I was sitting in my living room today looking around at all of the things we have bought on vacation as souvenirs. It was a quiet day as most are here but for some reason I was in a melancholy mood. I have a sea shell vase and in that vase are approximately 20 long sticks, all wavy in nature, that look like something you would find on a beach. I thought back to when I purchased them and why they had appealed to me. My wife and I had taken a trip to the Gulf Coast around Biloxi, Mississippi and the general area. We had driven west about ten miles and encountered a little town that time had forgot, Bay Saint Louis. It was gulf front, brick streets, and a few places to eat and shop. If you know my wife you know she likes to play the slot machines and since it was vacation I figured why not. I dropped her off at a casino about three miles north of town and went back and went on a walk around town. I entered this one little store, about maybe 250 square feet that was loaded everywhere with paintings, crafts, clothes, etc. It was so clean and neat. I was greeted by the sweetest young lady and her toe headed two year old daughter. She ask me if there was anything particular I was looking for. I told her I was from Indiana and anything in a beachy nature would attract my attention. We chatted as I walked around and I came upon this bundle of sticks. They were all without bark and the same light tan color. For some reason they just called my name. I laid them on the counter and continued shopping but most items were to expensive or not to my liking. We talked for about an hour about her life and family. I paid the twenty dollars for the sticks and was surprised to find I was her first customer. She had saved since she was twelve years old to have her own store, and had finally achieved her goal. She took my twenty, placed it in a frame, and hung it on her wall. It was her first profit. I left feeling rather special and thinking I had a friend I could come back to when I came back down to the area. I continued on my tour of town and when I came upon the waterfront I saw a long pier, maybe a quarter mile long that went out into the water. On the end was a man fishing. I could hardly make out the shape of him but saw him move. Anybody that knows me knows I love to fish, or just talk about it. I walked out and asked if anything was biting. He responded nothing but life itself! He was an old black gentleman, bib overalls, silver hair, with a straw hat on. He was fishing around the pilings for sheepshead, or as we saltwater fisherman call them jail birds as they are white and black striped like a convicts outfit. We started talking about fishing, and life, what we did for a living, on and on. He proceeded to show me how to better catch sheepshead as they have tiny mouths and teeth like a human which are used to crush barnacles and shells. We talked for a couple of hours and it was so nice sitting there in the sun with a nice sea breeze blowing. He offered to share a sandwich with me but I declined saying my wife and I had dinner plans later. I looked at my watch and three hours had passed and I figured if I didnt want to lose my life savings I had better get Sharon out of the casino. I said goodbye and walked back down the pier. It hit me then that I hadnt asked the young lady or the black gentleman their names. That haunted me for years. In 2012 we went back down thinking the damage from Katrina would have been repaired but there was no escaping the change in the landscape caused by the hurricane. I drove into town and wished I hadnt. All of the stores on the waterfront were gone with the only building left standing the 162 year old bank. I drove back a street looking for my special little ladies store but it was an empty parking lot. I couldnt help but remember how proud she was of it. I drove back to the waterfront area and looked out where the pier used to be but there was nothing but pilings left. I wondered if they had made it out of Katrina alive and were safe and sound. So I guess you can see why that bundle of sticks means so much to me now. I think even my wife likes them now.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 03:33:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015