Bayou Beginnings Read online

  Nothing.

  Silence.

  “Well, Lord? Are You coming up with anything? I’m plain out of ideas.”

  Leaning forward, he reached for a stick and began to trace circles in the soft earth. Still nothing from God.

  “Lord, are You listening? I need an answer, and I need it now. I’ve got work to do.”

  “If only He responded on our time.”

  Theo whirled around to see Pastor Broussard coming toward him. He dropped the stick and rose to shake the preacher’s hand.

  “Don’t let me disturb you, son,” he said. “I was heading for the Trahan place to meet up with Joe and saw you sitting here. I couldn’t help but hear your petition to the Lord.”

  He shrugged. “Well, you might have heard, but I’m not so sure He did.”

  The pastor chuckled. “It often seems that way, doesn’t it? I assure you that His lack of an immediate response doesn’t mean He is ignoring you, Theo.”

  “I know that in my head, but right now my heart’s not too keen on the idea.” Theo let his shoulders slump. “Truth is, I’ve got a problem that just about seems to be more than even the Lord can solve.”

  The pastor’s gray brows rose. “My, my, you must have quite a problem if it’s worse than spending forty years wandering in the desert unable to find your homeland or sleeping all night in a den of lions.” He gave Theo a concerned look. “It doesn’t look like Pharaoh’s chariots have you backed up to a sea you can’t cross.”

  “No, sir,” Theo said.

  “And I can’t be certain, but I don’t believe you’ve been swallowed by a whale or turned to a pillar of salt lately.”

  “Can’t say as I have.”

  The Reverend Broussard touched Theo’s sleeve. “Then what’s so terrible that it’s worse than all these calamities?”

  Theo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Love, sir,” he finally said.

  “I see.” His brows gathered. “Well, you’ve got me there.”

  Theo chuckled despite feeling lower than a snake’s belly. “You don’t know the half of it, Reverend.”

  “I don’t suppose I do,” he said, “but I’d be glad to sit a spell with you and listen to your tale of woe. Who knows? I might have a word or two of advice. I am a happily married man. Have been for the last thirty-two years.”

  “What about Joe Trahan. Isn’t he expecting you?”

  “I reckon Joe’ll understand if I’m delayed a bit.” He sat on the log and patted the place next to him. “Join me, won’t you?”

  Theo nodded and settled beside the pastor. “I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention to Joe that you spent time with me. I wouldn’t want him getting the idea that—”

  “That you’re mooning over his niece?” He must have looked surprised, for the pastor laughed out loud. “Theo, you’re the last one to realize you’re crazy in love with her. Some of us figured that out a long time ago.”

  “Well, I wish someone would have let me in on the secret.” Theo picked up a pebble and tossed it toward the bayou. “I would’ve lit out of here while I still had a right mind.”

  The pastor laughed again. “Son, the moment we men take up with the womenfolk, we forfeit any right mind we ever had.” He sobered quickly. “But having said that, I will tell you that I love my wife like a silly fool even after all these years, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “I want that. . .someday.”

  Rev. Broussard nodded. “Who do you figure is in control here, you or God?”

  “God, of course,” Theo said.

  “Then what are you doing telling Him when you’re going to do something? Isn’t the issue of timing His concern, not yours?”

  “Yes, but He and I have a deal.”

  The pastor gave Theo a sideways look. “Is that so? What sort of deal?”

  “I travel now, and I settle down to a family and responsibilities later.”

  “Well now, that’s quite a nice deal you’ve worked out with the Lord. Makes me wonder what would have happened if I’d thought to negotiate rather than blindly let Him lead me.”

  “He is leading me. I’m just setting up my life and all those plans for later. You know, after I’ve seen the world.”

  Rev. Broussard stood and dusted off the back of his trousers. “Son, have you ever considered the fact that later might have already arrived?”

  “Maybe so, Reverend, but I’m not the only one who stands to lose here.”

