62
“How do you feel about Nawoleans?” Trey asked me on
Christmas.
“I love it, all that decadence and partying and puking in
the street?” I laughed, “and I’m sure you would love me to show my tits for
some cheap beads.”
“Show them to me and I give you expensive beads.”
“Show them to me and I give you expensive beads.”
I lifted my top, “Here you go.”
He hugged me, not letting the top fall back down, then he
stepped back and handed me a box.
“Somehow I just knew that would come up.”
Inside was a necklace.
“Honey you can see those anytime you want with no bribe.” I
told him, “But I’ll keep this. So
what’s this about New Orleans?”
“Dad got two tickets to the game New Year’s. He doesn’t really like football.”
“But he loves drinking, he could sit in a bar.”
“But he loves drinking, he could sit in a bar.”
“He can do that here.” Trey admitted, “So how about it? You…Me….Jazz?”
“A million drunk men…”
“A million drunk men…”
“Ten thousand and some will have their wives so they will
behave.”
“Like I get YOU to behave?”
“Like I get YOU to behave?”
“OK, so they will look.” He shrugged, “So?”
“OK,” I said, “But I am not flashing anyone.”
“Uh huh…I’ll take the bet.”
63
New Year’s Eve on Bourbon Street. It is one place where you can be yourself and
no one cares. We both love jazz so we
went off in search of hot music. We were
free styling it and found a nice intimate bar a block away. Since we got a seat there, we decided that
was where we would stay.
At midnight, the
server suggested we go out in the street and watch the fireworks over Jackson
Square. As
we stared at the sky and the colors, Trey wrapped his arms around me and held
me to him. He would nuzzle my neck on
occasion.
Three Hurricanes was probably my limit and we walked back to our hotel a few blocks away. There I fell into his arms again.
“Did I ever tell you I love you?” I asked as he pulled me closer.
Three Hurricanes was probably my limit and we walked back to our hotel a few blocks away. There I fell into his arms again.
“Did I ever tell you I love you?” I asked as he pulled me closer.
“Not recently.” He replied, “I was beginning to worry you had
changed your mind.”
“Never.” I said and kissed him on the lips, letting our
tongues play. “I am glad you found me.”
“I didn’t know you were lost.”
“I didn’t know you were lost.”
I played with the buttons on his shirt. “You know what I mean,” I told him, “I never
thought I would find anyone.”
“Kismet, Princess.”
He whispered. “I told you we were meant to be together…always.”
“I know, “ I said leading him to the bed, “but still…”
“Still what?”
“Well with everything…”
“I know, “ I said leading him to the bed, “but still…”
“Still what?”
“Well with everything…”
“Honey,” he said, “You are talking in circles.”
“Were you looking for..?”
“You?” he cut in, “Yes, I was and somehow I knew that day,
going into that bar, you would be there, sitting alone, those legs crossed and
looking like a real Princess.”
“No…really I meant…”
“Past. remember?” He
kissed me and pulled me down next to him, “and this is New Year’s and the past
is ever further away”
I smiled at him. My fairytale life continued.
“To the future…” I said and leaned to kiss him…then the rum
hit.
64
I slowly opened one eye the next morning. I was still wearing the dress from the night
before but Trey had covered me up. He
was reading the paper in bed next to me.
I moved and my head exploded.
“Good morning,” he said quietly. “Can I get you a Tylenol?”
“After you shoot me,” I moaned. “Good morning”
“You just need fluids and a good breakfast.” He told me,
“How does grits sound.”
“Like someone eating potato chips, probably.” I tried to sit up. “The sun is even too loud.”
“Like someone eating potato chips, probably.” I tried to sit up. “The sun is even too loud.”
“They’re good for you.” He kissed me, “Let me get some water
and something for that head. Shall we
find a place to eat?”
“Room service.” I groaned.
I had to pee so I slid out of bed.
In the bathroom I noticed I didn’t have any panties on..
“Um…” I called out, “Trey?”
“Yes dear?”
“Where is my underwear?”
“Got me.” He
said, “You want coffee or tea?”
“Coffee… But about my
panties.”
“No idea, last I saw them you were throwing them across the room.”
“No idea, last I saw them you were throwing them across the room.”
“Whose room?”
“I didn’t ask him.”
He peaked around the doorway.
“What did they look like?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Well how can I find them if you don’t remember?”
“Well, we were walking down Bourbon
street..”
“Did you have them then?”
“Maybe…” I thought a second.
“Um…could you back out so I can finish here?”
“You have nothing I haven’t seen…” He went back into the
room. I finished and walked out.
“No, really, did you take them off?” I asked.
“No, honey I didn’t”
I thought for a minute then it came back to me. The bar, I went to the restroom and there
were panties tacked to the wall. It was
a tradition in that bar…so I…
“I know where they are.”
“Oh?”
“On the wall at the bar.”
“Oh? That explains a lot, I guess.” He looked at me
intently, “So you didn’t have them on when we were walking back?”
“Nope.”
“And you kept that a secret?”
“Maybe?”
“And you passed out….and I didn’t…”
“You didn’t?”
“Nope…” he said looking like a puppy.
“Well, we need to fix that.
How long before room service shows…”
65
After water, pain reliever, Bagels and cream cheese, coffee
and a bloody Mary, I was almost human again.
The game was at 6PM so we had
time to do a little sightseeing.
The bayou country is lush all year long and January is less
humid. Not dry or even close, but not so
damp you need to use a machete to get through the air. I was glad I brought walking shoes as we
decided that within a few locks of our hotel there were several historical
buildings and we could walk.
The bed and breakfast in Georgia
was one of the main reasons we decided to move to that area, but the
architecture here was different. The
rich still lived like kings in both areas and the poor parts of the town where
the creoles and the mulattos lived have long since been destroyed by fire and
hurricane. Our house was far too modern
to decorate like the museums but we marveled at the furniture and art. Trey, as I knew, was a big art
aficionado. I, on the other hand liked
history.
