Bayler Daniels "Trouble in the Glades" (Chapter 1 part 3)

When Bayler arrived home, he drove around back into the barn and unhooked the boat. He put some fresh saltwater into the tanks on the truck and hooked the aerators up to the battery supply. Adding the crabs he’d caught that day with the ones in the live wells would be enough to fill his orders. After he finished, he put the mullet he’d caught the night before into the truck’s shipping cooler and iced them down. He washed his hands and went to the house with Shellie leading the way.

Netty was inside folding clothes, and Jonah and Ruthie were studying their lessons at the table.

“Hey, baby, I’m home,” Bayler said as he entered the kitchen.

“Hey, Dad, how’d it go?” Jonah asked.

“Went fine, son, how’s your lessons going?”

“Okay, I guess. You need my help?”

“No, son, not yet.” Bayler walked over and kissed Netty.

“Da-ad,” Ruthie said with disgust, “do you have to do that in front of us?”

“One day you’ll understand,” Netty said, “and you’ll probably think differently.”

“Yeah, I bet not,” Jonah said with a snicker, and Ruthie giggled with him.

“Gonna head on over to Sweetwater and drop off the mullet at Charlie’s and then head back to the Crab Shack in Ochopee. So, if you would please, call an’ let ‘em know we have their crabs. I got those crabs for the Oyster Reef up in Immokalee too.”

“I’ll make the calls. Don’t forget to stop by the Five & Dime. I have some things Mavis has set aside for me,” Netty said, “Don’t forget canning lids and seals.”

“I’ll get them, baby, and be back’ fore you know it,” Bayler said as he gave her another kiss and said goodbye. He walked out to the truck and headed toward Sweetwater with Shellie in his usual place.

“Purdy morning, Shellie.” Bayler wiped the sweat from his brow, “but it’s got a good heat on.” Shellie turned to look at him and then put his head out the window into the breeze. Bayler’s mind flashed from one thing to another. He thought about the snakeheads and how they might have ended up in the Glades. He thought about the day’s deliveries and the trotlines he had to check that evening. With his mind occupied, time passed quickly, and he was at Charlie’s before he knew it. Bayler backed his truck up to the loading docks, where Charlie sorted, weighed, and packaged the morning’s deliveries to put in the display cases.

“Good morning, Bayler, and good morning to you, Shellie,” Charlie said when he saw them walk up.

“Morning, Charlie, how’s things today?”

“Crazy, Bayler, just plumb crazy,” Charlie said, shaking his head. “My counter girl ain’t showed up yet, and my food prep man had an accident on the way in, so I’m tryin’ to do everything and getting nothin’ done fast.”

“Well, Charlie,” Bayler said, “can’t do no counter work, and don’t know nothing ‘bout food prep, so . . .”

“No, Bayler, didn’t expect that.” Charlie laughed. “But I needed those mullets you had comin’ for me, ‘cause I’m running low on all my fillets.”

“That I can help with.” With that, Bayler turned and headed toward the back of the truck. “Brung ya twenty-five whole mullet gutted an’ rinsed.’ Bout three to five pounds apiece,” Bayler said. He grabbed one of the shipping containers with the mullet in ice from his truck. “An’ I brung ya some more sheepshead too.”

“Bayler, you’re a lifesaver and a man of your word,” Charlie said as he took the first container from him and put it on the table. Bayler went back for the second one, set it next to the first, and then went back for the fillets. “Let me get ‘em weighed up, and I’ll settle with ya quick as I can,” Charlie said as he started putting the fish on the scales. “This ought to get me through the weekend.”

He tallied up the totals, and then he turned to Bayler. “I believe that makes $267 I owe you.”

“That sounds fine, Charlie.”

“Thank you, Bayler, and I’m sorry I didn’t have a crab for Shellie today, but can I give him a biscuit?”

“That’ll do. I’m sure he wouldn’t care either way, long as you noticed him.”

“Well, you take care, and I’ll see ya Monday afternoon. And you be good, Shellie,” Charlie said, tossing Shellie the snack and turning back to his sorting.

“Okay, I’ll see ya then,” Bayler said and headed back to his truck.