  “Oh?”

  “That’s right.” He pointed toward the Trahan place. “You know Cleo’s got as much to lose as me. More, actually. If she were to marry, there goes her teaching career.”

  “And you think that’s enough to cause her to give up the life God intended for her?”

  Theo shrugged. “Depends. What does God want for her? I figure He didn’t make her smart like she is just so she can hitch up with a bumpkin like me.”

  “That’s your logic talking, Theo.” The pastor laid his hand on Theo’s shoulder. “What does your heart say? And more importantly, what does God say?”

  “Well now, that’s the trouble I was in when you wandered up, Reverend. God’s not saying anything, not a word. As for my heart, it’s telling me I ought to set her up right with a nice place to teach, then tell her good-bye, and head for the hills. Canada, actually.”

  “Is that all your heart is telling you?”

  What good would it do to lie to a preacher? Not that he was much of a liar anyway. His mama and papa raised him better than that. No, most times it was the truth that got him in trouble and not some fabrication.

  “No, sir, it’s telling me I’d like to have one more kiss before I go. More if it were proper, which it isn’t.” If the preacher seemed surprised, he didn’t let on. “I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this to yourself, especially that last part.”

  Nineteen

  Cleo clutched the broom’s handle tightly as she moved the porch rocker and reached to sweep behind it. What was wrong with her this morning?

  She should be the happiest girl in Latagnier. Why, then, did she feel as though she’d just heard the worst news of her life?

  Uncle Joe had given in. She was going to college to become a teacher. In no time, she’d have a teaching certificate in her hand, and she would be officially able to impart all her knowledge to eager students.

  This was her dream, her fervent prayer. Now that the Lord had granted it, why was she so tempted to go to Him and tell Him she’d changed her mind?

  After all, Theo Breaux thought it was a good idea, too.

  She struck the business end of the broom against the wall to dislodge a spot of dirt, then swept it off the edge of the porch. Watching it land in the bed of Easter lilies, she remembered the carpenter’s glee at her uncle’s news.

  He was downright happy.

  The thought irked her and worked irritation into her bones. Couldn’t the man have at least indicated he might miss her? After all, there were less than three months left before the fall term.

  Three months.

  If only Tante Flo were here to talk to. In anticipation of the Easter celebration, coming up in just over a week on April 3, her aunt and some of the other church ladies were busy quilting a new altarpiece. She’d likely spend the whole afternoon at the church.

  Of course, Cleo knew she could join them, but sitting with a bunch of married ladies while fretting about a man and her future didn’t sound like her idea of a pleasant afternoon.

  Not that she’d likely enjoy any activity today.

  She swiped at a pebble that had somehow found its way onto the porch, sending it flying into the same bed of lilies. How she’d like to give Theo Breaux a swipe with this broom. Maybe it would knock some sense into him.

  A man didn’t just kiss a girl, then act like it was a good idea that she leave town. Well, at least not an honorable man.

  “My, but this floor does shine.”

  Cleo jumped and dropped the broom. Rev. Broussard stoo
d on the porch steps, hat in hand.

  “Forgive me, dear. I thought you heard me.”

  Placing her hand over her racing heart, she retrieved the broom. “No, sir, I didn’t.”

  The pastor smiled. “Lost in thought?”

  She nodded. “Actually, yes.”

  “Anything I can help with?” He smiled. “I do have some measure of qualification in the area of giving advice.”

  Pausing, she considered whether to speak her mind with the pastor and seek his counsel. Before she could decide, she heard her uncle’s heavy footsteps coming their way.

  “That you, Reverend?” The screen door opened with a squeal, and Uncle Joe stepped out onto the porch. “You ready to go?”

  “I am,” the pastor said.

