Xenophobe

*Author's Note: Any and all persons engaging in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age.

**Author's Note: I wrote this story in the beautiful, simple Cajun dialect of the people I grew up with. (Microsoft Spell Check has a hard enough time with normal English; Cajun English really fucked it up!)

In the Cajun dialect, there is no 'TH' sound. Words such as 'Month' become 'mont.' 'This' and 'that' are 'dis' and 'dat.'

The word 'Cher' is a term of endearment; it is not in reference to the pop star by the same name.

The work is hard, the play is hard, the lives are hard, and yet the Cajun people are among the most beautiful and loving people around.

But if this man's grandfather wronged that man's grandfather, they never ever forget it. An outsider to the very close knit community will find themselves accepted; to a degree.

Chapter 1

Eunice Theriot stepped out of the principal's office and wiped at a tear. Dr. Savoie had begged her to stay in school, had pointed out that her grades were perfect, and had even hinted at a scholarship to college.

"We need food now, not no four years from now," Eunice had said resolutely.

Finally, the man threw up his hands, wished the eighteen year old girl well, and let the attractive brunette leave his office.

"Hey Theriot, you leaving?" Lester Burnette asked, forcing her against the cinderblock wall.

"Best let me go now," she warned the smirking African-American youth.

In answer, he thrust himself against her, rubbing his crotch against her belly.

"Hey, maybe you and me get together, you know, get busy like me and Norma done," he husked into her ear.

He gasped suddenly as Eunice's knee connected solidly with his testicles. As he was doubling over, Eunice brought her knee up again, loosening two of Lester's teeth.

"I done told you, best let e go and you don't be lying 'bout my sister no," she shrilled as he collapsed to the floor.

She walked to her locker, dug out the last of her school books and walked to her next class to return the text books to Mrs. Linda New.

Mrs. New was extremely upset that the girl was dropping out of school; the woman took it as a personal failing of hers whenever a student left Baylor Lake High School without graduating.

"I'm being sad too," Eunice told the woman, fighting against fresh tears. "But we need me working, not sitting around playing."

"But school is not playing," Linda wailed. "You're too smart, Eunice! You could be so much more than just a laborer!"

"Hey, what wrong wit' being a laborer?" Eunice asked defensive.

"Well, nothing except when you could be so much more," Linda said.

Backpack now empty, Eunice waited for Bus 128.

Trey Martinez, Lester's friend, came up to Eunice. He did make sure to stay well out of reach of her knees, though.

"Lest said he's going fuck you all up," Trey warned.

"Tell him I ain't scared no," Eunice said.

She stepped onto the bus and nodded to Mr. Randall, the bus driver.

"You really ain't coming back no more?" Sally Leblanc asked as Eunice sat down next to her.

Eunice blinked back fresh tears as she sat next to the girl she had sat next to for the twelve and a half years they'd gone to school together.

"Yeah, my last day," Eunice agreed.

"'m miss you yeah," Sally said, giving her friend a tight hug.

"Don't do that no," Eunice sobbed out, pushing the girl off of her.

Even though she was only five foot two, Eunice was quite strong, especially against the five foot tall Sally, who lived in a nice house with her mom and never did a bit of physical labor.

Eunice abruptly got out of her seat and took an empty seat near the front of the bus.

"Y'all have a nice day, hear?" Mr. Randall said as he dropped them off in front of Sally's house.

"I don't care no; I'm miss you," Sally sobbed out and again embraced Eunice.

Eunice wiggled out of the tight embrace and ran to the steps that let her cross over the retaining wall of the levee that separated Baylor Lake and Jazz Beach from the brackish waters of the Atchafalaya Basin.

She ran as fast as her short legs would carry her until she reached the plywood shack she shared with her father, Alton Theriot and twenty year old sister, Norma Theriot. Climbing up the splintered steps, Eunice barged into the shack.

"Hey," Norma smiled from the propane stove.

"Hey," Eunice choked out.

"Daddy working on that pirogue," Norma said as she turned the meat over in the cast iron skillet.

"That new log?" Eunice asked when she got her tears under control.

"Yeah; said you need finish up that other one yeah," Norma agreed and let a small squeal escape when the pan spattered some grease onto her hand.

"It do that all the time; think you'd be used to it yeah," Eunice teased, giving her sister an affectionate pinch on her rear end.

Norma giggled at her own silliness and turned to her sister.

