A gun between friends

In my early twenties and newly married, I worked in the shipyards of south Louisiana as a finish carpenter on large vessels. As most young couples were, I was always short of cash so I would work home remodel jobs on the side. My friend had an old uncle who needed some help but like us was broke, so we ratholed material leftovers from here and there and finally fixed his bathroom up to where you could not see the ground or sky while sitting on the toilet. The job actually cost us money.

It felt good to help someone and the old Cajun fed us when we were there. Normally fried sac-a-lait and cold beer. As we ate the fish he would say “is it Good T’Boog?” And then every time he would tell me. “You know, some of dem apostles that followed Jesus around were fishermen. I always wondered if they caught sac-a-lait. I bet dey did. But I bet dey couldn’t cook it better dan me no!” He kept a fillet knife in the leg pocket of his overalls that he said he used to castrate mosquitoes! I saw him in the grocery store once with a shopping cart full of beer and one loaf of bread. When he saw me he said in a loud voice. “ Da Bible says that a man can’t live on bread alone no! So I bought some beer to go wid it!”

When the job was finished he forced me to take an old marlin 30-30 that looked like he had left it in the bottom of his boat for a few years before cleaning it with a wire brush, but it shot the 170 grain ammo well. After that I would take the old fella beer and he would fry me Fish or frog legs Sometimes make a turtle sauce picant. And he only drank Coors and when he did the stories would flow. He felt bad that a stranger fixed his place and all he could offer was a crappy old rifle. He gave me so much more than that.. he was my friend.