“Dat’s my girl!” he said while hugging her. “And who are these fellas? Oh, and the young lady,” he asked while everyone was piling in. “Either your boys done growed up or you been cheating on me, sha.”
She smiled, “Come on now. You know you are the only man in my life.”
He laughed, “Come in, bae.”
Chapter Six
They entered the shelter, and Maia introduced her new companions to Charlie. She could tell from his dry reaction that he wasn’t sure what he should think of them, but she didn’t mind at all. It eased the pain in her heart to know he was looking out for her.
“And guys, this is Charlie. He was a history professor at LSU.”
“Well, I taught courses on American history and political culture with an emphasis on Louisiana and her people,” Charlie stated eloquently and sans his Cajun accent.
“Whoa, where did that old Cajun guy go?” Tye asked, firmly gripping the old man’s hand.
“I have a repertoire of impersonations I can do. I find it makes learning history more interesting. Maia is a fan of my Cajun persona, so I give it a go when she comes around. It’s all potatoes.”
Tye and Caleb looked at each other then back at Charlie, “Potatoes?” Tye asked.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, grandpa. It's all potatoes.” She looked at the guys, “Potatoes means it’s trickery. It’s an inside joke. I’ll explain later. Charlie, why don’t you show them the rest of the shelter.” She grinned and dropped down on the sofa.
With the most dumbfounded look he could conjure up, Charlie looked at her then looked at one end of the shelter then barely shifted his eyes to see the other end. "A tour?" he asked.
There wasn't much to see. It was a white rectangular box the size of two shipping containers. A showing only required a glance. A small desk and chairs with some shelving for storage hugged the wall. It was evident from the cluttered mess that it got a lot of use. The kitchen area was modern with its dark beige marble designed countertops and walnut cabinets.
The walls boasted dozens of sticky notes and pages ripped from a calendar. Charlie was constantly doing something intellectually and decorating with his latest brain eruption was his ninth favorite thing to do. He cluttered every surface available with books, food, clothes, and junk he had collected. At the other end of the shelter was a set of bunk beds situated on each side. Beyond the four bunk beds was what was supposed to be a bathroom. There was a semi-working shower, toilet, and sink.
The best features of this place were the plumbing and solar-powered electricity, as primitive as it may be. They couldn't get good water pressure to the shower, but they made do. They were also able to circulate and filter incoming air which was necessary for this small space.
Charlie performed a fancy Vanna White gesture and said, “This is the left side, and this is the right side. If you get lost, just turn around.”
Everyone laughed then took a seat either on the floor, sofa, chairs or on a bed and began assessing each other.
“So where’ve you been young lady?” Charlie asked seeming deeply concerned.
She leaned towards him. “How’d you know I was missing? Have you seen the boys?”
“Yep. Yesterday, around midmorning, Rodney, Jaxon, and a couple of the other boys came by asking if I’d seen you.”
“Are they all—” she interrupted.
He held up his hands motioning her to stop. “They’re all fine…all of them. They told me you ran off so those tracking dogs would chase you instead of some young lady you found. Is that so?”
She hesitated to answer him. She didn’t know whether she would be scolded or praised. You never could tell with Charlie. “She was starving, and she was by herself and scared. I couldn’t let them get to her. You know what those men do to young girls." She moved in closer to him and patted her chest. "I knew I could outsmart the dogs and I did. I just wanted to give them a head start.” She sat back and lowered her head. “Believe me. It wasn’t my intention to get lost.”
He just sat there. She wished he’d say something. She was not a fan of the poker face, especially his.
“She’s safe now." Charlie cracked a semi-smile at her. "They tell me she’s pregnant.”
Her mouth fell open, and she exhaled. Her heart felt full instantly. They’d saved two lives. That made it all worth it. She would’ve teared up if she’d had any tears left.
He continued, “That was a brave thing you did. Promise me you won’t ever do it again, hear?”
