Chapter 4

They were expecting a family reunion, but no one not from the South realized that a family reunion was usually a huge affair involving multi-generations and could number in the double digits. So the yard they pulled into was crowded with people. There were about forty adults and uncountable children. The reason you couldn't count the kids was because all children under the age of about 12 were in constant motion, like schools of minnows.

Remy nodded to a man. "John." They shook hands and slapped shoulders in the way of old friends. "We got beds?"

"Do that. This way. Park your wheels over there," he waved a hand at a shed. "All the bikes go under shelter. There's a table set up on the porch; see Annabelle."

Gibbs looked around and really liked what he saw. Davant was tiny, with a population of about 100 souls, most of them related in one way or another. The yard was huge, and the modern three-bedroom house was set well back from the road. Every house was on five acres of land, due to local ordinances. He didn't see any facilities like grocery stores or anything, but he was sure they were nearby; these people weren't going to drive all the way to New Orleans for bacon and beans. He remembered passing through a larger town about ten miles back, Phoenix maybe; it had a quick-stop/gas station right on the highway. But everything on this lot was neat, clean, in good repair.

They followed Remy to a huge metal building with three double-wide rollup doors. He pulled in the open door and parked at a young boy's direction. They wound up parked in a cluster, with Jimmy's trike at the back. The boy waited until they were all dismounted and putting their helmets, chaps, and jackets away to say, "Y'all don't mind, you could leave the keys. No one 'ud have nerve to bother your stuff, an' we might maybe need to rearrange a bit."

They all looked to Remy who nodded. "Okay. Wat you doin' wit 'em?"

The boy shook his head. "No idea yet. Y'all's early birds. Most a' the folks around right now just dropped in for a bit to see Ma'mere's okay." he shrugged in that way of all Cajuns and added, "Most'll be gone home for supper in half an hour or so. After-work visit."

While they were talking, Cosmo had been poking around a bit. He came over to the boy and said, "You got a name?"

The kid, who was about sixteen, flushed, "Oh, man, where's my manners gone beggin'? Name's Henry." He pronounced it 'on-ree'.

Cosmo grinned and introduced himself. "An' I'm Cosmo Richter. Just call me Cos. Here ... I was snoopin' and ..." he pointed to a bundle of paper tags on strings. "See. Use a tag on every key, put the name of the person and what vehicle it goes to on the tag. There's an old-fashioned safe right there. Get a box for each type of vehicle, car, truck, whatever and put the keys in them. If I'm not mistaken, there's room in that safe for at least eight boxes."

Henry grinned. "I go ya one better. It's got drawers right in it and hangy things, too. Daddy's got one just like it at home. Great idea. Merci beaucoup." He grabbed the bundle of tags and tagged their keys. "I got to get the combination from ... someone."

Tony just snickered. "Jet?"

Gibbs, who could actually crack a safe using a stethoscope, if he had one, went to look at the safe. "You go find out if someone knows the combination; if not, get permission from the owner, and I'll be glad to see what I can do."

Henry nodded. 'Okay, I go ask. Y'all just ..." he waved a hand and hurried off.

They got their luggage off the motors and decided to leave it there, while Jimmy and Remy went to find out where they would be staying. Dean, Cosmo, and Tony wandered off to meet n' greet, while Gibbs stayed to wait for Henry.

Henry came back with an elderly lady dressed in a neat pants-suit. "Henry says you can get that ol' safe open," she smiled. "George, my husband, bought that thing in an estate sale ... oh, about six months before he passed. Never got it open. If you can open it, here's the key. I keep all keys in a box in my dresser so they don't wander off." She smiled at Gibbs, "Well, have at it, boy. Allons-y."

Gibbs gave her one of his crooked grins and offered, "Just waitin' for permission."

"Huh! Better to ask forgiveness than beg permission. Get to it." She made shooing motions with both hands.

Gibbs laughed outright at having one of his sayings quoted back at him, then rummaged around until he found a glass. "Need real glass. Don't have a 'scope, but this'll do."

He knew Jimmy had a stethoscope in his medic bag, but he wasn't about to borrow it. The last time someone had disarranged Jimmy's bag had not been pretty. And Gibbs did not want to be taken onto the mats by their geeky medic and stomped into paste.

He put the glass against the door of the safe and began to turn the dial. He listened carefully until he heard a tumbler drop, then glanced at the dial to make sure of the number. These old safes were fairly simple, without multiple turns required, so it was turn one way, listen, turn the other, listen. It didn't take him long to get the thing open. A pull of a lever and turn of a key had it done. He took a moment to write the combination down on a scrap of paper someone handed him. He was a bit surprised to see quite a crowd gathered around, watching him work.

Ma'mere, whose actual name turned out to be Angelique DuBois, announced, "Since you the homme who got it open, you get to empty it."