At five feet even, Norma was the shorter of the two girls, and most thought her to be the prettiest, with her long blonde hair, wide blue eyes, round face and ever-present smile. She was also more developed than Eunice, with a 34C chest, 28 inch waist, and 32 inch hips.

Eunice had 32 A/B breasts, or what their father called 'cupcake titties,' a twenty six inch waist and 34 inch hips.

She brushed her long brown hair out of her hazel eyes, gave her sister a quick kiss on the lips, again pinched her rear end and danced out of the way of Norma's retaliatory slap. The girls giggled at each other and Eunice left the small shack.

"'Bout time yeah," Alton grumbled when Eunice found him working on cutting the large cypress log in half lengthwise.

"Just got here," Eunice defended then bent to helping him saw the large log.

Father and daughter both had calloused hands from years of hard work, both were used to the rusty tools, and both knew what the other expected without the other having to say anything.

"There' that look good," Alton said as they broke through the end of the log.

"I use the top one; okay?" Eunice asked.

"Not 'til that other one done," Alton said, nodding with his head at the nearly finished pirogue that rested a few feet away.

Eunice picked up the rusty planer and began the tedious task of smoothing out the interior of the craft.

"And your sister wants some of that wood yeah," Alton reminded her.

"Why? So she can make some more of them stupid dolls?" Eunice asked, but did gather up the larger pieces of wood for Norma.

Father and daughter labored until it grew too dark for them to see what they were doing. Eunice gathered up the scraps of wood and brought them to the shack.

"I was fixing call you," Norma said as she put a heaping plate of food at the head of the table.

"Be a waste of time," Alton teased his oldest daughter as he sat at the head of the table.

""Daddy, you wash them hands?" Norma asked as Alton prepared to dig into Te food.

"And you say grace?" Eunice asked.

"Man! I tell you!" Alton complained as he got to his feet.

After the dishes had been washed, Alton tuned the small transistor radio to 88.9, the college radio station from the University of Louisiana at DeGarde just as the Cajun broadcast was beginning. He was the only one that was allowed to operate the radio; playing the sports radio broadcast out of Lafayette Louisiana during the day, and the Cajun broadcast at night.

The disc jockey made some program announcements in French, and then played a lively Zydeco tune.

Norma and Eunice grabbed each other's hands and danced a lively jitterbug to the tune. Alton sat and tapped his foot in time to the music, enjoying the music as the girls danced. Every now and then, Eunice, acting as the lead, would twirl Norma around and Norma's skirt would flare up, exposing her naked button and golden curls.

A slower tune came on and the girls easily slid into a two-step.

They sat down as the station played some announcements, then Norma clapped for joy as Freddy LaSalle, a local comedian began telling a joke.

"He's stupid yeah," Eunice grumbled.

"Shut up; he is not!" Norma shrilled, slapping her sister's shoulder.

"Bot' you shut up; I'm listening yeah," Alton warned.

As is the norm in Cajun joke-telling, it was a long, very involved joke that built up to the punch line. Alton rubbed his hand up and down Norma's bare thigh as they listened.

Eunice groaned as the punch line finally came but Norma laughed out loud and clapped her hands.

"Oh that's so funny yeah!" she said. "'Momma's got a mustache too?' Oh that's funny!"

They listened to the broadcast for another hour, dancing to the music while Alton sat and watched. Finally, he declared an end to the activities and they readied for bed.

Norma got into the bed first and Eunice lay on the outside while Alton got into the bed on the other side.

No sooner had he turned out the light then he was rolling on top of Norma, thrusting himself into her. Eunice lay and listened as Norma cooed, sighed, and giggled throughout the grunting and thrashing. Soon, it was over and the three fell asleep.

Chapter 2

Eunice woke up to the sound of rain beating steadily on the roof of their shack. She smiled; that meant the frogs would be out in full force, which meant the bass would also be out in full force.

That meant she and Norma would be out fishing as soon as they finished with their breakfast.

Norma was very excited when Eunice suggested they go fishing.

"I make us a fish couvillion!" she gasped, checking that she had the ingredients for the meal.

"Man why you don't just fry them yeah?" Eunice suggested.

"Man you so good you already cooking them ain't even caught them huh?" Alton teased the two girls. "Here, let me open the window save you the time catching them, they just jump in."

The two girls laughed at their father's antics.

"Take that gun case you see that Bobby Bordelon out there," Alton warned as the two girls climbed into their pirogue.

"Got my bow and arrows," Eunice said.

"What you do he pops up?" Alton spat. "Oh you wait I get my arrow lined up yeah? You just do what I tell you, huh?"

