The Broussard Sisters Ch. 10

Pam let herself be undressed and smiled sleepily up at Bobbi.

"I knew this was the right place to come," she yawned.

"Baby, this is your home; of course it's the right place to come when you feel like having a good cry, or celebrating, or just 'cause," Bobbi smiled and kissed Pam's forehead.

"I love you, Miss Bobbi," Pam mumbled and fell fast asleep.

Bobbi walked into her bedroom and looked at a wide-awake Jake.

"Jake, go to bed! It's two o'clock in the morning!" Bobbi chided him.

"Well, have to get up in three hours for work," Jake mused.

"Exactly," Bobbi said and turned off the light.

"But since we're already up," Jake said and reached over for his wife's breast.

"Uh uh, leave that alone," Bobbi said, but was struggling out of her nightgown.

----

"Pam's all right; Mr. Jake said she just got there," Paul whispered as he slid into bed next to Candy.

"Oh, thank God," Candy said and burst into tears of relief.

"Pam's okay?" Cindy asked.

"Uh huh," Paul said into the darkness. "Mr. Jake said Pam just drove home and Miss Bobbi's talking with her they'll bring her with them when they come up for graduation."

"Thank God," Candy said and tugged on Cindy's arm.

"Stop it," Cindy giggled and lightly pushed Candy. "Leave me alone."

No, Cindy, wait. "Don't leave," Candy begged. "Please, please."

She cuddled up against Cindy.

"Please don't ever leave me," Candy begged her friend.

She put her lips to Cindy's ear.

"I'd die without you. Please, promise me," Candy begged.

----

Bill Baggett tried the car door; locked. Another withdrawal pang hit him and he felt like vomiting, felt like crying.

The laptop computer bag was visible on the back seat of the car. When the pang subsided, Bill used a small chunk of concrete to smash the window of the car. The alarm went off, but Bill had grabbed the bag and was nearly a block away by the time the car's owner came out of the house to investigate.

When Sunny had offered him a line of the meth to snort, Bill hadn't thought twice about it. He and his girlfriend had drunk together and smoked some weed together and it was no big deal. Then some guy came into Club Paradise where Sunny was an exotic dancer and turned her on to the crystal.

The thirty two year old woman came home and offered the twenty two year old a line and he'd followed her instructions and snorted it.

Less than a week later, Clark International fired Bill Baggett; his behavior had become erratic, disruptive, and at times, quite threatening. There was no room in the construction business for that.

Two weeks later, Sunny was terminated from Club Paradise, and two days after that, joined the other prostitutes that stood in front of the nightclub.

Bill resorted to stealing; he was no longer welcome at his mother's home, or at his father's home, and Elizabeth hung up every time he tried calling her.

"Son, I will pay for you to go to Rehab," Ed said forcefully. "But I will not pay for your habit."

"Rehab?" Bill had guffawed. "If I had a problem, that'd be cool, but..."

The laptop got him two hundred dollars; two hundred dollars of meth was substantial and Bill happily went down to Club Paradise. Sunny's eyes lit up when she saw the haul and she and Bill went behind the nightclub and Sunny got the syringe out of her purse.

----

Dick Davis smiled sympathetically as he filled out the report.

"Yeah, well, shouldn't leave valuables out like that; not when there's so many meth heads running around Bender," Dick reminded the agitated man.

"And why is that, huh?" the man accused Dick. "Huh? I pay my taxes, I pay for a police force that's supposed to be out patrolling the streets."

"Uh huh," Dick said calmly. "Sir, if there was anything on that laptop, any personal information, you might want to start canceling your credit cards before they get their hands on that information."

"O great! Just fucking great!" the man screamed.

"Thank you officer," the man's wife smiled flirtatiously at Dick. "Honey, calm down; he's just doing his job. He's not the one that stole your laptop. I tell him all the time he shouldn't be leaving his stuff in the car, never know who'll be coming along."

Dick smiled to himself; the woman was at least one hundred pounds overweight and kept flashing Dick peeks of her overly hairy pussy. If he was so inclined, Sherri Lambert was an extremely attractive woman, despite the extra bulk she carried with her, but he was very happily married and made a point of showing the woman his wedding band. She was unperturbed by that and let one of her very large breasts 'accidentally' pop into view through the flimsy robe she wore.

"Here you go; your insurance agent should be able to help you out with the rest," Dick said.

"Yes, I should," Sherri giggled. "I'm his insurance agent. Here, here's one of my cards, give me a call if you ever have any needs."

"Uh huh," Dick smiled sardonically but politely took the card.