“Charlie…”
He swatted at the air in front of her. “Ah, don’t Charlie me, bae. I done tole you, you gotta stay alive. Who gon take care of all dem kids if you ain’t here? And Gawd forbid if you kidnapped cuz dey’d all get kilt lookin’ for ya.”
“Cajun grandpa does not work right now,” she said.
“You scared them. You scared me. That’s all,” he said emphasizing his concern.
She sunk into the sofa resting her head against the wall. “I know. I just worry so much. I have all of these boys who one day might want to fall in love and have children. And what if there is no one?” she continued, “I can’t accept that. I know y’all think it’s foolish to worry about that right now but what does it matter if we live, but there is no love, or worse, the human race dies out?” She closed her eyes. She hated even thinking about what the future might hold. “And the girls, I can’t leave them out there. If I can give them a chance, I will.”
Before anyone else lost themselves in deep thought, Caleb chimed in, “I don’t wanna break up the party, but we’ve got to get those blisters taken care of.”
“Yes, we do. Ever since I tried to pull my socks off the pain is so much worse.” She winced.
Charlie saw the damage to her feet. “That looks like it hurts. I got a propane tank and a gumbo pot. I’ll heat some water to lukewarm.”
Maia poked out her bottom lip. “Please don’t do it so close to the door this time.”
Caleb flipped through a first aid book he found on Charlie’s shelf looking for instruction on how to treat the blisters. He thought about what he’d just heard her say. He looked up at Charlie, “You turn the propane burner on in the house?”
“What I’m gon do? Burn it down?” He let out a laugh and disappeared out the door.
“He’s got this down to a science. He vents it, and he’s careful not to burn the rest of the house down. I just don’t like the smoke coming in the door,” Maia said.
The whole time Charlie was warming the water Caleb was working on getting Maia’s shoes off. He was finally able to remove them but not without her flinching. He tried hard not to hurt her, but it was evident that it did. When the water was ready, he rolled up the leg of her jeans, and she slid her feet into the pot. Immediately, she let out a yelp. She knew she had to suck it up and endure but, man did it burn.
“Ha ha!” Charlie laughed out loud pointing at the gumbo pot. “Now that’s what you call putting your foot in it!” He was so pleased with himself that he cracked everyone else up. Well, everyone but Maia.
Tye noticed she wasn’t laughing, “You all right?”
“I was just thinking about Clarisse. I can’t believe she’s pregnant. We’re going to have another baby.” She fought it, but the emotions came regardless. “Ugh…just ignore me. I’m such a girl sometimes,” seemingly annoyed with herself.
Caleb shook his head and attempted to encourage her. “This may come as a surprise to you, but you are indeed a girl; a beautiful, strong, stubborn, sarcastic,” recognizing that he was about to be slapped for that one he switched gears, “smart, nurturing and did I say beautiful?" He grinned. "And for the record, I teared up too. It's kind of cool what you did.”
Caleb had always been like that. His dad’s successful career and perpetual love affairs meant he was hardly ever around, so his mother was forced to raise them alone. She made it her life’s mission to teach her sons how to treat women and make them feel valued and loved. She was determined to raise them to
be different from their father.
He grabbed a bottle of water from his bag and handed it to her then he added a bit more salt to the foot soak.
His mom always told him, “Love isn’t always a feeling but it’s always a choice, and it’s the kind of choice that conquers all.” She raised him to be a good man with a good heart, and he believed loving others was always the best option. This allowed him to find the good in people and circumstances and focus on the positive instead of the negative. This worked with everyone in his life, not just the women. Well, it worked with almost everyone.
Suddenly, the wind began picking up outside. It was barely audible from inside the concrete fortress, but as it became stronger, it whistled through the ducts to the air filtration system. There was also a loud rhythmic thump permeating through letting Charlie know that something needed to be tied down. He asked Caleb, Tye, and Junior to help him.
