Bayou Pétain (Currently Re-Editing)

Begin Again

Merlynne dressed herself in the most scandalous, revealing dress she could find. Her hair had a windblown look to it, and her makeup was flawless.
Dr. Joe had told her to make peace with the loss of Hadrien, but she wasn't hearing that. She had to see him, one last time. Today he was getting married, and she was going to the wedding. When she heard tell that the wedding would be today, she set her plan into action. She smoked an entire blunt, and popped a pill. Merlynne had no shame today, naked under her revealing dress. She wore her sexiest pair of lace up heels, and spritzed on her raciest perfume. She had went to another hoodoo woman by the name of Eveangeline, who had given her a powder to drop at the wedding, supposedly to stop it from happening. All for only $100.
She was ready.
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The backyard was elegantly decorated, with an added touch of whimsy. Celestine had built a beautiful arch underneath the trees. Everything was beautifully decorated. Long tables with white tablecloths, centerpieces of magnolias and white candles. People had started arriving, and were amazed at the scenery. Tall entwinements of tulle blended in with the trees near the house, and a beautiful pathway was made to the part of the yard where the ceremony would be held.
As the guests came in, they were greeted by Dreeky and Cesaire, would would let them sign a guestbook and they gave each guest a soft, white gris-gris sachet. Dreeky was looking fierce as ever, dressed in an off- white ensemble from his own line. Cesaire was straight old school elegant, in his dashing tux.
Hadrien stood inside the bedroom, looking at himself in the mirror. His tuxedo had a good fit, and he liked the way he looked. Strands of his dreadlocks were tied back, and he added some shells to some of the others. His beard and goatee were nearly trimmed, courtesy of Tim. Hadrien had reached out to him earlier that week, wanting to invite them to the wedding. Tim had accepted, and told him that his pre- wedding grooming was on him. So Hadrien went to Tim's barber and got hooked up. His sideburns were trimmed in a straight, and he was looking right.
Victorine got ready in Jeraina Faye's room. Her gown was a beautiful sleeveless creation that hugged her belly and butt. Jeraina Faye pinned a magnolia in her hair. "There", she said, proudly. " Perfect." Victorine looked at herself in the full length mirror and was amazed at how she looked. "You're ready.", stated Jeraina Faye. She knew her daughter was finally ready to become a real woman.
Jeraina Faye's brother Horace and sister Gertrude would be taking Dreeky's and Cesaire's place at the door while they would get ready for the ceremony. Beforehand, Jeraina Faye had spoken to her siblings and let them know how sorry she was for the way she acted in the past.
Right as Dreeky was about to go to get ready, another guest came to the door. A very scantily clad guest. As she signed the guestbook, Dreeky caught a vision of a nude Hadrien, rolling around with this guest, pumping into her, spread eagle...So this was the bitch Hadrien had started seeing for a while.... He snapped out of it, and immediately got on his A game. " Excuse me, but I hope you're not here to cause any trouble for Victorine's wedding! Because if you have a mind to do so, I promise you, I will cut a bitch down, ya heard me? Think twice about what you're doing!", he warned. Merlynne stood shocked, but just then Tim and Tameka walked up, completely shocked to see Merlynne. "I'm with them", she said hurriedly, then grabbed Tameka's arm and went in, with a visibly pissed off Dreeky watching. He looked at Tim, and felt the connection he had with Hadrien. " You a friend of Hadrien's, Tim?", asked Dreeky. "Make sure that heifer don't start no shit, hear? Because she will get shut down!", he warned. Tim nodded, then went in to find them.
Tameka was stunned to see Merlynne dressed all slutty, and at the wedding. " What are y'all doing here?", Merlynne asked. Before Tameka could get a word out, Tim said, "Hadrien invited us!" Merlynne couldn't believe it. Tameka asked, "Merlynne, you're not going to do anything foolish, are you?" Merlynne stared at her blankly, then smiled, her secret brewing.
Dreeky went in the house to meet Victorine. When he walked in and saw her, tears filled his eyes. "You look beautiful!", he cried. Victorine hugged him to her swollen belly. "And bursting! Girl, you look like you're about to pop! But beautiful, though!" Jeraina Faye smiled.
