Good Woman Blues by Lynn Emery Page A

swamp. Gabriel’s grandfather had given Loyd’s
grandfather permission to include a part of the lake in his tours.
Back then the tourists had been few and far between. Most of his
customers had been avid fishermen from the North and Midwest.
    “Yeah, well. One of these days,” Charles
grumbled. He picked up two wire fish traps, and then winced as he
straightened.
    “You okay, Daddy?” Gabriel started toward
him.
    “Course I’m okay. Just stiff from sitting,
that’s all.”
    “I’ll carry that cooler for you.” Gabriel
grabbed the handle of it.
    Charles took off his life vest. “You’re as
bad as your mama. One little heart attack and y’all act like I’m a
feeble old man.”
    “You’re exaggerating as usual.” Gabriel
helped Brian load his father’s GMC Yukon.
    “No, I’m not. My doctor says I’m doing great,
all things considered.” Still, Charles walked to the covered deck
and sat down in one of the chairs.
    “He only got winded once or twice,” Brian
reported. He looked over his shoulder to see where his grandfather
had gone.
    “Thanks for going out with him. He might not
say it, but Daddy enjoys spending time with you boys.” Gabriel gave
Brian an affectionate slap on the shoulder.
    “My pleasure. Got an extra twenty to take my
baby out tonight. Friday night and I’ve got money in my pocket.”
Brian grinned and bounced off toward the house, whistling a rap
tune.
    “Stop tapping your grandfather for money, you
little scam artist,” Gabriel said, but had to laugh. Brian looked
more like Vincent every day. Gabriel thought of his older brother.
Vince had swaggered just like that back in the day.
    Charles stretched out his long legs and
watched Gabriel approach. “So, you got a good report on me?”
    Gabriel sat down on the cypress chair across
from him and slapped his father’s thigh. “Brian says you were a
good boy.”
    “Very amusing. I’m proud of him. Pulled his
grades up last year. Thank God his mother has sense.” Charles
frowned as he stared out over the water.
    “Yeah.” Gabriel looked toward the house where
Brian had gone. Music blared from Gabriel’s sound system moments
later. “Vince is trippin’.”
    “You know what Vincent has done now? Went on
a three-day drinking and gambling binge with some woman named
Trish. Met her in Lake Charles. I wouldn’t blame Sonia if she shot
him in the behind,” Charles barked.
    “Come on, Dad. They’ve been divorced for two
years. Sonia has moved on,” Gabriel said.
    Even so, Gabriel felt a spike of anger toward
Vincent. Lately, his older brother seemed bent on hurting everyone,
especially himself. Still Gabriel had done his share. Of the three
Cormier kids, his sister Toni had been the steady one.”
    “Selfish, ungrateful—” Charles clenched his
right hand into a fist.
    “Don’t get worked up.” Gabriel patted his arm
to calm him. He worried that Charles would make himself sick. ‘To
be fair, Vincent has been through a lot. He lost his business.”
    Charles jumped in. “His fault. Stubborn as
ten mules. He wouldn’t listen to advice.”
    “And the divorce was tough on him, too,”
Gabriel pressed on.
    “His fault again. I can’t blame Sonia for
getting fed up with him.” His father dismissed any attempt to build
sympathy for Vincent.
    “You’re too hard on him, Daddy. First,
Vincent put his blood into that business. You know everybody was
hit hard back in the eighties when the oil industry went bust. And
even Sonia says they both made mistakes.”
    “Swimming in beer and having an affair didn’t
help,” Charles insisted.
    “Vincent had the affair only after he and
Sonia were legally separated.” Gabriel shook his head when his
father grunted in disbelief. “Look, no matter what you think,
Vincent needs our support.”
    “You’re just like your mother, always making
excuses for him. I—Shh, Brian is coming.” Charles put a smile on
his face. “Hey, son. Finally got tired of that ear noise you call
music,