Gibbs grinned and started pulling drawers open. The first two had papers which Ma'mere put into a briefcase to deliver to her lawyer. The next had some old money, which also went into the case. Then there was the bag of coins, obviously meant to be change, that went into the case as well. The next rank of drawers was empty, containing nothing but a bit of lint. The third rank from the top only had two drawers, bigger than the first two ranks. These proved to contain jewelry boxes of various sizes. Gibbs glanced at Ma'mere, who shook her head. He just passed the boxes over to her to stow in the case. He was glad it was a huge old-fashioned Gladstone-style bag. When he'd emptied those drawers, it was down to two pullout file-size drawers that were the scoop-fronted, slide-out type. He pulled them open to find more lint and a folder. He handed over the folder, then just pulled the drawers out and dumped the mess onto the floor. He took a moment to stir it around, finding nothing but dust and lint. "Okay, that's it. Someone get me a dust pan and broom so I can clean up the mess."

Ma'mere chuckled. "Dump the last of the mess and someone else can sweep it up. You come up to the house and find your bed."

Gibbs didn't like leaving a mess for someone else, but it was her house and, as the saying goes, "My house, my rules," so he dumped the last of the mess and left it to Henry to deal. "Yes, ma'am. Coming." He followed her to the wide, deep front porch to see what accommodations he had.

Ma'mere led him to the table and said, "Give Annabelle your name. She'll know where you and that crew are." She then went into the house, mumbling, "Swear, I'm findin' my overhauls." (Or does she mean "overalls"? – Jake)

Gibbs chuckled at Annabelle's eye roll. "Ok. Where's my rack?"

A quick check had the young woman pointing to another house. "Down there. Your whole group is sharin' the master bedroom. It's a Bed an' Breakfast place. Very nice, and the only thing even vaguely resembling a hotel for about twenty miles. We're gonna be settin' up tents and such tomorrow, but them's your quarters until you leave. Angels guard your sleep."

Gibbs took the slip of paper Annabelle handed him, said, "Thank you," and headed off to see what sort of bed he had.

It turned out that he had a very nice one. The master bedroom was huge and had two king-sized beds in it, each with its own truckle bed underneath it. The rest of the guys were already there with his stuff.

Jimmy was tearing a sheet of paper into strips when he came in. He looked up and said, "Just in time. I numbered the beds, and we're going to draw for who sleeps where, but, since the two cots aren't here yet, someone gets the floor tonight. I decided that we'll rotate beds so no one has to sleep on a cot every night. Okay?"

Gibbs nodded. "Fine with me. How are we deciding for the floor?"

Tony shrugged. "Five and six get the floor."

Dean pointed. "I'll number the beds then." He started with the far left and numbered them, with the truckle beds winding up odd, while the "top" beds were even.

Cosmo pointed out that the king-size beds could each hold three. Remy pointed to Tony, "You really wanna sleep with the octopus?" This referred to Tony's habit of star-fishing in bed. He usually wound up all over his sleeping partner; he'd hotly deny it was cuddling. "I don' mind, but it's hot."

Gibbs shrugged. "I'm sure we can manage with the floor. We can get sleeping bags from someone and, doubled, they'll do for a night."

Just then a girl of about sixteen stuck her head in the door. "You wantin' cots, right?"

"Yeah." Remy went to help the girl with a huge bundle of something. He lugged it in and dumped it in the middle of the floor. "There."

"Great. I'll have both mattresses blown up in a bit. Cots are already in use, but I got these from my boyfriend's Mama." She blew a lock of hair out of her eye and gave the bundle a kick. It unrolled with a loud "fwap" and she fumbled around, trying to get the air pump hooked up.

Tony patted her hands away and did the job. "There we go." He plugged the pump in and adjusted it. "How long should this take?"

"About five minutes each. When they're done, give me a holler and I'll come up and make 'em." She looked a bit flushed and sweaty. "I swear, Mama gets all in a lather over this every year. An' runs the rest of us ragged. I've got a pile a' beans to snap still, so I'll just run down to the kitchen an' work on that while this mess gets blown up."

Cosmo gave an odd sounding snort. "Sorry. Just ...not the sort of blown up we're used to."

She gave him a look, then said, "I don't even want to know. Just holler 'Ami' when it's done." She got the sheets down from the linen closet and put them on one of the beds, then hurried away to her beans.

Dean shook his head. "Not callin' that kid back up here to make beds. She looks frazzled to bits."

Remy agreed. "She do. She a good kid and help her Mama a lot, but she's a kid an' needs a break."

Gibbs looked at Tony, who nodded, then issued orders. "Cos, you and Jimmy stay up here and deal with the beds. Remy, Dean, KP. Go see what needs doin'. Gibbs and I'll go chop wood or something."

Remy grinned. "Ami will be glad of the help. I shudder to think the size of the pan of bean we get to snap. And greens need washing. Potatoes. We best get ta gettin'."

They clattered down the stairs to the kitchen, where Ami was parked at the huge slab table, snapping beans and grumbling.

Remy said, "Ami, qoui de neuf?" he settled in another chair and started snapping beans.

Ami sighed, "Rein, Remy. Just ... I have a history test on Monday and I'm not prepared. My own fault. I forgot the reunion, so I didn't study early. Now ... I'm gonna get a poor grade. An' Maman is going to be home late, has to work. "

Remy frowned. "State or Fed?"