The wind blew the rain sideways, and it seemed it was coming down, or across, in sheets; and this was black rain. They had to keep their faces down just to keep from inhaling it. The loud thump was coming from one of the walls that had fallen over. They decided it was best to bust it to pieces to prevent it from flying around and damaging part of the interior structure that had been built to get to the shelter.
Tye pounded it with a sledgehammer while Junior moved the smaller pieces. Charlie and Caleb covered the solar panels to prevent debris from getting to them. Rainwater saturated them within minutes.
Once they completed their tasks, Charlie advised them to strip down to their skivvies and drop their wet, dirty clothes into the barrel of water that served as his washing machine. "We'll take care of those later.”
Charlie popped his head in the door, his beard dripping and asked Sadie to bring them some towels. Maia pointed in the direction of the towels. She knew from experience that there was only a few, so she told her to only bring two. They would have to share.
They dried themselves as best as they could then poured into the small shelter. Maia couldn’t help but notice they were nearly naked. She tried to resist, but her face revealed everything she was thinking.
She knew Caleb must’ve noticed her mischievous smile because he shook his finger at her and told her to behave. She should’ve listened. Elex and Sadie didn’t even try to hide it. They busted out laughing and didn’t stop until their bellies hurt.
Maia had to concur. This was a sight to behold. Charlie waltzed in wearing the grandfather of all tighty whiteys. His beer belly hung over his undies, but it was his long gray chest hair that stood out. Or, spiraled out. He completed the look with knee-high rubber boots and a straw hat. This was internet worthy stuff that could go viral overnight. If only they still had the internet.
Caleb was a walking Valentine’s Day billboard. His underwear was the kind that had to have been a gift from his wife, Kerri. He proudly sported his tight black boxer briefs sewn out of a material made to look like leather. Worse than the faux leather was the hot pink lips scattered all over them and the handprint on the left butt cheek. Of course, he had to poke fun and shake his rump. At least he was a good sport, and the man had moves which was a good thing since these were the kind of underwear no man should ever be caught wearing. All she could think was he must sincerely love his wife.
Junior’s attire was a sign of the times. He had lost his underwear at some point, so he improvised by using gym shorts. As he lost weight and they became loose, he pulled the excess from the waistband and folded it to the side to make it snug then used duct tape to hold it. He was a goofy kid too so he couldn’t wait to come in and model for everyone.
Tye walked in wearing only his boxer briefs and socks. The starch white clothing emphasized his tight, sun-kissed skin. She couldn’t help but notice the rain and sweat as it dripped down his forehead. Her gaze traced the form of his face down to the beard he’d been forced to grow. She recalled the smooth baby face underneath that gave the impression of such youth and innocence. He didn’t appear to have earned his forty plus years on Earth, but now, the unrestrained growth gave him a rugged look she wasn’t used to. It made him look like a man; a grown ass man.
He stood a few feet away from her and used one of the towels to dry his shaggy brown hair. The motion caused the veins in his arms to bulge, and his tattoos were on full display. The thought crossed her mind that the real housewives of self-defense training may have been right: the man was fine. Her thoughts in full motion, she watched as he dragged the towel down his face and when he opened his eyes, they met hers. She instantly averted her gaze, embarrassed and wondered what the heck she’d been doing. She was baffled. She blamed it on the lack of sleep, and proper nutrition then shifted her thoughts elsewhere.
Thankfully, everyone’s attention diverted to Charlie who’d announced he’d be washing up first so he could cook food for everyone. The truth was he wanted to be able to use the dry towel. Maia knew all of the old man’s tricks.
Maia and her crew kept several extra sets of clothing here since they used it as a safe shelter when they were out. Under the mattress of each bed was storage and they were full of clothing and supplies. There were several guys in her group, so someone was bound to wear the same size as her new companions, and her clothes should fit Sadie fine.
