Sins Of The Father

October 30th, 1963 behind 1700 acres of farmland, a woman could be heard laboring as the midwife reassured her that the fruit of her labor was near. Her dissaproving but supportive mother-in-law, Lady Jean, held her up as she pushed one last time. The baby was delived into the arms of midwife LaNora James. The childs parents were Beth and Samuel Eloi-Jean. Her last name was proof that this child had a family history that dated back to England, then merged bloodlines with the French. She had been born to a family with a dark past and she would one day be the owner of their sugar cane farm and all of the blood that was shed on it.

Months passed and stiff March winds announced the coming of a spring storm. 2:45 a.m. As fair baby Camile slept, Beth rocked the hand carved cradle back and forth with her foot. She had just about moved into the downstairs room so that Camile wouldn't disturb her Samuel. She adjusted the mosquito netting and looked at her resting babies fine features. She smiled as she fanned them both with her grandmother's rosewood and cotton fan. When Camile cried she picked her up to breast feed her. As she rocked her, she could tell that her daughter was gaining weight rapidly. She studied the grey of her eyes and wondered if they would turn blue like hers one day, or would she have green eyes like her father. Surely her hair would be blond once it filled in, but for now she only had a few fine strands. As she held her she paid special attention to the left side of her head where hair was beginning to come in. She stroked the downy hair. Camile was in awe of such a small life. She spent many hours of each day simply staring at her. She heard her husbands heavy footsteps.

"Samuel, this is odd. Did anyone in your family have red hair?" asked Beth.

"I can't be sure, but wasn't no talk of any, Why?" asked Samuel.

"Our little lady seems to be getting a few strands of red on the right side of her head. I've just noticed it. Come and look!" said Beth.

"Ah sweets, it's much too early to say," said Samuel as he walked into the next room to enjoy his Brandy and cigar to start his day. There she was alone again with her little angel, doing the work of a woman. Soon Camile was comforted and put down in the crib. As the sun got up over the sugarcane, Beth walked over to the crib and removed the mosquito netting. She stood there motionless as she examined the sleeping baby. The top of her head had filled in with a thick patch of dark coarse hair. Beth ran her fingers through it. Why so fast? Was this normal with babies? she wondered. How could she have blond strands on one side, red strands on the other side, and now a black patch on the top of her head?

"Mrs. Jean, I'm going into town for groceries. Can I get anything for you while I'm out?" asked Audrey the live in housekeeper.

"I don't need nothing, but stop and leave a word for Mrs. Norma to come to me when she can. I have a few questions about the baby is all," said Beth.

"Will do, ma'am. I won't be long," said Audrey. She was gone long enough for Beth to enjoy Audrey's special tea and a biscuit. When Beth woke Camile up, she talked to her as she laid out the cloth diapers and gathered the warm water and supplies needed to change her. As she pulled the little night gown up, she noticed that the back of Camile's right hand was a beautiful brown, as if she'd been out in the sun. How peculiar. She got a towel out and tried to wipe off the discoloration. But it didn't come off. She heard as Audrey came back in the house.

"Audrey! Audrey, come quick!" yelled Beth. Audrey dropped her bags and came running into the room.

"Wha wrong! Wha?"she looked at the baby and picked her up. She paid attention to the babies breathing.

"What's wrong. What you yelling for?" asked Audrey. Beth took the baby back and laid her down. She showed her the back of Camile's right hand.

"Look! Her hand didn't look like that yesterday," said Beth.

"You don't say," said Audrey as she walked back down the hallway to pick up the things that she'd dropped.

"What is this. Do you think it's her circulation?" asked Camile. As she lifted the babies right leg up to continue fitting the diaper she saw that the entire front side of her right leg was dark brown.

"Audrey go and get help! Please! I'm fearing the worse," yelled Camile as the tears began to flow. Audrey ran down the dirt road to get Dr. Morrow. As she ran she waved to Mrs. Sarah's car. The driver stopped as Mrs. Sarah rolled her window down.

"What is it?" asked Mrs. Sarah

"There's something going on with the baby, go quick. I'll get the Dr. since I'm almost there," said Audrey. The prune of a lady tightened her lips and said. "Monseratte, quickly!"

By the time Samuel Jean got home, there were cars at his house and crying that could be heard from the outside. He just didn't know why. By then Camile was a deep golden brown all over as if she'd been laid on the beach in the sun. The hair that was once soft, had gotten kinky but remarkably she had a red patch, a black patch, and a blond patch but she had the same face as always. Bitter words had been exchanged between Lady Jean and Beth since Lady Jean got there. When Lady Jean walked in she took one look at the baby, then exclaimed, "You deplorable tramp! I know exactly what you've done! It is quite evident!"

