Chapter 6 #2
He hadn’t been in Pearl’s little Bug before.
The front seat touched the back seat before he was comfortable and she was still smiling to herself.
“If I ever buy a car, I need to get a truck,” he muttered. “Not a teeny tiny car like this.”
“This works well in the city. Don’t hate on my ride.” She drove out of his laneway and headed back toward Harmony Glen.
It was a short ride from his swamp to town. They passed the botanical gardens on Harmony Road before they reached the downtown. Pearl parked on a side street and then they walked down to the bistro on the corner.
“This looks nice. It’s nice to have a new business in Harmony Glen,” Pearl remarked.
“It is. I like to see the town growing.” Which was true, because it meant more work for him, but also it made him a touch nervous. That was his parents’ doing, though, and they’d been gone for a long time. And as of yet, no one bad had come to Harmony Glen, that he knew of anyway.
As they approached the bistro, Phineas noticed Coat looked far from ready to open anytime soon. There was also no sign of anyone there.
“Uh, this is weird.” Immediately his fins stood on end.
“A bit.” Pearl knocked on the door, peering inside.
A couple of minutes went by before Pierre appeared in the door, smiling brightly. “You both made it to my bistro.”
“Your bistro?” Phineas asked, stunned.
Pierre nodded, grinning and stepping aside to let them in. “Cajun cuisine in the north.”
“You said you had an in with the owner,” Phineas said.
“Mais. I do. It’s me,” Pierre said proudly.
“When do you open?” Pearl asked.
“Not for some time. I just bought it yesterday,” Pierre responded, shutting the door and locking it. “Coat will be the best Cajun fusion bistro this side of the Mississippi.”
“Coat doesn’t sound very Cajun,” Phineas said, trying not to laugh.
“Mais, I know. It’s named after my little dog Coat.”
“Your dog is named Coat?” Pearl asked, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Pierre nodded. “When I adopted him, I wanted to name him Coach, but the shelter I got him from misheard and named him Coat and it stuck. I mean, he’s black and white and it looks like he’s wearing a little coat with a bow tie.
Coat is staying with a friend in Louisiana, but will be joining me here in Harmony Glen next week.
My apartment above the bistro is almost done. ”
Phineas found it endearing that Pierre had a pet dog. He loved all animals, but never plucked up the courage to adopt one. It was clear Pierre was a decent, gentle gill man, which put him at ease.
“Where are you staying now?” Phineas asked, though he knew because Pearl had told him. He just didn’t want to seem like a weirdo knowing his supposed brother’s movements.
“Room with a Tomb,” Pierre stated. “The ghosts are interesting characters. Although, the nude one is a bit of a surprise at first.”
“Mario,” Pearl said. “And yes, he is.”
“Have a seat, you two, and I’ll bring out some boudin. I have vegetarian boudin too, because I don’t eat meat and wasn’t sure if either of you were vegetarian.”
“I am,” Phineas remarked.
“I am not,” Pearl said. “But I’m open to trying both varieties.”
“Great. I’ll be back in a moment.” Pierre disappeared into the kitchen.
Phineas pulled out a chair for Pearl and she took a seat, then he sat next to her and studied the bistro. It was still a little bit rough around the edges and needed some work. He’d like to lend a hand to Pierre.
Maybe they could bond that way.
Pierre returned with a tray of boudin and water. There was also Tabasco on the table and some olive salad.
“Boudin,” Pierre proudly announced. “The traditional kind is sausage and rice with spices. Of course, the casing is pork as well. The vegetarian boudin is tofu and rice and the casing is seaweed gel dip I’ve perfected.
Gives the hold of a casing and if you fry it, you can’t tell the difference. The olive salad is used in muffaletta.”
“I want to try both,” Pearl said. “Do I put Tabasco on it?”
Pierre nodded. “Of course, it’s a tradition.”
Phineas ate eggs and cheese, but he didn’t eat pork or fish or beef, so he opted for the tofu seaweed version of the boudin. He dumped some Tabasco on it and then took a bite. It was one of the best things he’d ever eaten.
“Holy cow,” Pearl exclaimed. “That’s amazing, Pierre.”
Pierre grinned. “I went to culinary school.”
“You might want to share this with Magnus,” Phineas suggested. “He loves cooking, and I might opt to have more breakfasts at Room with a Tomb if the sausages were like this.”
“I did show him,” Pierre said. “He’s going to come down here and help me too. We have a lot in common, however, I’m not sure about his enchanted appliances.”
“That’s Mona’s doing,” Phineas said. “She runs The Clothes Spin down the street.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I’ll get to know everyone soon enough. Just have to finish some tweaks here and then I can open up.” Pierre grinned at them. “This town, this place, seems friendly.”
“What made you move here?”
Phineas was grateful for Pearl’s question, because he really didn’t know how to broach the subject. He was usually good at talking to people, but talking to Pierre just felt awkward.
“Phineas,” Pierre stated.
“What do you mean, me?” Phineas asked, trying his best not to sound accusatory, but how did Pierre know he was here? And if he knew, why didn’t he try to find him sooner?
Also, why now?
“It’s a long story.” Pierre crossed his arms and leaned forward on the table. “I didn’t know who I was for most of my life.”
Phineas exchanged a questioning glance with Pearl.
