TITLE    : When It's Raining in the Bayou
STORYID  : when-its-raining-in-the-bayou
SUMMARY  : It's a perfect time to fall in love.
AUTHOR   : Ephesus14@lit
DATE     : 2020-02-26
CATEGORY : adult-romance
FLAGS    : 
TAGS     : |love|romance|romantic|


This story has no sex.



When it's raining in the Bayou ... It's a perfect time to fall in love.



***



Linda and I had been going together for six months and had been invited to a party at her neighbor's house. I liked those particular neighbors Caleb and Marsha. They were fun, intelligent, and loved to entertain. We enjoyed going to their house. And we enjoyed entertaining them at Linda's house.



Linda and I didn't live together, but we did often spend nights in each other's houses. Well, mostly her house. She didn't care for mine.



My house is what we call a 'camp' here in Louisiana. But 'camps' can be anything from a tent to an expensive house. Some camps were built at ground level. Depending upon their location, some of them have a tendency to get flooded regularly. 



Other camps were built on stilts or pilings. Mine had been flooded often enough that it had been rebuilt on stilts. It was a guy's house. Plain, unadorned, and full of really old brown leather furniture. What it didn't have was deer or wild boar's heads mounted and hanging on the walls. None of that stuff because I neither hunt nor fish. In Louisiana, that's rare and my friends just don't understand it. I only have two guns; a pistol and a shotgun. Another rarity. Most of my friends have several guns. The only one of the two guns I've ever fired was the shotgun and only then to kill snakes. I don't like snakes, and some of the ones we have here are nasty motherfuckers. The other nasty critter we had was the mosquito. I hated them almost as much as I hated snakes.



Not being a sportsman in Louisiana is second only to not being an LSU fan in terms of crimes against the state. 



So what the hell am I doing here? I was born here. I love most of the people and the food. I love Mardi Gras and I love the festivals. But mostly, I love sitting on the screened in porch of my camp and listening to the sounds of Louisiana. The sounds of the Bayou.



So. Back to the party. It was at Caleb and Marsha's house and there were about 11 people there when I arrived. I had stopped to pick up more beer. We were a beer crowd. I offered one to Linda, but she had one. 



"I've probably had enough." She said.



Around ten or so, there were six of us left and Linda had at least one more beer. They were all ahead of me in drinking and without exception were tipsy bordering on drunk and the talk and the jokes got a bit risqué. Besides Caleb, Marsha, Linda, and me, there was Marsha's sister Paula and her husband Gale. They were from Houston, and we had met them before, but didn't know them very well. Gale was the one who started getting really risqué. He was comparing the breasts of some famous singers and movie stars. It was funny at first and everybody laughed. But as some point, he started comparing the famous breasts to the breasts in the room and declared that in his official, unbiased opinion, Linda's tits would beat all of the famous ones. Everybody laughed and cheered. Even me.



He continued. "And to make it official, I think Linda should show us her 'magnificent mammaries'." This time everybody but me cheered and laughed. Even Linda joined in. "What do you think folks? Should we see what perfect tits look like?" More cheering and laughing. Again, except me. This wasn't funny anymore.



"Come on, Linda. Tell you what. Are you wearing a bra?"



"Of course." She said laughing.



"Okay. Just take off your blouse to give us an idea. It won't be any worse than wearing a bikini at the beach."



At this point I jumped in. "It isn't like going to the beach and, Linda, I would prefer you didn't do it."



"Not like the beach? Of course it is." Said Gale.



"What harm could it do if I just took off my blouse?" Linda said. She was just drunk enough to slur her words a little. "I agree with Gale. It is just like wearing a bikini."



"I disagree." I opined. "Bikini's are designed to be outer garments. Bras are not. They are underthings and not designed for public viewing."



"Come on, Mark," She said to me. "it's just a bra."



"But I don't see Marsha and Paula agreeing to show their bras."



"That's because my tits are better than theirs." She looked at the other two women, smiled, and winked. More laughter all around. She was getting into Gale's little game and I was the only one against it. "I don't see any harm in it." She continued. And she started pulling her blouse out of her jeans. Everyone else cheered her on to chants of 'take it off, take it off'. 