"U.S. If it was state, I'd be fine. So ... I need to read three chapters and do the essay questions at the end. All needed handed in Monday. The reading I can cram in around everything else, but the essay I got to sit down somewhere and do. And hope no one just needs a scrap of paper for something. Last year someone grabbed a worksheet and tore it in half for scribble paper." She shook her head at that.

Remy asked, "Teacher any help?"

"Non, made fun a' me for bein' Cajun. He's not here anymore." She grinned slyly. "He got wrong side a' the sheriff." She nodded at Dean. "Smooth your feathers, homme. 'S all right."

Dean smiled and replied, "Well, I was gettin' ready to whip his ass for you." He eyed the pile of beans in the middle of the table. "How many more?"

"Only four more sac de marché," She pointed under the table to four pillowcases full of green beans. "An' den we got de patats." She didn't realize that she was falling more and more into patois.

Dean shrugged. "I can peel with the best of 'em. Bring 'em on."

Remy snorted and exclaimed, "I wouldn't admit that you're that well acquainted with KP. Homme, you're sot."

"Am not. Don't know exactly what that is, you Frog-eater, but I'm not." Dean threw a handful of unsnapped beans at Remy.

Remy snorted. "You ... cretin. There ... means the same in English as it do in Cajun. An' you eat frogs too. Jerk."

Ami just smacked both of them. "No horseplay in the kitchen. Too much hot and sharp around."

They both mumbled 'sorry' and went back to work.

Meanwhile, Gibbs was finding out that they were going to need a full cord of wood and Ma'mere wanted a 12-inch rick so it would fit into the stove. Gibbs blinked as he figured. "Well. Four high, eight wide and four deep. Eight feet is going to be eight twelve-inch ricks, so we better get started."

Tony just sighed. "I don't see a log splitter. I'll go find a cross-cut saw."

Gibbs nodded, "Okay, and gloves, wedges, and a good splittin' maul."

Tony just nodded and headed off to find the tools. He was offered a chainsaw, so he called Gibbs on the phone to ask if that would do.

Gibbs just asked, "Is the chain sharp?"

Tony eyed the saw then replied, "Looks like it is. I really don't fancy bucking logs with a cross-cut."

He brought all the tools to the pile of logs, with some help from a couple of high-school-aged boys; Albert and Laurent, pronounced Al-bear and Loo-rant. They helped carry the things to the pile of logs, then Albert offered, "Ma'mere want the wood at the pavilion." He pointed to a metal shelter set on a slab. "We put the cook stove there; she do'an cook in the house for this ... too messy an' hot. I bring the tractor an' wagon 'round, so we do'an handle wood a dozen times. Okay?"

Tony nodded. "Good. The splitting is gonna be a bitch."

Laurent shook his head. "I call my Daddy; he was supposed to bring the splitter by, but it had a leak in the 'drolics. He's just over fixin' it. We can buck until it gets here."

It turned out that Gibbs was as much a machine when it came to bucking as he was at anything else. He had Tony set the logs on a bucking frame and move them up as needed; he cut by eye, but the rounds were nearly exactly 12 inches long. As he cut them, Albert used a pevy to just push them out of the way into a loose pile.

They were about halfway done when Jean showed up with the splitter. It was gas, so they didn't have to worry about getting a cord to it. Jean fired it up and said, "I got about two hours before the Missus wants me home. She do'an like it when I'm late ta supper. Do'an blame 'er either. All that work an' it goes cold?" he shook his head. "She'd have my stuff in a pan."

Tony shrugged, "So would I. Seriously, man, you're right. She works hard to make a nice meal and you just blow it off? Lucky you get out whole. I'll let you know when to leave."

"How you do dat? No watch." Jean was grinning like he'd caught Tony out.

"Clock in my head. You tell me the time, I'll let you know within ten minutes."

Gibbs barked, "AJ, move it up. We're burnin' daylight."

Tony hurried to push the log into position. "Sorry. How we gonna handle the splittin'?"

Jean motioned to Albert. "Albert'll put the sections in the splitter, I'll run it. Laurent'll stack on t' wagon. I'll round up some hommes to pitch it up. It'll need splittin' down more, but we can do that at need."

He trotted off and came back in a few minutes with two older men, both near Gibbs' age. "See who I found. Théophile an' Narcisse." the men waved when he said their names. "We just call 'em Te an' Ces. They'll pitch."

Gibbs and Tony kept sawing. Jean fired up the splitter and waited while Albert dropped the first round into it. He split it easily; all he had to do was pull the handle and wait for the hydraulic splitter to do its job. He had the four-cut head, so the section of log was split into four wedges, which would have to be split down more so they'd fit into the stove.

Te and Ces pitched the quarters up to Laurent, who stacked them neatly in the wagon. They'd move them to the shelter and set up a splitting stump. Gibbs refused to split wood on the ground, claiming that it would ruin the maul, which it would; hitting a stone would nick the blade.

Tony finally said, "Time. Jean, head for home. We'll clean up here and quit for the night. You leavin' the splitter?"

Jean wiped his forehead on his sleeve before saying. "Oui. I'll leave it. We still got some work to do, an' there's no reason for me to drag it back an' forth." Just then a boy of about ten came running up. He babbled at Jean in Cajun then ran off again. Jean nodded. "Ma'mere sent Cyr to tell me to go home for supper." He just grinned at Tony and said, "You best watch, you'll be called horloge."

