We hadn’t gone far up the bayou, when Roscoe pulled up in front of the small local store and gas pumps asking me if I wanted something to drink. Never one to drink much but coffee in the morning, but not wanting to hurt his feelings, I said sure–anything. Quick as a flash, he was…
“Hey, gal! I’m Freddie. I’m the boss around here. I got word from the big boss that you’re our new dispatcher. Your room is the first room on the left. You’ll share a bathroom with that knucklehead, Ernie. There’s the desk, the phone, and the radio. No long distance personal calls. Our call sign for…
My first job as a roustabout for an oil production company was a great experience. Even though it ended abruptly, I never pursued justice but instead turned my focus to finding another job. Being single again, there was no second income to fall back on, and a J-O-B was what I needed F-A-S-T. Despite the…
Preface: Because my children don’t know all the details of my fist marriage, I hesitated to write about it. Since it is relevant to my life, I picked my way through it as tactfully as possible. And in case any of you were wondering, the names of the guilty have been changed to keep them…
Coastal Welding’s office in Houma, LA, where I was to sign up for the roustabout position, was dingy, with walls the color of cigarette smoke. Decked out in my painter’s pants, chambray work shirt, and steel-toed boots, the industrial feel of the place fuelled my enthusiasm. Behind the desk sat a very short, rather pudgy,…
My olfactory nerves were on overload as the smell of boiled eggs emanated from the rich, brown soup that swirled around the canoe. It’s not a smell altogether offensive, not reeking solely of death and decomposition, but a dark earthy scent exuding both life and death. Some folks would say the water is just stagnant;…