Charlie came out of the shower and began making meals. Junior nearly trampled everyone to get to the shower next, including Caleb who was still looking at all of the supplies and clothing trying to find a t-shirt. There was so much he wondered out loud if she were outfitting a village. “How many of you are there?” he asked.
“A lot,” she said smiling. “We have six, no seventeen total now; twelve boys and five girls with three babies on the way. The oldest is twenty-one, and the youngest is thirteen.”
“How in the world did you end up with all of those kids?” Tye asked, his mouth full while shoveling more Ramen noodles and canned diced chicken into it.
“We were at the airsoft park for Gabriel’s birthday,” she said, tears threatening to well up. “That was Judgement Day.”
People have a tendency to map time around events in their lives; before dad died, after 9/11, post-Bush administration, and so on. Some of these events are so significant that they reestablish time. That’s what February 15, 2013, did. It became known as Judgement Day, a term the media would repeatedly use to refer to that first day in the catastrophic chain of events. #JudgementDay trended until cell phone tower failures, power outages, and server blackouts caused people to lose their connections.
She could never forget that day. They were in the middle of an all-out war during a game of Capture the Flag when they felt the earth below them shake. Initially, they were more confused than scared. The ground doesn’t shake in Louisiana. They assumed a chemical plant must have exploded. Something similar had happened in the late eighties, and they felt it several towns away. It wasn’t until they saw flocks of birds flying over and herds of animals running that they thought something bigger might be going on. By then the ground was moving under their feet for the third time, but this one was stronger and longer. It felt like they were on a trampoline trying to stand still while someone else bounced them mercilessly. They were all terrified of what was happening. It was up to Maia and the other adults to calm everyone and get them to safety.
She took a deep breath and began telling Caleb and Tye their story, “A few of the parents and a bunch of the boy's friends were there with us. After the wave had come through we tried to go back home, but we couldn’t even get half a mile down the road with all the flooding,” she said, pausing before she continued.
“Some of the kids were able to call their parents, and they told us our neighborhood was under several feet of water already. They couldn’t get to us, and we couldn’t get to them so we decided the kids would stay with us until it was over. We had no idea that was only the beginning. We lost several people along the way; Lance, our friends Lindsey, Kyle, and Marina plus four of the kid’s friends. That was the first week. We
lost and gained more kids here and there.”
Caleb couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You have taken care of all of those kids by yourself this whole time?”
“They made it easy. These are good kids, and they grew up quick. Most of them were at our house all the time, so I already treated them as my own.” Her eyes gleamed, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“Rodney is the oldest. He’s my right hand. He has helped me so much. He took on a bunch of the responsibility, so no, I didn’t do this by myself. And I’ve had people like Charlie that I met along the way and that made a difference too. When I leave out, I have a couple of neighbors that look out for them.”
“I’m sorry about your husband and your friends,” Caleb said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I had no idea."
She smiled at him vaguely then she thought of Tye. She looked over, and her eyes met his. He reached for her hand and said, “I’m sorry about Lance. He was a good man, and he was a good friend.” He looked like he might choke on his words. “I wish he was here.”
She squeezed his hand back. “I’m sorry too. Losing Beth and Troy, then to have Lanie taken. I can’t even imagine.”
They held their stare. They knew each other’s pain. It was all too much for both of them. He pulled his hand away then he repeated, “I’m sorry.”
Chapter Seven
Maia turned to Charlie and took the bowl he was offering. He always makes her Ramen just the way she likes it; slightly overcooked, lots of broth and lots of finely diced chicken. Caleb finished his shower right about the time she finished eating. "You ready to look at those feet?" he asked her.
She dreaded the pain she was about to endure, but they’d been soaking long enough. "My shoulder started hurting really bad too," she said pointing to her right shoulder. “I can hardly move it now.”
"Let me see,” Tye said as he pulled her jacket aside. He flinched when he saw how much old blood had saturated it. "Ooh. What’d you do?" he asked as he pulled the jacket off.
Amitola: The Making of a Tribe Page 5