Gibbs started laughing while Tony just made a face. Being nicknamed "clock" was going to be interesting; he wondered vaguely what the diminutive would turn out to be. He was glad to find out that everyone would call him AJ.

Another young boy ran up, panted for a second, then announced, "Ma'mere say come to supper. Wash-up this way." He trotted off, expecting them to follow.

Gibbs hollered after him. "Wait! We have to put up the tools first."

Te and Ces just shooed them off. Ces said, "No, homme, you go. We clean up fo' you ... dis time. No make Ma'mere wait; she spoon ya." He turned to shut off the splitter and tuck the saw under it.

Tony grinned at Gibbs. "We better hustle; I have no desire to be spooned."

Gibbs just took off after the kid, he didn't want to be spooned either.

They wound up in the summer kitchen at the back of the house. There was an old-fashioned washstand there with an enameled pan and pitcher sitting on it. Tony gathered up the soap, washcloth, and a hand towel. "You first." He handed Gibbs the soap, then held the pitcher to pour water over his hands and the soap. Gibbs lathered his hands and rubbed the lather over his face and neck. A bit more water on the washrag took the soap off, and a dry with the hand towel, then they changed places so that Gibbs poured for Tony.

They finished washing quickly and trooped into the kitchen, only to be greeted with, "Boots at the door!" They quickly shed their sawdust-covered boots, leaving them by the door.

Gibbs nodded to Ma'mere. "Sorry, ma'am. Smells good."

"Gumbo n' cornbread. Nothin' special." Ma'mere pointed to another smaller pot. "Dish that up. Be careful; greens is sloppy. Don't slop the broth on your han'."

Gibbs picked up the heavy ironstone bowl and poured the greens into it, careful not to slop the broth. "Ok. Take it to the table?"

"Oui. We eat in the kitchen mostly; dinin' room's for fancy. Just put it down some'ers." Ma'mere started cutting cornbread into squares. "I'll plate this in just a sec. Some'un set table."

Tony had already gotten the dishes from the sideboard and set four places. "Four enough?"

"Non, me, Ami, you two, Remy ... three more. Eight." She turned to call up the stairs. "Y'all come down. Food's on the table."

Gibbs wondered vaguely what Ma'mere was doing at the B&B, but wasn't that interested. He figured it really wasn't his business, as long as the residents were happy. He was more interested in gumbo, greens, and cornbread than he was in much else.

The whole group got seated, with Ma'mere at the head of the table; everyone else arranged themselves around the table as pleased them, and Ma'mere offered, "Que Dieu nous bénisse et cette nourriture. Eat!"

Everyone had their own bowl of gumbo and a plate for the cornbread and greens; butter went the rounds, along with chopped onion and malt vinegar for the greens. There was a huge pitcher of sweet tea and another of water. Gibbs wished for coffee, but kept his mouth shut, well aware that Southern Hospitality meant you took what was offered.

They talked about arrangements as they ate, and Ma'mere admitted that it was much nicer here in town than out at her old place, but she did miss her privacy. Tony poked at his gumbo as he thought, prompting Ma'mere to remark, "It's dead, boy; stop pokin' it."

"Sorry. I was thinking ... what kind of house do you really want? Not what others think you should have, or what you think you ought to have. What do you really want?"

Ma'mere thought as she ate a few bites. "Well ... never actually thought about it. My place in the swamp was small ... bit too small. I'd like a really good closet with a iron board right in it. And a bathroom with a shower, sink and toilet. Big kitchen, real big. No dinin' room. Don't see the need. But a nice big porch with a swing; must have that. With rockin' chairs. I'd like a three-way porch." The pod all looked blank except for Remy. "A porch that goes around three sides of the house, and a stoop if there's a door on the side with no porch."

Tony offered, "If we arrange the rooms right, we'd leave the porch off the bedroom side."

Remy interjected, "If we include the porches in the floor size, we can just plan on slant gable roofs from the start. I think there ought to be a good-size walk-in attic so there's room for vane vents, help keep the house cool."

They continued to put out ideas while they finished their food.

Ma'mere looked around. "Everyone got room for pie?"

Dean opined, "There's always room for pie."

Ami smiled. "I thought that was Jell-o."

Cosmo snorted. "Na. Jell-o? Blah. Pie."

Ma'mere just got up and went to the counter. She fiddled a bit, producing whooshing noises, and then clattered around. She returned to the table with a tray topped with two pies and a pile of cups, plates and saucers. "Here. Ami, go bring the coffee an' lait."

Ami got up and brought a huge press-pot to the table, along with a pitcher of steamed milk, produced via the whooshing noise. Ma'mere cut pie and plated it while Ami poured coffee and handed it around. Gibbs refused sugar or milk; one sip had him grinning.

Ma'mere finally stood up. "Well, I'm cleanin' the kitchen, then headed home. Ami, you tell you Mama that I'll be here to start settin' up the kitchen about 9am."

Dean and Cosmo stood up too. Cosmo said, "You tell us what needs doin' and we'll take care of the KP. No arguments. You'll wear yourself out before the party."

