Chapter Twelve
Jamie sat in his car for a few minutes, in a daze.
“Why didn’t I know about any of this?” Thinking out loud, his voice strained even to his own ears.
“Who would have thought that Mamaw and Papaw were... well, rich?” He laughed a short, hard laugh.
“Marlene would be fit to be tied if she had any inkling that they had been well off.” He laughed again, almost hysterically. He had to shake his head to clear it.
He put the car in reverse. “Because they were simple but happy people who didn’t care about money or how things looked. They cared more about their family in the diner and himself, and that was enough for them.” He pulled out onto the main road.
“I wonder...” he turned left at the light and headed towards the industrial part of town. He drove for a bit and slowed down. “It’s right around here, I think.” He leaned forward as he looked for a specific sign. “Yep. There it is.”
He quickly pulled into the parking lot of the wholesale fishmonger. “Time for a treat!”
Jamie smiled as he locked his car and made his way into the fishery. There was a small bell over their door that jangled. It was almost the same as in the diner, except this one was brass.
“Hello, what can I do you for?” A sturdy-looking man in a vinyl apron and ball cap asked.
“I’d like to see if you have any shrimp?” Jamie said, looking closer at the man. “Jeff?”
The man narrowed his eyes at Jamie. “Well, I’ll be damned. Jamie Puckett.” He walked around the big glass case full of fresh fish and seafood laid out over ice.
Jamie flinched and braced for a punch in the face, or who knew what. When he saw Jeff’s big, meaty hand outstretched, he slowly took it. The grip was firm but not menacing, which he honestly expected.
“I was really sorry to hear about your grandparents. They were good people.” Jeff shook Jamie’s hand and released it.
He looked down at his rubber boots. “Man, I...” He looked up.
“I really need to apologize to you.” He took a deep breath.
“What I did to you when we were in school was...” He paused.
“It was just inexcusable. There’s no other way to say it.
I’m sorry, and if I could take it all back, I would.
There have been many times when I hated myself for what I put you through. ”
This was not at all what Jamie was expecting. Jeff and his good buddy Paul had tormented Jamie from the time he moved in with his grandparents until he left Columbus. He was so stunned that he just stood there.
“I mean it, Jamie. I’m sorry.”
“I uh... don’t know what to say, Jeff.” Jamie looked around the store.
It smelled like fish, but fresh fish, not old, dead fish, which he’d experienced in many seafood stores.
He looked Jeff in the eyes. They were about the same in height, but Jeff still outweighed him by at least forty pounds.
“You were... my worst nightmare. Hell, I even had actual nightmares well into my early twenties about what you and Paul put me through.”
Jeff’s face turned bright red; his gaze turned downward.
“I can only imagine,” he muttered. “I am sorry, though. I mean it.”
“It was years ago,” Jamie said. “Why not make a new start of it and... just try and put it behind us. What happened to Paul?”
Jeff looked up, a shocked look on his face. “Yeah? I’d like that.” Jeff looked out of the glass windows of the front of the store. “Paul... he’s in prison. Got caught robbing a liquor store and shot a cop. Not dead, but shot him just the same. He won’t be getting out anytime soon.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised about Paul.” Jamie leaned forward. “But if you ever try that shit with me again, I will fillet you like them fish you got in that case. I’m damn good with a boning knife.”
Jeff grinned. “Yeah, I bet you could. I’ve heard you’re good with a knife.”
“And I’m fast. I could run circles around you!” Jamie made a pointed look at Jeff’s waistline.
Jeff let out a hearty laugh. “Hell’s bells, my two-year-old can outrun me these days.”
Jamie stuck out his hand again. “To new starts?”
“Deal.” They shook on it.
“So, you’re married and have a kid?” Jamie asked.
“Yeah, man. Um... he took off his ball cap, the company logo stitched on the front. “I um... married Sarah Johnson.”
“Do what?” Jamie couldn’t hide his surprise. “But she... hated you.”