"Ma no! Vous Avez Tort!" (You are wrong. I would never) said Beth

"Then what have we here then? For months you've tried to cover this thing that you did up, but here it is in front of us all for the whole town to see! Clocharde! (tramp)" Shouted Lady Jean.

"Please Ma'dam, please Madam's, calm down everyone. I will get down to the bottom of this. I believe Mrs. Beth. I don't think she is a person that would do what you're thinking ma'am, so we will be taking the baby into Shreveport and we will do blood work and testing so that we can find out exactly what is going on here. There is something out of the ordinary. Out of the ordinary indeed. In Shreveport you will have a lot of questions to answer regarding everything from family genetics to the possibility of radiation exposure. I will go and arrange for an ambulance," said Dr. Morrow.

As Samuel walked in, there was dead silence. All breathing stopped. He looked at his mother and then at his wife and asked

"Just what in the hell is going on here. What are you, you and you doing here in my house. What's the problem?" asked Samuel. Beth started sobbing and fell to the floor and said,

"It's not what you think! I never would do such a thing! I could never."

"Well someone did that's for sure!. Son, go over to the crib and look at your first born child," said Lady Jean. Samuel walked over to the crib and stared at Camile. He looked at her for a good long time. Then he looked at his mother. Then lastly his wife who was in a heap on the floor. Samuel started laughing uncontrollably.

"She looked perfectly normal, just like us for months, didn't she Beth?" asked Samuel.

"Sam, they will take her into Shreveport to do tests. You'll see honey. It's just my blood and yours, that's all! I would never," cried Beth.

"And what's going on with her hair?. Don't no baby have four different colors of hair. There has to be some kind of explanation. Audrey, is this some of yalls stuff? I knew I should have killed that pappy of yours while I had the chance, with his good talking self. Then I wouldn't be worried by the likes of you." said Samuel. He was angry. He walked arcoss to the chair Beth usually sat in, picked it up and bashed out the window furtherest away from them all. They all jumped but did'nt speak.

Audrey stood silently looking at her hands. She knew that the reason she had a job in their home was pentence for what Senior Jean had done. Dr. Morrow came back into the room and looked at Samuel intently.

"Dr. How long before that blood work be back," asked Samuel.

"Usually a few days," said Dr. Morrow.

"Ok good. So I got about three or four days to be a free man. If that blood work come back at four and it ain't right, you will be a dead woman at five Beth," said Samuel as he walked out.

"The ambulance will be here in about an hour. Beth get up and go and get ready. Audrey come and get Camile dressed, but draw water first and for heaven's sake please put a bonnet on her. Mrs. Jean took pictures as she had before. This time she took picures of her rapidly changing granddaughter. When the ambulance arrived they all looked on as Camile and her mother were helped into the back of the ambulance. The attendants exchanged knowing glances. Thunder could be heard in the distance as dark clouds gathered over the sugar cane. Samuel Jean watched from the broken window as his brother Cephus put his hand on his shoulder.

Upon arrival at the hospital Beth was allowed to carry the child in. The attendants walked her in. They were met by a nurse named Ella who escourted them into room seven.

"Hello Ma'am my name is Ella and I will be caring for your baby today. Sit here and I'll take her," said Ella

"Take her where," asked Beth

"No where just right here to the examining table," said Ella

"You can stand right here. I will undress her and make notes," said Nurse Ella. As she undressed the child, she was astonished when she took her bonnet off. Then she noticed how her pencil thin lips was such a contrast to her golden brown skin. She paid special attention to the different hair types and the colors growning from the child's head.

"When did all of this start?" asked nurse Ella.

"I thought here color was off a few days ago, but this hair business started yesterday," said Beth. Here are pictures of her at two months and last week. Ella finished drawing the blood then said, "I know it's hard for you to see it right now with all that's going on, but she is a beautiful baby," said Ella. The last question on the form was if there had been any UFO sightings in her area. When the Dr. Came in Beth was crying. "Oh my and what have we here?" said Dr. Saunders.

"This is Mrs. Beth Jean, and her daughter Camile. Beth this is Dr. Saunders," said nurse Ella.

"Hello," said Beth as she tried to put the bonnet back on the childs head.

"How do ma'am," Said Dr. Saunders as he walked up and examined the babies hair.

"Mercy, oh my would you look at that. I'm no geneticist, however, I would say it's probable that between you and your husband there are at least four nationalities on your family tree, and they all seem to be having a well over due meeting or conference in your daughter. Especially on her head. To break that down, the blood should be back in a few days and we should be able to clear your good name. I understand that there has been quite a stir. Thank you Ella. Please get them settled into a room," said Dr. Saunders. A very tired and emotionally exhausted Beth carrying her baby followed Nurse Ella down the quiet dimly lit hallway.

Back on the plantation Audrey and Sarah were audience to Samuels drunken rants for the next three days. Audrey pulled Lady Jean aside and said.