Meanwhile, Merlynne had told Tameka she needed to go to the bathroom and had left in search of Victorine. She wanted to tell her all about her time with Hadrien. She heard talking coming from a room, so she followed the sound. She opened the door to see a very pregnant Victorine, the punk who checked her at the door, and a very mean looking older woman, who stared daggers at her.
Dreeky got at her quick. "Bitch, didn't I tell you....", was all he got out before Merlynne started speaking. " Hadrien fucked me for a week straight, then we hooked up some more after that!", she screeched, her chest heaving. "He would leave you and come meet me! He enjoyed every bit of me, and I love that man!" Victorine stared at Merlynne like she wanted to kill her. "You ain't woman enough for that man! You ain't nothing but a hoodoo hoe! You hurt that man, and it was ME that healed him! He took all of this pussy, and gave me ALL of that dick, and I took it! Ya heard me, bitch? I'm not scared of you!", she yelled. Before Victorine could get to her, Dreeky and Jeraina Faye was on Merlynne, pushing her out of the room. Dreeky wanted to punch her, but it was Jeraina Faye who grabbed her arm and escorted her down the hall.
" Listen here, you bitch!", hissed Jeraina Faye. "You must be out your goddamned mind!" Merlynne had the pouch of powder in her hands and tried to throw some on Jeraina Faye, but she quickly dug it out of Merlynne's hand. "What's this?", she asked. " You lil bitch! Where did you get this, huh? Trying to fix me and my daughter on her wedding day?" She inspected the pouch and immediately knew where it came from. "So, Eveangeline supplying you? Well, I'm about to send you back to that bitch!", yelled Jeraina Faye, angrily. Merlynne tried to get by Jeraina Faye, but she was too powerful. She pushed Merlynne into the wall, saying, " I ought to kill you bitch! Right here and now! Hadrien don't want you! You won't be missed! How dare you defy me and my daughter?" Merlynne had enough. She swung as hard as she could, connecting to Jeraina Faye's face, but then Dreeky stole her with a lick across her face, stunning her.
   Hadrien had heard the commotion from the room and had came to see what was happening. When he saw Merlynne on the floor with Dreeky and Jeraina Faye beating her, he rushed to stop the altercation. "Merlynne, what are you doing here? I'm getting married today!", he said, grabbing her arm and shielding her from the rest. " I had to see you, Hadrien! I love you!", she cried. "You can't marry Victorine!" Jeraina Faye charged at her again, but Hadrien pleaded with her. "I will handle this! Please, just tend to Victorine!"
   Hadrien ushered Merlynne to the back door. He didn't want to hear any of her pleading. "Merlynne, I need you to leave! If Victorine sees you..." , his voice trailed. "She knows I'm here, Hadrien! I told her all about our affair! She knows!", screamed an angry Merlynne.
   Just then, Mrs. Cecile came down the hall. " It's time to begin, Hadrien.", she said softly but sternly, eyeing Merlynne. Hadrien turned from Merlynne and walked away, kissing Mrs. Cecile on the cheek and taking her arm. Merlynne stood there, defeated. She watched Hadrien walk away from her, not even turning to see if she was still there.
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   When Teta had received the invitation to Hadrien's wedding, she was surprised they even invited her. At first, she declined, saying it would be best if she didn't attend. But after a while, she thought no harm could come from it.  She cooked a special dish of crawfish cakes for Victorine and Hadrien and said a special blessing over it.
  Arriving at the wedding, Teta felt something in the wind. Something frightening. She grabbed Fiyah's hand and looked at him, worriedly. There was a putrid smell then, and Teta vomited, the smell cutting through her. Fiyah was alarmed and asked if she wanted to go home, but Teta knew something was happening. "We can't leave now", she said, "The ancestors are forbidding it!"
Fiyah looked at his wife tenderly, knowing her words were true. He even felt it himself. There was a chill in the air now, and the smell came, stronger.
   They walked in the yard to the entrance of the ceremony. Teta spotted Dreeky and called him over. After hugging and complimenting him, Teta gave him the pan of food, just as Dreeky began to say, "Girl, the drama already began!" Teta didn't like the sound of that.