And she did. I stood there and watched as she unbuttoned her blouse and with a wink at me, took it off. It floated to the floor. There was much more cheering now. 



"See that wasn't so difficult, was it?" Asked Gale. 



"No, it's kinda exciting." Smiled Linda as she looked at her admiring audience and strutted around touching the lacy light blue bra and running her hands over her breasts. Her face and neck were getting red. A sure sign that indeed, she was excited. This was a side of her I had never seen. She was never shy about undressing in front of me, but in front of others? This was new territory.



"Let's make it even more exciting" Said Gale as he stood and crossed to behind Linda. Let's take the bra off and see the real McCoy." As he reached to unsnap it.



"Oh, no you don't." I said. "That's enough. Linda put your blouse on and let's go." 



"Come on, Mark, Let her show us her tits." Leered Gale.



"No. Come on, Linda." I reached down and picked up her blouse to choruses of, 'Come on, Mark.' from the rest of the group.



"Yeah, Mark. What's the big deal? Everyone here has seen tits before." Laughed Linda.



"They haven't seen yours and they have no business seeing them."



Linda has a stubborn streak and when she gets her hackles up, she does pretty much what she wants to do. "Well, they're mine and if I want people to see them that's my decision. Go ahead Gale."



Gale unsnapped the bra and pushed the straps over her shoulders and down. The bra slid to the floor as Gale turned her to face him.



"See I told you they were the best." He said laughing. 



The room was cheering as I dropped her blouse to the floor and walked out. An hour later, I was sitting on my porch listening to the bayou sounds and looking at the moonlight reflecting on the water. I hadn't been there long when Linda pulled up. She didn't have a key so had to knock. I opened the door and she came in.



"Why did you leave? We were having fun."



"You and the others were having fun. I wasn't." She was wearing her blouse, but I could see nipples trying to poke through, so she was braless.



"Come on. It wasn't all that bad was it? What was the harm?"



"The harm was we were in a committed relationship and I'm the only man who should be seeing you naked. No one else. And twice you ignored me when I asked you not to do it. That indicated to me that you don't think much of me, or my opinion, otherwise you wouldn't have done it ... at least not with other people around."



"Like you own me and I have to do what you tell me? No fucking way, buster. I'll do what I want with my body."



"Fine. You do what you want with your body; only I don't have to watch or be part of it. Maybe in your next 'committed relationship' the man won't mind when you put yourself on exhibition. You know the way out."



"Are you serious? You're breaking up with me because I showed my tits?"



"Yes."



She stood there for just a few seconds and left. I only had a momentary concern about her driving in her condition, but I figured she made it out here, she could make it back.



I only had some extra shaving gear and a few clothes at her place, so I never bothered going to get them. She called a couple of times to apologize, and wanting to pick up where we left off, but I wasn't interested.



My life went on. I saw her a couple of times with some new guy and I saw Caleb and Marsha as well. The first time, they apologized profusely for allowing Gale to get 'out of line'. "You have nothing to apologize for." I told them. "It started as a game, and Linda could have stopped it anytime, but she chose not to." 



We have casinos in town. They are open 24/7. They all have some very nice restaurants and buffets. On their buffet lines, they occasionally have alligator and always have crawfish in season. It's fun to watch people eat them for the first time.



I don't go to the casinos often, but when I do, I try to make it on Friday evening when they have crab on the buffet. I hit the buffet and eat lots of crab, then find a poker machine to sit at and lose a few dollars. 



One Friday evening, I did exactly that. The 'joint was jumpin' and available machines were at a premium. I walked around the casino floor until I saw a man get up and walk away from the one he had been playing. I immediately took his seat. I normally limit myself to $20 or $40. That night I put my first $20 bill in the machine and quickly had three nice wins and found myself about $60 ahead. 



There was a lady sitting at the machine next to me. Apparently she had enough and cashed out. The machine printed her cash ticket, she stood, and walked away. I hadn't paid any attention to her until then but I sat and watched her walk away. It was a nice view. A nice ass in tight fitting jeans is one of God's greatest creations. She had taken no more than a few steps when she attempted to stick her cash ticket into the back pocket of her jeans. It missed and fell to the floor



There was a man following her. He saw it fall, picked it up and started down a different aisle. I jumped up and went after him yelling. He heard me, turned, saw me, then dropped the ticket and ran. I picked it up and went back to the lady who had heard the commotion and stopped to see what was going on.



