Night Magic

by Emery, Lynn

  “All right, all right. Let’s not fuss. Do what you think best.” Just then the battered old rotary phone on his desk rang. Picking it up on the second ring, Antoine began taking a mail order. He handed Savannah a small color catalogue. “Look at that, we ship outta state now.” He whispered. “Yes sir, that right. It’s five dollars off. A special sale ‘til the end of the month.”

  “This is great.“Savannah admired the photography. Her father’s wood carvings of animals were set in reproductions of the natural bayou or forest habitats. She uttered a tiny delighted cry to see a selection of food items. Apparently, the years of nagging had paid off. Tante Marie, her father’s older sister, had finally decided to share her wonderful dishes with the world.

  “Say, what’s the matter? Y’all don’t want to make money today? This is no way to treat customers.” A male voice boomed aggressively. The bell over the door jingled in the background.

  Startled, Savannah dropped the catalogue. Hurrying through the door, she almost upset a row of ceramic figures. Holding her breath, she gently rearranged them. After checking that none were broken, she turned abruptly and collided into a broad chest. Two large hands cupped her shoulders. Suddenly, she found herself looking up into a pair of eyes the color of almonds. For a moment she felt lost in them. Savannah gazed at the strong, smooth hands that held her. She took in the dark eyebrows that stood out so wonderfully against his smooth brown complexion.

  “You okay? I was coming to save them, too.“He smiled down at her, revealing a small space between his two front teeth.

  “Uh-huh.“That was all she could manage. For some inexplicable reason, that one small flaw in an otherwise perfect row of even ivory teeth set her heart to fluttering. She fumbled with the figures a little longer than she needed to trying to regain her balance. But turning to see the tall, dashing man still smiling destroyed whatever composure she had managed to gain. Great, the first good-looking man you meet and you stumble around like a dimwit.

  *****

  Paul stared at the dark hair that brushed his chest as Savannah turned her back to him suddenly to arrange the figures on the shelf. The smell of her perfume, a light floral scent, was so pleasing he leaned toward her as almost a reflex action. When just as suddenly she turned back to face him, he stepped back quickly.

  “Just making sure you didn’t need any more rescuing.” He smiled his best shy smile.

  “Is that your Jeep?” The beginning smile on her face froze instantly. She pointed to the dark green vehicle parked outside. She suddenly found his smile too smug.

  “Sure is, a real beauty I’m sure you agree.”

  “You almost killed me today, fool.” Savannah glared at him.

  “Out on the old highway? That was you? Well, well. You were driving kind of recklessly you know. But I’ll forgive you for not yielding, this time anyway.”

  “Say what?” Savannah’s already anger began to boil. She could not believe this. Did he think his charm would make almost smashing into her all right?

  “Now I know I should have stopped to examine you closely for injuries.” Paul gave her a sassy grin.

  “You were too busy being an—” Savannah stopped

  “Hey, Paul. How you doin’, man? You done met my little girl I see.” Antoine gave Paul a hearty clap on the shoulder.

  “Oh, yes. I sure have. But we didn’t formally introduce ourselves. Paul Honorè.” He nodded to her.Savannah gave him a tight smile. “Mr. Honorè—”

  “Paul, please.”

  “Paul,” She said. The smile became even tighter.

  “Paul is an engineer with his own business.” Antoine beamed at him.

  “Well, actually my partner Sam and I share ownership with the bank.” Paul gave a short laugh.

  “Came to get them decoys for your daddy, huh? Work goin’ okay I hear.“Antoine took over. Finding them in the cabinet nearby, he carefully wrapped each meticulously carved decoy in old newspaper before putting them in a large box. Savannah wore a careful mask of disinterest as she took his payment and handed him a receipt. Seeing the smooth brown hands reach out, she imagined what the skin on his chest or shoulders looked like. In an instant, she pictured dark curly hair spread across his chest reaching down to his navel. She became aware that their hands had brushed lightly. The place where contact had been made tingled. She snatched her hand back, placing it on her hip.