As if he would ever trade in what he had with Carmen for anyone else, even this woman. Any 'needs' he had, Carmen made sure they were more than taken care of. She also made sure that any 'wants' that he had were satisfied too.

Besides that, if he did cheat on his wife, he'd never be able to look at his daughters again. His grandsons.

He said a silent prayer to God as he slid behind the wheel of his cruiser that the baby in Elaine's belly be all right, and that it be a girl. He loved Charles the Third, 'Turd' he called him to agitate Elaine, 'Trey' he called him when he was talking to the boy, playing with his endless supply of toys or coloring in the hundreds of coloring books the three-year-old boy had scattered around their house. He absolutely adored the one-year-old Richard; he'd shed tears of joy when Elaine announced that they had named the child after his grandpa.

But a baby girl, a granddaughter, that would just make his world, their world complete. He did the math in his head. Ten weeks. It would be another six and a half months before they'd know; Elaine liked to keep the sex of the baby a secret until their birth; she loved the drama, the excitement of keeping them guessing.

"No, Sherri," Dick smiled as she crumpled up the business card. "I don't have ANY needs you can take care of."

Chapter 93

Candy Broussard's stomach was tied in knots; Cindy had offered to give her sighted guide as they made the procession, but Candy was determined to use her cane, to be independent, self-sufficient. The three Broussard girls waited, fidgeting nervously, waiting for the music to begin so that they could proceed onto the floor of the center.

"I'm so sorry," Pam repeated.

"Pam, shut up," Candy said, but hugged the girl tightly to let her know that she wasn't mad at her. "I was so worried about you; you can ask Paul, I started crying when Daddy called and said you were all right."

Cindy smiled over her shoulder at Celine Ng, but lost her smile when Celine looked away. Numerous calls to Celine's cell phone went unanswered, unreturned.

Her own stomach knotted as the music started and everyone hurried to get into the correct line.

She heard her parents, heard her dad's voice boom out 'Atta girl, Cindy!"

She smiled with relief; Candy was doing fine in the procession. Between her and Pam was Maryann Broussard, but she knew Pam was right behind Maryann.

Cassandra Broussard's name was called out and it took Candy a second to remember that Cassandra was her name.

"Typical blonde," Cindy teased.

"Shut up!" Candy laughed.

Cindy smiled happily as she accepted her diploma. Maryann smiled as well.

"Pamela Ham Broussard," the Dean announced and Pam happily accepted her diploma.

She got a few titters as she happily held the diploma above her head in triumph and heard Mr. Bill's voice call out "Atta girl, Pam!"

She'd asked Miss Marie how expensive it would be to legally change her last name and Marie lied and told her it was free. Mr. Jake and Miss Bobbi were real pleased when Pam changed it to Broussard. Later, Pam found out it really cost two hundred dollars, but Marie said she'd known the judge and the judge owed her a favor so he didn't charge her anything. Pan had saved up the two hundred dollars and made a donation to the Hurricane Katrina relief fun in Miss Marie's name.

The three girls shrieked out when Celine Ng's name was called out and the three girls shrilled when Paul's name was called out.

----

Elizabeth taped the last box and nodded in satisfaction. This was the last time, the very last time she'd ever live in New Orleans. Even if she was offered a million dollar job in New Orleans, and it was the last job in the world, she would not take it. It had been a beautiful city at one time, but neglect had chipped away at that beauty. Hurricane Katrina had all but finished the job that neglect and apathy had started.

And the citizens disgusted her. Sitting around, waiting for someone else to do it, someone else to take care of their city, their neighborhoods, their homes. Incompetent politicians, corrupt politicians had finally sounded the death knell for the city as far as Elizabeth was concerned. Thank you, Tulane University, for the fine education.

She made sure the paperwork was out, ready to go. She was taking a week long vacation in Aruba, a graduation present from Dad and Miss Daphne, then she would start work at Young Insurance in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Daddy already got her an apartment in Lafayette. Miss Daphne had already furnished it. Both Dad and Miss Daphne were so very proud of her, and Mom was real proud of her too. The three of them, and TeddiAnn, were driving down tonight for the graduation ceremony.

"God damn it," she cursed as she saw it.

The pillow had accidentally been left out. It had been Missy's pillow. She could no longer smell Missy's scent on the pillow, but still liked to sleep with the pillow on her bed.

She wasn't gay; she had no fantasies of making love with any of the several attractive girls in her classes, even though one or two had made advances toward her. She did miss Missy though.

"Bull shit," she said aloud.

