On The Sly

Since our Mom had lived part of her youth in Lacolle, Quebec, and since she could speak French, Couture and Beliveau had a big plus in their favor. And they did seem like polite young men. Plus, we were sure that having to deal with Foxy and Goose if anything went wrong put the fear of the Lord right in them. The three of us agreed that the two boys could live at Vi's house.

The day they moved in was memorable. That was the day we saw their friendly personalities emerge. These two quiet guys we had interviewed a few weeks earlier were now loud (well, Couture was!) and funny and Mom was laughing like she hadn't laughed in years.

Since they were both named Martin, they soon became to be known as "Jack" Couture and "Bill" Beliveau. And they quickly became a part of the Gagnon family. They also quickly forgot the rules about the refrigerator, no cooking in the kitchen and being quiet. But what was funny is that none of us seemed to care. They were both nice guys and we liked how they felt right at home at Vi's house.

Before long they were teaching Goose certain French words that could only be used in a hockey locker room. But that never stopped Goose from shouting them out at a party, much to the delight of the boys from Quebec.

Before long they were coming in late at night, maybe two or three in the morning, and less than quietly passing by Vi's bedroom, loudly whispering, "Vi-o, are you sleeping?" Not anymore! "We are hungry, Vi-o! Do you have some eggs?" they would ask. And within a minute there was seventy-year-old Vi, feeling just like she did when Foxy and Goose lived there back in the old days. And there was Vi, cooking the boys breakfast while they laughed about the great time they had downtown, maybe even over at Hector's Fourth Ward, sampling some of his famous "Hector-Ade."

It didn't take long for us to see the profound effect Jack and Bill were having on our Mom. They made her feel young again, and their presence brought a new life to 48 Johnson Avenue.

Rules? What rules? They had their run of the place and for the next two years it was not uncommon for guys like Simon Bibeau, Steve "Moe" LaMay and Jean-Francoise Gingras to hang out at Vi's, no matter what the time of day or night.

Needless to say, the Gagnons became huge Cardinals hockey fans and we often attended the games to cheer for Jack and Bill, who were both starters. It was the days when "Barney," Craig Barnett, was the Cardinals' goalie. He was the best in the conference. It was the heyday of Plattsburgh State hockey.

The reason I have been mentioning all this is that last Friday night both Jack and Bill visited Mom. It's been fifteen years since they lived at Vi's place. They have kept in touch with her through the years. Mom even attended Jack's wedding almost ten years ago. There is no doubt that Mom inherited two sons long after Goose and I had moved out.

Goose and I made sure we spent some time with them last Friday, remembering the hockey days and laughing about the interview rules and how none of them ever got followed. For Mom, those two years were a special time. She loves Jack and Bill, and we know they love her back.

And you know what? They haven't changed. They are 38 years old now but still look like a couple of college boys. They both still skate in a men's league. Jack, who has two boys, works for a communications company and Bill, who will soon be a daddy for the first time, is a golf pro at a country club.

They even stopped by the Fourth Ward last Friday, but couldn't buy a beer because they only had Canadian money. If Hector had been there they would have received free beers, no doubt. The boys looked for their name plates on the wall, but couldn't find them. I'm sure they are up there someplace.

Couture and Beliveau were a perfect fit for a French family name like Gagnon. The boys visited with Vi for hours last Friday, and they even ordered a pizza like the old days. If anyone is ever looking for a way to liven up a place, just invite these two guys to your party. The party doesn't start till Couture and Beliveau skate in!