GOOD MORNING. I HOPE YOUR HAVING A GOOD DAY
TODAY. I DIDN’T SLEEP TO GOOD LAST NIGHT,
MYSELF. I WOKE UP AT 4:30 AM AND COULDN’T
GO BACK TO SLEEP. AS I LAY THERE IN THE
DARK, I STARTED WANDERING AROUND IN THE DARK
RECESSES OF MY MEMORY. IT WAS LIKE WALKING
AROUND IN A MINEFIELD. EVERY SO OFTEN I
WOULD STEP ON A MINE AND A FLASH OF LIGHT
WOULD LIGHT UP AND IN THIS FLASH OF LIGHT I
COULD SEE SOME MEMORY LONG FORGOTTEN. IN
ONE OF THESE FLASHES OF LIGHT I SAW THE
FIRST ROMANCE OF MY LIFE. LET ME TELL YOU
ABOUT IT.
IN THE SPRING OF 1939, WHEN I WAS SIX YEARS
OLD MY DAD TOOK OUR FAMILY TO CADDO LAKE FOR
SEVERAL DAYS. WE WENT TO A FISHING CAMP ON
PINE ISLAND POINT, WHICH WAS OWNED BY A MAN
NAMED BUSSIE, MR. BUSSIE WAS A CAJUN AND
TALKED LIKE A CAJUN. MR. BUSSIE HAD THREE
LITTLE CABINS HE RENTED AND WE STAYED IN ONE
OF THEM. HE HAD HIS HOUSE THERE ON THE
POINT WHERE HE AND HIS FAMILY LIVED. HE
ALSO HAD SEVERAL WOODEN BOATS THAT HE RENTED
OUT.
HE ALSO HAPPENED TO HAVE A SIX YEAR OLD
DAUGHTER NAMED MARIE. HIS HOUSE LOOKED OUT
ON PINE ISLAND POND AND THE FRONT ROOM OF
HIS HOUSE WAS A LITTLE STORE. HE HAD HIS
RENTAL BOATS PULL UP ON A LITTLE BEACH JUST
IN FRONT OF HIS HOUSE. HE CAUGHT FISH AND
SOLD THEM TO SUPPLEMENT THE INCOME FROM BOAT
AND CABIN RENTAL.
EACH MORNING HE WOULD GO OUT AND RUN HIS
LINES AND TRAPS AND BRING THE FISH IN FROM
THE NIGHTS FISHING. HE HAD A TABLE NEXT TO
THE WATER WHERE HE CLEANED THE FISH BEFORE
TAKING THEM INTO JEFFERSON TO SELL. AS HE
CLEANED THE FISH HE THREW THE HEADS AND
INNARDS INTO THE WATER AND THE SNAKES,
TURTLES AND GAR WOULD CLEAN THEM UP AS FAST
AS HE THREW THEM IN. AFTER HE GOT HIS
NIGHTS CATCH CLEANED HE WOULD JUMP IN HIS
OLD TRUCK AND HEAD FOR JEFFERSON.
EACH MORNING DAD WOULD PADDLE OUT INTO THE
LAKE AND FISH UNTIL NOON. THIS LEFT ME TO
ROAM AROUND THE CAMP AND DO AS I PLEASED.
WITH NO ONE ELSE AROUND MARIE AND I BECAME
FRIENDS AND WENT EVERYWHERE TOGETHER. WE
PLAYED IN THE BOATS AND AROUND THE CABINS
AND EVEN WALKED BACK UP THE ROAD FOR A LONG
WAY TO PICK SOME BLACK BERRIES.
ONE MORNING AS MARIE’S DAD WAS CLEANING FISH
AND THE BIG GAR WERE FIGHTING OVER THE
SCRAPS HE WAS THROWING INTO THE WATER WE
WERE WATCHING. JUST AS SOON AS HE GOT INTO
HIS TRUCK AND DROVE OFF, WE DECIDED WE WERE
GOING TO CATCH ONE OF THOSE GAR. MARIE RAN
TO HER HOUSE AND GOT HER DAD’S PRIDE AND JOY
CAIN POLE. IT WAS A 16 FOOT CALCUTTA CAIN
POLE. IT WAS 1 AND 1/2 INCHES IN DIAMETER
AT THE BIG END. IT HAD A STOUT LINE AND A
BIG HOOK ON IT.
I GOT MY BREAM POLE AND FOUND A WORM FOR
BAIT. I WENT TO THE DOCK AND DROPPED THE
WORM INTO THE WATER. ALMOST AT ONCE I
CAUGHT A BREAM. WE PUT THE BREAM ON THE BIG
HOOK ON THE CALCUTTA POLE. THEN WE SAT DOWN
IN THE BACK OF ONE OF THE BOATS PULLED UP ON
THE BEACH NEXT TO THE FISH CLEANING TABLE.
