Year: 1950
Place: Tremé-Lafitte, New Orleans, Louisiana
“Mama, I’m hungry. When are we gonna eat?”, questioned young Augustin.
As Augustin and his mother, Mama Tine Fòtin, walked the cobblestone streets of New Orleans, he could tell that he was working the last nerve his mama had by asking this question. But he wanted to make sure he held her to her word. This was day 2 or maybe 3 of them not having a decent meal to eat and Augustin’s poor, young tummy felt so empty and incomplete. He knew he needed food but, he also knew to keep his mouth shut when it came to complaining. Mama Tine Fòtin was the last person you wanted to come complaining to. But then again, she was used to being the one that others came running and complaining to.
“Hush yourself, my cherie. We will eat when we make enough to eat, yes? You be a good boy and just hush and mama will be able to feed you tonight, for sure.”
Mama Tine Fòtin’s name was originally Celestin-Marie Laveaux-Boudreaux and she prided herself on being a descendant of the infamous Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau. While legend tells it that Marie Laveau was known for holding over the top and public voodoo rituals, she was also known for practicing bonne and noir magie or “good” and “dark magic”. Just like her ancestor, Mama Tine Fòtin followed suit. She practiced noir magie only and was also known as the neighborhood fortune teller. This was how she made her money but, sometimes she would only make enough just for her and Augustin to eat. Sometimes they would have money to get a room at the local motel. Then, there were times where they would have to pitch a tent in a dark alley or in the trees, behind the playground at Louis Armstrong Park.
Young Augustin was never able to make friends and as he got older he realized why. He had an idea as a young boy because kids would always say, “Your mama is the crazy lady!” Sometimes, the kids would refer to her as “Mama Crazy Lady.”, when that was the complete opposite. Mama Tine Fòtin wasn’t crazy at all. She was just crazy to the ones that she cursed or punished. Even the people that she helped find love or find peace would claim her to be crazy. Because it makes sense to follow along with the crowd instead of taking up for the innocent, even when they’ve helped you get so far. To Augustin, his mama wasn’t crazy. She was fortunate to have her gift but wasn't fortunate enough to fully profit off of it.
Augustin knew from a young age that he was gifted, as well. By the time he was 10, Mama Tine Fòtin declared him a healer, with him having the ability to simply touch someone and heal them from any ailment or sickness they were feeling. Augustin was also an amazing cook; he would create food and elixirs that would heal many people in their neighborhood. With Augustin displaying these gifts at such an early age, it became clear to Mama Tine Fòtin that Augustin’s ability would be beneficial for the both of them. By the time Augustin was 17, he began to notice that Mama Tine Fòtin was coming close to her dying days. He was always thankful for his gifts because he remembered all the times he and his mother were unfortunate. Once he learned how to fully hone his gifts, he was able to financially support himself and Mama Tine Fòtin.
The next year, a month after Augustin’s 18th birthday, Mama Tine Fòtin had a heart attack and was on bedrest for five days. On the sixth day, she passed away in her sleep. Augustin was never sad when she passed. In fact, he was glad. He was elated because he no longer had to practice noir magie. Augustin even went so far as to drop Laveau from his original birth name and changed it to Augustin Etienne Boudreaux. After he gave his mother a proper burial, Augustin enrolled into school and majored in Business. In 1963, Augustin graduated with Honors from Loyola University.
This was also around the time he fell in love and met a beautiful young Creole and African-American woman by the name of Marcelle Therese Benoit. Her friends called her “Red” on account of her fair-colored skin and deep, auburn red hair. Whenever she stood in the sun too long or even if she blushed, her skin would instantly turn a shade of red, as well. Augustin was smitten with her and they officially began dating in January of 1964. By summertime that year, “Aggie'' as Red would affectionately call him, opened up his first and only business, Dr. Aggie’s The Healing Pointe. Aggie and Red held a ribbon cutting ceremony and was celebrated by all of the other businesses on N. Rampart St. It was a really beautiful time in Augustin’s life; an immediate and positive change from the life he grew up living. He would occasionally visit his mother’s grave and see the offerings made to her by some of the neighborhood folk. He became grateful for this, as he always thought that Mama Tine Fòtin wasn’t celebrated enough when she was here. When she passed away, the only people that were present at the funeral were Augustin and the Creole pastor, St. Antone.