  “Well, give me just a minute to collect my things, and we can be off.” Her uncle turned to face Cleo. “Reverend and I are heading to town. I thought I might mail that letter to New Orleans.” He punctuated the statement with a grin, then transferred his attention to the pastor. “Looks like I’m going to have a real live certified, college-educated teacher in the family. Come the fall, Flo and I’ll be packing Cleo off to school. How do you feel about that?”

  “Well now,” Rev. Broussard said. He crossed the distance between them to take Cleo’s hand in his. “I think that’s a fine honor, Cleo. A real fine honor. We should celebrate.”

  “Now that is a good idea,” Uncle Joe said. “I’m going to tell Flo we need to put on a little party for our girl. The Lord blessed us with her and made her smart, and now she’s going off to college. I want all of Latagnier to know it.”

  Cleo mustered a smile in hopes it would match the ones the men wore. Then a thought dawned, and her smile appeared for real. “They haven’t accepted me yet, you know. I think we should reserve our celebrations until then.”

  Uncle Joe seemed surprised at her statement. Curiously, the reverend did not.

  “Of course they’ll accept you, but I see your point.” Uncle Joe gestured toward the house. “Yes, well, I’ll go fetch my things and we can be off to town, Reverend.”

  The pastor nodded. “Take your time, Joe. I’ll just sit a spell and visit with your niece.” He settled on the swing and patted the spot beside him. “Take a break from your sweeping, won’t you?”

  Cleo looked at the broom handle in her hand and realized she’d forgotten she held it. Propping it against the wall, she sat beside the pastor and heaved a sigh.

  “Quoi y’a? Something troubling you, child?”

  “No, well, oui.” She curled her fingers around the chain holding the swing, then rested her forehead against the cool metal. “I’m confused, I suppose, and that does trouble me.”

  “How so, if you don’t mind my asking, that is?”

  “Oh, I don’t mind. I just don’t know if I can explain it.” She leaned back and listened to the chains clank against one another. “It is all so complicated. I don’t know where to begin.”

  “I suppose this sounds like a cliché, but I always recommend a body begin at the beginning.” He patted her shoulder. “Or you don’t have to tell me anything. We could merely pray if that will help.”

  She thought a moment before shaking her head. “Actually, I think it would do me good to talk to someone who could keep my confidence.”

  He smiled. “Well then, you have the right man for the job. Keeping confidences is what I do best.”

  Cleo let out another long breath and plunged into her story. “Going to college is exciting. It’s amazing to think that an orphan girl from Latagnier could end up going off to college and being a teacher.” She turned her gaze to the pastor. “It’s what I’ve always wanted.”

  “Well, then, why the confusion? Are you afraid, or is there something else bothering you?”

  “Afraid? No, I don’t think so. I think I am more worried that I’ve been dreaming the wrong dreams.”

  “What an interesting way of putting things.” He seemed to consider her statement. “I take it you thought you wanted to be a teacher but now you think you’re being called to some other occupation. Is that correct?”

  Was it? No, not exactly, but how to explain to the reverend without embarrassing herself?

  “Occupation isn’t quite the word I was thinking of, Rev. Broussard. I guess I’m trying to say I’m not sure if I am being called to an occupation at all.”

  He looked perplexed. “Then what are you being called to do, child? What is there to do if not work?” Pausing, a smile grew. “Ah, I think I see the dilemma.”

  “You do?”

  The reverend nodded. “Indeed. You thought you were to teach children. Now—and perhaps I’m setting off in a direction you didn’t mean to send me—you feel as though the Lord intends you to raise children instead?”

  Stunned, she diverted her gaze. She hadn’t thought of things quite that way. A house full of children to raise—and to teach.

  Her mind reeled back to daydreams she’d had just days ago, images of dark-haired children with names like Ernest and Angeline. Was that what the Lord wanted of her?

  Suddenly her heart lightened. Maybe God gave her the ability to teach so that she could be a better mother and not just so that she might be a better teacher. The idea was no less far-fetched than imagining herself among city folk at the college in New Orleans.

  Both had their appeal. And their drawbacks.