   In the meantime, Merlynne had seated herself with Tameka again, looking tore up. "Girl, what happened to you!", she asked after noticing reddish splotches in Merlynne's face. Merlynne sat quiet, not saying a word. Tim wanted to say something, but decided not to.
   Victorine was still in Jeraina Faye's room, raging from her hormones. " I ought to go out there and, and....", she huffed, not knowing what to say. Jeraina Faye hugged her and said, "Not to worry! You about to go out there and marry yourself a good man! Don't you worry about that bitch! Me and Dreeky fixed her up, but good!", she laughed. Victorine hugged her mamma tightly, and little Kalan moved just then. Jeraina Faye was stunned. " That's my grandbaby in there!", she said proudly. "Tell your mommy it's time to go meet your daddy, because he's waiting!" Victorine smiled and took one last look in the mirror.
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   The guests were all seated in the rows of chairs in the back yard. Ronald's girlfriend Lisa sat with Dreeky's mother, Felicia and his sisters, Antoinette and Sheila. Ronald had went out front to smoke a joint without her, and she was mad as hell. How dare he? Didn't he know that she needed to get right too? Lisa talked loudly to any and everyone who would tolerate her.
   Cesaire had hired a brass band to play the wedding. They were all set up and awaiting the start. Hadrien, with Mrs. Cecile on his arm, walked down the aisle to the front. He kissed her cheek as she sat next to TonTon, whom he hugged. Hadrien stood next to Cesaire as Dreeky came strutting those long legs to his place. Jeraina Faye took her place, then all waited for the bride.
   Celestine had offered to walk Victorine down the aisle, and she accepted graciously. As she held her magnolia bouquet, she took a deep breath. Victorine looked at the beautiful back yard and everyone who had came to share this event with them. As they walked towards Pastor Ennis and Hadrien, Victorine looked over the crowd of people. She hadn't noticed if Merlynne was still there. Her eyes were for her man. Hadrien looked so handsome in his suit. She couldn't believe they were finally doing it. She smiled brightly as she got closer.
   When Hadrien saw Victorine coming, his heart pounded. She was a lovely vision in that dress, and he suddenly couldn't wait to get her out of it. He was secretly worried that she would have been upset over Merlynne's outburst, but as she smiled at him, he knew everything was alright. Celestine ushered her to Hadrien and she hugged him before he left to take his seat. Hadrien took Victorine into his arms and hugged her. She looked up into his eyes and smiled tenderly.
   Pastor Ennis began the ceremony. Merlynne was twisting in her seat, ready to cause trouble and rolling her eyes at everyone. She side- eyed Tameka and Tim, who were sitting very cozy. Tim had his arm around Tameka and Merlynne wanted to push it off. She knew that the pastor would soon ask if there was anyone who thought this wedding shouldn't take place, and boy, did she have a testimony for them! She was going to stand up and tell everyone about their affair.
   Teta watched the ceremony, smiling at Fiyah as he kissed her fingertips. She wished that Hadrien and Victorine would experience a real love like hers and Fiyah's. A foul smell floated in on the wind and it chilled her to her bones. She looked around, seeing everything and nothing. Something was happening; she just didn't know what.
   Everyone watched in rapt attention as Pastor Ennis continued. Jeraina Faye was silently praying that the pastor would hurry up and finish, because she could smell trouble brewing, coming from the back, where lo and behold sat that bitch, Merlynne. She had her nerves to still be there. Jeraina Faye used her innermost power to avert the pastor's routine. Pastor Ennis asked for the rings and Jeraina Faye exhaled. Victorine and Hadrien exchanged their wedding bands and it was now official.  Pastor Ennis said, "By the powers, vested in me, I pronounce you, Man and Wife! You may kiss your bride!"
    Merlynne was outraged as she watched her Hadrien give Victorine  such a juicy kiss, she could feel it in her stomach. What the fuck happened? She was supposed to break things up, not watch them get married! She stood, about to call out to Hadrien, but then everyone stood clapping. Merlynne was defeated once again. As she looked at Tameka, forlornly, she heard a scream.