Remy just got up and started taking plates off the table. "Ma'mere, do'an argue. Won't do a mite a' good. Save your breath to cool your soup."

Ma'mere just smiled. "Well, then, I'll just say, 'thank you kindly' and point." She went into the kitchen too. She was heard to say, "Cosmo, you fix up a bowl of gumbo and another of greens, couple pieces of cornbread on a plate an' put it in the warmer. Francine will be hungry when she gets in."

Dean and Cosmo knew much better than to indulge in their usual horseplay in a strange kitchen so the job was soon done, dishes washed and put away, counters wiped, floor swept, and trash out. Cosmo made up the requested food and covered it with plastic wrap, then put it in the warming oven.

Ma'mere smiled easily. "Ver' good. I'm gone now. I'm old an' want my easy chair."

Gibbs offered her his arm. "Need someone to walk you home?"

Ma'mere slapped it gently. "I'm old, not decrepit. I'm gone draw up a floor plan tonight. Who do I give it to?"

Gibbs pointed to his chest. "That would be me. I'm going to do a blueprint, then we'll talk about siding and whatnot. Good night."

Ma'mere walked out the door, humming softly to herself. Cosmo went to the door to watch her until she disappeared into the trees. They were all well aware that she only had about 500 yards to walk, so they left her to it, especially since it was still light out.

Ami let out a little squeal, which brought everyone at a run. "Maman, I thought you had to work late."

The woman who entered looked tired, but happy. "I did ... but Betty showed up after all so ... Je suis lá. What did I miss?"

Ami smiled. "Nothing. Ma'mere came and cooked gumbo. So good. And here's our guests until after." She introduced everyone to her mother, who smiled, nodded, and shook hands around. "Now, you sit. I'll warm you up the gumbo and see if those bottomless pits have left any greens or cornbread." She was pleased to see that there were two pieces of bread and a nice serving of greens left.

Cosmo announced, "I made it up for you. Ma'mere said. And there's more, only it's in the fridge."

Francine looked blank for a moment then snickered, "You mean the icebox?" She settled to eat, nodding her thanks when Tony brought her a glass of tea and a piece of pie. "Thank you." She settled back in her chair to enjoy her pie while she questioned everyone about how things had gone. "I hope you like the room. I could only put the one aside for you; I was actually booked up, but had a last-minute cancellation."

Remy shook his head at his cousin. "Cousin Fran, we're fine. It's nice. We got two blow-up mattresses and the beds. It's great. A lot better than hot rackin'. Now. You take that pie and tea an' go on the porch an' relax." He shooed her out; she protested a bit, but not much.

They all settled on the porch to visit, mostly Francine, Remy, and Ami; the rest just listened or asked questions. After a while they fell silent and just listened to frogs, crickets, and cicadas while the sky drifted into darkness.

Gibbs finally said, "We all better get to bed. Sun comes up early."

Tony agreed, "It does. And there's a lot of work to do."

Jimmy stood up, stretched, then said, "If anyone has a problem with the rack assignments ... tough." He then made a run for the room laughing like a loon.

There was a general scramble to make it to their room, while Ami and Francine just goggled. Gibbs, last to go, announced, "Like herding cats, I swear."

It didn't take long for everyone to get ready for bed, as most of them just stripped off their outer garments and fell into bed. Tonight was no different, except that Gibbs hung a bathrobe on the back of the door and said, "No one leaves this room without that on. We don't want to scare the other guests."

Tony wondered, "Are there any others? Or are they all coming in the next couple of days?"

Jimmy pointed to the wall. "There's a couple in that room. They went into New Orleans and won't be back until after 2400. The room across the hall is Ami. And Miss Francine is in the attic. The room on the other side of us won't be occupied until tomorrow. The room next to Ami is also empty until tomorrow."

No one questioned the reason they were still in one room. It was what they were paying for, instead of sleeping in the barn at the old place. This was much better by far.

They settled in to sleep, only to be awakened by someone stumbling on the stairs, hissing whispers, and some giggling.

Gibbs got up, opened the door and snarled, "Be quiet! People are trying to sleep. If you want to get drunk and stumble around like a herd of buffalo, do it at home."

The young couple both flushed. They scurried into their room, shutting the door quickly.

Gibbs eyed it for a moment, but there was no further noise, so he went back to bed, telling Tony, "Sleep, AJ. Drunks coming home."

"Okay, Jet. You okay?"

"Fine. Sleep."

There was no further noise, and everyone slept the rest of the night through.

.

They were awakened again at 0530 by Francine calling, "Breakfast; get it hot, or not at all."

They scrambled into clothing, not worrying about showers or shaving. Breakfast was ready and so where they.

It didn't take long for them all to be seated in the dining room; Miss Francine called them to order easily. "Okay, y'all be seated where you like. I'll bring out as soon as you're all parked."

Gibbs glanced at Tony, who was eyeing the new arrivals with a bit of a jaundiced eye. They were obviously hung over and miserable.

Ami came in just then with a huge platter of fried ham, which she put in front of Gibbs at the head of the table. "I hear you get served first."

Gibbs nodded. "I do. Keeps the animals in line. Thank you."

