Angel felt a splitting headache that was unlike any other when he regained consciousness. The agony of it was so strong that it hurt for him to open his eyes and he was almost certain that a part of his brain had been permanently damaged. Ten minutes passed before he could move his head and fifteen minutes passed before he finally became aware of where he was. He was lying on a sofa inside the manor living room.
"How did I get here?" He wondered out loud.
"I brought you here." Standing at in the doorway of the living room was Husk. "I went looking for ya last night when your lady friends got worried. It wasn't until morning, that I found out cold in an alley, behind a couple of trash cans. What happen? You drink too much and pass out in the wrong place?"
"Oh God, please don't talk so loud." Angel said clutching his forehead. "I wasn't drinking last night but I feel like I'm having a hangover from Hell."
"So if you didn't go heavy on the booze, what caused you to drop in the alley?"
"I don't know. It hurts to remember. Give me six hours at least."
"Whatever. I don't care. I'll just go tell the broads that you're alive."
Husk left the room and a few minutes later, Vaggie and Charlie came in.
"Where were you last night?" Vaggie demanded. "I called you countless times and you didn't pick up!"
"Vaggie must you always be so loud." Angel complained.
"We were really scared for you." Charlie said. "We thought maybe something had happened. Did something happen?"
"I don't know." Angel groaned. "I'm still trying to wake up. Last thing I remember was something hitting me real hard on the back of my head. I think I might have a concussion."
"We should take you to the hospital then." Vaggie said.
"No!" Angel said. "Absolutely not! Forget it! No way!"
"Angel for once in your life don't be difficult about this."
"It wouldn't be so difficult if you wouldn't make me go."
"What are you talking about? What's wrong?" Charlie asked.
"He's afraid of doctors." Vaggie said.
"I'm not afraid of doctors, I just don't trust them." Angel said.
"Years ago he dislocated his leg in a bike riding accident and his cheap ass father wanted to save money, so he took Angel to get it fixed by some guy he found in the yellow papers. The guy ended up breaking Angel's leg, traumatizing him, and making him fear anyone in the medical profession. Even though I'm a hundred percent sure that guy was not a professional."
"He wore a white coat, had metal tools, and a certificate! He was a professional!" Angel said.
"I bet that certificate was fake."
"Well you can't prove it and I'm not taking any chances. I'm not going to a hospital."
"Here's the deal, you can either man up and go there willingly or I can drag you there by your bleached locks."
"Bleached? I'll have you know that I am a natural blond."
"You are not. Your hair is naturally black and greasy."
"That's gel, not grease."
"Well you use way too much gel."
"Okay enough about the hair." Charlie said. "Angel I understand how uncomfortable hospitals and doctors can be, but we can't take any risks. Not if you were hit hard enough to get a concussion. Now we're you taking you there right now. I hope Alastor will understand."
"Understand what?" Vaggie asked.
"I made plans with Alastor today but I'll have to cancel."
"Plans?"
"Ooo." Angel said intriguied. "Do tell."
"It's not what you think." Charlie said. "Alastor thought I needed a break from the writing and he invited all of us to go fishing with him. He was so excited, I hate to cancel on him. But given the circumstances, he would more than understand I'm sure."
"Charlie why don't you go with him and just let Vaggie take me to see the doc?" Angel said.
"Angel you're my friend. I want to be there for you."
"You're always there for me and I can't recall the last time you ever had a date, I'm not letting you pass this up."
"It's not a date. He invited all of us."
"And you're sure that you want to do this with him?" Vaggie asked.
"I've never acutally been fishing before but it sounds like fun. Yes I'd like to do it. That doesn't worry you, does it?"
"Well...A little bit but I've been thinking about what you said yesterday and you're right. I am being a bit overprotective and you are tougher than you look. Also you'll be fishing during the day so there's less chance of him trying anything."
"Vaggie."
"I'm just saying."
"And you don't mind taking care of Angel without me?"
"I can handle him a lot bettter than you think. Believe me. You just be careful on this fishing trip. Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious and don't let his Southern charm lure you into doing something you'll regret."
"Don't worry, the one useful advice my father gave me was 'You don't take shit from other people.' I may not look like it, but I'm not easily led by sweet words and a handsome face."
"Oh so you think he's handsome?" Angel teased.
Charlie blushed a little.
"Well he...He's not bad looking."
