“You’re right, well spotted. I’m from a town called Springfield kinda near the Kansas-Oklahoma border, North and west of here, it’s a nothing place, the town that God forgot. My real name’s Kylie Dolan, and my family, what’s left of them, all Dolan’s, are probably still there, running mostly everything; it’s their own little empire. I didn’t like that, my dad was the mayor, but he’s an asshole, the sheriff’s his cousin, a gross, sweaty fat pig who used to look at me like I was his favorite lunch, he’s an even bigger asshole, my whole family are assholes, and they pretty much did what they liked, to anyone they liked. I didn’t want any of that, so I left, I just bugged out one day and kept running, changed my name, and thought I’d try and live the Hollywood Dream, because I had nothing to lose, and I sure as Hell wasn’t gonna end up on the streets or doing what most girls with no skills end up doing. ”
Kelly tossed her head, her black curls tumbling, and the faraway look in her eyes receded as she grinned at Justine.
“I got lucky, Justine, real lucky, a one in a million chance, I got spotted by the right people at just the right time, most girls don’t, you know the rest. I changed my name, my look, the way I speak, I doubt my own family would even recognize me now. I used to be Kylie Dolan, I used to be a redhead, and y’know something? It’s amazing how much veneers, a new hair color, and colored contacts will change how people see you; now Kylie Dolan’s gone, I’m Kelly Delano, and I like my life, I have real people in my life, real family who keep me straight and aren’t afraid to ask me why I’m being so all-fired foolish at times, I like it, it means I belong, right here; I think I’m done with Hollywood now; it ain’t all that, as Johnny likes to say, and life here with my family is good.”
Just then the sound Justine had been hoping and praying she’d hear came to their ears from just outside the heavy door.
“Hello the house! Justy, Miz Kelly, petites soeurs (little sisters) y’all OK in there? What y’all bin doin’ out here, it’s kinda juicy, thought I tole y’all sit tight an’ wait!”
*
After a confused, teary, excited reunion, and only after Justine had checked the side of Johnny’s head and convinced herself there was no serious damage and he wasn’t going to die there and then, they grabbed up their gear and trekked up to the Basin Bridge, with Johnny leading and Tommy bringing up the rear. In this fashion they made good time, and thirty minutes after setting out, the bridge came in sight. At first sight, everything looked normal, quiet, too quiet, inn fact; Justine had expected a hive of activity, from what Johnny had said about his family and friends being all over this place, but it was almost eerily normal, not a soul to be seen.
“‘s okay, fellers, we OK, all y’all came come on out, we done here!” grinned Johnny. Justine gasped as figures appeared almost out of nowhere, from cover she wouldn’t have thought a rabbit could hide in, tall men, medium-sized men, small, wiry men, all grinning, all heavily armed, and, much to Justine’s surprise, a contingent of heavily armed soldiers in full combat gear.
“Soldiers, Johnny? Really? Just who don’t you know, baby?” asked Justine, and Johnny smiled at her.
“They not my idea, Justy, but they cleaned up them scum real fast and efficient like; every ‘gator from Basin Bridge to Lake Palourde gonna be stuffed fat ‘n’ happy tonight, them boys sure took care o’ that! They here ’cause Miz Angie an’ Miz Cassie ask a favor, an’ suddenly whole bunch o’ these boys find they need ‘specialist’ combat trainin’, so they CO send them here, they been real useful back-stoppin’ us an’ keeping maw-maw busy, too; she too damned busy feedin’ soldier-boys to come up here an’ cause trouble, so let’s give thanks for small mercies!”
Johnny inclined his head toward the knot of people approaching them.
“Speakin’ o’ Miz Angie…”
Justine looked closer at the group of people, spotting two radiant blonde heads, Angie and Cassie, of course they were here too, why not, everyone else was, and then she grinned at the small, black-haired girl waving at her.
“Johnny…?” murmured Justine, astonished that all her ex-trustees were there, but he just grinned back at her.
“Ain’t no mystery, Minou; noncle Alby, Tante Amice’s son’s place ’bout 3 mile east o’ here, they all been sittin’ there a-waitin’ for the ‘all-clear’ to come on down an’ make you welcome!”
Odelie and Melette gaped as three of the most famous women in the world bore down on them, Angie Graves, Cassie Matthews, and Moonbeam O’Shaughnessy, and then they were hugging Justine and Johnny, combing her hair back out of her eyes to look at her, slapping Johnny on the arm, all the actions of a group of friends meeting up after a break, while Odie and Mellie stared in silent, pop-eyed amazement; Kelly Delano had been a big enough shock and now this…
Some of Johnny’s cousins came bustling up, grinning and giving Justine speculative looks, and Justine was struck by just how similar they looked to Johnny; Lubin and Audhemar’ were Johnny’s daddy’s big brothers, and their sons could easily have passed for Johnny’s brothers too, that same heft, dusty blond hair, and pale eyes. Kelly noticed them giving Justine interested looks, and she grinned as she grabbed one by his ear.