   A naked, rotting Derek L. came staggering through from the bushes. Hadrien's eyes were the size of marbles. Jeraina Faye ran to Celestine, and TonTon MaCootre looked on in horror. All of the elder women screamed, and the crowd started to run away. Victorine knew he had came for her, and stood there dumbfounded. Tameka, not realizing at first, then all at once, screamed as she saw her baby daddy, a gross, real-life zombie. Derek moved towards Victorine, his rotting body a gorey prop from a horror film. Hadrien tried to move towards Victorine to shield her, but Derek growled and tried to bite him. Victorine screamed uncontrollably as Hadrien tried to ward him off. Derek back handed Hadrien, and forwarded towards Victorine.
   Teta stood from her seat and summoned all of her strength and power and yelled an ancient curse in the forgotten language. Vibrations of power hit Derek and spliced him. He turned to see where this was coming from, his face a Halloween mask, but he had no life force any longer. Teta drained the energy that kept him "alive". Her eyes turned black as ebony night as she finished him. Jeraina Faye watched her in amazement. Teta had way more power than she let on, it seemed, and Jeraina Faye was glad she was here. Every grotesque inch of Derek's body vanished, and all that was left was a pile of ashes. Celestine hurried to the shed and came back with a sack and swept the ashes inside.
   Hadrien held on to his wife, and told her it was over. TonTon, Jeraina Faye, and Celestine assured the crowd that everything was alright now, and that they should enjoy the reception. Victorine was still shaking when Hadrien brought her into the house. Dreeky and Cesaire followed close behind, still not at ease. Victorine had to lie down on the bed as Hadrien ran to get her a wet towel. Dreeky held her hand and asked, " Are you alright? Girl, too much drama today! But you did it , hon! You are Mrs. Hadrien Colomb! " Victorine smiled at Dreeky, then Jeraina Faye walked in. "Mamma! Oh, mamma!", she cried, hugging her mother. " What happened? How did you get rid of him?", she asked. Jeraina Faye looked her in the eyes and said, "You need to thank Teta for that!" Victorine looked confused at hearing Teta's name, then looked towards the door as Teta and her husband entered the room.
   "How are you feeling?", asked Teta. Victorine was sorry she hated her. " Thanks to you, I'm fine now!", she tried to laugh. Just then, she caught a contraction and screamed. Hadrien ran to her side, holding her hand. Victorine's water broke just then, and gushed out .  "The baby's coming!", yelled Dreeky, and they all scrambled about. " We have to get her to a hospital!", Hadrien yelled, but Jeraina Faye intervened. "There's no time! She's already crowning!" Teta looked at Fiyah then said, "We're gonna have to deliver the baby here, right now!"
     Outside, Celestine had informed the guests that Victorine was in labor and that they should all start eating. He would keep them all informed. Inside the house was a circus of activity. Teta tried her best to calm Victorine, but the contractions were coming fast and this baby wanted out. Hadrien held Victorine's hand as she began to cry. Dreeky wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel. Cesaire volunteered to help serve the dinner with the elder women, Mrs. Cecile and Matilda.  Fiyah stood in the hallway, praying that the birth would be a success.
   Victorine's perfect dress was ruined with placenta water and blood.  Teta prayed silently as the baby's head began to protrude even more. She told Victorine to push, and Hadrien seen the concern in Teta's eyes. Victorine pushed as hard as she could until Teta told her to stop. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and Teta had to work fast, her own babies inside her tossing and turning. Teta's magick hands unwrapped the cord, and she ordered Victorine to push again.  Victorine strained hard as she pushed, screaming from the devastating pain. Hadrien looked at Teta and saw her concentration. He couldn't believe that the woman he once ravaged delightfully was helping his daughter come into this world. She asked Victorine to push one last time, and then the sound of a crying baby brought him back to reality. Victorine had did it. Little Kalan was beautiful. Dreeky cried tears of joy as he witnessed the whole thing. Jeraina Faye brought towels and hot water and took the baby to clean her. Hadrien kissed Victorine and told her, " You did it! She's perfect!"
   As Jeraina Faye washed little Kalan, she felt her heart swell. Hadrien came to take the baby from her. He looked at Jeraina Faye and said, "We're naming her Kalan, in honor of my father." Jeraina Faye's eyes went big when she heard the name. She had loved Hadrien's father once upon a time, but it wasn't meant to be. Her eyes got soft, and she hugged little Kalan to her before giving her to Hadrien. "Now, y'all can begin again, as a family."