“Knock, knock. We’re comin’ in so don’t shoot.” Uncle Leo boomed. Moments later he entered the room his head barely clearing the top of the doorframe.
At six feet four Uncle Leo still looked powerful even at sixty-one years old. Still his shoulders were more stooped than when she’d last seen him. With salt and pepper bushy hair cut short he wore checked short-sleeved sport shirt and navy blue Dockers pants. He beamed at them all and at no one in particular. A shorter but just as formidable looking Albert followed him moments later. He frowned around as though checking the room for threats.
“Mornin’,” Uncle Albert grumbled. “How you feelin’ this mornin’, Mama?” He kissed Momon Odette on the forehead then stood back.
“Hey, good-lookin’,” Uncle Leo said in his amiable manner. He kissed Momon Odette on the cheek. “Somebody has been spreadin’ lies, cause you lookin’ way to young and spry to be sick.”
“Hello, boys. Sit down. LaShaun gonna fix you some coffee.” Momon Odette waved her hand at LaShaun to reinforce her instructions.
“Sure.” LaShaun got up and Uncle Albert lumbered after her.
“She might need some help carrying all that for so many. Leah and her husband are drivin’ up.” Albert gestured vaguely toward the window. “My oldest son is coming, too.”
“Hm.” Momon Odette eyed them as they left. “Nice crowd, eh?” She said with a grin at Devin.
“No really, it’s no trouble, Uncle,” LaShaun said evenly.
“Here, I’ve got the tray.” Albert grabbed it from the table.
“Okay.” LaShaun led the way to the kitchen. Once they got there she swept a hand out at the counter. “I’ve already got the cups ready. Since we have more folks than expected I’ll use the rolling cart. Rita got this when Momon was on bed rest.”
“Yeah, Rita.” Uncle Albert’s expression grew perceptibly tighter. “I’ll pour the coffee.”
“No we have this insulated carafe. It’ll just take a few minutes to put the cups, sugar and cream on the top and the carafe on the bottom of the cart.” She worked quickly and efficiently. “Amazing how fast I got used to this again. Even with the kitchen being all changed around. Still some things are the same.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Uncle Albert watched her work with a taut frown. “Wait a minute. Let me ask you something before we go back.”
LaShaun stood with her back to him. She smiled as she kept arranging the tray longer than she needed to. She’d known Uncle Albert had wanted more than to just be helpful. She turned around, but now wore an innocent expectant expression.
“Yes, Uncle Albert?” she said.
“You had a chance to talk to your grandmother,” he said with certainty. He rubbed his jaw scratching the place places he’d shaved.
“Not much. I got in kinda late. But yes, we did talk after I settled in last night.” LaShaun nodded at him.
“Right. Right.” Uncle Albert cleared his throat. “Course y’all kept in touch even before you got home. I’m sure Mama told you about the property.” He looked at her searchingly.
“You mean the house?” LaShaun almost giggled like a naughty child when he huffed in exasperation.
“Don’t play with me, girl. You a lot of things, but dense ain’t one of ‘em,” Uncle Albert shot back. Then he lowered his voice after looking over his shoulder. “Listen, cher. We all just want what’s best for the family. You understand?”
“Oh yes, I do,” LaShaun said and nodded again. “Now let’s go back to the living room. I’m sure Momon is starting to wonder if we drove to New Orleans for this coffee.”
“LaShaun, now I’m askin’ you to be reasonable about this.” Uncle Albert tried for a stern parental tone.
“About what?” LaShaun said as she pushed the cart past him.
“Mama hasn’t been herself for some time. She’s been sick and all that medicine has her kinda foggy. Then she gets these wild notions.” Uncle Albert tapped his head with a finger.
LaShaun brought another frown to his face when she laughed out loud. “Momon is clear as a bell, Uncle Albert. Don’t you worry.”