She missed Teddy. Missy had been one of her few remaining links to Teddy; through the baby that grew inside of Missy.

She wouldn't admit it, but she also missed having a friend; Missy had been her friend. Missy had been her only friend while she was in New Orleans.

She ripped the tape off of a box and stuffed the pillow inside.

She wondered if Bill would be coming too. Mike, her oldest brother wouldn't be there; he was in New York, working on a novel with some famous author. John wouldn't be coming either, but did send his love from Iraq.

Every time she talked wit Mom or Dad or Miss Daphne, the news about her twin brother got progressively worse. How easily that could have been her. The one time she had tried cocaine, she realized that she could very very easily get hooked.

The craving had been tremendous. The guy next door had invited her over; he got a new guitar and couldn't wait to show it off. Over the two and a half years she'd lived in the apartment, his guitar playing had gotten better.

She said the appropriate things about the guitar, understanding that a Fender Stratocaster was a nice 'axe,' as Darren called it. He played a few songs, they continued to talk, then he'd pulled out the small bag and they did a few lines together.

She was vaguely aware of sucking on his cock, was vaguely aware of the taste of his semen flooding into her mouth, was vaguely aware of his finger jamming into her pussy.

"No," she said and pushed him away. "No, I'm not ready for that."

She wasn't ready to be unfaithful to Teddy. It was bad enough she'd performed oral sex on the guy, but she wasn't about to let him enter her, possibly impregnating her.

She refused to come over the next time Darren invited her, even though she wanted to, want some more of that magic powder. No, it could have very easily been her that had wound up hopelessly addicted to drugs. She breathed a sigh of relief when Darren abruptly moved out one day.

----

Elaine backed into the parking spot in front of Early's grocery store, then hit the locks for the minivan. She got the two boys out, then put Trey into the seat of the buggy, and put Richard and his car seat into the buggy itself.

"Hey, how's it going?" she heard the emaciated, balding panhandler ask.

"Fine, fine," Elaine said and continued to push the buggy.

"Don't you remember me?" Bill asked.

"No, can't say I do," she said politely and saw the bum's face darken slightly.

"Oh, my God," she said, her stomach lurching.

It was Bill Baggett. When she saw the flash of dark anger, she recognized him.

It was the classmate that she had dated briefly, the one that had nearly beaten her to death the night of their Sweetheart Dance.

Gone, however, was the handsome face, the brooding good looks. In its place was a dirty, smelly, ravaged looking man that looked much older than his twenty-two years. His skin was pale, mottled with scabs. His teeth were looked rotted. His clothes were stained, ripped.

"Bill?" she asked. "Bill Baggett?"

"Yeah," he said, surly.

"Oh my God," she said again.

"Yeah, well, real nice seeing you again," he said and started to walk off.

"Bill, wait," she called out.

"What?" he asked, almost angrily.

"You eat today?" Elaine asked.

"Um, yeah, yeah," Bill said.

"What?" Elaine challenged. "What'd you eat?"

"Um, a roast beef po-boy," Bill lied.

"Uh huh, come on," Elaine said. "This place has got the best deli in the world; I'll get you a poboy."

"Hey, I told you, I already ate," Bill lied again. "But tell you what, let me hold ten and..."

"A po-boy, and a quart of milk," Elaine said firmly. "Or nothing at all."

Elaine smiled to her sister as Elise worked the cash register. The manager approached, but Elaine quietly told the man that she was buying Bill a po-boy and a quart of milk, and then the vagrant would be on his way and the manager agreed.

----

"Ooh, getting kind of chubby there," Rayne Sneed teased Elaine as the woman stood in front of the deli counter.

"What?" Elaine shrieked and Rayne burst into laughter.

"I'm just kidding," Rayne said. "Elise is all excited about the baby; couldn't wait to tell me about it. Congratulations! Hope it's a girl."

"I will kill you," Elaine threatened but smiled happily. "Please get my friend whatever he wants and a thing of milk, okay?"

----

Paul made one last check through the house to make sure there was nothing left behind. Outside, Candy playfully honked the horn on the box truck.

"Damn it," Paul smiled. "Aunt even married yet and she's already bossing me around.

"I'm going to miss this place," Cindy quietly told him, walking down the stairs toward him.

"Yeah, me too," Paul agreed.

Candy honked the horn again.

"Horn blows, how about the driver?" Cindy screamed at Candy through the open doorway of the kitchen.

"Don't know, ask him, he's right next to you," Candy shrieked with laughter.

"I'd bought this place for you and me," Paul said quietly, hugging her to him.

