Part 2 of 3

Juliet doesn't throw Fidel out into the street. She takes Elodie firmly by the arm and thrusts a full glass of wine into her hand right at the door step, saying, "Mom has Rosie for the night 'cause this is gonna be a two-bottle problem-solving evening!"

Elodie takes a big swig and coughs, "Maybe even three-bottles," smiling at the kind young woman and feeling less alone already.

Juliet nods then flaps a hand at her husband, "Go. Shoo. Find Dwayne and talk some sense into him. Elodie and I have woman-stuff to discuss." She draws Elodie into the house and is already firing questions at her as Fidel snorts and turns away.

Woman-stuff, yes aye, woman-stuff indeed! Why do women seem to shoulder all the pain? Then he remembers Dwayne and chastises himself. It isn't just women that get hurt by cold cruel Life. Men get their fair share too. He takes a deep breath and heads back into town, stopping to peer down every alley he passes until he finds his quarry pacing outside the back door of the closed library. Fidel sidles into the small courtyard and sits on a bench. He watches Dwayne for a minute before observing, "This is one of the Chief's favourite thinking spots."

"I know," growls Dwayne, "I wuz hopin' it would help me calm down but it don' seem t' be workin'." He paces some more then groans, "Why would she do that t' me, Fidel? Eh? Why?"

Fidel will be the calm voice of reason, he will channel his inner-Poole, so he says calmly, "She had no choice, Dwayne. Everything was out of her hands as soon as she entered the Church. Right up until that point, she had options. Afterwards, she had none." He pauses and snorts a tiny laugh, "… nun… she had nun options…"

Dwayne stops pacing and frowns massively, "This be no time fer japes, Fidel! This be serious!"

"I know that!" Fidel responds hotly then cools his anger, sits back, looks away. Very low, very faint, he adds, "I was given away too. Did you know that?"

Dwayne's surprise overrides his angst, "What? You?! No, I didn' know. How…?"

Fidel twists his hands together, "Pretty much the same story. My mom was 15 and forced to give me up. She had no choice either. When she turned 18 she ran away from home, claimed me, and we came here to Saint Marie."

"I never knew that," Dwayne sighs.

"I know you feel cheated, betrayed, maybe even robbed… but Dwayne… so was Elodie. My mom never talked about her parents but I know she never forgave them."

Dwayne frowns then asks slowly, "An' you? Did you ever…?"

Fidel shakes his head, staring at his hands, "No, I never forgave them either. They threw me away like trash. I never wanted to know them and they went to their graves as strangers."

Dwayne swallows, "Oh, um, I'm sorry. Any man would be proud a you, I'm thinkin'."

Fidel smiles then, "That's OK. You don't want to be like your father and I never wanted to meet my grandparents. We both got family problems. We have that in common, at least." He sits back, a stern look on his face, "Now, what are we gonna do, hmm? Elodie is safe back at my place and if I know my wife atall well, which I DO, they're deep into a second bottle of wine and solving all the world's problems by now. So the question remains, what do we do about YOU?"

Dwayne stares up at the sky and muses, "I guess… I guess we go back t' La Kaz an' see if we kin do the same... but with beer."

The two men smile at one another and head off. Within minutes they're seated back at their table with cold beers in front of them. Catherine stands back, tucks her empty tray to her side, and regards them. She knows something is up since she witnessed the earlier scene. "Well?" she lisps, "what have you two been up to?"

Fidel takes a sip then looks up at her, "Catherine, was it hard raising a child all by yourself? Did you ever regret it? If you could of, would you of done anything different?"

Catherine harrumphs and sits down to join them, "Oh, I see. Well, after my husband deserted me, my family tried to convince me to come home." The two men nod. Catherine pauses then adds, "With-OUT Camille." The two men freeze. She nods sadly, "Yes, they truly thought it would be best for me to give my baby up and pretend she never existed."

Dwayne picks at his label and whispers, "Why didn' you?"

Catherine gives him a withering look, "Because it would have cut my heart out, Dwayne Myers, cut it out and leave it bleeding on the beach. That's why!" She stands with a flourish and flounces away with Gallic indignation that such a question was asked. Men! Tsk!

"Well," Dwayne mutters with a tiny half-smile, "I guess that's ME told!"

"Yeah," Fidel answers, "Catherine has a knack for making her point crystal clear, doesn't she?"

Dwayne nods, "Yeah, she does. So whut do you think, Fidel?"

Fidel sets his beer down with solemnity, "Well, it's still early so I think we should go back to the station, alert the boss, and start our investigation, don't you?"

Dwayne sets down his beer unfinished (a truly unheard of phenomenon) and says with conviction, "Yes, aye, I do! Let's go."

Within moments there are 2 half-full beer bottles on the table with a conspicuous absence of menfolk. Catherine glides out to clean up then instructs the staff to 'carry on' as she makes her way to Juliet Best's home where a third glass of wine awaits her.

Women. They shoulder the burdens of the world... AND… they know exactly who to call when they need sage advice!

END – part 2