____________{}___________

Thirty-five minutes later, Bayler’s truck pulled up at the Crab Shack in Ochopee. He walked through a pair of red oak doors with full-sized, etched glass images of snowy egrets standing in a stream, facing each other. He glanced around the dining area. It was still a good hour before they opened, but he hoped to find a glass of water or tea. The Crab Shack was much like the name implied. It was open inside, with a beverage bar made from old wooden ship hatches against the back wall to the left of the self-serve salad bar. The chrome-and-red vinyl chairs seemed to fit the atmosphere and went well with the black-and-white tiled floor and black Formica-covered tables. Bayler made his way through the tables to the back.

“Mornin’, Bayler,” Tim Baskins said as he pulled a towel out of the front of his apron, wiped his hands, and extended one to greet him.

“Mornin’, Tim.” Bayler shook his hand.

“D’you bring me some nice blue crabs?”

“Yep, I think you’ll be happy with them,” Bayler said. “You asked for twenty large and twelve jumbos, right?”

“Yes, I sure did. I’m glad to see you,” Tim said. “Been real busy lately and’ specially on the weekends. Ran out of crabs last night and probably lost a good three hundred or more dollars in sales.”

“You should have called me. You know I’d run some out to ya. I ain’t that far away.”

“Yeah, I know, Bayler. But Lord knows you start your day early enough, and I didn’t run out till ‘bout eight last night, so I just let it go.”

“Well, I have these for ya now, so if you’ll meet me ‘round back with your transfer tank, I’ll get ‘em off the truck and we’ll get ‘em out.”

“Sounds great. I’ll bring it right out.”

Bayler went out and jumped up on the back of the truck. He pulled out a metal transfer basket and opened the live tank on the right side. Then he counted out twenty-dozen large. Tim wheeled his transfer tank out the back door. “Where do you want it?” he asked.

“Over here on the right’ll be good. I’ll hand you this basket, and you can set ‘em in your tank.”

“Man, these are great-lookin’ crabs, Bayler,” Tim said as he put the basket into the transfer tank. “I should have asked for more. Are these the jumbos?”

“You want ‘em to be?” Bayler laughed as he took Tim’s empty basket. “Who else you been getting crabs from?”

“I am sorry, Bayler. I got talked into takin’ some off of the La Torette brothers last week down in Everglades City. Their large evidently weren’t.”

“Well,” Bayler said as he placed another three dozen in the basket, “I wondered why I didn’t get an order from you last week. They’re good people, though, and I ain’t ever said anything against anyone trying to do business, so ain’t no apologies to be made. Besides, you probably got a good deal, or you wouldn’a taken ‘em.”

“Yeah, that’s true, but I see now I get a better product from you.”

“Well, I wouldn’t burn any bridges. Might be one day I won’t have any crabs, and he will.”

“That’s true, but I should have called you first. I will from now on.”

“I’ preciate that, Tim, and you know if I have ‘em, I’ll be more than happy to bring ‘em to ya.”

They finished unloading the crabs. “Twenty large and twelve jumbo; that makes 420 total,” Tim said as he handed Bayler the cash.

“About the way I had it figured too,” Bayler said as he took the money.

“I’ll call you next week and let you know how many for Thursday, if that’s okay.”

“Yep, that will be fine. I should have a good plenty by then if things keep up the way they are,” Bayler said. He turned and headed back to the truck, where Shellie waited patiently. Bayler headed toward home, and then, remembering his promise to Netty, he turned the truck around and drove to the Five & Dime.

____________{}___________

After stopping home for lunch, Bayler made the thirty-seven-mile trip to the Oyster Reef in Immokalee, backed up to the restaurant kitchen entrance, and set the brake. “Stay, Shellie,” Bayler said as he climbed out of the truck.

Carl Ledbetter came out of the back of the restaurant wearing a black rubber apron and boots. He wore a white shirt with Oyster Reef Seafood Restaurant and his first name embroidered in red. He had a thermometer, a blue-and-red ink pen, and his glasses in the pocket under the embroidery.