"This is yours, I believe." I handed it back to her. 



She looked at it. "Oh, my God. Thank you." She said taking it. By then, security was there asking what was going on. I told them and they asked both the woman and me to come with them.



"Let me cash out, first." I said. I returned to the machine I was playing and found that in the very short time it took me to do what I had just done, someone had come to that machine and cashed it out. 'So much for loving the people here' I thought. I told the security guy who immediately got on his walkie-talkie and gave the number of the machine to whoever he was talking to.



"We will catch them when they try to cash it." He said. 



We were taken to an office just off the casino floor and asked what happened. I told them. Then they asked the woman. It was the first time I had gotten a good look at her. 'Very pretty' I thought. 



We had been there just a few minutes when another man came in and spoke. "Well, both men were apprehended as they tried to leave. The police are on their way to pick them up. Thank you, Mr. Hanley, for your assistance." That's my last name. Hanley. "And thank you Ms. Harrell for your cooperation." That was her last name. Her first was Lauren. "Mr. Hanley, you had $82 on your machine. Here it is." He handed me $82 in cash. "And for both of you, here are vouchers for two for dinner and drinks at Hogan's and again we thank you both."



Hogan's was the best steakhouse in town and it was in the casino. The next thing you know, Lauren Harrell and I were walking through the casino. She spoke. "Thank you, Mr. Hanley. I never knew I dropped it."



"You're most welcome and call me Mark."



"Well, Mark, could I at least buy you a drink?"



"Absolutely." We spent the next two hours talking and drinking. I couldn't fail to notice the wedding ring on her left hand. Finally, she looked at her watch.



"Oh my goodness. I have to go. Thank you again, Mark." And she rushed out.



I had enjoyed our time together and I watched her very fine ass as it bounced away.



It had been about five weeks since Linda and I broke up, and other than my occasional Friday night trips to the casino buffet, I hadn't had much of a social life... Not that eating dinner alone and then sitting in front of a poker machine constitutes a social life. 



One evening after work, I had stopped by the Kroger Store. I had gotten my few items, paid and was on my way out when I either bumped into or was bumped into ... anyway, I collided with someone. She dropped her bag and stooped to collect the items which had fallen out. One of the items was an orange and it rolled away. I started after it and slipped on something which caused me to trip and fall. When I fell, I hit my head on the corner of the next checkout lane and knocked myself out cold.



I woke up lying on the floor surrounded by EMT's. 



"Don't move." Said one. 



I lay there while they poked and prodded until they were satisfied that I was okay. I refused transport to the hospital. Two of them helped me stand. When I was on my feet, I heard a voice.



"Mr. Hanley? Mark? Are you all right?"



I turned to the voice and was surprised to see Lauren Harrell. "Hi." I said. "I'm fine. How are you?"



She smiled. "I'm fine. Thank you for saving my orange."



That broke a lot of tension and everybody around started laughing. 



The EMT's packed up their gear and everything went back to business as usual while she and I stood off to one side and chatted.



"Do you always come to the rescue of Damsels in Distress? This is the second time you've helped me."



"Right place, right time, I suppose." I said while rubbing my head.



"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital to be checked out?"



"Positive." We both seemed hesitant to leave. "May I walk you to your car?" I asked.



"Maybe I should walk you to yours." She said laughing.



We both grabbed our groceries and headed for the parking lot. We got to her car and as she opened her door, the wedding ring I had seen before was no longer there.



"You can tell me it's none of my business, but didn't you have a ring on your left hand the last time we saw each other?"



She smiled. "I did, but I only wear it when I go out. It generally keeps the wolves away."



My turn to smile. "So there is no Mr. Harrell?"



"Well, yes there is. He's my fath ..."



I interrupted her. "Don't say it. He's your father."



She laughed. "That's right. And two brothers."



"Okay, I should go, but why don't you give me your number just in case." I said.



"Just in case what?"



"Just in case you need rescuing again. You can anticipate it and call me so I can be ready."



"That sounds reasonable."



I handed her my phone and she put it in. Then she handed me her phone. "Turn about is fair play."



