Miss Judy
A few days after arriving at Red Cross Headquarters in Baton Rouge, I was dispatched to the Port Allen Community Center to inventory the Red Cross equipment there. Port Allen was ten miles west of Baton Rouge, on the banks of the Mississippi River. During the chaos of setting up all the shelters, there was a lot of confusion as to what equipment had been deployed to what shelters, so I was sent to inventory the computers and telephones that the Red Cross had installed in the shelter.
When I arrived at the shelter, I asked for the shelter manager, and was directed to Miss Judy. She was white, in her late forties or early fifties, and looked Cajun through and through. I said, "Hi, I'm from headquarters and I'm here to inventory the Red Cross equipment here". She replied, "And how is that going to help the people in this shelter?" I puffed up, and launched into a convoluted explanation that I mercifully cut short. Then I simply said, "Miss Judy, let's you and me sit down and talk". So, we pulled up chairs, and inside the Port Allen shelter, near the entrance, and in front of a sea of people, cots, mattresses, and the worldy belongings of the people sheltered there, Miss Judy proceeded to unwind.
She had been the shelter manager since the shelter opened in anticipation of Katrina, and she was worn out, physically and emotionally. The last thing on earth that she needed on the day I arrived was a pen pusher to tell her he was there to inventory equipment. So, we sat and talked for several hours. I learned that she was eighth generation Cajun, and she traced her ancestors back to the Civil War. I asked her to speak "real" Cajun, and when she did, it was a strange music, something that I guessed even a skilled linguist would find difficult or impossible to imitate.
She pointed over to a black man, and asked if I knew who he was. I replied that I didn't, although he looked big enough to be an NFL football player. She said "You're right, he is a football player. He is Reggie Williams, Jacksonville Jaguars. He's running this community center". She introduced me to him, and after speaking with him for a few minutes, realized that he was a pillar of moral values and discipline in the center.
Miss Judy and I sat and talked some more, and then I gently reminded her that I needed to inventory some computers. She asked, "Do you like Cajun food?" I replied that I had tried boudin, and had liked it a lot. She said, "Before you inventory anything, go to Bergeron's Boudin over on highway 415 and get you some good boudin". As I headed out the door, she made another request, "Be sure and tell them that Miss Judy sent you".
I went to Bergeron's, and the boudin was, indeed, very good. When I returned, I told Miss Judy about my excellent meal. She asked if I had remembered to tell them Miss Judy had sent me. I replied, "Of course, but only after I paid. I wasn't sure what your reputation was there". She laughed, and we talked for a few minutes. Then I excused myself and went about inventorying all the equipment. In a short while I was finished, and said goodbye to Miss Judy and Reggie, and headed back to Baton Rouge.
I had met some interesting people, had learned an important lesson in life, and had experienced some fine Cajun food. It had taken me four hours longer than it should have to do my job, but all in all, it was a good day.