I hadn’t realized that I had been crying until James reached up to brush a tear away from my cheek. “We’ll find him,” he promised confidently. “As soon as Mama gets here, I’ll go get my friends and we’ll go find him.”
I crouched down to James’ height to give him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled and blushed as I stood back up and reached down for my bag. My wallet was in there and I wanted to give him some money to split with his friends. When I stood up again, I opened it up and pulled out five twenty dollar bills.
“You split this with your friends for helping me, okay?” I said, holding out the money.
“Thank you! I promise we’ll do a good job of finding your very good friend,” he replied happily. “Oh! There’s my Mama now! I’m gonna let her know how the morning’s been, and then I’ll go. Don’t tell her anything though, Miss Emily. If you do, she won’t let me go,” he warned before he ran off to greet his mother.
As I watched him chat briefly with the dark haired, beautiful woman, I felt hopeful again.
Hopeful that he might find him.
Hopeful that he might come back with some news to satisfy my curiosity.
What I didn’t count on was that it would be the last time I’d ever see James alive.
Five
I bought some pineapples from Monroe’s wife and she gave me some really good information of places I could stay at that didn’t reek of mold. I thanked her by giving her an extra ten dollars, then I made my way out of the market. Since Mardi Gras was tomorrow, I knew I wouldn’t have a chance in hell of finding a decent place to stay, but she told me that if I went to La Rue Chateau a few streets down from Bourbon Street and told them I knew her and Monroe, they would give me a room to stay in.
It made me happy to know that she was just as kind as her husband and son. Usually families don’t end up that way; there’s always a good one and a bad one, but this family only seemed full of good.
My bag rumbled quietly on the street as I guided it toward Bourbon Street which was four blocks down from the market. I could only hope that they were open tomorrow since a lot of tourists would be looking for mid-day snacks, they would be able to find plenty of fresh fruit there.
I was waiting at the intersection for the light to turn red so I could walk, when I saw a small voodoo shop on the corner. I made a note of it so that I could come back that way and see if they had any card readers or fortune tellers. I knew the ones in the market might be more authentic, but I didn’t really have an important questions to ask. It would just be something to pass the time with.
When the light finally gave me the go ahead, I crossed the street and walked until I saw La Rue Chateau. It was three stories high and already decorated for tomorrow, not to mention it looked a thousand times better than Robert’s moldy place.
I pulled the door in and walked up to the counter in the opulent lobby and smiled. I wasn’t sure exactly how Monroe and his wife would know the people that owned a place like this, but I was definitely in a place that would make me feel safe.
There was a young pretty, petite brunette behind the counter who smiled at me with the whitest teeth I had ever seen.
“Hello! Welcome to La Rue Chateau! Do you have a reservation?” she asked cheerfully.
“No,” I replied as I approached, “But Monroe’s wife sent me. She said you could find a room for me.”
“Ah! Market Monroe!” she said with a big smile. “You’re his friend? Then I definitely can find you a room. We’re all booked up, but I always keep one vacant in case him and his family want to come watch the parade from the balcony. I’ll give you that room.”
I nodded happily. I was going to have a room with a balcony view of the festivities as they happened and Daddy couldn’t stop me from at least watching this time.
A few moments of tapping the keys on her computer and she had me sign some paperwork. I had no issues signing my real name in this place.
Emily I. Thibideaux, I signed with a flourish. She looked at the paperwork and nodded once she was sure all important parts were filled out.
“My name is Carrie and I’m the assistant hotel manager. Please reach out to me if you have any concerns!” she said handing me an electronic room key. “Now you can take the stairs, or you can take the elevator up. Your room is number three twenty. Right in the middle of the floor. Enjoy your stay!”
“Thanks Carrie!” I said, as I reached down for the handle of my bag and went toward the small elevator banks.