LaShaun deliberately turned her back to him and pushed the cart down the hallway. She left him grumbling in the kitchen. Once she got to the living room she was amused even more. Devin cast a look of concern at her. Her aunt, her husband and their two daughters had arrived. Uncle Albert’s son, unmistakable because he was his father’s spitting image, brooded in a far corner near one window. Coffee was served to those who wanted a cup. Momon Odette finished introducing everyone to Devin. The attorney scanned newcomers as though mentally connecting names to faces and memorizing it all.
“Now we can get started.” Momon Odette took one last sip from her. She moved with care as she set the china cup down. With a pensive expression she gazed at it for few moments.
Uncle Albert cleared his throat. “We’re listening, mama,” he said impatience simmering beneath his respectful façade.
Momon Odette transferred her pensive gaze from the delicate rose pattern on the cup to her son. She smiled at him then looked around at the others.
“I’ve lived a long life. Some might call it an interesting life. I’ve done good and bad in my day. Like most folks I’ve got some regrets. Still I like to think I did right when it counted.” Momon Odette arranged the folds of her caftan.
“Mama, you’ve done a wonderful job raising us and seeing to our needs,” Aunt Leah said nodding emphatically. She shot a sideways glance at her husband. He nodded in response to her unspoken command.
“I’m glad for whatever small part I played in helping you children get established.” Momon studied her daughter.
“Oh no, mama. You are being too modest. You have been a strong foundation for us to build on,” Leah gushed. She shot a pointed look at her brothers. “Hasn’t she?”
“You sure have, mama,” Leo said promptly then grinned at everyone.
“Yeah, mama.” Uncle Albert nodded.
“Excellent. Then you won’t need my money or property since you have your own.” Momon Odette looked at each of them in turn. The room exploded with shouts from her sons and screeching protests from her daughter. Their children tried to calm them. All the while Momon Odette’s composed expression did not change.
“Everyone, please settle down,” Devin said, his voice loud yet still professional. No effect.
Amused, LaShaun watched him try twice more. “You started this. Do something,” she whispered to her grandmother.
“They need time to adjust,” Momon Odette said coolly. She sipped from her coffee.
“Everybody just the shut up!” Devin shouted. His Ivy League educated black man demeanor had been abandoned. “You need to show some respect in here!”
“You got a lot of nerve,” Leah burst forth, a hand on one big hip.
“You ain’t even family,” Uncle Albert rumbled. Albert, Jr. glared at Devin as though he was about to strike out.
Uncle Leo struggled to put his jovial façade back in place. While Uncle Albert was gruff and lacked finesse, Uncle Leo used the “catch more flies with honey” approach. No less greedy or scheming than his siblings, he hid it well. Uncle Leo cleared his throat then heaved a dramatic sigh.
“He’s right though. Uh, mama has been sick and we don’t need to be up in here getting her nerves all upset,” Uncle Leo said.
He looked at Momon Odette, who showed no signs of being disturbed by the turbulence around her. Uncle Albert let out a rumble. Aunt Leah struggled to follow Leo’s lead. She couldn’t stop herself in the end.
“Mama, you know this ain’t fair. Nothing about this is fair the least little bit,” Aunt Leah whined. “I’m your only daughter. What about all I did to help you after Francine died? I kept LaShaun at my house many a day. And she was a handful, too.” She shot a squinty glance at LaShaun.
“My goodness, Aunt Leah. How many times do I have to apologize? I didn’t know that stuff you said about the pastor of your church was a secret. It’s been twenty years. Let it go.” LaShaun blinked at her with an innocent expression. The scandal that had ensued had rocked Aunt Leah’s little social world for over a year.
“That was just one of many sneaky little stunts you pulled, missy,” Aunt Leah hissed back. “Every one of them done on purpose.”
“By the way, how is my cousin Azalei these days?” LaShaun and her aunt’s daughter had disliked each other at first sight.
“Enough about that foolishness,” Uncle Albert broke in. “Mama, you promised I’d get the land by Rougon Bayou. Eighty acres of prime timber ready to be harvested. I’ve been talking to two logging companies and— ”
“Ahem,” Uncle Leo cut him off. He shot his brother a warning glance. “We were only gathering information for you to consider, mama. But Albert is right. Once that land is cleared another developer wants to build some nice fancy houses out there.”
