’ll be before the causeway is clear. The storm surge will determine whether the bridge is passable in a few hours. Once it turns dark, I don’t recommend it.”

  “Well I have to try it now.” He turned toward the door and was headed out.

  “Whoa, wait, okay. Let’s just hold out a minute or two. Autumn is safe for now and I can’t let you go out there.”

  “Look man, I need to find my wife, and I’m not going to stand around waiting to get to her. I stopped here in hopes of using a phone to call her at your grandmother’s house. I haven’t been able to reach her on her cell phone. It just turns out to be fate that I bumped into you.”

  Something in Travis’s conversation triggered the vein in Tempest’s neck to leap. Did he just say his wife? What the hell is going on? Tempest dropped his baseball cap on the table and turned around to regard Travis. “Look Travis, I don’t know if it was fate that led you here to me or not, but I do know that I can’t let you go out there now. If something happens to you, Autumn will have my hide. She would want me to look out for you. And aside from that there is no phone at Mer Drace’s house. There hasn’t been a phone in that house since anyone can remember, if at all. So you won’t be able to call her there.”

  Travis didn’t like what Tempest told him, but figured he’d have a better plan than his. “So what are you proposing?”

  “We just need to chill for a little bit, let the traffic clear up for a while. We may be able to get over to the island before it gets dark.”

  Travis did everything except chill. He paced the floor for so long that he had soon gotten on Tempest’s nerves. Tempest had to get the man over to Autumn or tie him up and throw him into the cellar. Autumn would hang him if he tried to do anything other than help Travis.

  Just before dark, clouds quickly moved to the western skies. Tempest and Travis jumped into the truck, and slowly but surely crossed the Hwy 1 bridge. They pulled into Mer Drace’s driveway and got out. “Well, here you are Travis. Autumn should be inside. I’m going to walk around for a minute to make sure things are boarded down. I’ll be in shortly.”

  Travis wasted no time as he headed for the front porch. His wife was somewhere in the house before him, so he walked up the porch and rang the doorbell.

  Mer Drace answered the door and the moment he saw her, he instantly knew who she was. His heart leaped in his chest. Autumn was correct. She was a younger version of the woman standing before him at that moment. He tried to capture every detail of her face in a single glance. He didn’t want to be rude just standing there, staring at her, but he couldn’t help himself.

  Autumn was in the kitchen, but the instant the doorbell rang, something stirred inside of her. She thought maybe the caller was bringing bad news; perhaps residents were being ordered to leave the island at once. However, when she entered the room, her heart nearly fell into her shoes.

  Mer Drace looked up at Travis. She smiled and nodded at him. “You must be Travis.”

  “Yes, Mer Drace, I’m Travis. Is Autumn here?”

  “Come on in son. She’s here.”

  Travis cautiously walked into the house, his eyes instantly seeking the insides for any signs of Autumn.

  Autumn stayed put and watched her husband greet Mer Drace. He had to go through her family to get to her, so she stood back and waited patiently for him. When she looked at his tired face, an observer looking on would have thought she was looking at him for the first time, when in fact she’d seen him only days before.

  She saw something no one else saw when she looked at Travis, like the small, tired lines at the curve of his mouth. Those luscious, sweet lips curved into a smile that didn’t quite reveal the true Travis. Autumn watched as he removed his poncho before he reached down and cradled Mer Drace, and before pulling up to his full height, dropping a tender kiss on her cheek as he did. He looked down at her and Mer Drace reached up and touched the side of his face with her ageless hand.

  “Mer Drace. I feel like I’ve known you a very long time.” He smiled down at her.

  “You have, child. But I’m glad we can look at each other now face-to-face.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied not truly understanding her comment. He glanced over at Autumn standing rooted as if she were waiting for him to pass a gauntlet. He stopped and hugged Maree next. “Mrs. Thibodaux. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He stared down at Autumn’s mother. Both favored Mer Drace, but Maree had hazel eyes instead of the striking blue like Autumn, Tempest, and Mer Drace.

  Travis kissed Maree’s cheek and hugged her. Maree wanted so badly to not like Travis, but she just couldn’t. His sincere eyes and warm smile touched her heart. He looked directly at her with a level of respect she didn’t see often in young people. He emitted such positive energy it transmitted from him to her instantly. She patted him on the back a few times before she released him. “My girl is awfully crazy about you, Travis.”

  He glanced over at Autumn again, trying to divide his attention between both her mother and her. Still he couldn’t help but project most of his energy toward Autumn. She called to him both physically and mentally. He took care to finish all of the formalities needed to get to where he wanted to be, within arm’s reach of Autumn. “I love her with every fiber of my being.” He regarded Maree as she watched him and his private exchanges with Autumn.

  “And I believe you, son. Welcome home.”

  “Thank you.” He squeezed her arms.

  Finally free to move to his bride, Travis made no haste, taking long strides until he was close enough to grab her face in
his hands, pulling her to him as he continued to move forward. In one quick movement, he covered her mouth and with all the force he had, he kissed her briefly but deeply. He then wrapped his arms around Autumn and crushed her against him. “I missed you, baby.” He mumbled into her hair before releasing her.

  Autumn’s breathing ceased until Travis released her. Her hand grabbed a fistful of his shirt and when he let her go, which was way too soon, she clung to him by his shirt. She smiled. Her body trembled. For a brief second she was unable to communicate verbally, but she didn’t have to.

  Travis read the sea of emotions on her face. So he said to her, “I’m going to go out and help Tempest. I’ll be back in a little while.”

  Autumn didn’t want him to leave. She reluctantly released him.

  * * * *

  The rain had subsided, but the winds continued to gust. Travis and Tempest reinforced the boards on all of Mer Drace’s windows and doors facing the south shores. Gator, Autumn’s dad, came up right as they hammered down the last plank. “Pop, this is Autumn’s husband, Travis Brooks.”

  “Husband?” The giant man frowned.

  “Yes, sir.” Travis interjected and moved toward the older version of Tempest and held out his hand. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t get do this beforehand. But please know I love and will protect Autumn.”

  “I expect you will.” Gator accepted the young man’s hand. “Welcome, son.”

  As they finished and headed back into the house, they were met by the aroma of a spicy Cajun supper. Autumn was in the kitchen with her mother. She moved around, busily stirring the ingredients thrown in by her grandmother in a no-win effort to keep her mind off of the man that consumed her entire being. She resisted the need to go out and seek Travis.

  He, her brother, and father came through the door one after the other. “Smells good. It’s just a matter of time before we lose power. Might as well enjoy a hot meal now,” Gator said as he hung his rain poncho on the hook near the door. The men peeled away their slickers and other all-weather gear. They walked to the utility sink, and with the help of one another, used water they’d collected from a pail before turning the water line off.