"Yeah?" Cindy smiled sadly into his eyes.

"Yeah," he smiled down at her.

"Paul, oh Paul," she said and burst into tears. "Baby, I love you."

"Not too late," he whispered. "I haven't said 'I do' yet."

"Yes, yes it is too late," she said into his chest. "Paul, she's so happy; I can't take that away from her."

Pam stood in the doorway. She'd come into see what was taking Cindy so long; she got hot sitting out in the Toyota.

"He asked you first, didn't he?" Pam asked quietly.

"Uh huh," Cindy agreed.

"And you gave him up," Pam said.

"Uh huh, God damn it Candy! Stop with the horn!" Cindy screamed.

"Jeez, sorry," Candy screamed back petulantly.

Pam looked at the red head and shook her head in disbelief.

"Wow," was all she said, then she went back outside.

"Come on, everybody's down at the Pier waiting on us," Cindy finally said.

"I know, but it does feel so good, holding you like this," Paul said.

"Yeah?" she smiled through her tears.

"Yeah," he said, then playfully pinched her buttock.

----

"And then Sissy's going to be all grown up," TeddiAnn prattled on and on to Miss Jamie.

"Uh huh," Jamie agreed. "You sure are a smart little girl. How'd you get to be so smart?"

"Me and Momma read all the time!" TeddiAnn declared.

In the front seat, Daphne playfully commented on Ed's driving, telling him he drove like an old woman. Jamie listened to the striking beauty and smiled as Daphne called her ex-husband 'Big Eddie.'

"Hey, I can pull over and let you drive," Ed smiled. "Got enough air back there, Jamie?"

"Yeah, we're good," Jamie agreed, then couldn't resist. "Big Eddie."

"Oh, shut up," he laughed.

Daphne burst into merry peals of laughter as Ed blushed.

:Dan it woman," Ed complained to his wife. "See what you started?"

----

Carmen brought the deeds to the courthouse in DeGarde and filed them with the clerk of court.

Her nephew had called her and asked her to find him ten to twenty acres of land in either Bender or Kimble. She was slightly surprised at that; she'd expected Paul to move away from Bender now that he was a college graduate.

"No ma'am," he laughed. "I got a baby sister and baby brother, and I could never take Cindy or Candy or Pam away from their family either."

She'd found a forty-acre plot right across Highway 52, facing his father's car lot.

"Of course, I'll understand if you don't want to put up with those neighbors," Carmen had teased Paul.

"I'll make do," Paul laughed. "That's perfect; I'll take it."

A bank in Monroe, Louisiana had transferred the funds to First Union and Carmen finalized the paperwork and was now filing the deeds. Lot 132-232 would be registered to Paul Robichaux.

----

"What's wrong?" Charlie quietly asked his wife.

She looked at him for a long moment then shook her head.

"I saw him today," she finally said. "I saw him and he looks terrible and all this time I been wishing he were dead and he just looks worse than that and I feel so guilty; I been wishing all of that on him and he just looks terrible and am I a bad person? Charlie, am I a total bitch?"

"If you were a total bitch," Charlie quietly said, touching his wife's hand. "You'd be celebrating, you'd be laughing and gloating, instead of feeling terrible."

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"And that's why I love you so much, Charlie," she said.

"What, because I'm a good shrink?" he teased.

"No, 'cause you make me feel good," she said and kissed his hand softly.

"What a surprise," Charlie said and turned the minivan into the long drive to his parents' house. "That's why I love you; you make me feel good."

"We're here," Trey announced from his car seat.

"Have you told them yet?" Elaine asked.

"That you make me feel good?" Charlie asked. "Think they already know that."

"No, goof," she laughed and slapped his arm. "About the ..."

"No, Lala," he smiled and turned off the ignition. "I figured we'd do that together."

----

Sunny ate the half of the roast beef sandwich with relish. She also drank greedily at the warm milk that Bill had saved for her.

"Thank you, Baby," she cooed to him.

"Uh huh," he groaned, severely constipated from the drugs and the first solid food he'd had in a long time.

Sunny used his distraction to her benefit, fixing herself a hit.

Chapter 94

"I think you're crazy," Pam muttered as she drove the Toyota south toward Bender.

"Seriously," Cindy asked, dabbing at her eyes. "I do too."

"I mean, Cindy!" Pam shrieked. "How could you give him up like that?"

"I don't know!" Cindy shrieked back. "But, damn it Pam! Candy needs him!"

"But, but," Pam sputtered, then stopped, unable to find any argument with Cindy's logic.