"Oh man now I really wish I didn't have to go to the hospital." Angel chuckled.
"He's just being nice." Charlie said. "It's only lunch and fishing. Nothing else."
When Charlie told Alastor about taking Angel to the hospital, he offered to have Husk drive him there but Vaggie thought it best if she drove due to Angel's discomfort around medical attention.
"Trust me, I'm the only one who can stand to be in the same room with him during his freakouts." She said.
So Alastor gave Vaggie the keys to the second car and directions to the local hospital.
After that Alastor led Charlie to a part of the bayou where the water was shallow and calm. Where there were tall reeds, shady cypresses and tupelo trees, and pretty lotuses floating on the water. She could make out a few mourning doves among the trees and she could hear them rustling around to build a nest. She also spotted a frog or two hoping out of the water and into the grass. The enitre landscape was a thing of beauty to her.
"So what do you think?" Alastor asked her.
"It's beautiful." She said. "There's nothing like this back home, but I wish there was."
"So you like it?"
"Very much."
"I'm glad." He smiled.
"So where's the boat?"
"Boat?"
"Well we are going fishing aren't we? Don't we need a boat?"
"Technically a boat isn't mandatory for crawdad fishing. All we need do is bait the trap, lower it in the water, and wait right here. This part of the river is very slow-moving with plenty of rocks and vegetation so we should be able to catch a big bundle. Want me to show you how to bait the trap?"
"Sure."
For the next hour, Alastor told and showed Charlie everything there was to know about catching crawfish, and she was surprisngly interested in what he had to say. She also liked the way he smiled when he spoke of it, he seemed very happy about it and she wondered if perhaps he had fond memories of the activity in question.
"Do you catch crawfish often?" Charlie asked him.
"I have done it since I was five years old. My father taught me and it was my favorite thing to do with him. After school I would come straight home and beg him to take me out fishing. Of course he always insisted I do my homework and my studying first. He was bound and determiend that I would have an education. Neither one of my parents had the opportunity to go to school."
"How come?"
"The only school in Davenport is a private school. Once my mother got preganant with me, she and my father started saving up to send me there. I never liked school much but I did like reading and I did like making my parents proud."
"I went to a private school too and I didn't like it either. All the other kids were so snobby and stuck up. I couldn't make any friends."
"What a coindence, neither could I. Other kids didn't really like me. Not the rich ones in my school and not the poor ones in my neighborhood."
"Why is that?"
"I...I was different and you know how kids are when you're different."
"Everybody's different. Some differences are just more visible in others."
"True but everybody likes to pretend that just because their differences are harder to see, it means they're not there."
"I know. It really sucks that a lot of people are like that."
"You're not like that."
"How do you know what I'm like?"
"I've been told that I'm an excllent judge of character." He said. "And an excllent judge in culinary tastes, so while we're waiting on the fish to bite, let's help ourselves to those sandwhiches Niffty made."
He opened the basket he brought and the two dined on sadwhiches with two thermos, one of water and one of lemonade, to drink.
"These sandwhiches are amazing." Charlie complimented. "But it's awfully big. I don't think I can finish the crust."
"I know the perfect way we can take care of that without wasting it. Come with me."
Alastor stood up and gudied Charlie a little ways toward a tree that hung over the water. He crumbled up the bread crust into Charlie's hand.
"What are you doing?" Charlie asked.
"You'll see. Just hold out your hand."
Charlie did as he instructed and about three mourning doves came flying out from the tree, perching themselves on to her arms, eating the bread crumbs from her hands. Charlie's lips formed a smile as bright as the sun and she laughed in a way that sounded like heavenly chimes to Alastor.
"They're so sweet." She said. "Do they always let people feed them?"
"Only the people they like and it seems that they like you very much."
"Well I like them too." She said.
She fed and played with the doves for a few more minutes, then she and Alastor returned to waiting for the trap to catch something. Soon it did, he and Charlie stood in the water, and lifted up the cage to find it overflwoing with crawfish.
"I predict that we'll be eating crawfish tomorrow night." He said. "Careful, they like to pinch."
"Pinching doesn't bother me."
She helped him empty the cage into the bucket he brought. Suddenly they heard thunder and it started pouring down rain.
"Uh-oh!" Charlie said.
"We better start running my dear."
Alastor quickly took off his jacket and covered Charlie with it, then they ran all the way back to the house.