Two days later I called her. "I have two vouchers for dinner and drinks at Hogan's. Any chance you have either the time or the inclination to join me tomorrow?"



"As it happens, I have both. What time?"



We settled on a time and she gave me her address. The evening was as good as any first date could ever be. She was attractive and seemed to enjoy my company. On top of that, both the steaks and the drinks were perfect.



After dinner, we strolled through the casino, talked and watched the people. I learned that she had lived here most of her life and that her two brothers were in the Army. We stood for some time watching the Blackjack and Craps tables. I can count to 21, so Blackjack I understand; but Craps? That game is all Greek to me, but it must be profitable for the casinos, because every Craps table had four or five employees working around it. 



It was after midnight when I got her home. I wasn't invited in so I headed for the Bayou without so much as a peck on the cheek.



She called me the next day thanking me and we talked for a long time.



Over the next three months, we dated, made out, and, finally, had sex. After the first few dates, she let me kiss her and she seemed to enjoy it, but when my hand went to her breast for the first time ... ice. She froze and I could feel her go stiff so I slacked off. Another couple of kisses and I went home. 



She was attractive, witty, and intelligent, but I wasn't so sure our relationship was going anyplace if she was frigid. It was at the very end of our first three months together that she relaxed enough to have sex. She told me that I was only the second man she had sex with and was very nervous, but she did fine ... better than fine ... she was a natural. 



She wouldn't undress with the light on and wouldn't let me do it for her. Likewise, she wouldn't undress me, either. So we both undressed in the dark. Her on one side of the bed and me on the other. We climbed in under the covers and moved to the middle of the bed. When our naked bodies touched, it was like an electric shock. We bounced back from each other and slowly tried again. Her flesh on mine was soft and smooth. We kissed softly and slowly at first. Then as the heat built, the kisses became more urgent and harder, crushing and bruising our lips. 



I reached to touch her naked breast for the first time. My thumb and forefinger reached for her nipple and squeezed. Her reaction was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Most women whose breast I was fortunate enough to see and touch moaned and writhed and pushed into my hand. But Lauren literally jumped and landed on top of me.



"Oh, God." She said. "I've never felt anything like that. Don't stop. Please. Squeeze it. Pinch it, but don't stop."



I didn't. I just moved my hand to her other breast and got the same reaction.



After enjoying the feel of them for some time, I pushed the sheet and blanket off us and moved so I could kiss and suck on them. If I thought her reaction to my touching them was something, when my lips touched one for the first time, it was explosion time. My initial thought was if she acts this way now, when we fuck it will be nuclear. 



Some time later, my initial thought proved to be correct. When she reached down to guide me into her and my dick touched her for the first time, I knew I was in for a hell of a ride. She arched her back to the point that her hips were so far in the air that a short person could have walked across the bed under her and never touch her. A contortionist would have been impressed.



One thing she wasn't was a talker. Moaning, she did well. Talking, not so much. As we fucked and our rhythm increased, her moans got louder and closer together. At the end when we both came the moaning stopped and the screaming started; the screaming, and the bucking, and the legs wrapped so tight around me that I almost couldn't breathe. It was wonderful. Afterward, we snuggled. Really snuggled.



This went on for about five more months and I had fallen in love. I just hadn't said it out loud. I was in love not just because of the sex, but because she was the 'real deal', the 'total package', the 'girl you took home to mother'.



We spent as much time as we could at my camp and she enjoyed it as much as I did; quite different from Linda. And she lost her shyness at undressing in front of me. As a matter of fact, it was not unusual for us to sit on my porch naked. We were off the main road that nobody could see us, anyway.



She worked at the library so her hours were regular. I was on call 24/7 so we never knew how much time we were going to have before I was called to work. I worked a normal 40 hour week, but occasionally there was a need for me to be on call. Sometimes I went for weeks and never got called.



My job was to go with River Pilots to all incoming ships. It was the River Pilot's job to advise the ship's Captain on navigating through waters, which may be unknown to the Captain, and safely dock the ship. I was on call because although we had a general idea of when a ship was due, we rarely knew what time it was going to hit the mouth of the river and start inland to our port. It was my job to go out with the Pilot and while the ship was making its way up river, inspect its documents and cargo holds effectively clearing it to dock at our facility. 