“For shame, Jean- Noel Deaucette, clean you mind out! This Justine, she Johnny’s girl, she gonna be Jean-Bastienne’s wife an’ you cousin, show some respec’ or I teach you some!”
Jean- Noel’s face twisted in pain but he deferred to the much smaller girl, promising ‘Miz Kylie’ loudly that he was jes’ being friendly, like, and that he was going to behave around Johnny’s gal, of course he was, could she kindly let go please…
Kelly noted with interest how Kelly’s speech had taken on that same bayou-intonation Johnny fell into when he was making a point, all trace of Hollywood was gone; she really had ‘gone native’.
Kelly gave him one final twist, and a slap on his arm, with a reminder that any of those other ham-heads try anything she was ready to hand out some more; the looks they gave her were an interesting mix of adoration, amused tolerance, and outright fear; yep, Kelly Delano was right at home here…
*
The party that night at Tante Amice’s son’s place, as Johnny had said, just three miles east of the Basin Bridge crossing, was everything the girls could have wished for; it’s an unwritten law that if more than 3 Cajuns get together, fais-do-do happens; when dozens of them are together, the party gets loud, everyone gets to do their party-piece, either cooking or music, and so the music and eating and dancing go on far into the night. Odie and Mellie were more than a little shell-shocked to see Cassie Matthews tending the roasting suckling pig and bantering with Johnny’s cousins, and Angel Graves, THE Angel Graves, splitting her time between gossiping with wives and daughters who’d appeared from nowhere, wiping young children’s mouths, and filling and handing out po’ boys; the fact Johnny and Justine knew and were so easy in the company of such people was still only slowly working through them, but they noted how fond they were of Justine, how familiar they were with Johnny, and how easy they were in the family’s company; obviously they were more than just passing strangers down here…
Mellie and Hecky had gone someplace private, obviously they’d had a conversation, because they were holding hands tightly when they came back. Mack Dubillier’s face had fallen on seeing that, a sad, wistful expression flitting across his handsome face, then the three of them had gone off and spoken some more. When they came back, Macky had seemed disappointed, but he’d hugged them both and got a promise from them that he’d be the first baby’s Godfather, so that triangle had been resolved.
Justine had been just as interested in the fact Odelie and the handsome young sergeant, Everett something, seemed to be hitting it off rather well; there was a lot of ‘non-verbal communication’ going on there, especially since neither of them had been able to take their eyes off each other since they’d first showed up. The other soldier-boys seemed to have picked up on that too, as none of them even attempted to chat-up the beautiful little brunette, they could see their sergeant had that situation fully under control. Justine smiled to herself; looked like Odie was about to find out there was more to life than hunting, fishing, and poling a pirogue through the swamps…
Her mind went back to a conversation she’d had with Kelly a couple of hours earlier.
Kelly had been bantering with Audhemar, sassing him when he asked her when she was going to give up all this Hollywood foolishness and come take up with him. She’d replied “Thanks, but no thanks; I do that and tante Clodille kill you, then she come kill me! I like my life, I ain’t finished with it yet, so ya’ll better back down an’ go fishin’, your time o’ life that all the excitement you need!”
The place had erupted with laughter, and Justine grinned at how completely Kelly had immersed herself in the Cajun ways, all traces of Midwest and California gone from her speech. She and Justine were helping with the food service when Kelly revealed that Cassie had told her that she’d been selected to be UN Women’s Empowerment Ambassador, and of course she was going to do it, but when her year was up, she was coming back, the Atchafalaya was her home now, this was her family, and this was where she belonged.
Justine had looked up sharply when Kelly asked her how ‘Kylie Deaucette’ sounded as her new name, a pang of anguish and her heart sinking when she thought of how Kelly regarded Johnny, and how she couldn’t compete with Kelly’s looks, her poise and limber athleticism, and her fame, but then she realized Kelly wasn’t talking about Johnny at all; watching her closely, Justine saw how she couldn’t take her eyes off of Audhemar’s middle son, Remy, a boyish-looking younger version of Johnny, and almost a dead-ringer for Lubin’s boys; she also saw how, every time Kelly looked away, Remy’s eyes just seemed to fall naturally on her. Justine smiled and breathed a sigh of relief to herself; she had no competition after all, there definitely was nothing to concern herself with.