Carl had moved from Maine to Immokalee in the early seventies and opened a seafood restaurant. He was a stocky man of five foot nine, a tad portly, with a butch haircut and clean-shaven face. He maintained a strict business attitude and made little idle chitchat.

Bayler greeted Carl with a firm handshake. “How you doing today? Got that order for ya.”

“I appreciate you bringing them up today. I had just realized how low I was when I called your secretary.”

Bayler smiled. “She’s not my secretary. She’s my wife.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect. My kitchen manager’s been handling this for so long, and she’s been out a couple of days.”

“None taken. She does better than anyone I could have hired. She takes the orders, does the hooks, and everything.”

“That’s great,” Carl said. “Let’s take a look at those crabs.”

They walked out of the kitchen and over to Bayler’s truck. Carl jumped up on the back with him as Bayler opened the live tank. “These are perfect, just what I asked for. I’ll have my kitchen help unload them while you and I go into the office and settle up.”

“' Preciate that, but I’ll get ‘em off the truck if you don’t mind. Shellie don’t take to strangers on the truck if I’m not around.”

Carl glanced at Shellie. “I see. Very well then,” he said with a nervous smile, noticing Shellie’s upper half protruding out the truck’s side window, eyeing him intently. When you’re done, come on in, and we can settle up, okay?”

“That’d be fine,” Bayler said, and he began loading the crabs into a transfer basket while the kitchen help brought out the tanks. Once they were unloaded, Bayler closed up the truck tanks and jumped off. “Be right back, boy,” he said to Shellie and headed into the restaurant where Carl was waiting.

“Fifteen dozen large and ten dozen jumbo,” Carl said as he read his assistants’ checklist. It looks like I owe you $330. Check, okay?”

“Yeah, that’d be fine,” Bayler said as he sat down.

“That’s great. I hope I’ll see you again next week. It was good to meet you.”

“You too,” Bayer said. “See ya then.” He folded the check, placed it in his pocket, and returned to Copeland.

____________{}___________

Bayler pulled into the driveway and backed the truck into the barn. It had been a busy day, but he still had to get out and check his traps and trotlines again. It was Friday, and he had promised Netty they would go out that night for a nice meal away from the house.

Netty was on the phone, so Bayler took a pair of coveralls from off the top of the washer in the utility room and then came into the kitchen and sat down.

“Okay, I’ll talk to you again soon,” she said as she hung up the phone. She turned to Bayler. “That was Norm from the IGA. He said the tourist season is starting and asked if I might consider returning to work part-time.

“Well, whatever you think. You’re the one who needs to be decidin’ that. You want to go back to work there?”

“Yes . . . no . . . I don’t know. I told them I’d think about it and call them back tomorrow.”

“Did they say when they’d want you?” he asked as he pulled on his coveralls.

“They would probably need me from three o’clock through nine in the evening.”

“Did they say what days?” Bayler asked.

“Yes, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for starts, and they would pay me eleven dollars an hour.”

“Don’t reckon it’s gonna interfere with your church things, and the kids are old enough to take care of themselves. Kind of takes Friday out of the picture for us though.”

“We aren’t hurting for money right now, and I am getting all my other work done. But if you don’t want me to do it, I can just tell them no,” she said.

“I ain’t ever told you what to do. You do whatever you think’s best.”

“I’ll think about it tonight. I guess I can let them know in the morning.”

“Whatever you want to do, baby. I reckon I’d better get on out and check the traps. Where’s Jonah?” Bayler asked.

“He’s out with String Bean and Beetle, down at the abandoned railroad tracks.”

“I was figuring on taking him fishin’ with me this afternoon,” he said.

“I’m sure he will be disappointed when he finds out he missed you. What time will you be home?”

“I reckon about six thirty or so if I get on out of here and get everything done,” Bayler said as he walked out to the back porch and sat down to pull on his boots. He stood up, put on his belt, seated the knife and pliers, and headed out the back door. Netty went with him to the barn, with Shellie at their heels.

“Well, give me a kiss, and I’ll see you when you get back. Hurry every chance you get.”

“I will,” Bayler said as he opened the door to the truck and let Shellie jump in. He kissed her goodbye and climbed in, started it up, and waved as he pulled out of the barn and headed down to the road toward the landing.