It was about 3 when we finished touring so we had three
hours before we had to be at the stadium.
We found a nice little bistro where we had Cajun food and some cocktails
before rushing back to the room to get ready.
Since neither one of us had a dog in the fight, it was just
fun cheering the players. The game was
over and we got back to the room at about 11.
“So…?” I started,
“Ah geeze didn’t we just do that like yesterday?” Trey
chided me.
“Yes we did, but I think going down to the Quarter would be
fun to do again.”
“OK, let’s go exploring!” he said and led me toward the
door. I stopped him and turned to him.
“That’s what you were thinking right?”
“Exactly,” he said, “It wasn’t sex…honest”
Given our past lives experiences we gravitated to the “haunted”
areas of the Quarter. The city was alive
with ghosts so to speak. I expected that
I would get some vibe or feeling from places, but I guess my gift was limited
to my lives. I assumed I had never lived
in New Orleans and thus I had
nothing to stir me. It was fun
nonetheless. But the proceeding days had
taken their toll so we found a nice little club that served absinthe and had a
ghost. The manager told us of how on
dark nights the spirit of the first chef would wander around. Of course Trey used that moment to scare me
and I spilled my glass down the front of my top.
“Dammit, Trey.” I laughed, “That wasn’t funny.”
“I thought it was “ he smiled back at me.
“You ruined this blouse.”
“Take it off then.” He replied
I looked at him intently.
“And what would you do if I did?”
“You wouldn’t… would
you?” he asked. “OK never mind you
would. Let’s go back to the room, I’ll
make it up to you.”
“No,” I said , “You’ll buy me dinner first.” I looked at the manager, “What’s you most
expensive dish, I’ll have that.”
66
The Pinto sat in the garage, especially in the winter. Trey would drive it three or four times a
year otherwise. But, it had sentimental
value. At least before the “dream”
I had a feeling that the car would somehow pull Trey and me
apart.. I don’t remember the dream
exactly but I woke up sweating. Trey
rolled toward me.
“You OK, honey?” he asked
“I…I don’t know.” I whispered, “It was like the past lives
dreams but…it wasn’t the past.”
“Care to share?”
“I can’t remember it all,” I said, “But would you hate me if
I asked you to sell the Pinto?”
“Um…why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Princess, I will put it on the market in the morning.” He hugged me, “It’s steel and rubber, you‘re part of me.”
“Princess, I will put it on the market in the morning.” He hugged me, “It’s steel and rubber, you‘re part of me.”
“Well…” I said, “maybe I’m being over reactive.”
“You decide,” he said, “now come here, let me hold you.”
67
I started playing tennis more that the club. Although most of the women wouldn’t sign up
with me, there were a core or half a dozen who did. It was a good release and after a few weeks
no one really paid attention to me as long as I didn’t interfere with their
sphere. Sort of like being back in high
school, Boy Scouts or the military.
The car sold in a week and, I know Trey wasn’t thrilled, he
did it for me and I was sure that would end that dream and everything would be
alright.
We entered a chapter where we were both home on nights and
weekends. It was nice just being a
married couple. He would share the
cooking and we stayed home to eat more often, discovering new recipes we
thought would be tasty. Most were good,
there were a couple that failed miserably.
“I’m usually pretty good in the kitchen,” I told him one
evening.
“I prefer you are good in the bedroom.” He said, putting a
smudge of flour on my nose, “ I can always order out food.”
“Stop that, you’ll make a mess”, I told him rubbing off the flour. “So I’m just easier than carry out?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” He smiled, “but it is my favorite, I
could have it every night.”
“Stay home more, I’ll see what I can do.”
“I could but you would have to give up all this.”
“K…” I smiled evilly, “You would do that just to be with
me?”
He turned serious, “yes I would,” he said, “I love our life
but if it went away tomorrow, all I would need is you and we could build it
back together.”
“Like one of those reality shows…”
“Better.” He tasted the concoction in the pan, “This is awful…where did you get that recipe?”
“Better.” He tasted the concoction in the pan, “This is awful…where did you get that recipe?”
“Online,:”” I said, “ I think I missed something.”
“Yeah the part at the end where it says throw it out and
call for pizza.”
“I want anchovies…” I said as I threw the ingredients in the
trash.
“Really?” he asked,
“You on the salty fish diet?”
“Anything salty you know that.” I kissed his cheek, “That’s why I keep you. Order the damn pizza.”
“Anything salty you know that.” I kissed his cheek, “That’s why I keep you. Order the damn pizza.”
Part IX
68
“Ladies and Gentlemen we are arriving in Dublin
in a few minutes. Please put your seats
in an upright position and secure all belongings. Thank you for flying AerLingus today and if
you are visiting out emerald Isle, enjoy, if you live here, welcome home.”
The plane touched down and rolled into the terminal. We deplaned and gathered our luggage then
looked for a taxi to take us to our bed and breakfast.
“You sure you want to go to Mayo?” he asked me as sat in the
room catching our breath.
“Sure,” I replied, “I have to see for myself.”
“But it may bring back a flood of memories.”
“That is kind of what I was hoping for” I sighed, “Because
if it does, then that confirms it doesn’t it?”
“I thought we did that when my story matched yours”
“Still could be a coincidence.” I told him, “Maybe I talk in
my sleep and you picked up on it.”
“OK,” he agreed, “maybe.
But if you feel uncomfortable, let me know and we can leave. We have all of Ireland
to explore and Scotland. 10 days.”
Hmm…you in a skirt…maybe fun.”
Hmm…you in a skirt…maybe fun.”
“You in a skirt is more fun.”
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