  Paul grinned at her, only succeeding in making her even more determined to resist him. He, on the other hand, gazed at her in dismay. Things were not going well. And to make things worse, his reaction to her was not the usual animal attraction he felt when faced with a beautiful woman. He actually cared what she thought about him. Not just in the short-term until he knew the thrill of overcoming her resistance. And why was he so fascinated by the movement of her hair? Or thinking of her skin, comparing it to the color of dark honey? When she withdrew her hand as if she didn’t want it to be soiled, his jaw tightened in irritation. Obviously this woman didn’t think much of him. He turned abruptly to her father, so she would not see the effect she was having on him.

  “By the way, I ran into Kyle Singleton’s foreman the other day. He says the plant is going to be fully operational in two months or less. Trosclair got the go ahead from DEQ last week,” Paul said.

  “Don’t matter, no. They gone hafta cross me to keep that thing right in our backyard, that’s the truth. Jackson, he says we gotta good case for to appeal that decision.” Antoine nodded in the direction of the lawyers’ office.

  “Well, I’ll be seeing you later, Ms. Savannah.” He emphasized the Ms. and made as if to tip an imaginary hat.

  “Whatever.” Savannah without looking at him, her tone suggesting that she had forgotten he was present and certainly didn’t care if he left.

  “Coo!” Her father laughed. “What was that about? Y’all just met an’ already fussin’.”

  “He thinks a whole lot more of his charm than I do. But what is this about some plant you’re opposed to?” Savannah was genuinely interested in their last exchange, and anxious to get away from the subject of Paul Honorè lest her father notice too much.

  “Claude Trosclair put one of his Batton Chemical Corporation plants right near Easy Town. They gone burn toxic waste. We ain’t gone let ‘em though. We got too many them things all along this river already. And mighty strange they is most time built next to our neighborhoods. All that land he own, he didn’t sell near his fancy big house or over near no other white people.”

  “I read several articles recently about charges of environmental racism in different parts of the country. The big companies deny it. They claim to choose sites that make good business sense, like being near companies that need their services or have good access to water or rail transportation routes.” Savannah frowned in concentration, trying to remember her limited knowledge of environmental law.

  “Bull! They just figure we too poor to fight, or too dumb. But Mr. Trosclair wrong if he think we just gonna roll over this time.” Antoine spit out the name as if it were something nasty he was trying to get off his tongue.

  “Claude Trosclair is a powerful man in this state. He doesn’t like having his plans blocked. The last time you tied in with him. Just be careful, Poppy.“Savannah was worried now. Her father had been nearly killed in an “accident” while he was fishing one day eight years ago, this during a dispute over property Antoine owned. The Trosclairs claimed it was originally part of the plantation, and thus rightfully theirs. Antoine had escaped serious injury when he fell from his boat into the chilly waters of Bayou Teche. He’d managed to hang onto a floating log for a half hour when another fisherman saw him and got help. The accident was suspicious because it was well known the way Antoine traveled in the bayou and he knew it like the back of his hand. He knew the submerged log had not been in the spot between the large swamp cypresses the day before. The speed of his motor boat made the impact hurl him several feet into the air. Though nothing could be proved, the unwanted scru
tiny brought on by this coincidental event caused Trosclair to back off.

  “Be careful. Promise, Poppy.”

  “Don’t worry now, cher. Your papa, he can take care of himself.” He hugged her to him.

  Savannah nodded uncertainly. She knew her father was a strong man and not easily taken down, but he couldn’t keep dodging danger forever. Despite his confident words, she felt a sense of foreboding. The mere thought of losing Antoine was more than she could bear. She tightened her embrace and pushed away the frightening image of him lying hurt in the swamp.

  Chapter 2

  “Galee, sha! You done got so pretty. Come give Nenaine some sugar.” Nenaine Sherleen grabbed Savannah in a big affectionate hug.

  “Humph, Humph. You sho is somethin’, yeah.” Uncle Coy took his turn, giving her a big kiss on the cheek.

