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.