<hr pg="2" />Lauren and I had a dinner date planned. Several hours before I planned to pick her up, we received word that a ship we had expected was coming in a day early.



I called Lauren and cancelled our date. It was the third time I had done that. She seemed to take it okay, but she had the other two times as well.



Just before we were ready to leave to meet the ship, one of the men I worked with asked me if I wanted to change ships with him. His wasn't due until early the next morning. I figured Lauren and I could, at the very least, have dinner before I had to leave to meet the ship, so I said okay. 



I called her to let her know, but she didn't answer. I tried several times and finally left a message. I drove by her apartment and her car was not in it's assigned carport; it was parked in a visitors slot across the parking lot. I parked in the slot next to her car and went upstairs and rang her doorbell. No answer. 



I was just leaving when the lady next door opened her door to take her trash out.



"Hi," She said. "Lauren left about an hour ago with some man."



"Oh, well, thank you Mrs. Morris."



'Well, shit'. I thought. Wonder who it was.



It was Friday and it was early, so I headed for the casino and it's crab buffet. 



The footprint of the casino is huge. The gambling floor is basically surrounded by shops, small concert venues, hotel front desk, and restaurants. The buffet was the farthest restaurant from the front entrance so you either had to go through the casino gambling floor or go around and pass by all the shops and restaurants.



I decided to take the long way around, past the shops and restaurants and not go through the gambling area. As I started to walk past Hogan's, I glanced inside and there sat Lauren with a man. It was a typical Friday evening so the corridors were pretty crowded. I stopped and stood across the corridor from the restaurant and watched them for several minutes. There was a familiarity between them that was obvious. To see them laugh and touch each other affectionately was more than a bit disheartening. When I saw her reach up and wipe something off his mouth, I had seen enough so I left.



I didn't have the crab buffet that particular Friday evening.



I went out with the pilot early the next morning, which was Saturday, and picked up the ship. After we docked, my boss called me over.



"Broussard can't go to that Homeland Security course in Seattle. Are you up for it?"



"Seattle? Sure, anytime. Next week, right?"



"Nope. You leave tomorrow."



"Oh, thanks for the lead time, boss." I laughed as I said it.



The course was two weeks long and concerned port security updates. I wanted to go initially, but Jamie Broussard had seniority on me and was selected. But now it appeared that I was going. I didn't even ask why he couldn't go.



I couldn't get the sight of Lauren with that man at Hogan's the night before out of my mind, so I decided to clear the air. It was late afternoon when I drove to her apartment building. In her assigned carport sat a bright red F-250 pick-up truck. She drove a Silver Camry ... which was still parked in a visitors slot across the parking lot.



In her apartment complex, the more expensive apartments overlooked the swimming pool. The less expensive ones overlooked the parking lot. Hers was one that overlooked the parking lot. They all had small balconies.



I couldn't stand this not knowing and had to talk to her. I parked and had gotten out. I stood and looked up at her apartment. There was a man in a bathrobe sitting on her balcony. Moments later, she came out, also wearing a bathrobe. She stood behind him and put both hands on his shoulders leaned down and kissed the top of his head. It looked like she started to massage his shoulders, but I couldn't really tell for sure.



I'd seen enough. It didn't appear that a conversation with her was either necessary or appropriate. I figured all it would do would be to embarrass the three of us. Besides, we had never discussed our relationship as being exclusive. I opened my door and started to get in my truck. I took one last look toward her balcony just in time to see her looking down at me.



I had been gone only a couple of minutes when my phone rang. I didn't answer it and shortly heard the ping that told me I had a text message. I looked at it.



"Call me."



I turned the phone off.



At my camp, I packed for the next two weeks. My flight the next morning was early so I tried to sleep. No dice. I drove to the airport, parked, and was inside four hours before my flight. I was in line going through security and forgot that I had my phone on my belt, so, of course, it set off alarms and I had to go back through their body x-ray machine thingy. After finally clearing security, I was putting my phone back in the case on my belt when I saw that I had another message. 'Please call.' I blocked her number. 