“Oh, I know. She let me know it, too.” He smiled. “She did show me the error of my ways, let me tell you. And hard too.” He laughed. “I always heard there was a fine line between love and hate, and I guess I found it. Stepped right into it, I’d say.”
“Married to Sarah.” Jamie shook his head. “I would have bet money that would never, ever, have happened.”
“Tell me about it.” Jeff replaced his cap and smiled. “Have two great kids and they look more like her, thankfully.”
“I just saw her,” Jamie commented.
“Ah. You’ve been over to the credit union then.” Jeff looked down again. “I was really sorry to hear about your grandparents. I don’t think there was a person in this town who’d say a bad word against them. Good decent people.”
“Thanks, Jeff. I appreciate that.”
“Now, you didn’t come in here to just have a chat. What can I do you for?”
“Shrimp.”
Jeff shook his head. “Yeah. You said that. I’ve got some nice-looking Brunswick shrimp that came in just this morning. Big beauties too. How much you want?”
Jamie was doing a quick calculation in his head. “How much do they weigh?”
“Headless?” Jeff asked as he went behind the display case. “I’d say about sixteen count per pound.
“Let me have about three pounds. Make that four.”
“Must be some shindig you got going.” Jeff paused. “They’re on the pricey side. You sure you need that much? It’s gonna take all I have, too.”
“Yeah.” Jamie pulled out his wallet and pulled out his brand-new debit card that he’d just gotten from the credit union. “It’s for a staff get together. I think they’re worth it. They’ve had a hard go of it this year. Time to show some appreciation.”
“That’s mighty nice of you. What’cha makin’?”
“Traditional low country shrimp and grits.”
“Oh, man. Can I come? I love shrimp and grits.”
Jamie laughed. “Sorry, not this time. We’re also having a staff meeting. Maybe I’ll put it on the menu.”
Jeff stopped midway through weighing up the shrimp. “Please tell me you’re not closin’ up the diner. I can’t live without some decent biscuits and gravy. Got to have them at least on Sunday after church meetings. There’s no one ’round here that hold a candle to the diner’s biscuits and gravy.”
“No. Don’t worry. I’m not closing the diner.” Jamie smiled. “After church, eh?”
“I told you I married Sarah. Need I say more?”
Jamie had to laugh. There’d been many a time when Sarah dragged him off to her church. She gave up when he said he’d rather be working in the diner. And only then, when she finally figured out that he wasn’t at all interested. “Nope. Say no more.”
“Here ya go.” Jeff handed over a big black bag. “I put some ice in there on the bottom to keep them cold for ya. Didn’t know if you were planning on making any other stops.”
“I was going to go by the grocery store and pick up a few odds and ends, so thanks for the ice.” Jamie handed over the debit card. Jeff looked at it closely. “It’s brand new.” He looked closely at the card but didn’t say anything about the name on it.
Jeff nodded. He rang up the purchase. “Glad to see you back, Jamie. I hope you stick around for a while. Maybe have a get together with Sarah and the kids.”
“I guess we’ll have to see how things go. I think I’ll be here at least a month or so.” Jamie looked at Jeff again. “I’d like that.”
“Maybe you can come over and have dinner with us while you’re here,” Jeff said as he came around the counter again, walking with Jamie towards the door.
“What? Can Sarah cook now?” Jamie asked, stopping in his tracks.
“Hell no. I do all the cooking.” Jeff chuckled. “Sarah is a wonderful woman. Great mom. Works hard. But cooking is not a skill she has. Terrible in fact.”
Jamie couldn’t help but laugh. “Even Mamaw gave up on trying to teach that girl to cook.”
“I am sooo glad you told me that.” Jeff laughed heartily. “I can’t wait to hold that one over her head.”
“Oh, great. Now I’ll be in for it.” Jamie said as he opened the door. “Thanks, Jeff.” He stopped. “It was nice to see you, and I mean that.”
Jamie noticed that Jeff didn’t let the door shut until he’d driven off. That was so strange. I never would have expected that at all. And he’s married to Sarah. Never saw that coming. I now know why she never told me.