“They give her roses now instead of when she was here and that’s pitiful to me,” is what Augustin told Red one day when he came back from visiting her grave.
“Well, be thankful it’s offerings and not something of the complete opposite. Mama Tine Fòtin may have not been liked or well received by many but she was loved and adored by some. That’s what counts right, mon amour?”, Red said, as she grabbed Aggie’s face with both hands and kissed him passionately on his full lips.
Aggie smiled and agreed. “This is true, mon amour. This is true.”
This was Augustin’s life until the following year in 1965. Augustin declared himself a healer and a working man, while being in love with his college sweetheart, Red. The Healing Pointe began to do exceptionally well in finances. This ignited the idea for Augustin and Red to purchase a house together. Shortly afterwards, Red got pregnant. They were so happy and felt extremely blessed to be bringing life into the world.
Until one fateful morning, when Red woke up with extreme pains coming from her belly. She was alarmed, as she was only five months pregnant at the time. But she knew what she was feeling couldn’t be good. She called 911 and was immediately rushed to the hospital, with Augustin in tow. Hours later, she gave birth to a stillborn baby girl. Although Augustin and Red were sad, they swore to each other that they would continue to stay together because they loved each other. They also knew that they were still young and that they could continue to keep trying. And so they did.
They affectionately named their baby, “Baby Marie” and buried her in the backyard of the home they shared together. Later on that year, Augustin and Red got married in that same backyard. Some of Red’s family members were in attendance, along with St. Antone, the same priest who helped Augustin bury his mother five years ago. Years passed by and The Healing Pointe became a functional shop in the French Quarter and Augustin and Red would solely benefit off the success of it. Finally, after continuously trying to conceive over the years, on Christmas Eve 1971, Red and Augustin found out they were expecting. They were excited once again but they also remembered “Baby Marie” and to let this pregnancy take its course. By July 1972, Red was rushed to the hospital again but, this time under different circumstances; her water had broken and she was in labor. Red gave birth to her and Augustin’s only daughter, Evangeline Marie-Celestine Boudreaux or Eva Marie, as they lovingly called her.
When Eva Marie turned five, she began displaying traits of a dissimilar gift. Augustin declared her a clairvoyant. Eva Marie’s ability was incompatible; she was only able to see the good things about a person from their past and the bad things about a person from their future. Augustin immediately thought to himself, ‘Wow! What an amazing gift my mon cherie has!' Augustin knew he had to tell his daughter about her gift and where it came from. He also had to inform her on how to use it and when to use it. Augustin also promised her that if she decided to, when she got older, she could choose to work at The Healing Pointe or not. He for sure wanted little Eva Marie to know the difference between bonne and noir magie, as well as, protecting herself from people who would only want to use her and not befriend her for the better.
As Eva Marie got older, she learned of her history and was well aware of her gifts. By the time she turned 18 and had graduated from school, she decided that she wanted to work full time at her father’s business as a fortune teller. She would sit in a window, right next to the entrance of The Healing Pointe and advertise herself as Eva Marie Fòtin. This helped her father’s business become more lucrative than ever and Eva Marie decided that this was something she was comfortable with doing for the rest of her life. Not too many kids, especially in the early 90’s could say that they were working in a family owned business. She was proud of this, especially with her being a young woman of Creole and African-American descent.
Eva Marie would proudly work at The Healing Pointe for years to come. A few years later, at the age of twenty-two, Eva Marie would meet the one and only love of her life, an older black and Creole man by the name of Jacques Laurent Benoit.