  Savannah was a bit overwhelmed by all the relatives who descended on the spacious home. Even the wooden frame house seemed to be bulging, packed with family and friends eager to see if and how Savannah had changed. Like good-natured doctors, they poked and prodded for clues that she was still one of them. She endured teasing about losing her taste for down home favorite, like cracklins.“Now y’all just hush up. No matta how long she been ‘way from here, she won’t lose her taste for real food.” Tante Marie set a large plate down in front of her containing a generous helping of fried catfish.

  Savannah forced a smile. Looking down at the dish, she took a deep breath. The spicy aroma of traditional Creole seasonings made her mouth water. It would take all of her strength not to stuff herself on everything on the plate then accept seconds. She picked up a hush puppy, admiring its golden brown. Breaking it in half, a thin finger of steam rose from the center. Nobody could tempt her like her aunt. In a region where good cooking was the standard, her Tante Marie’s talents placed her in class all her own. Having had no children and widowed at the age of thirty-eight, she had readily taken on the task of helping her younger brother raise his infant daughter. And Savannah loved her with the same fierceness she loved her father. For those times Tante Marie was busy catering ritzy functions for the wealthy and tourist parties at local plantations, her godmother, Nenaine Sherleen, gave her the same loving attention and lots of good, fattening foods; a definite threat to her waistline. Pudgy all through childhood, going away to college had meant a change in her eating habits. Working out regularly had become a habit after law school, especially when she was able to afford a really nice health club. Taking another bite of catfish, she made a silent vow to search the phone book for one nearby.

  “Poppy was telling me about the fight over the plant.” Savannah was helping her aunt wash dishes after dinner. They had finally seen off the last of her welcoming committee.

  “That Trosclair ain’t nuthin’ to play with, no. He low down. I don’t put nuthin’ past him.” Tante Marie shook her head as she scrubbed plates vigorously.

  “But what do you think?” Savannah knew that her aunt was sharp.

  “They right about one thing, every plant been put up in the last twenty years or so been in or near poor folks’ neighborhoods. And usually without a whisper being raised. Ain’t no coincidence, cher.”

  “But black people owned a lot of the land in Easy Town.”

  “Old Claude is slick. He paid them more money than anybody else would have and made sure they knew it. Then he hired some of the men to work, some of them hadn’t been workin’ for months.”

  “And jobs are scarce around here,” Savannah said.

  “What with prices down on crawfish and shrimp, then the oil refinery laid off almost fifty people.”

  “I worry about poppy, Tante Marie. He looks so tired. I hope he knows what he’s doing. He can be so stubborn sometimes.”

  “How you two doin’, sha?” Tante Marie paused in her cleaning up to regard her steadily.

  “So far okay. It’s just, he tries to keep me a little girl.” Savannah traced an invisible line on the table top with her finger.

  “He jus’ love you so much. Kinda hard for him, lettin’ you go. You his pride and joy. Oughta hear him talk ‘bout his baby girl. An’ you look so like Therese. When she died like that, so young, almost killed him, too. I still can see him, sittin’ in that chair starin’ out the window. Three days, wouldn’t talk to nobody, didn’t leave that house. I had took you home with me, ya know. Only thing brought him out of it was seeing you. That’s what kept him going. Had to take care of his baby girl.”

  “But he never really came out of it,” Savannah sighed. “No matter how I tried, he never seemed to truly enjoy anything. It was scary, seeing him going through the motions. I don’t ever want to love someone that much. Being left behind hurts too much.”

  “One thing about it, sha, life can be cold and empty without love. Plenty done wake up too late to find they protected theyselves right out of somethin’ precious.”

  “But look at daddy. Holding on to a memory so hard, you can feel it. Sometimes it’s like he is more with mama than here with us.” Savannah turned to stare out of the window, hugging herself as if she felt an aching cold.

  “There’s a lot a ways of grievin’. Antoine just went inside himself.”

  Savannah pushed away painful thoughts of the mother she barely remembered. She was only four when Therese had died, but the childish anger at being abandoned was just as strong. Not only had her mother left her, but in some indefinable sense so had Antoine by withdrawing part of himself deep into a place that even she could not reach. Eager to change the subject, she turned back to helping her clean up.