Ami nodded and replied, "Rest will be out as done," and went back into the kitchen.

Francine came out with a huge bowl of cheese grits and another of scrambled eggs. "Eggs is scrambled, soft."

Gibbs took helpings and passed things on.

There was no further conversation as Ami and Francine took turns bringing out platters and bowls; grits were followed by greens, bacon, biscuits, toast, sausage, gravy and a huge pot of hot coffee. The cream, sugar, and sweetener were already on the table.

Gibbs accepted each platter or bowl, helped himself to what he wanted, then passed it on.

The young man grumbled, "Why does he get first serve?"

Remy just eyed his cousin and snarked, "Because he's at the head of the table? You come stumbling in at oh-dark-fuck in the night and bitch? Shut it, you."

The girl eyed her boyfriend. "You gonna let him talk to you like that, Gerard?"

Gerard sighed, "I'm too hung over to argue, May. I want my coffee. An' I'm not sure who he is exactly."

"Master Chief Petty Officer Remiel Andre Devereaux. One of Ma'mere's grandsons. Who you?" Remy eyed them sourly. Everyone knew he was getting pissed, as he never used his full rank and name unless he was.

Gerard groaned. "Shit!"

Gibbs barked, "Language!"

May moaned softly. "Oh, my head. Ow!"

Cosmo, seated on her right, cheerfully offered her the now-combined meat platter, asking, "Ham? Sausage? Bacon? It's really good." May just turned an interesting shade of green and shook her head. "No? Okay. Coffee?" This she accepted with a jerky nod.

Meanwhile, Gerard was experiencing much the same from Dean. "Cheesy grits? Eggs? Toast?" Gerard smelled the grits and bolted. "Well. Okay, then." Dean caught Gibbs' eye and just grinned.

Gibbs decided to leave well enough alone and went back to his food. The ham was really good, sweet-salty with a smoky undertone. The bacon was crisp and the sausage redolent of sage and red pepper. The grits had been made the old-fashioned way, with chunks of cheddar instead of Velveeta. He split a biscuit and tucked a piece of ham into it; he topped that with a spoon of eggs and closed it. The first bite made him sigh with pleasure. "So good. More coffee, please." He looked around for the pot.

Ami came in just then with the heavy steel coffee pot, one of those French restaurant-style ones with a gooseneck spout and helper handle. "Coffee." She started to pour some, but it was obvious that she was struggling with the heavy pot. Gibbs got up and took it from her.

"One smart-ass crack and you'll find out why it's not wise to piss off the staff." He patted Ami on the shoulder and said, "If you'd get some creamer for AJ?" She nodded and went to get it. "Now. Who wants more?" Gibbs made the rounds of the table with the hot pot, pouring coffee for those who wanted it. All the pod did, as did May. Gerard returned just in time to beg for 'coffee, black,' and a piece of dry toast.

Jimmy offered, "You ought to drink more water. One of the reasons you feel sick is you're dehydrated."

Gerard nodded. "I know. I ... know better too. But Hurricanes are so good. An' I figured I'd dance it off."

May grumbled. "That's what that random flailing was?"

"Hush, you." Gerard finished his coffee and nibbled on the toast.

Francine came in with a glass of water in each hand. She put one by Gerard's elbow and the other in front of May. She took two packets of Tylenol out of her apron pocket and put them down too. "Here. Drink the water. Take the pills. There's work to do."

This led to a general racket as the whole pod got up. AJ offered, "Need KP?"

"No. I got it. Ami ..." she nodded her head, "An' those two will help me. I'm no good at most of the stuff Ma'mere needs done. So I'll just make sure that the workers have food." She smiled. "Ma'mere is gonna be up to the shelter. That cook stove won't light itself."

Gibbs nodded. "We'll head that way then." He gave Gerard and May a look. "If you have any trouble, with anyone, let one of us know."

"Merci, I will. Don't expect there'll be any, but better to plan than mourn." She made shooing motions. "You better get."

So they got, heading to the pavilion to see what needed doing.

Ma'mere was dressed much differently today, in overalls and a short-sleeved t-shirt, with gum boots to round it out. "Well, hello. You up for a bit of work?"

Gibbs motioned with his cup. "We are. What needs doin'?"

"Wood needs split down. I'd like a rick done up, at least. An' I need a 'gator. And frogs."

Dean and Cosmo denied any desire to gig frogs or hunt alligators, so they set to splitting the wood. Jimmy was set to peeling apples, as he offered to stay and man the first-aid station, just in case. This left Remy, Tony, and Gibbs to deal with frogs and gators. Ma'mere introduced them to Orly, who had a boat and offered to guide them into the swamps.

Gibbs drew Remy aside and asked, "Why doesn't she have more help?"

"Most people who would, have to work. Those that don't work, are either incapable due to age, infirmity, or ignorance, or just lazy. The lazy ones will find their welcome very ... cold. Most of the people who can't help are donating what money they can," he shrugged in the Cajun way. "Come time, she'll have more help than you can shake a stick at."

Gibbs nodded. "Okay. Who's gonna stay behind tomorrow to start organizing this mess?"

"Me, I guess."