I'd been to Seattle twice before, and really liked it. I'd never spent a full two weeks there, however. Many restaurants, with food almost as good as my beloved Cajun food; and people almost as nice as Louisianans ... if you factor out the slimeballs who tried to steal Lauren's and my cash tickets the night she and I met. I thought a lot about Lauren during my stay in Seattle. They were all good thoughts until I saw her in Hogan's and then on her balcony.



My course ended on Friday afternoon and my flight for home left Saturday morning. I had enjoyed Seattle, but I was anxious to get back to my bayou.



Since my house was on stilts, I had two natural carports underneath. I pulled in, took my suitcase and went up the stairs. On the door, I saw a note. "Call me PLEASE." Lauren had signed it. I dropped it on the small kitchen island. That night I cooked some rice, heated some frozen gumbo, opened a beer, sat on my porch, and remembered why I loved Louisiana.



One of my favorite festivals in town is the Annual Pirate Festival. It lasts almost two weeks and is second only to Mardi Gras in popularity. 



The first week of the festival was the week after I returned from Seattle. It opened on a Friday night and I went there and chose to walk around the grounds, have some great food, and watch the people; especially the children. There was a special display this year. It was a replica of the ship Nina, one of Christopher Columbus's ships. It was tied up in the lake next to the festival grounds and there was a long line of people waiting to go aboard. It had come up the river channel just like the cargo ships did and was able to float in the lake because of it's shallow draft.



My attention was drawn to lots of laughter coming from the bow of the ship. I, along with many others, looked in the direction of the laughter. There was a group of four people laughing, joking, and just generally enjoying each other's company. There were two men and two women. One of the women was Lauren. 



I watched for several minutes while they walked, skipped, and jumped all over the deck. The four of them would walk holding hands or with their arms around each other. There was a familiarity between them I both hated and was jealous of. 



I'd had enough. I took one last look at them and, as happened at her apartment, she took that very moment to look out at the people onshore watching them. I couldn't tell if she saw me or not, and, frankly, I didn't care. I walked around the grounds some more, watched the people, and had some food, which, for some reason, didn't taste as good as usual.



When I left the festival, I stopped by work to see if there had been any changes to my schedule. There hadn't been, but I hung out for several hours anyway, then headed for the bayou. 



My camp was off the main road. Once you left that road, and turned onto my gravel driveway, there was no place to turn around until you got to my yard.



As I got close to my house, I saw the back of a red truck. I reached into my glove compartment and brought out the pistol I kept there. I had never fired it and the shells that were in it had been there a long time. I had one other gun, a shotgun, which, as I mentioned before, I used only to kill snakes. I put the pistol in my lap and pulled into my carport. 



As I got out of my truck, two doors of the red truck opened and two men got out. I put my hand with the gun in it behind my back as they approached. 



They got as close as I wanted them to get. "That's close enough." They stopped. "What do you want?"



"Are you Mark Hanley?"



"Who wants to know?"



"Can we go inside and talk? These mosquitos are eating us alive."



"Talk about what?"



"Lauren."



"What about her?"



"Christ, man, let's get inside. I hate these mosquitos."



I silently agreed and started up the stairs. They kept a respectable distance behind me. Probably because they could see the gun. 



I opened the door and turned on the lights. They followed me in.



"Nice place, Mark." Said the taller of the two.



"Except for the mosquitos." Said the other one.



I walked to the kitchen counter, turned around and leaned against it, crossed my hands in front of me so the pistol was even more obvious.



The taller one spoke again. "You don't need that thing. We're just here to talk."



"So talk."



"We're curious as to why you stopped calling Lauren."



"What's it to you?"



The second one spoke again. "Basically, because we don't like seeing our sister hurt."



The gun fell out of my hand and landed on the floor. The two of them scattered expecting it to go off.



"Christ, man. You could kill somebody like that."



"Your what?" I almost yelled.



"Our sister."



"Your sister? Lauren's your sister?"



"That's right and we don't like seeing her hurt. Hey, Tommy, remember the last guy who hurt her?"



"Yeah, I do." Said the taller one. "He still hides when he sees us coming." They laughed.



I stooped down, picked up the pistol and held it. They stopped laughing.



"We're just kidding, Mark. But we would still like to know. Lauren has always been shy. She's dated guys, but she has only had one other serious long term relationship in her life. That ended badly and she was gun shy for a long time. Then she met you. Not that your relationship has been all that long in the grand scheme of things." Said the shorter brother.



