New Orleans, LA, Sept. 1976
"Nadine, what are we goin' to do?" Yvonne Alouette asked her good friend Nadine Potier. Yvonne's young son Genard was playing with his toy trucks on the living room floor while Nadine helped Yvonne fold laundry.
The little boy looked up when he heard his mother's question. "What are you gon' do 'bout what, Mama?" he asked, his big brown eyes wide and curious behind his glasses. He was only five years old, and had no idea that his world was about to be turned upside down.
Yvonne smiled warmly down at her son and ruffled his blond hair. "Never you mind, petit. Why don' you go an' play wit' your trucks in de sandbox?"
Genard smiled and stood up. "'Kay. Bye Mrs. Potier."
"Au revoir, Genard." Nadine replied. The two women watched the small boy leave the room with his trucks and Nadine sighed. "I remember when Claude was his age. Seems like it was so long ago."
"It was a long time ago, Nadine. Claude's all grown up now, an' a full member of de Guild at dat. You mus' be so proud of him." Yvonne said, picking up a pile of folded towels and taking them to the closet.
"I am. He's turned into a fine young man." Nadine sighed, looking down at her growing belly. "Yvonne, I don' want my daughter growin' up in dis life. It's hard 'nough for de boys to do it, but de girls would have it a lot harder."
"Which brings me back to my question. What are we goin' to do?" Yvonne asked. "Remember, you aren' de only one 'round here who's pregnant. I don' want my daughter growin' up 'round de Guild either."
"Dere's only one t'ing I know dat I can do," Nadine replied. "I'm leavin', Yvonne. I don' have a choice. I'm goin' to go to Los Angeles. I've already talked to Jean-Luc 'bout it, an' he t'inks it's for de best, if I want to keep my daughter safe."
Yvonne raised her eyebrows. "What 'bout Andre? An' Claude? Do dey know? What do dey t'ink 'bout it?"
"Dey don' like it much, mais dey're acceptin' it." Nadine replied. "I t'ink Andre's havin' a harder time wit' it den Claude is. Dey both know dat to keep her safe, I have to leave dem."
Yvonne was silent for a few moments, lost in thought. She hated the idea of leaving Genard…he was just a little boy…but she knew that Pierre and the other members of the Guild would take care of him. She knew that Genard would grow up to be a full member of the Guild the way Claude had, they way they all had. "I’m gon' wit' you, Nadine." She said finally.
"Are you sure? I mean once we go, we can' come back, you know dat, don' you?" Nadine replied.
"I know." Yvonne said, resting a hand on her belly. "I hate to leave Genard, but I know he'll be okay. He might even understand someday."
Los Angeles, CA, Sept. 1977
"It's hard to b'lieve it's been a year." Nadine commented. She and Yvonne were sitting at the kitchen table in their airy Los Angeles split-level house, drinking coffee and reminiscing.
"Quite a year, too." Yvonne agreed, smiling down at the two infant girls attempting to play pat-a-cake on the kitchen floor near them. "I wish…"
Nadine followed her friend's gaze. "I do too. It would be great if Andre and Claude could know Dani. An' I know you'd love to have Pierre an' Genard know Rory. But we both knew when we did dis dat we wouldn' be able to go back."
"Maybe someday, de girls will go. It might be too late for dem to know deir fathers, but dey could still get to know deir brothers." Yvonne suggested. "I don' t'ink we should tell dem 'bout de Guild until dey start askin' questions, t'ough. It's a bit of a touchy subject."
"I agree." Nadine replied.
Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 1983
"How was school, girls?" Yvonne asked when the two little girls came into the living room after school one day.
The girls dropped their backpacks on the floor by the couch and climbed up to sit with Yvonne, one on either side. They were in kindergarten at the local elementary school, and were weeks away from their sixth birthdays.
"Fine." Dani replied vaguely. She and Rory, who was three weeks younger than her, had some questions they wanted to ask their mothers, but weren't sure how to do it.
"Mama?" Rory asked, seeing that Dani wasn't saying anything. "The teacher was talking about families in school today, and all the other kids had fathers and brothers and sisters. How come Dani and I don't?"
Yvonne sighed quietly so the girls wouldn't notice and looked up. Nadine was standing in the doorway and had heard Rory's question. Neither woman was looking forward to the conversation they were about to have with their daughters. Nadine went over and sat down with them on the couch, pulling Dani into her lap.
"You do." She said. "You both do. Your fathers live in Louisiana, which is a long way from here. Dat's where we used to live."
Yvonne smiled. "You each also have an older brother. Dey live in Louisiana as well."
"How come they live there, and we live here?" Rory asked.