Gibbs wondered if he'd lost a day. They'd left on Wednesday morning, riding most of Thursday, and it was now Monday. "Ok. When is this shindig set to start?"

"Well ... officially, Friday. But people will start comin' in an' settin' up tomorrow. They'll help ... but my plan is to get Ma'mere's house up now, rather than wait until after the reunion. People'll be wantin' to get home by then."

Gibbs nodded his understanding. "Okay, I see. I'll have some plans by tomorrow morning then."

"Ok. Best would be to sit down with Ma'mere tonight and get the prints done. Now ... giggin'." Remy ambled away, secure in the knowledge that Gibbs and Tony would follow him.

They ran the half-mile or so down to the pier, where Orly was waiting for them. Tony announced, "Tomorrow we run. Wonder if we can swim in the river?"

Orly overheard that and said, "Can. No gators there. Too many boats up an' down. No prey, no gator. We gon' giggin' for frogs now." He waited until everyone was in the boat and seated properly. "Vests under the seats; put 'em on." He waited until they all had life vests on, then said, "Check the gigs are there, will ya?"

Tony looked under the seat again and saw the "gigs," small tridents, tucked under the seats along the side of the boat. "They're there. Four of them."

"Good. We go now. Sit." Orly nodded once, then fired up the outboard, and the twelve-foot john boat shot out of its bay and into the river. Gibbs expected them to go downriver, but they went across. Orly explained. "Frogs ina' swamp, not on de banks. We gig in Poudre's Pond. Lots a' big 'un there."

Tony nodded. "Okay, how far?"

"Oh, round about ten minutes." Since it was a swamp and they were going by boat, no one expected a distance; everything was figured in how long it would take.

They settled in to enjoy the peace and quiet of the ride, the only sound the muted roar of the outboard motor.

Ten minutes later Orly announced, "We here. Get out the gigs."

Gibbs pulled the spears out from under the seats and handed one each to Orly, Tony, and Remy, keeping the last one for himself. Orly pulled the outboard out of the water, tilting it, then strapping it into place with a bungee cord. "There. Han' me that paddle." He took the paddle and began to paddle the boat toward the shore; once he had the boat moving, he put the paddle down and picked up his gig. "Quiet now."

As the boat drifted with the slow current, it was obvious that they were going to drift down the bank. Everyone kept an eye out for frogs. Gibbs patted Tony, then pointed; he'd seen several good size frogs on one log. Orly watched with amazement as Remy silently moved to balance the boat, while Gibbs and Tony both quickly speared a frog; Tony then stepped back, and Remy took his place, also spearing a frog. While they were doing that, Gibbs had pulled the frog off his spear and gotten a fourth frog as it jumped to get away. He whispered, "Four. We do this the rest of the day, and we gonna be good to go."

They continued down the bank looking for more frogs.

.

Jimmy eyed the pile of apples with a weary air. "I'm gonna be peeling forever."

Ma'mere shook her head. "No, homme, I wouldn't do that to you. Here, let me show you."

Jimmy followed her to the side table. "We really going to need all those apples?"

"Sho' will. Apple pie, fried hand pies, pan dowdy. And peach, but I set Gerard and May to deal with those." She showed Jimmy how to work the peeler.

This was a really interesting device. Ma'mere put an apple onto a spike then pushed it into the body of the machine, much like a lathe. "Now you just turn the crank and it peels an' cores the apple. Take it out and one slice of a knife and it's done." She took the apple, which was now peeled and cut into a spiral, and cut it across with an 8" paring knife. "Put the slices into this five-gallon bucket. That's sugar water with lemon in it ... keeps the apples from browning. Just ask for another when this one is full." And with that she walked off, calling over her shoulder. "If you have a problem, give me a yell."

The rest of the day went much as expected. Jimmy peeled, cored, and sliced apples until he swore he'd dream of them for a month. Remy, Gibbs, Orly, and Tony returned with their limit of frogs, which Orly declared a 'damn good day' and enough to make a good mess.

It was nearly five when the last of the day's chores were done. Ma'mere announced that tomorrow she needed her 'gator, so she could fillet it next day. Remy agreed that they'd have one by time.

Francine called supper, and everyone went to clean up and change clothes.

The pod was just about done when Gerard wandered in. He smiled a bit hesitantly then cleared his throat. "Wanted to say sorry for wakin' everyone up at some ungodly hour. So ... sorry. May said sorry too."

Remy just shrugged. "We all young once. See you stay quiet tonight." He slapped Gerard on the shoulder and went to put on clean clothing. You just did not come to table in a muck for supper. As he said, "Jes' ain' done." Everyone agreed that it was nasty to show up to a meal filthy. Lunch, eaten at work, was something different.

The food was just as good as ever, and everyone had their fill of fried catfish, hush puppies, french fries, coleslaw, and strawberry fool. Tony jerked his head, and Dean and Cosmo got up to help May take the dishes in. Gerard followed to begin washing while Miss Francine put left-overs away and started breakfast prep. Remy said, "Gon' see Orly about tomorrow," and disappeared into the trees at the back of the house. It seemed that Orly lived on the other side of the trees down by the swamp. Jimmy made himself scarce on some errand of his own.