____________{}___________

The marsh was calm and peaceful when Bayler and Shellie launched the boat and started across the bay. A small flock of scarlet ibis skimmed across the top of the water on the edges of the shore, searching for food in the shallows. A pair of great white egrets walked along the marsh by the edge of the tall grass and mangroves, feeding on small fish and what crustaceans they could find.

“It sure has been a beautiful day,” Bayler said aloud. “God probably enjoyed every minute making all this.”

He began working on the northeast traps and crayfish pots. The traps offered a decent catch, but he realized he may have to relocate them soon. The crayfish only provided a couple of gallons. Bayler went to Sandy Point to find more mullet and test the repaired net.

He pulled the boat up on the sandbar, threw the anchor out six feet on the bar, and secured the rope. He walked slowly, looking in the shallow water for any obstructions or snags. He then gathered the net up and prepared to let it go as he had done the day before. Bayler watched the shallow water, looking for signs of fish. As he walked out to the edge of the bar, he glimpsed the movement of a large school and threw out the net. It opened well and hit the water with a flap-a-papa-pap sound.

The water suddenly came alive with activity as the fish fought for freedom. Bayler pulled tight on the net’s draw rope and felt the strength of the fish. He pulled it into shallow water, picked it up by the weights, and put it into his boat. When the net opened, it contained eleven mullet of decent size, a nice-sized flounder, and a twenty-six-inch snook. Bayler handled the snook carefully so as not to bruise it. “Reckon we’ll let you go on back,” he said as he moved it back and forth in the water until it swam off on its own power.

He put the mullet on ice, picked up the flounder, and took a good look at it. Could be a nice meal for the family tomorrow night, he thought to himself. He threw the net a few more times and picked up another twenty-plus mullet. He placed them on ice and headed in.

Back home, he pulled the truck and boat back into the barn and unhooked them. After he cleaned his catch and put it all on ice, he cleaned his equipment, the boat, and the trailer. Bayler closed the big doors to the barn, rinsed off his boots, and took the clean, filleted flounder up to the house.

“Am I back early enough for you, dear?” he called in the direction of the kitchen.

“I’m not ‘dear,’” Ruthie said, giggling. “She’s in the shower and we’ve had ours. You better hurry.”

“I hoped you saved me some hot water,” Bayler said.

“If you don’t hurry up, Dad, you’ll be in plenty of hot water.” She grinned.

“Well, Miss Comedian, how about you put this fish in something and put it in the refrigerator while I get ready to go?”

“I guess I should have seen that coming,” Ruthie said.

He just smiled at her and went back to the bedroom to shower and get cleaned up.

____________{}___________

The family was all waiting patiently when Bayler came out. “Y’all ready to go?” he asked, and they all stood up. “Well, what-cha waitin’ for?” He grinned.

They got in Netty’s Jeep and headed out to dinner. Bayler would have enjoyed treating the family to a movie, but the closest movie theater was miles away and would have gotten them home too late. So, after dinner, he stopped by the movie rental store and let Netty and the kids pick out a couple of movies. He would bring them back when he made Monday’s delivery. It was a nice end to a busy week.

When they returned home, Bayler went to his chair, turned on the lamp, and began his daily devotion. The kids went into their bedrooms and got ready for bed.

Netty went into the kitchen, put a five-quart pot on the stove, and poured in some corn oil and popcorn. The corn popped quickly, and Netty salted the fragrant kernels and poured them into a large bowl. She took it and four small bowls into the living room. The kids came out of their bedrooms, and Jonah and Ruthie fought a little over who got the seat next to Mom and who got the controls.

“Stop arguing, you two,” Netty said. She filled two bowls with popcorn and handed one to each of the kids.

“Don’t get the stuff on the davenport or carpet,” she warned sternly. She picked up her bowl and sat down next to Ruthie. Jonah sat in Netty’s grandmother’s rocker with cushions her late grandmother made. “Jonah, be very careful not to spill anything on those cushions,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

After Bayler had finished his devotional, he closed his Bible and went into the family room to sit down and watch the movie with his family.