"We're a close family and we talk often and she couldn't stop talking about you." Said Tommy. "It was Mark this and Mark that. We were really starting to dislike you."



"Then you stopped calling her and wouldn't answer her calls or acknowledge her texts and she doesn't understand why." Said brother Tommy. "I'm stationed at Fort Polk, and Ken is at Fort Leavenworth. I'm the closest and the oldest so when Lauren said that she was getting serious about you, she wanted me to meet you. On the day that was to happen, you were supposed to have dinner together but you called and said you had to work. So she and I went to dinner and she did nothing but talk about you and how much she liked you and how much she liked this camp of yours. It reached a point where I told her I didn't want to hear another word about you." 



"Wait a minute. When did you have dinner with her?" I asked.



"Three weeks ago."



"Where did you eat?"



"Hogan's steak house. It seems the casino gave her vouchers for dinner and drinks thanks to you; as if she didn't have enough good shit to say about you. Hearing about the Sir Galahad shit you pulled ... twice ... was more than I could handle. 



"After dinner, we went back to her apartment. The next day, she tried to call you, but she couldn't reach you. That evening, which was Saturday, she saw you in the parking lot and yelled at you, but you got in your truck and left. She couldn't understand that. She called you again, but you didn't answer, so she sent you a text. You didn't respond to that either. I had to get back to Fort Polk, so I left the next morning. She was conflicted when I left and I couldn't help her.



"Over the next couple of weeks, she talked to one of us," He indicated his brother. "everyday trying to make sense of it. She didn't think she had had done nothing wrong, yet you were avoiding her like the plague. She made a couple of trips out here to talk, but you were never here."



He paused and for the first time showed that he was getting a bit upset. 



"Lauren is the sweetest, nicest, kindest person we know, and to think of her chasing some schmuck who doesn't care about her and doesn't have the balls to tell her he doesn't want to see her anymore and why really pisses us off."



At this point, Ken started speaking. "And if we thought that you got close to her and took advantage of her feelings just to sleep with her ... well, that would be inexcusable to us and, quite frankly, we wouldn't tolerate it ... if you get my drift."



I lifted my pistol a little just to remind them that I still had it.



"She was finally coming to grips with the fact that it was over between you and called us to see if we could come down for the festival. She sounded like she could use a couple of friends." Said Ken. "Tommy, Lauren, and I always had fun there when we were kids so my wife and I came down."



He was standing by the kitchen island, he reached down, picked up the note Lauren had left on my door, looked at it and let it drop back onto the island. He just looked at me and shook his head. "We got here day before yesterday, and it seemed she had resigned herself to the fact that you were out of her life. Then today we went on that ship; and it was like old times for us and we acted like kids again until she looked out and saw you. The fun was over after that. Every place we went she was looking for you."



"So we took her home and my wife is with her. Tommy and I decided we should come talk to you. She had talked about this camp, so we had no trouble finding it." He paused for a few seconds. "Now we all understand that things happen in relationships for one reason or another and people decide to go their separate ways. But usually, there is a good reason and Lauren couldn't think of anything she had done wrong."



Ken continued.



"Now, it's none of our business, but if she didn't do anything wrong, that begs the question what did YOU do wrong?"



"Holy shit." I said. "I think I've messed up."



"We think so, too."



"The night you had dinner with her she and I had originally planned to go out but I had to cancel because of work. A co-worker then wanted to trade work assignments so we did. I tried to call her, but she never answered so I left a message telling her that our dinner was 'back on'. I didn't hear from her so I went by her apartment and her next door neighbor told me she had left with a man. Later I saw the two of you at Hogan's and I got a little pissed. The next day I was told that I had to go out of town for two weeks. I wanted to clear the air about having seen her with another man, so I went to her apartment ... again ... and saw a man in a bathrobe sitting on her balcony. Then she came out also wearing a bathrobe. That was too much for me, so I left. I assumed I had been replaced.



"I got home last Saturday, saw her note on my door, remembered seeing her with another man at Hogan's, and again at her apartment and chose to ignore her note. I wasn't going to be her 'second choice'. Then I saw you today on that ship and had more bad thoughts."