"Go down to the ninth ward to a lady named Nancy Broussard. She sells medicine. Her house on the right of the saw mill down in the bayou. She won't come to you but she might be able to help you. I know you ain't never liked me. This I do for Mrs. Beth, cause she always been kind to me. Take the pictures you took while I was packing the bags," said Audrey.

Lady Jean quickly got her driver out of his quaters and and gave him the directions. Upon her arrival she waited in front of the house until Nancy appeared in the doorway to let her in. Mrs. Jean was offered a seat in front of a desk in the dimly lit home. Lady Jean began to speak. She recanted the story in great detail as Nancy Broussard looked at her intently. She passed the polaroid pictures across the desk top to her. The large woman studied each picture, then looked into the fearless eyes of Lady Jean, and burst into laughter. She laughed until she was out of breath. Lady Jean was furious.

"I do declare, the sins of the father do have a way of making it to the light," said Nancy.

"Your laughter is not the appropriate greeting for my travels to this part of town for your help," said Mrs. Jean.

"Help? Help you say? Oh no. Je ne peux pas faire ( I cannot do). All I can do is tell you what you have because yall finally got one. My grandmother told me it would be so, and she is a cute as a multicolored little button." said Nancy.

"One what?" asked Sarah.

"An arc en ciel baby. They show up every few hundred years. Most of the time people kill them because they are very misunderstood reminders of the past, especially once they start to talk. We've been expecting her for quite a while. Usually they come to those whose hearts are full of hatred to others of color. So now because of her, you have to learn to deal with all colors at the same time," said Nancy.

"What? how is that even possible. What will they say? What will the neighboors think? This will kill her daddy, or cause him to kill someone!" said Lady Jean.

"Or he just might get killed. Perhaps people will be just like me and think that you all are being shown a lot more mercy than you have shown to others including my great grand-daddy Silas. Remember him?"

asked Nancy. "Don't you dare blame me! I married into this mess. I didn't do anything wrong! I never did anyone wrong!" yelled Lady Sarah.

"Perhaps your grand-daddy did. Let's start with my grandmother Mary Lee and her six children. What about that? Remember how he sold them off and how quickly it killed her. See I know all too well your buisness ma'am and I cannot, and will not help you Lady Jean," said Nancy.

"Oh for heaven's sake you babbling woman, how do we fix this? We got money! Something has to be done! You'd better fix this you fast talking bag of filth,"

"You and your momma too. Careful now, you walked in here but you can crawl out. Seems like it's time you all learned that your money ain't everything. Ma'am, your business here is finished. There is nothing me or anyone on earth can do for you or that baby. Perhaps you ma'am need to learn how to pray," said Nancy.

Lady Jean picked up her pictures and slowly put them back in her purse. There was a long uncomfortable silence. Tears fell down the wrinkles of her face. Nancy studied her.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know about all of those things. What can I do to help her?" asked Lady Jean.

Nancy was moved with pity. She sighed.

"It can be hard. It might never change a thing but you can try is all you can do. You must find a black man out of all of the families that your family has wronged and you must make restitution. Apologize to the family. Make sure that the good deed is great enough to affect them for generations. Once that becomes evident, it might take a few years, then the difference in the baby might not be so obvious. I hear tell that it has worked once or twice. If you don't she will be darker and darker every year and by the time she is sixteen she will be an dark as me, at least thats the ledgend. That Lady Jean is on you," said Nancy.

For the next few days Lady Jean studied her son and his fits of range before writing a letter to his wife Beth.

"I have found out a few things concerning your daughter. I've arranged for your stay and have wired the money for you. The estate should last for the duration of Camile's life and yours. You will stay at the enclosed address. Mrs. Audrey will be attending you. Don't ever come back here as I fear for your life and that of your daughters. As for your virtue it is honorable but your baby, although beautiful, has been charged with carrying the burden of the Jean ancestors. So sorry that this has come upon you. I hope that this issue will be resolved by her father. I have found that when one decides to marry a person, you welcome their families past and future into your own reality. It's like the point where two lives intersect and there is no going back or unmingling of blood or souls. I was so wrong about you. Please accept my apology. May you be well.

Most Sincerely,

Lady Sarah Jean.

Beth carefully read the letter on the morning of Audreys arrival. There was very little time to pack. Beth secured the bonnet under the babies chin. They walked down the hall and to the car. As Beth got into the front seat she handed the baby to Audrey who got into the back seat with Camile as she would now assume the roll of the childs mother to protect Beth. Nurse Ella and Dr. Saunders waved as the driver pulled slowly away.

Dr. Saunders uttered, "A very curious case. Very curious indeed." Nurse Ella was silent.

Once back in the office the file was placed in the long cabinet drawer labeled CC, short for curious cases.