  Suddenly either one could be her future. Whichever God allowed, she knew she would be happy.

  “Cleo?”

  She turned her attention to the reverend, who stared at her with a quizzical look. “Yes?”

  “That’s a nice smile. I haven’t seen it for some time. I rather like it.”

  She broadened her grin. “I like it, too. Thank you, Rev. Broussard.”

  He placed his hand over his heart and shook his head. “For what? I didn’t do a thing.” He paused, his face grave. “Cleo, promise me one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  Shifting slightly, he faced her directly. “Promise me that you will wait on a clear direction from the Lord and not depend on your own understanding of what you think He would want for you.”

  Cleo nodded. “I promise. Perhaps I should pray for patience then.”

  The pastor chuckled. “Oh dear, now that’s a dangerous petition to make to the Lord. In my experience, He always seems to grant a request for patience by teaching it to you through experience. In other words, He tends to make you wait.”

  “Oh my.” She joined him in his laughter. “So then, asking for patience is not a good idea. I’ll just ask Him to hurry. How’s that?”

  Rev. Broussard affected a surprised look. “Funny, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that prayer today.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes, curiously I prayed with a fellow parishioner just before I arrived here. He asked the Lord for the very same thing.” The pastor smiled and looked away. “Interesting indeed.”

  The screen door squealed a warning as it flew open and Uncle Joe spilled out onto the porch. He wore his blue suit and his best hat, and he carried a satchel of papers under his arms. Inside that satchel, Cleo knew, was a letter to New Orleans begging on her behalf for a spot on the fall roster at the college.

  He set the satchel on the porch rail and began fumbling through the items inside. “Ah, here it is. Cleo, take a look at this list and see if I’ve left off any supplies you need for the schoolhouse.”

  As her gaze ran the length of the page, her mind ticked off the items required for the schoolroom. Each seemed to be present on the list.

  “No, I can’t think of anything missing,” she said as she handed the paper back to her uncle. “It looks like you’ve thought of everything.”

  He nodded. “Good. Theo tells me the school will be finished soon. I want everything in place to get started as soon as we can. What with Cleo leaving in a few months, I’d like to get our children into the schoolhouse and learning their lessons as soon as possible.”

>   “I’m not sure the children will be as excited as you, Uncle Joe,” Cleo said with a chuckle.

  “I have to agree with Cleo,” Reverend Broussard said. “But I do think it will make for a much easier transition once the new teacher arrives if the children are already used to coming to school and tending to their lessons.”

  Uncle Joe replaced the list in his satchel, then closed the latch. “Theo promised a progress report today. I told him you and I would stop by on our way back from town and see what he’s got to show us.”

  “That sounds like a fine idea,” the reverend said as he fell into step beside Uncle Joe.

  That sounds like a fine idea. The same words Theo Breaux had used to describe his reaction to Cleo going off to college.

  Cleo reached for the broom. What the Lord did with her situation was anyone’s guess. What He intended to do with Theo Breaux was another mystery.

  At least she knew the one who had the situation in hand. “You know I’d just mess it up if I tried to fix it.”

  Twenty

  Theo slipped into church and listened intently as the music swelled around him. He rarely joined the faithful in their singing, choosing to mouth the words rather than ruin the harmony with his squawking.

  Today, however, he added his voice to the mix, swept into the words of the song like he’d fallen into the river just ahead of Niagara Falls.

  “Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!”

  While the rest of the congregation went on with their singing, Theo stopped right there. He’d been walking around all week shouldering his worries and hadn’t even thought to leave them at the cross. That’s not true. He’d thought about it; he’d been afraid of the answers he might get if he asked the questions.

  Ever since he and the reverend had parted company last Tuesday, he’d been miserable. Worse, every time he took his troubles to the Lord, He said the same thing, so Theo had just quit.

  Stay. Be patient.

  Stay? Be patient? Stay where? Be patient about what?