"Jesus Christ, man, you made bad decisions all around." Said Tommy. "One phone call would have cleared everything up, but you chose to think the worst. I know she didn't get your message about you being able to go out, because all evening she kept checking her phone to see if there were any calls or messages from you. And as far as me in my bathrobe is concerned, I love to swim. She and I had been to the pool in her complex and had just gotten back. She's not a big fan of swimming, but she went with me anyway."



I made my way past the kitchen island, put the pistol on it, and continued to my favorite chair and slowly sat. "Now what do I do?"



"Well, if it were me, I'd get my ass to her apartment, get down on my knees, and beg for forgiveness."



I stood. "Maybe I Should call her first?"



"I'm beginning to think that you are as dumb as you look. Go. Now. I'll call my wife and have her meet Tommy and me in the parking lot so you and Lauren can have some privacy. Got it? Apologize, kiss, make up, then get the hell out of there because we're staying with her and we need to get some sleep."



It was after midnight when I rang her doorbell. She opened the door and stared. She was wearing a robe She never spoke and she didn't invite me in.



"I want to apologize." I started. Her face showed no emotion. I waited for several seconds before continuing. "I saw you with your brother at Hogan's. I didn't know he was your brother and I got upset because I thought you had found someone you liked better than me and hadn't told me." Another pause with no reaction from her. "The next day, I came here to talk and find out where I stood and I saw the two of you on your balcony in bathrobes. I assumed he had spent the night with you and I was even more upset. Then I had to leave the next day for two weeks. When I came back, I saw you again at the festival and you were having a lot of fun. I was jealous and hurt and saw it as more proof that you considered me out of your life."



She just stood looking at me saying nothing and showing no emotion.



Well, I thought, this isn't working out quite the way I had hoped. Standing there was awkward at best and her face gave no indication of what she was feeling or thinking. She didn't leave me much of a choice so I shrugged my shoulders and told her, once again, that I was sorry then turned and started down the hall to the elevator. I heard her door close as I walked away.



Tommy, Ken, and Ken's wife, at least I assumed it was his wife, were standing by Tommy's red truck when I came out of the building.



"Well? How did it go?" Tommy asked.



"Not good. She never spoke or reacted when I apologized. She just stood there."



"That's not good." Said Ken. "When she gets like that it's best to stay away from her. She'll figure it out in her own good time."



"That's what I figured. Thank you guys for setting me straight ... for all the good it did. I'm worse off now than I was before because now I know it was my fault and not hers." I shook hands with all three of them, got in my truck and took a last look up at her balcony. She was standing there with her hands on the railing looking down at us. I started my truck and headed for the bayou.



My phone rang. I grabbed it from my belt hoping that it was Lauren before I remembered I had blocked her number. It was my boss.



"Louviere came to work but started throwing up all over the place. Can you take his place tonight?"



"Sure. What time do we go out?"



"As soon as you can get here."



"On my way."



It was mid-morning by the time we had cleared the incoming ship. I had been up all night and was very tired. I went to the room we maintained for just such occasions, lay on one of the beds, and was almost immediately asleep. It was mid-afternoon when I woke up. I could have taken a shower and changed into some of the clean clothes we all kept there for emergencies, but I didn't.



It started to rain as I headed for the bayou. When it is raining or is on the breezy side, mosquitos hide and don't come out buzzing and biting people.



Lauren's Silver Camry was sitting in one of the two carports under my house. 



I drove into my carport and saw her sitting in one of the lawn chairs looking out at the rain and the bayou.



I walked over, pulled up another lawn chair and sat beside her. We never looked at each other; we just sat. Occasionally a fish would jump and splash back into the water.



It was a full five minutes before she spoke. "I love this place."



I looked at her and spoke. "Me, too." 

<hr pg="3" />I was still looking at her and thinking how pretty she was.



She looked at me. "My brothers told me what they did." I said nothing. "They were looking out for me." Again, I said nothing. "I was hurt when I didn't hear from you. I couldn't figure out what I had done wrong."



I spoke. "You did nothing wrong. Apparently, something happened and you didn't get my message telling you we could have dinner. After that, it was all my fault."



She reached over and took my hand. We sat like that and watched the rain as it fell on the bayou.