“What do you mean?” Phineas asked.
“I had amnesia. See this scar?” Pierre pointed to his face.
The mark was hard to miss. “I was injured during a storm, and when I was found, I had no memory of who I was or where I came from. I was just in a hospital that, thankfully, didn’t hate monsters.
You know some areas in the south aren’t particularly fond of gill men. ”
“I don’t actually. I grew up here.” Although Phineas had heard from his parents.
“Mais. Of course. You were only a little baby when this all happened.” Pierre’s shoulders slumped.
“I remember the storm now. It was a hurricane and wreaked havoc on the coast of Louisiana. Mom was trying to get us to safety. She had you strapped to her chest. I was seven and Dad was away. We tried to get out, but there was a surge and I was swept away. I remember Mom’s screams and me trying to cry out to her, but I couldn’t.
Somehow, I got injured. Someone took pity on me and took me to the hospital. All they knew was my name.”
Phineas tried not to picture that horrific storm. He had no memory of it, but the absolute horror his mother must have felt losing her child? He didn’t want to think about it. His mother had always been so protective of him.
“Phineas?”
His mom’s panicked voice echoed across the swamp. He knew he better go back and not hide anymore. She’d get upset and cry and he didn’t want that. He hated when his mom cried.
“Right here, Mom,” he answered, popping around the corner of the house.
She touched her chest and breathed softly. “Oh. Thank goodness.”
“Sorry, Mom. I wasn’t far, I swear.”
“I know, but I need a hug all the same.”
Phineas raced into her arms. He could hear her heart racing.
“Can’t lose you,” she mumbled, like she always did when she was upset.
“You won’t, Mom,” Phineas reassured.
“I know. Let’s go inside.”
His hands were in fists, his body tense, until he felt the soft touch of Pearl. Her hand slipping inside of his, reassuring him.
“How did they know your name?” Pearl asked quietly.
“I had something with my name on it strung around my neck in a plastic casing. Something Mom did in case I got lost, I guess.” Pierre pulled out his wallet and set a picture, the torn picture, on the table.
It was the missing piece of the family photograph.
Torn exactly the same way, with just a piece of his arm missing, almost like it had been hastily torn.
Phineas swallowed the hard lump in his throat. “If it had your name, why weren’t you returned to Mom and Dad?” His voice came out in barely a squeak.
“It had my name, Pierre Lafontaine, but no information on where I came from. The authorities searched far and wide, but all the gill man settlements in the bayous had been destroyed and they’d been driven away.
Honestly, I think they believed my family was dead.
There was stuff on the television for a while, but no one came forward.
I was in the foster system for some time, but no one really wanted to adopt a monster either. ”
“You grew up in the foster system?” Phineas asked, alarmed.
“No, I was eventually adopted by a nice older Cajun couple from Jeanerette. They didn’t care I was a gill man.
” Pierre smiled. “They had no family of their own and I had no memory of mine. They raised me, took care of me, and sent me to school. It was then that I got into another little accident and my memories returned. I searched for a long time and then learned Mom and Dad were killed by a mob near Tallowfield.”
“Yes,” Phineas responded dryly. “I was just a boy.”
“It broke my heart.” There were tears in Pierre’s eyes. “I thought you were gone too, and then I heard something about a gill man living near Harmony Glen. Not many gill men go north, and since Harmony Glen was close to Tallowfield, I had to come and see for myself.”
“How long have you been in town?” Pearl asked. “You’ve bought a bistro and well why haven’t you looked for Phineas before this, before investing in this building?”
Pierre’s expression softened. “I’ve been in town for two weeks. No one in town would tell me where Phineas was. They’re very protective of you, Phineas.”
Phineas appreciated that. Harmony Glen had his back. “They are.”
“I knew you were here. I could feel it.” Pierre touched his chest, closing his eyes.
“I decided to buy the building and move here because my adopted family are gone, and Louisiana wasn’t particularly receptive to a gill man opening up a bistro.
Especially one named after his dog. Harmony Glen is accepting and since I knew you were around town, I knew I would eventually bump into you.
Not many gill men up this way. I also didn’t want to come on too strong and scare you away by searching every swamp.
I want to have a relationship with you. I wanted to find you, but not come on too strong. You are my brother.”
So many emotions were rushing through him. He looked at Pierre and saw the reflection of his father. Without having to ask, Pearl slipped him the photograph and he set it on the table, next to the piece that Pierre had.
A tear slipped from Pierre’s eyes. “Mais, it’s Mom and Dad. And my brother.”
Phineas nodded. “I’m still not sure…”
“I will do a genetic test,” Pierre said. “Whatever you need to feel comfortable. I’m sorry it took me so long to find you, to remember you.”
“I can speak to Dr. Mishra about doing a swab, but it might take some time to get the results back,” Pearl offered.
Pierre nodded. “I have all the time in the world now. Harmony Glen is nice. Not sure how I’ll be able to handle northern winters, but if Phineas has managed, I can too.”
“You’ll need a coat,” Phineas said and smiled at his brother. “Maybe a beanie.”
“Mais. Is it really that cold?”
“It can be,” Pearl said.
Pierre shuddered. “Okay, enough talking about the cold. I’m going to bring us some café au lait and beignets. What do you say about that?”
Phineas nodded and smiled. “I’d like that…brother.”