"B'fore you two were born, we decided to move here for your own safety." Nadine replied. "You see, our fam'lies are part of what's known as the New Orleans T'ieves Guild, an' de lifestyle dey lead is a very dangerous one. We didn' want you two involved in dat."
"We wanted to keep you away from it, an' movin' was de only way to do it." Yvonne continued.
"Mama?" Dani asked. "Tell me about my brother." Louisiana and Thieves Guilds meant nothing to her, she wanted to know about her big brother, whom she had never met.
"Well," Nadine replied. "His name is Claude, an' he jus' turned twenty-six years old a month ago. Go look in de mirror."
"Why?" Dani asked, sliding off her mother's lap and running over to the mirror.
Nadine followed her and stood behind her small daughter with a smile on her face. "Look at yourself. You look like him, 'specially your eyes. You have de same hair color too."
"Cool!" Dani replied. "When can I meet him?"
Nadine ruffled her daughter's thick brown hair and sighed. "Unless he comes out here, you won' be able to meet him until you grow up, petite, I'm sorry."
"That's okay." Dani said.
A few minutes later, when the two girls were sitting at the kitchen table doing their homework, Nadine and Yvonne had a conference in the living room.
"Did you tell Rory 'bout Genard?" Nadine asked.
"Oui. I t'ink she's a little upset dat I left him dere when he was so young, but she's also very anxious to meet him someday." Yvonne replied.
"Dani wants to meet Claude too. I t'ink once dey do meet someday, dey an' de boys will be able to get along very well. I see a lot of Claude an' Genard in dem." Nadine commented.
"So do I. It's a nice t'ing to see, too."
New Orleans, LA, Aug. 1983
"Claude?" twelve-year-old Genard asked, standing tentatively beside the chair his friend was sitting in.
"Oui, Genard? What is it?" Claude replied, putting the book he was reading down and giving his young friend a smile.
"Our moms aren' comin' back, are dey?"
Claude sighed. "No, dey're not."
Genard thought about that for a moment before continuing. "Does dat bother you?"
"Sometimes, oui." Claude told him. "I miss my mom a lot, an' I know you miss yours. But I know why dey went, an' I t'ink dey did de right t'ing, given de circumstances."
"What do you mean?" Genard wanted to know.
"I mean dat our two little sisters, who are both six years old right now, have a better life, a safer life, b'cause dey're in Los Angeles instead of here. Our moms left b'cause dey wanted to keep de girls safe. Dere's not'ing wrong wit' dat."
"But dey left us!"
Claude reached up and put a hand on Genard's shoulder. "Yeah, dey did. But someday, when dose two little girls are grown up, we might be able to meet de reasons why."
"Yeah…"
Madrid, Spain, sometime in 1991
"He's in here, Mr. LeBeau." The voice said. Thirteen-year-old Etienne Marceaux sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around his legs. He wasn't exactly scared of Jean-Luc LeBeau…the big man was his uncle after all…but he felt like a failure, and didn't know what was going to happen next.
Jean-Luc entered the room and looked at his young nephew, trying to put a stern expression on his face, but not quite succeeding. "Come here." He said, holding his arms out to the boy.
Etienne got off the bed and automatically brushed his hair out of his blue eyes. He went over to his uncle and felt safe for the first time since he and Remy had gotten separated trying to escape from the Pig.
"I'm sorry…" he sobbed into Jean-Luc's chest.
"Shhhh." Jean-Luc replied, running a hand through Etienne's blond hair. "It's not your fault. I'm jus' glad you're okay."
Etienne looked up at Jean-Luc, tears swimming in his eyes. "I can' go back to Nawlins, can I? I mean, I failed de tilling…"
"I know dat. Technically, you could go back, mais, I t'ink it would be better if you didn'. I'm gon' take you to California. A couple of ladies who live dere will take care of you. I've already spoken to dem 'bout it."
Etienne was apprehensive. "Who are dey?"
Jean-Luc smiled as he and his nephew walked out of the hospital. "Dey are Claude's an' Genard's mothers. Dey moved to Los Angeles back in 1976, to keep deir daughters safe. De two girls are a year older den you. Claude an' Genard have never seen dem, but dat doesn' mean dey never will. Don' worry, Et. You'll be in good hands. I wouldn' leave you wit' dem if I didn' trust dem completely."
"Okay. Um…" Etienne faltered. "What are you gon' tell everyone?"
Jean-Luc sighed. That was going to be the hardest part when he got back home to New Orleans. "I'll either tell dem dat you're dead, or missin'. I don' really know right at de moment. I'll know when I get dere."
"Remy, Emil…Theo…I'm never gon' see dem 'gain, am I?" Etienne said softly, the tears welling up in his eyes again.
"Oh, I t'ink you will, Et. Someday, after you've grown up." Jean-Luc replied.