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Mademoiselle
Fleur He look me and give me the F sign, and da girl, nose to her bleeding and she try crawl away, and Sully try kick to her bum, and he slip, fall on hees bum, grab ankle to da girl, and jump up quick, dis guy. He pick up dis girl wid da fist. Big guy, dis Sully, hauls girl down da wharf to Mademoiselle Fleur and heave her like da rag doll on my deck. "She's a bloody thief, and you tell the little snitch Sully will shoot her dead next time. You got that, French fry?" Sully turn and take big stride off da wharf. Jeez. Dis how I meet Rosa. Very good luck, this. We good pair, me and Rosa. She good worker. Come from da mills in Fall Rivers. Fix da sail. Splice
da line. American lobster da same. Go in pot. Get lost. No get out. Not so smart, hey. Jose pay good price. I pay Sully. He leave Rosa alone. Wave to her. Say hi. Sully take care of da wharf HIS wharf. Rosa okay now. She my crew. Sully tell the boys. Rosa, she belong to Mademoiselle Fleur. I like Rosa, but I am very shy. I tell to her, "Hey, Rosa, you gotta pretty brown eyes just like da cow." Rosa swat me good. Jeez. She learn to sail. "Jesus, Louis (Lew-eeeey is how she say me). This G-D tub won't turn," she say. "Make some speed," I say. "I can't," she yell above the flutter of da sail. "Not into da wind, Rosa, my Rosa. Fall off da wind." "I ain't falling off nowhere," she says. "Louis!" she screams. It don't take long and Rosa sail good. Better dan most men. Dis work good. Rosa she sail and me I haul da pots. All day. Sometime very late. I watch Rosa sail. Pretty girl. Smart. I like dis girl. Sometime I go below and drink whiskey. Try to get da courage, hey? Try to say, hey Rosa, hey my Rosa, you pretty girl, pretty woman. I say dis many time in my head. Look in da mirror to shave. Pretend ees Rosa and not ugly Pierre Louis. Very pretty woman. I say dis in my head. No dare say to Rosa. One day dis nasty guy from Fall Rivers come. He say he want Rosa. Rosa belong to him, he say. Rosa very scared, very angry, tell dis guy to F-off. He grab Rosa arm, and I grab da man neck, and he pull da knife and stick under my chin. Sully come running. "Git yer ass off my dock!" Sully yell to the Fall Rivers guys . Da man push dat knife and cut hole under my chin. Not too much deep. Mais lots da blood. Turn to go. He spit on Mademoiselle Fleur. "I'm coming back," he says. "I'll bring the priest." I bleeding all over da place. Rosa cry. Sully try explain me. Rosa try explain me. Most she sniffle and howl. Jeez. Back den, she live in da convent with da nuns. Da priest send Rosa to work da mills. Good money. Send all the girls. "They sign da contract," Sully say. "Ain't nothing you can do." Sully swears terrible things about da priests. All da priests. All da nuns. I look up da sky. No lightening. Jeez. Lucky. Da next Friday night we sail in da wharf. Beat da big storm. Full da lobsters. Jose very happy man. Lots of monies. "You guys are the best," shout Jose to me and Rosa. He bring da boys to offload. Give me five bottle da whiskey, lots of monies. Big day down to Sully's wharf. Lots of boat. Many big load. Swordfish, flounder, cod, haddock. Many whiskeys. Many monies. Jose get very drunk. I get drunk. Rosa drunk. Sully drunk. All da man, all da crews. Big party down der before da big storm. Then dat man come with da priests and he bring hees friend, many friend. Dey march down da wharf, and all the noise and yelling and cussing stop. Rosa clutch my arm. I feel her tremble. She don't like dis. She don't like dem guys. Dat priest steps my plank on Mademoiselle Fleur. He say, "Come home now, Rosa, dear." Many sugars in dat voice. Rosa, she clutch me hard and hide her head behind my shoulder. "Rosa work for me, Fader," I say da priest. "Not legally, I'm afraid, my son." More sugars in dat voice. "She is obligated to these men until she is 21-years-old or married. She has no choice is this matter. I'm so sorry, my dear." Rosa, she begin to sob. All da men watch. Dey quiet. Far away rumble in da black sky. "You marry me, hey," I say to da sugar priest. "You want me to marry you?" da priest laugh. "Ah oui yes," I say. What is this priest to laugh at me? Rosa tug on my arm and peek her head around. "Pierre Louis means he wants you to marry us," she say da priest. "Ah yes, yes, oui," I say. "Rosa and Pierre Louis, meester and missus Lew-eeeyy." I turn Rosa. I very excite now. Very nervous. "Yes, thees okay, Rosa?" 'Yes," she say. Then she wrap arms around me, and all de men, they cheer and whistle, and the sugar priest, he smile, and them boys he come with, they scowl and shuffle. "You can't do this," yell da bad one. He grab da priest by da arm and yank him around. Lots of hoots and hisses from all da men, from all da boats from all da docks. Fader not happy now. No sugar now. He look at dat bad man. "I will do what is right under the laws of God and the Church," he say to da bad guy. Sully push through all the bad boy. "How about it, Father. Right now's a good time for a wedding." "Well, I suppose, given the circumstances. You are Catholic?" he ask me. "Yes oui. Yes, I be many big Catholic." "To marry right now? Is this okay with you, Rosa?" da sugar priests ask. "Hmmm. Yes, Father," she say. Big