A spiritual man struggling to find God’s acceptance.

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With itemized lists in his hands, he moved slowly up and down the shelves of the St. Louis Mercantile next to the St. Louis cemetery. Cemeteries in Louisiana are very much a fabric of Louisiana culture, especially South Louisiana. They are frequented by friends and families kneeling, praying, placing flowers and cleaning/whitewashing graves. Gravesites are shrines in South Louisiana to the dead and an obligation to the living.

Louie ran the St. Louis Mercantile. He specialized in selling oddities. It made sense to sell caskets, burial clothes, and flower arrangements. Not only did Louie make a good living selling those items among other items needed in a small community he also had a good soul.

Louie loved people. He had wanted to go into ministry, but he was tainted, Louie was gay. This was 1949 and he did not hide his queerness. Louie was a regular man who just loved men in a sexual way.

Louie had some good friends both male and female. He worked a lot and that’s where most of his energy went. A spiritual man, he went to church each time there was service. Louie played the piano by ear, never had lessons, he had a knack for music. Gospel songs were his favorite and he could make that piano sing.

Louie struggled with his Christianity and his gayness. He mostly thought God judged him and that God loved him less as a gay man. It was one of the major sins preached about ever so often. Louie really liked who he was, his business and his ministry next to the St. Louis Cemetery.

Louie also started a perpetual care cemetery program for people without living loved ones. Louie was a pillar in the community, always with a warm heart, not a gossiper, not political, loving all because that’s who Jesus was. For Louie life was all about love.

Many nights Louie was lonely. He enjoyed his teacup chihuahua, Louise. She went with him everywhere, even sat on the piano bench while he played. Louise never left Louie’s side.

One Sunday on August 16, Louie’s birthday, a stranger showed up at church. He was about Louie’s age, maybe fifty-nine. Someone in the church had had invited this man as a possible friend to Louie. A church member, Mrs. Leona LeBleaux, was a friend of his. He lived one town away.

After the service a group of people were meeting at Mrs. Leona’a house for a birthday party for Louie. It was a surprise party and so was Mrs. Leona’s friend. His name was Leonardeaux. Louie was surprised and delighted at his party and more delighted at the guest Mrs. Leona introduced Louie to. Mrs. Leona had purposely sat them next to each other at the birthday lunch.

It was quite obvious that Louie was the only one who had issue with being gay and Christian. Mrs. Leona saw a good man, lonely, who deserved to meet a fellow traveler. The boys became good friends.

By The Barefoot Cajun

Website: https://darrellrsmith.wordpress.com/

Twitter: CajunBarefoot