Tony settled down at the dining room table with a yellow legal tablet and pencil. He also produced a set of draftsmen's tools. Gibbs and Ma'mere joined him.

Gibbs rubbed his face, then asked, "You have any idea how big you want?"

Ma'mere nodded. "I drew up this." she produced a scrap of notebook paper with a very rough sketch on it. "I don't think I need a really big house. Never had one, don't need one. But I do like me a big porch. On at least two sides to catch the breeze. See?"

Gibbs eyed the paper then nodded. "So you're lookin at about ... you want it square?" Ma'mere shrugged. "Okay, doesn't make much difference then. Few walls as possible, so as not to block the breeze. Big windows, double hung. HVAC system. I'd like to put the house up high enough that that's all underneath it."

Ma'mere looked blank for a second then said, "Hold up there. What's HVAC when it's at home?"

Tony answered absently, "Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. You'll really want a good system. And a Manabloc water system. On-demand hot water heater. And I think you ought to have a full attic so we can install turbine vents on the roof. That'll help keep the house cooler by pulling the rising hot air out." He went back to making notes.

Gibbs nodded. "What he said." He started by drawing a fat rectangle on his sheet of paper. "Deep porches. So ten feet?"

"Yes. And part screened in. If you put it on three sides, I can have my summer kitchen again." Ma'mere looked wistful for a moment. "I'd really love one of those old-fashioned detached summer kitchens. Just a roof, you know? With screens all around."

Gibbs drew what looked a bit like a detached garage. "Like that? Not really a problem. Running water but no hot? Your stove have a tank?"

"It does, so I don't need hot put in. But a faucet that will reach the tank would be nice. Wouldn't have to lift buckets."

Tony made a note. "Got it. And a brick sidewalk to keep you out of mud."

Ma'mere nodded. "Good idea."

After three hours of work, they had the plans done. The house was small, but comfortable, with an interior dimension of twenty-five by thirty-five, with ten-foot-deep porches on three sides; front, living-room side, and back. The back would be screened in. The walk to the summer kitchen came off the living-room side, and the front had wide shallow stairs and two porch swings, one on either side of the fancy front door. The side doors would be sliding glass, while the back door would be simple wood exterior doors with a screen door. There would be an old-fashioned screen door between the back and side doors, so people wouldn't have to go inside to get from the back to the side. Ma'mere said, "Make sure the spring is heavy duty. I don't mind a slam or two, but I really hate a door hangin' open."

Gibbs eyed the blueprint. "Ok. Bedroom here, bathroom, kitchen. I didn't plan on walls between the living area, dining area, and kitchen, just a counter to divide it up. You want the kitchen area to be about ten by twelve. That gives you lots of counter space. Range, or stove-top and oven?"

Ma'mere shook her head, "Don't hold with that fancy stove-top stuff. Ol' fashioned range for me. I'd love a double oven."

"Can do. Bathroom is gonna be good-size, with a shower/tub combo and no arguments. The master bedroom will take up most of the rest of that side so it'll be right at..." he fiddled a bit, "ten by fifteen. And a walk-in closet that's fifteen by eight. The rest of the house is living room and guest bed."

Ma'mere did a bit of mental math and announced. "We can have the laundry room/pantry on that side of the house too. We've got fifteen feet for the master bedroom, eight for the closet and that leaves ..." she shook her head. "Way lots of room."

Gibbs nodded. "I was planning on a vestibule ... mud room between the back porch and kitchen ... with a sink to wash vegetables, boots ... that sort of thing."

They fiddled and moved until everything suited Ma'mere; she decided to put the laundry behind the shower/tub combo in the bathroom, adding some shelving for towels and such.

Tony finished his computations while Gibbs and Ma'mere drank coffee. "Ok. Since I can get a deal from the company, unless there's some reason you don't like it, we'll be using a steel shell. The kit comes with poles, siding, insulation, and two doors. The porches will be decking from another source. With wiring, more windows, doors, interior finish, and appliances and so on ... we're looking at about $60k."

Ma'mere looked a bit shocked. "Really? My goodness. I was thinking much more than that. That's wonderful."

Gibbs nodded. "And ... since you're going to have a barn-raising to put it up, you're gonna be good to go in about two weeks." He finished the last of his plans. "There. How soon can you have the ground prepped for the pilings? I've planned on four-foot pilings."

Ma'mere nodded back. "Good. I hate a house flat on the ground. Flat-landers'll never understand until their floors rot right out from under them."

Tony looked up from his notes. "I'd planned on poured concrete anchored with rebar driven into the ground. The whole plot under the house sand, then gravel. Pour the pilings first?"

Ma'mere yawned. "Hommes, I'm done. Y'all do what you do. I'm goin' to bed. I'm here tonight, so no one has to walk me."

They realized that they'd missed the arrival of all the other guests, the sounds of their arrival noticed and dismissed while they worked.

Gibbs glanced at his watch. "No wonder you're tired. It's nearly midnight."

Tony sighed. "I'm headed up. Early days tomorrow."

They all slipped up the stairs quietly. Ma'mere took her shoes off so she wouldn't click.

Gibbs and Tony were happy to see that they had beds tonight. They fell into bed in their underwear and were asleep in seconds.