"Yes sir," Eunice said and reached out for the twenty two pistol he held out to her.

Eunice sat in the rear; she knew if she sat in the front Norma would do very little paddling. Soon they were in an area where there were few trees, but several cypress stumps. They put the paddles into the boat and cast their lines out.

Within minutes, Eunice was pulling a large bass into the boat. With a practiced ease, she brought the paddle down on the fish's head, stilling it's struggles. Norma shuddered.

"Man I hate that yeah," she admitted.

"What? Want it jump back in?" Eunice asked, bating her hook and casting it back out.

"Well, no, but..." then Norma squealed as her line jerked.

Eunice let Norma fight with her fish for a few minutes, then took the rod from her and quickly brought the fish in.

"Whack!" went the paddle and Eunice congratulated Norma on catching a big fish. Norma beamed under Eunice's praise.

When they had six large fish, Eunice declared an end to the fishing and Norma gratefully put her rod down.

She clapped her hands when Eunice dug around in her canvas quiver and brought out the two bottles of beer she'd snuck out of the house.

"Now you don't be acting all stupid when we get home no," Eunice warned as Norma quickly unscrewed the cap of her beer.

Eunice rubbed her own backside.

"Remember? Daddy laid that paddle on me yeah," Eunice reminded her sister.

"Me too!" Norma protested.

"Yeah but he don't hit you twice as hard he hits me," Eunice grumbled to herself.

Eunice's warning fell on deaf ears; Norma was under the influence of the alcohol quickly and was giggling and singing silly songs within minutes.

"I need to pee yeah," she complained minutes after they'd sank their empty beer bottles.

In answer, Eunice pointed to the water all around the boat.

"No, Ooni, come on," Norma whined.

"Fine, fine, big baby," Eunice said and paddled them over t a sandbar.

"Wait here, let me see," Eunice cautioned and got out of the boat.

She determined that there were no snakes or alligators on the expanse of sand and Norma gratefully got out of the boat and both girls relieved their bladders.

"Be a good time that Bobby Bordelon pop up yeah," Eunice giggled as she pulled her cut off denim shorts back up her muscular legs.

"Ew I don't like him no," Norma complained as she pulled her own shorts up.

"But he like you!" Eunice teased her older sister.

"You shut up you!" Norma demanded.

They paddled back to the shack.

Just as Eunice knew she would, Norma began whining about having to clean the fish so Eunice made very quick work of it and threw the scraps into the brackish water for the crawfish to feast on.

"Thanks, Ooni," Norma said and gave her sister a kiss.

"Uh huh," Eunice said and gave her sister a quick pinch on her backside.

"Quit!" Norma squealed as Eunice danced out of reach of Norma's slap.

Alton was already sweating heavily as he used his axe to hollow out one half of the cypress log.

"Man you fast yeah," Eunice praised as she began the finishing touches on her pirogue.

"'Posed rain all day tomorrow; think you get some oil on that?" was all Alton said.

"Yeah, 'bout ready for it now," Eunice agreed.

After an hour, Alton looked up from his work.

"Catch you any fish?" he asked.

Done got six of them," Eunice snapped her fingers. "Like that."

"Good, good," Alton agreed

Just as Eunice was finishing rubbing the oil into the bottom of the boat, Norma called them in for lunch.

Chapter 3

Buford Theriot was grateful it was the weekend; time to relax. He was a junior partner of Timmons, Duhon and Associates Accounting. Ever since construction on St. Elizabeth's Trauma Center had begun, the work-load for the small accounting firm had quadrupled. In the months of February, March, and April, they would work seven days a week. But with May just a few days away, the maddening pace had ground to a halt.

There would e a slight flurry of activity in August, October, and January, when the sole proprietorships in and around Greater DeGarde, Louisiana would file their quarterly taxes, but, even in October, Buford's work load was relatively light.

On Saturdays, Buford relaxed in the small consignment shop he owned. He sold a little of this and that, mostly junk people didn't have room for any more. The pride of his shop, though, was the authentic Cajun items and tools he displayed in the front of the shop. Most of the items scattered about were handcrafted by his cousin, Alton.

Alton was a craftsman but he was not a business man. He left that to Buford. For his service, Buford took forty percent and gave Alton sixty percent. They'd worked together for years and both were pleased with the arrangement.

The customer looked over the authentic pirogue Buford had on display, examined the two paddles and nodded in satisfaction.

"Take it, how much for that rocker?" the man said.