smile she. "And you, sir?" he ask me. "Ah, oui. Perfect," I say him. Da bad boys mutter and grumble but don't dare curse da priest. Dey scowl at da bigging crowd of New Bedford peoples coming to meet da boats and finding a wedding surprise. He take Rosa below for confession. Soon she come out. Big smile she. "Your turn," she tell me. "Hey, Sully. Don't let them bad men near my Rosa," I tell to him. "We won't let 'em budge," Sully say, so I go below and take off da hat and bow. "Bless me, Fader." "Kneel, my son." "Ah oui, sorry." I kneel down and cross myself. "Bless me, Fader. I have sin." But I can't think of no sin. "When did you last confess?" "Ah. A year? About year maybe, maybe more, oui." "Since then have you used the Lord God's name in vain?" "No-no. Not me, Fader. I use some bad word, hey. I use da F-word, and I use da S-word. Some time da B-word. Not so bad, Fader. Not too much, hey. Not a big sin, hey?" "But you do swear sometimes?" "Sometime, maybe. Not too much." "I have to ask you if you've sinned with Rosa." "No-no. No-no. Not me sin Rosa, nossir, Fader, not a lettle bit even." "Well, then, have you sinned in your mind with Rosa?" "Not too much, Fader." "You haven't touched her lewdly in your mind?" "Oh, no-no, Fader. I not do that to Rosa. I am not dat man, hey." "But you said 'not too much.' What did you mean by that?" "I keess her. A leetle bit. Not too much. Sometime, I keess her in my mind, Fader. I look in the mirror and I tell to her she ees very beautiful, very sexy. But thees is to me, not to her. Not that same, hey." "I see. Not too much then. I see. All right, then, can I ask you if you have stolen since your last confession?" "Oh, no, no, no. No, Fader. I am not a thief." "You've not stolen from or cheated anyone?" "Ah wait, Fader. Da boat. I stole da boat." "What boat?" "Theese boat. Not really steal. Mais, yes, Fader, I steal da boat. You see, theese my papa's boat. Forty year. Da government give papa dat boat. 1929. Big crash. Give papa da boat. Last year papa die. Government come. Say da boat ain't for me. Don't belong to me. Hey, Fader, me and papa, we build dat boat three time. Over and over. Ever year. Big work. Ever board, ever plank, ever rib, ever ting. Three time in forty year. We make dat to us. No papa, ees no-ting, just a rust. We make dat boat three time. My boat, Fader. I steal my boat. "Da government say not my boat. What do you think, Fader, hey? I take dat boat. I steal da boat in da night, Fader." "And you're very sorry." "Yes-yes, oui." "Well, hmmm. Do you have any more sins since your last confession?" "I don't think so, Fader. Not so bad. Not too many. Maybe drink too many whiskey. Some time. No harm. I don't fight, Fader. No-no. My papa, he say, Pierre, no fight. No fight. Not for me." "Yes, my son. That's good. For your penance, say two Our Fathers and now an Act of Contrition, and we'll get you married here quite soon." While I pray, I hear dis noise and shouting outside on da wharf. "Amen, Fader." "Bless you, son," he say. I run up and dem bad guys from Fall Rivers got Rosa, and Sully he's lay out cold, and da bag guys got gun, point every where, all da crowd. Jeez. Big black cloud all da sky. I run down da wharf, screaming "Rosa, Rosa, my dear sweet Rosa, Rosa, Rosa." All da people come. All da woman. All da kid. All da man. Come to see. Big lightening. Da priest he hold my big gaf, pound the dock, bam, bam, bam, "Halt, sinners," he scream big voice. No sugar. Thunder crack and boom. Sky flash white, den big crack. "Bring me that girl!" da priest he yell. Boom. Pound da gaf. Bam, bam. "Halt." All da people come dis way. Trap da bad guy. "Rosa, Rosa! Je t'aime. Je t'aime. Je t'aime," to her yell I Pierre Louis and begin weep. Big cheer from all da people. Push da bad guys. Hiss. Lightening. Crack. Boom. "Halt, sinners or die in hell!" da Priest. Red face. Very mad. Den all hell break loose. Big flash. Hit da mast Mademoiselle Fleur, crackaboom and dis white ball da light, I seen thees before me and papa, big ball we call dat St-Elmo fire dat ting, roll down da mast jump to the gaf hold to the priest, jump do da wharf, all the peoples they scream, and dat ball fire roll down da wharf and jump up da bad guys wid da gun, and des gun, dey crack and pop and smoke and dees bad boy dey drop da gun quick. One gun it fall in da water, sizzle and steam to bottom. Anoder fall on da wharf, hiss and burn and smoke and de bullet hiss and burn and pop. Da bad boy burn da hands and shake dem ouch and run like hell. "Go," shout da priest. "Repent, you sinners," he yell, big eyes, red face. All da people stand back as da bad guy run up da wharf, up da Centre Street, up da Johnny Cake Hill, waving da hand like wing da bird. All da peoples, dey cheer and clap da hand and come to da wedding, right der on da wharf, da priest he sugar again, say the word, bless Rosa, bless Pierre Louis, bless Mademoiselle Fleur, bless da peoples, bless da fleet, bless ever ting, drink da wine, all da peoples drink da wine, me and Rosa drink da wine. Very good dis day. Happy end dis. Me and Rosa we sail away Mademoiselle Fleur big kees, many cheers all da peoples, wave goodbyes.
Last revised: 5-8-2005 Copyright Peter Owens 2004-2005
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