  “What’s Paul Honorè got to do with this plant being opened anyway?“Savannah tried to sound casual. She didn’t look at her aunt, but made it a point to busily dry a stack of plates.

  “Yeah, I heard y’all tied in wit each other. He a fine young man, yeah. Here you fightin’ wit the man and every other woman in town from eight to eighty tryin’ to get on his good side.” Tante Marie gave her a knowing look. Seeing her niece refuse to meet her eyes, she smiled.

  “That’s his problem. If you ask me he’s the type that thinks every woman he meets ought to fall at his feet.”

  “Plenty young ladies after him, sha. Course he ain’t been runnin’ with a whole lotta gals. Kinda been pickin’ and choosin’.”

  “I’ll bet he has,” Savannah sneered.

  “You tellin’ me you don’t think he’s good-lookin’?”

  “I’m not saying that, I’m just saying he’s too full of himself for my taste.”

  “Seems to me he a serious one. He’s some kinda smart, yeah. Doin’ some testin’ to see if that Big River Plant is safe. Got his own business, too.” Tante Marie poked her and winked.

  “He’s acts like he’s really impressed with himself, for sure.”

  “Oo-wee. Sparks was flyin’, I hear.” Tante Marie egged her on.

  “I guess they were at that. I had to set him straight, that’s all.” Savannah smiled with satisfaction.

  “Well, watch out.”

  “For what?”

  “Them kinda sparks can lead to red hot flames if you ain’t careful. I had three husbands, so I oughta know.” Tante Marie walked off chuckling to herself.Embarrassed that her aunt had so easily seen through her and detected her attraction to Paul, Savannah rushed to protest.“I don’t think so—” She tried a snappy comeback, but her aunt’s retreating back made her lose steam.

  *****

  The next three weeks were a pleasant but exhausting whirlwind of visiting or being visited by a host of relatives and friends. Savannah was surprised to learn that almost half of her high school classmates still lived in Beau Chene. To her delight, hearing a familiar voice call and turning to see the smiling face of an old pal was an almost daily occurrence. Especially her best friend, Charice. They were inseparable from first day of the third grade at Belle Rose Elementary. Now the divorced mother of two active little girls, Charice taught sixth grade at their alma mater. She had changed little since then, still all sa
ss. Short, with the kind of plumpness the boys never seemed to mind, she now wore her thick reddish brown hair in long braids. Even after a two year separation, it took them no time to re-establish their closeness. Since high school, meeting for lunch on Saturdays had been a ritual. Now they settled back into the old custom with ease. Charice would send the children home with her mother and meet Savannah at the Fish Net, a local favorite that served the best seafood in town.

  “So it took a while, but we finally decided that continuing the same fights we’d been having all the time we were together was stupid.” Charice finally wound down after a spirited account of the beginning, middle, and end of her seven year marriage. “Girl, I gotta admit, you were right not to get married young.”

  “And I’ve got to admit, I was a little jealous you got married to one of the handsomest guys at Xavier U. After being in three weddings that year, my bragging about being young, single, and free to mingle began to sound like a lame excuse for not being asked, even to me.”

  “Yeah well, none of those marriages lasted. Honey, Imelda just separated from Carlton.” Charice lowered her voice after looking around to see if anyone they knew was close by.

  “No!” Savannah gasped, leaning across the table. “Not Miss `can’t nobody take my man’ Imelda.”

  “I remember how we could always tell when she was on the prowl looking to take somebody’s boyfriend for the thrill of it. Had more than one fine boy crying when she dumped him for somebody else.”

  “Sure did. She could wrap men up like that.” Savannah snapped her fingers.

  “And Carlton had it worse than any of them, too. But come to find out, homeboy been tipping on her with some woman at his job for two years. I felt so bad for her.” Charice shook her head.

  “Happens to best of us. Poor thing.” They looked at each other for a few seconds before bursting into a giggling fit at their hypocrisy.

  “Good afternoon ladies.” Paul Honorè called to them as he stood at the counter paying for a takeout order.