This one was done a few years ago but we have some new boys and gals in town and it ended up being a fun conversation.
My favorite coffee story.
Years and years ago, back when the world was new, and so was the bean, I worked as a claims agent for a well known Insurance co.
I worked out of New Orleans, La.--Nawlins for those that understand.
This was in the days before pagers or cell phone. Push button phones were the newest fad. I digress; I had the weekend phone duty for all of La. South of Baton Rouge--ALL.
It was Friday night about 10:30 when I got the call.
We insured a large well inspection service company and they regularly barged out well equipment to locations. Normally, a crew boat, which was also a small tug, would tie up to a barge loaded with the truck that housed the well inspection equipment and push it out too the site.
This day the site was out of Houma (get an atlas) in the swamps and one of the crew from the inspection service had fallen from the barge into the bayou and drown.
I got the call, dressed, and drove too Houma. I got there about 1AM. Found the coreners office and waited with the police for the autopsy. They found a bruise on the back of his head and watere in his lungs. Death by drowning. No police needed. Things were a bit more relaxed in those days.
I have to interview every man jack on that barge, however.
Just so happens the same crew was leaving on that same barge that AM to go back out to the rig , thank God or I would still be trying to find some of those boys.
Now this is old time South Louisiana. As it is today it was moreso then the use of Cajun-French as communications between locals. NOW, these boys spoke a strange english, but, that morning at 4:30 when I brought that old floppy disc recorder on board the boat there was not one of them that could speak english.
All the way out to the rig I interviewed about 8 boys thru an interpreter that, I swear, to this day, was the first day he spoke english in years.
I wish I still had those disc's.
When we got to the rig it was about 7:30 AM. I found the pusher in a cabin on the rig.
The first thing he asked was if I wanted any coffee. YES! PLEASE GOD,YES! i had not had a cup since the afternoon before. I needed a fix.
This is the truth, so help me, and I will go to my grave saying it is truth.
That old boy thre a bucket over the side of that rig and pulled up a bucket full of water that was green on top.
He poured that water into a pot and threw in a handfull of Community coffee, the old kind with Chickory. he brought that water to a boil for awhile and poured both of us a cup.
I stayed awake for two days.
Blessings
