Bethy nodded.“He might be but he doesn’t think anyone else knows who those people are or what they are doing here.”Shrugging, she said, “Most people don’t really care what’s going on beyond the edge of the swamp, at least that’s what he’s counting on.”
Colt nodded.“That’s true enough.We are simple people and we’re just trying to live a decent life here.”
Sonny snorted.“Cousin, you just got here.”
Colt nodded.“Yeah cousin, but we were only gone like four years.I’ve seen the world outside this swamp and you know what?I liked coming home.Despite the trouble here, it’s a safer place here than out there.But lately, this place is drawing the bad here.Nothing we can’t handle, mind you but it’s a sad thing when trouble this bad follows us home.”
Maudie snorted.“Sha, it didn’t follow you here, it’s been here all along.Even life here has its own set of troubles.We just have to deal with it sometimes and right now is one of those times.Most of the time we live peacefully but lordy, sometimes we don’t.And the times we don’t...well mais, that’s just bad people making trouble.When dat happens, we take care of things in our own way.”
“We got our own weaponry, the beast dogs and the gators to help us with the very worst.”Leeza snickered.
Rhetta nodded.“I’m thinking Shay should just cancel the troops and we have ourselves an old-fashioned Gator Gig.”
Shay leaned back in his chair and asked, “Do I wanna know what that is?”
“NO!”the entire group shouted the answer.
Everyone snickered now.
“It involves a winch, with a chain,” Sonny explained.“Then when the sun goes down...”He shrugged.
Boomer shivered as he knew right away.He’d seen that once when he was here.“Sometimes, I almost feel sorry for the idiots who mess with you.”He paused and added, “Almost...”
Shay agreed, “They think they can come here and mess this place up but you all teach them they can’t.Then when it’s all said and done, they find they can’t do a damn thing and this fact just seems impossible to them.And do you know why?”
King stared at him and then he smiled.
Shay just smiled back.“They can’t win against you because of the spirit inside this woman right here.”He motioned to Maudie.“She’s got the spirit of this swamp inside her and she knows damn well the swamp will always protect her if she protects the swamp.Maudie is much stronger than she realizes.I’ve met many people over the years being what King called the ‘Everywhere Man.’But I’ve never met a more kindhearted, warm, human being.This swamp and all of you need her.I, for one, am happy to have even met her,” he paused then he looked up at King.“Brother, I hope you always love and protect this woman because if you don’t, I have a feeling this swamp will eat you alive and spit out your bones, picked clean.”
“Son, you don’t think I know my woman?”King growled.“She loved me enough to wait fifteen years for me to finally remember my way home.”He looked around the kitchen.“She built me a dang mansion to come back to.There were many nights I lay in the cold and dirty sand, dreaming of her and waiting till the day my work was done so I could come home and be back in her arms.And the day I did, she was here waiting for me.And I knew the minute she put her arms around me again that I came home for good.No way in hell am I ever leaving her.Never again, not for anything.You bet I’ll stand beside her, never behind or in front of her but right there beside her.”Shaking his head he added, “Sometimes at night I have to wake myself up to listen to her breathing right there in my bed.If I can hear that, then I know everything in my world is alright.”He caught Shay’s eyes and stared at him while he said, “I will die for this woman and I would kill for her too.She’s mine in a way that only she knows and that suits me just fine.And for as long as I live no one will ever hurt her.She is my queen.”
Everyone in the room had gone silent.
Tannin, Colt, Mickey, Ragan and Tiege all whispered at the same time, “Damn...”
His speech even got to Leeza, Rhetta and Rene.They all had to swipe tears away while showing their softer side.
