A Shine that Defies the Dark by Jodi Gallegos

Author:Jodi Gallegos [Gallegos, Jodi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CTP Publishing

10

April 19 to June 9, 1930

The runs we made after that first one all paled in comparison to my first. Nothin’ went wrong, nothing unexpected happened and nothing exciting either. We picked up the shine, delivered it, and collected our pay.

I was making far more money than I could bring home to Momma. Each week I brought home three dollars and handed it to Momma. I stashed the rest in a cigar box under my bed.

“Vieux Piersall’s payin’ you that much? For just a few hours work?”

“Is that a lot?” I feigned ignorance. I knew it was a lot for what I was doin’—or rather what I’d told her I was doin’—but for the work I actually did, I was earnin’ far more than I’d even hoped. I could have Momma out of the judge’s house in months.

Exhaustion was catching up with me, though. I did runs with Remy, Sirus, and Sunshine every single night, late. Sometimes we ran all the way to New Orleans and into Saint Tammany Parish. With Claude Moret in jail, all of his customers were desperate for someone else to fill his quota. Eloi told us that if we didn’t do it, they’d start bringin’ in shine from up north. We had to meet the demand or we’d lose the runs altogether.

“Can your supplier meet the need?” I’d asked. “What if he runs out or brews a bad batch? Maybe we should make some other contacts.” It seemed a prudent concern to me.

“You been short on a run yet?” Eloi asked, thus ending that line of discussion—not that I’d had a discussion with Eloi since that night in his truck.

Every morning I was up early with Momma doing laundry and stitching. I’d started leaving early for the garage, telling her that Vieux Piersall had asked me to start earlier. In reality, I went to the store and slept in the barn out back. Dixie made sure to wake me up in time to go to my shift at the garage.

Vieux Piersall never asked me questions about working with the Grangers, nor did he mention it. He simply tucked the cash into the pocket of his overalls as I handed it to him then went on about his business.

My third week runnin’, we came across my first revenuers.

We were doing a long run to Lafourche Parish for a buyer who was paying a premium price in order to have some liquor in time for his daughter’s wedding.

We had ten gallons of shine under the back seat. Remy was driving. I sat next to him and Sirus and Sunshine were in the back.

We rounded a corner and Remy braked quickly—had he not, we would have driven straight into the side of the car that was parked across the road. Two other cars were parked on each side of it, preventing anyone from driving around one to avoid stopping.

“Everyone relax,” Remy said as he stopped and leaned one arm out the window. “Hello, gentlemen,” he said in an amiable voice, “what can we do for you tonight?”

I counted six men—two per car.

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