“Don’t forget the boat dock and a restaurant,” Albert, Jr. added quickly. He nodded at his grandmother. When his father, Uncle Leo and Aunt Leah glared at him he blinked rapidly. “What’d I say?”
LaShaun walked over and patted him on the arm. “You’ve been very helpful, cousin, and I thank you.”
“As entertaining as this commotion has been I’m afraid it’s time for me to rest,” Momon Odette announced, not looking the least bit tired.
“But wait a minute. You can’t just drop this on us and not listen to reason,” Aunt Leah blurted out.
“Leah, please. Remember mama’s health,” Uncle Leo said tightly. “Mama, making what we do with our own finances for a year a condition of us getting land, money or— ”
“The stocks and bonds she got from Batton Chemical. We know all about your dealings with old man Trosclair before he died,” Uncle Albert blurted out. He waved a hand at his brother. “Stop all this mealy mouth crap, Leo. You ain’t foolin’ nobody, not mama for sure.”
Aunt Leah squinted at LaShaun. “That’s right, Albert. But the old man didn’t just die, did he LaShaun. He was murdered.”
“Yeah,” Albert, Jr. looked confident again. He took a step from LaShaun. “Never did find out the whole truth about how he died and why.”
Everyone in the room stopped talking and looked at LaShaun. Devin’s eyebrows went up to his hairline. LaShaun felt a shiver start at the base of her spine. She did not let the dread that had taken root in her soul since that night show in her expression.
Claude Troslcair had been rich, influential and always wanted more. LaShaun had admired the way he always seemed to get his way. Admired was actually the wrong word. She envied the Trosclair clan. Which led her to seduce Claude’s only heir, his grandson. Claude had disdain for his grandson, especially since Quincy had proven not to be good had running the family business. Quincy was not smart as his grandfather, but he shared Claude’s desire for more of everything. LaShaun understood that desire. She’d felt it from the first day she’d learned how the people of Beau Chene regarded her mother, her entire family. Powerless, a feeling she’d grown to hate with a rare passion. That passionate hatred had driven her. She’d set out to build a world where no one would dare to look down at her, to sniff as she walked by as though smelling something rotten. She’d played on Quincy’s weaknesses, fed his resentment toward his grandfather. And Claude Trosclair had ended up floating face down in the swamp. What no one suspected was that LaShaun wanted, no desperately needed to know the truth as well.
Momon Odette lifted her head, braced herself by holding onto the arms of her chair and stood straight. She did not seem to need her cane. Her piercing dark gaze circled the room as she looked at her children and grandchildren.
“That’s got nothing to do with this. Nothing,” she declared in a strong voice. “I have made my decision. An accounting firm will evaluate how you’ve managed your finances. Mr. Martin has chosen…” She glanced at the attorney.
Devin cleared his throat. “Mouton and Mouton, LLC, a reputable firm in Baton Rouge.”
“Thank you. Now, if you’ve done wisely and well you will inherit, provided you
continue for another year. If you haven’t done well, then you have another year to improve. Until then LaShaun and Rita will manage my assets. And make no mistake, my children. Everything is still mine. Now go home.”
“And what about her,” Aunt Leah pointed a finger at LaShaun. “Who will pass judgment on her life and how she’s managed it?”
The earsplitting crack of her heavy cane on the tabletop made them all jump. Momon Odette let out a stream of Creole French then snapped, “I said get out.”
Albert, Jr. beat everyone to the door. The slap of the screen door announced he’d escaped. Even Uncle Leo decided not to try one of his charming speeches. With a weak grin that fractured then faded he left. Aunt Leah stomped out with her still silent husband beside her. Uncle Albert hesitated, opened his mouth. One look at Momon Odette changed his mind. Moments later they were gone leaving only Devin Martin and LaShaun with Momon Odette.
“Well, that was interesting,” Devin said. He let out a long slow breath, as though he’d been holding it through the entire family meeting.
“Just stick around,” LaShaun replied with a grim smile. “It’s going to get better.”
Episode 6