WE THREW THE BREAM OUT INTO THE WATER AND
SAT THERE NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER WAITING FOR A
GAR TO TAKE OUR BAIT.
AS WE SAT THERE, FIRST MARIE AND THEN I
WOULD HOLD THE POLE. WE WERE SETTING THERE
NEXT TO EACH OTHER ON THE BACK SEAT OF THE
BOAT. OUR HEADS WERE TOUCHING AS WE
WHISPERED TO EACH OTHER. WE WERE AFRAID IF
WE TALKED TO LOUD WE WOULD SCARE THE GAR
AWAY. AFTER AN HOUR WITHOUT A BITE, WE WERE
GETTING BORED JUST SITTING THERE AND TIRED
HOLDING THE POLE. SO WE LAID THE POLE DOWN
ON THE BOAT SEAT AND LEFT THE BAIT IN THE
WATER. THEN WE WENT UP TO MARIE’S HOUSE AND
GOT US A SODA POP AND A SNACK.
MARIE GOT HER AN ORANGE SODA POP AND A
PACKAGE OF PEANUTS AND I GOT ME A BIG RED
AND A MOON PIE. I WANTED AN R C COLA BUT
THERE WERE NONE IN THE DRINK BOX. WE WONDER
BACK DOWN TO THE BOATS TO CHECK ON OUR
LINE. WHEN WE GOT TO THE BOAT THE CALCUTTA
POLE WAS GONE! WE RAN UP AND DOWN
THE BANK LOOKING FOR THE POLE, BUT IT WAS NO
WHERE TO BE SEEN. MARIE STARTED TO CRY AND
SAID HER DADDY WAS GOING TO SKIN HER ALIVE
FOR LOOSING HIS CALCUTTA POLE.
I TOLD HER NOT TO CRY, THAT I WOULD TELL HIM
I WAS THE ONE THAT LOST THE POLE. AND IF
THAT DIDN’T WORK WE WOULD RUN AWAY AND GET
MARRIED. SHE WANTED TO KNOW HOW WE COULD
GET MARRIED WHEN WE WERE ONLY SIX YEARS
OLD. I TOLD HER WE COULD RUN AWAY TO
ARKANSAS. I HAD HEARD YOU COULD GET MARRIED
UP THERE REGARDLESS OF YOUR AGE.
WHEN MARIE’S DADDY CAME BACK TO THE CAMP, WE
WENT TO HIM AND I TOLD HIM WHAT HAD
HAPPENED. I TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS MY FAULT
THAT WE LOST HIS CALCUTTA POLE. HE GAVE ME
A BLACK LOOK AND TURNED AROUND AND WALKED TO
THE BOATS. HE PICKED UP A PADDLE, STEPPED
INTO A BOAT AND SHOVED OFF. HE PADDLED OUT
INTO THE LAKE AND STARTED DOWN TOWARD THE
RIVER. HE WAS OUT OF SIGHT BEHIND THE
CYPRESS TREES AND SPANISH MOSS VERY QUICKLY.
JUST THEN WE SAW MY DAD COME PADDLING OUT OF
THE CYPRESS TREES AND WENT TO THE SHORE TO
MEET HIM. I KNEW I HAD TO TELL HIM WHAT WE
HAD DONE TOO. BUT AS HE PULLED HIS BOAT UP
ON THE SHORE WE SAW A BIG CALCUTTA POLE
LYING IN HIS BOAT AND A FIVE FOOT LONG
ALLIGATOR GAR ON THE END OF THE LINE.
“WOW, MARIE LOOK AT THE SIZE OF OUR FISH” I
SHOUTED. THEN I TOLD DAD WHAT WE HAD DONE
AND HOW THE POLE HAD DISAPPEARED. HE SAID
THAT HE HAD SEEN THE POLE BEING PULLED ALONG
THROUGH THE WATER AND HE HAD PADDLED OVER
AND GOT HOLD OF IT. HE SAID THAT OLE GAR
HAD GIVEN HIM THE FIGHT OF HIS LIFE. BUT HE
FINALLY GOT IT IN THE BOAT.
ABOUT THAT TIME MARIE’S DAD CAME PADDLING
BACK TO CAMP. WHEN HE SAW HIS POLE AND THAT
BIG GAR HE FORGOT ABOUT GIVING ME AND MARIE
A STRAPPING. HE CLEANED THE GAR AND SAID HE
GUESSED HE WAS GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE ANOTHER
TRIP TO JEFFERSON. HE ASKED DAD IF HE
WANTED TO RIDE WITH HIM AND DAD TOLD HIM HE
WOULD GO.
........................................................................................................... |
AFTER THEY LEFT MARIE AND I DECIDED WE
WOULDN’T HAVE TO RUN OFF TO ARKANSAS AND GET
MARRIED AFTER ALL. BUT WHAT WE DID DO IS A
WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.
BY
LOREN
MOORE
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