"Two ten; made out of one hundred percent cypress," Buford said. "Not a nail in that; it's all cypress pegs."

"No kidding? Well would you look at that?" the man said, examining the simple chair closer.

Buford helped the man load his purchases, shook the man's hand, and returned to the shop.

Buford then wrestled another pirogue out of the stockroom as well as two more cypress chairs.

"My Ooni done helped me a little bit with them yeah," Alton had said with pride when he dropped off this month's merchandise.

"No kidding?" Buford asked, not really caring. "Man, how old she now?"

"Eighteen, believe that?" Alton had said.

"Eighteen? Man, last time I seen her, she in diapers yeah," Buford said, slipping into the Cajun dialect of his youth.

"But then again, you still in diapers you," he teased his cousin.

"Man, shut up!" Alton laughed and pulled two more pirogues and a small table out of the bed of his truck.

Now in his showroom, Buford looked at the two chairs then spaced them apart and got the small table out of the rear of the stockroom and positioned the table between them.

Most would balk at the three hundred and seventy five dollar price tag he put on the simple furniture, but the one person that wanted an authentic Cajun table and chairs would not even think twice about pulling out their credit card.

Buford groaned as Tammy Timmons, the 'Timmons' of Timmons, Duhon and Associates, therefore his immediate supervisor, came into the shop.

"Buford," she greeted him.

"Timmons," he returned the greeting.

He had assumed the woman to be gay, with her shapeless, colorless taste in clothing and her severe hairstyle, as well as her refusal to use make-up. It had been a real surprise when she began dating, then living with Glen Simone.

Of course, it had not been a surprise when the romance fizzled out, but Buford did not say anything.

"Still no desk?" Tammy asked, looking around at the goods on display.

"Just the one," Buford said, pointing to a rough-hewn child's desk.

"Thought you said you had someone working on one," Tammy accused.

"Said he is," Buford said.

At the shack, Alton sent Eunice and Norma out to see if they could find another cypress log.

"We ain't done this one yet," Eunice argued, pointing out the other half of the log.

"You talking back?" Alton threatened, reaching for his belt buckle.

"No sir," Eunice said quickly.

So, while he used his axe to make the rough cut on the hull of a pirogue, Eunice and Norma paddled out in search of a large log.

"Man we find us a big one, maybe Mr. Lemoine let us use his airboat yeah," Norma said excitedly.

"Uh huh," Eunice grumbled.

It didn't seem to bother Norma that Mr. Lemoine would expect Norma to put his cock in her mouth for the use of the air boat, with Daddy's permission, of course, but it bothered Eunice.

It took them nearly two hours, but they found not one, but three logs. Norma had argued and Alton had also shrugged, but Eunice was grateful she had brought the longer piece of rope.

"This hard, yeah," Norma complained again as they towed the tree logs

On dry land, Alton was finishing up shaping the log when he heard footsteps.

"Yo, yo, sup, Gator man?" Lester Burnette asked high on meth.

"Boy, best pull them pants up yeah," Alton spat, looking at the jeans that threatened to fall off of Lester's hips.

"Aw fuck you," Lester sneered. "Know where that Eunice Theriot bitch is?"

"Come up talking shit, pants all falling down and call my daughter a bitch? Boy best get on out of here still breathing yeah," Alton threatened, holding onto the axe tightly.

"Tell her I'm fuck her up, hear?" Lester said and pulled out his cousin's nine millimeter

Alton swung the axe, splitting the boy's head open.

Eunice and Norma labored heavily and argued with each other.

"Man let one go yeah," Norma again ordered.

"Let you go," Eunice countered.

They looked at the chaotic scene; there were four police officers and two paramedics trampling the ground around where their shack.

"You, Who you?" Officer Vernon Brown demanded as the two girls got out of their pirogue.

"Vernon," Sheriff Bob Chastaine warned.

"What?" Vernon snapped.

"Ma'am, you have any right to be here?" the sheriff politely asked the two confused girls.

"Well yeah, you?" Eunice asked, looking around for her father.

"Got any ID?" Bob asked.

"Yeah, inside," Eunice agreed, pointing to their shack. "Where's my daddy?"

"Your dad Alton Theriot?" Vernon demanded.

"Officer Brown, please go wait by the car," Bob ordered.

Vernon stared hard at Bob for a long moment, and then stomped away toward the levee.

Eunice went to the shack, found her school ID, found Norma's fade ID from when she was a student at Baylor Lake High School, and brought both frayed plastic cards out.