Mama closed her eyes as the truck bounced and swayed, but I had grown very nervous.
The Crab House was a restaurant with a big ballroom in the rear. In it there was a small stage for the musicians who played the accordion, the fiddle, the triangle, and guitars. This
When we entered, there were those who knew Mama and were surprised and happy to see her attend. Many of them used the opportunity to complain about one physical ailment or another and get her advice. A number of Daddy's friends were gathered around the beer barrel, drinking and sucking on crawfish. I saw Jed Atkins wave to him and then saw Jed coax a tall, slim young man forward.
'Come on, Gabrielle,' Daddy said. 'I'd like you to meet Virgil.'
Reluctantly, with Mama flashing warnings and disapproval my way, I walked alongside Daddy. He and Jed shook hands vigorously, and Jed handed him a cup of home brew.
'Hello there, Gabrielle,' Jed Atkins said, turning to me. 'You sure grow'd into a fine young lady since I seen you last.'
'I saw you just a few weeks ago, monsieur.'
'Oh, yeah? Must've been a little under the weather. Don't recall.' He laughed. 'This here's my brother's boy, Virgil,' he said, pulling him forward.
Half of Virgil Atkins's left cheek was covered with a patch of cardinal red skin, the ridges in it lifted slightly. He had dark eyes, a thin nose, and dark brown hair, the strands unevenly cut just below his earlobes. His lips were thin, too, resembling a stretched-out rubber band.
'Hello,' he said. He sipped some beer.
'Well, ain'tcha going to ask her to dance, Virgil? If I were your age, I would,' Jed said. 'I used to do a mean two-step when I was younger,' he added.
'Sure. You wanna dance?' He had a silly, soft smile, impish like a boy who liked to tease.
I gazed back at Mama, who was watching us while two elderly ladies jabbered in both her ears.
'I think I'll have something to eat and drink first,' I said diplomatically.
'Fine. Go fetch her a plate, Virgil. Show her you got manners,' Jed said. 'These dances are more for you young people than for us old coots,' he added, looking at me.
'Right,' Virgil said. 'Everything's better on a full stomach.' Daddy and Jed laughed. Virgil and I walked toward the food.
'I'll getcha a bowl of gumbo,' he said, elbowing in between two young boys. After he got us the food, he nodded toward an empty table. 'I could getcha a beer.'
'No. I'll just have a lemonade,' I said.
'Don'tcha drink? All the young girls I know drink these days,' he said with a wry expression.
'No,' I said.
'You go to a lot of dances?'
I shook my head. He scooped the gumbo into his mouth quickly, his eyes fixed on me.
'You're a pretty girl,' he said. 'My uncle told me your daddy been keepin' you hidden away.' He flashed that small smile again.
'No one's keeping me hidden away,' I said sharply. He laughed.
'Why ain'tcha got a steady boyfriend then?'
'I did have,' I lied, 'but he had to go into the army.'
'Oh?' His smile evaporated. 'Uncle Jed didn't say anything about that.'
'Not everyone knows. He writes me a letter every day.' 'Where's he at?'
'I don't know. It's a secret.'
He gazed at me suspiciously and drank some more of his beer. Then he smiled with confidence again, as if he had concluded I was making it all up.
'If I get up and get me another beer, will you still be here when I get back?' he asked.
'I haven't finished eating yet,' I replied, which satisfied him.
I was nearly finished by the time he returned. He had brought me a glass of beer, too.
'Just in case you change your mind,' he said.
'I don't like beer.'
'Oh? Whatcha like, wine?'
'Sometimes.'
He nodded. 'You look like a girl who has rich tastes. Betcha that's why you're still not married, huh? You're waiting for a rich catch?'
'No. Money has nothing to do with it.'