I already knew that once I got comfortable in the room, I was going to soak in the tub for at least an hour, and then I was going to call my parents and see if Daddy was still mad at me. I hated thinking that he would still be upset after all these years over Grimm. I was allowed to have friends, regardless of their position or standing in society.
The elevator came down slowly and dinged open. I stepped back to let an elderly couple pass through and then walked in, leaning against the mirrored back. I went up much faster than it took the mechanism to come down and I stepped out when the elevator dinged on my floor.
Once I located my room and unlocked the door with the key card, I let out a happy sigh. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside of La Rue Chateau with a king sized bed sitting in the middle of the room against the wall, a beautiful maple desk near the window, with a huge comfortable looking chair sitting beside it. I took my bag over to my bed and began to take out my belongings. I wanted to utilize the balcony for airing out my clothes since they had been in the bag for so long and while that was happening, I would go soak in the tub.
I started humming a happy tune as I brought my clothes out to set them on the balcony railing. All I really had in the luggage roller was a few sundresses to prepare for the Louisiana heat, a couple of pairs of shorts, and some tank tops. Besides some bras and panties, but I wasn’t going to set those out on the railing, instead I let them sit on a small wooden stool chair that was sitting against the left side rail of the balcony.
As soon as that was all done, I went back into my room, leaving the balcony doors open. It would be nice to have fresh air in the room, and it might help kill the mold spores I was sure were already growing from Robert’s place.
I walked back into the bedroom and pulled my clothes off. I was sure that if Carrie was as friendly as she seemed, I’d be able to give her them to have housekeeping wash.
I went toward the bathroom, the cool breeze wafting into the room and wrapping itself around my body, and pulled back the curtain. The floor of the bathtub looked immaculate and I was satisfied that I wouldn’t have to give it a scrub myself. I glanced around the bathroom until I saw a small plug sitting near the sink, grabbed it, and popped it into the drain in the tub. I turned the knobs in their appropriate directions and ran a hand underneath the water, until it was a temperature I was comfortable with.
“I wish I had bubbles,” I mumbled to myself.
Hm.
I saw the small bottles of hotel toiletries and grabbed the one labeled shampoo. I glanced down at the tub, then back to the small plastic bottle, before I shrugged and unscrewed the cap, letting the contents fall into the water. It wasn’t what I would have hoped for, but it was enough and it would have to do.
Reaching my hands up, I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, then went into the room to see if I could find a hair tie in my bag. A-ha! I thought successfully after a few moments of rummaging around in the front pockets. I held the tie in my right hand, while I reached back up again and put my hair back into a ponytail, wrapping the tie securely around it.
I wouldn’t be able to wash my hair today because I had just used the shampoo as pseudo-bubbles, but I was at least going to be comfortable while I soaked in the tub.
“Just in time,” I said out loud.
The water was starting to reach the middle of the tub, so I turned the knobs in the opposite direction to shut off the spout. Letting out another happy sigh, I climbed into the tub and sat down, before carefully stretching myself out
. Luckily, there was a small washcloth that had been sitting on the edge of it, so I placed it over my eyes as I lay there, letting the somewhat hot water caress my bare skin.
It was something I thoroughly enjoyed doing at home and I had to force myself not to fall asleep. I was always afraid of drowning in the tub, so I had a small step at home that I would put at the end that I could push my feet against to keep me afloat if I ever started to slide down. Here I didn’t have that, so it kept me somewhat alert as I fought the sleep that was threatening to take over me.
Lucky for me, just as I started to lose my battle, a loud eruption of laughter down on the New Orleans streets jolted me back to being completely alert.
Maybe I should’ve closed those damn doors after all, I thought with a sigh.
My thoughts started to drift toward Grimm. I wondered so much what he would look like now as a grown man. Would he smile if we ever saw each other again? Was he even alive to smile at anyone anymore?
God, I miss him.
Tomorrow wouldn’t be a good day to try and check in with James. Even though I was sure his parents wouldn’t let him go to the Mardi Gras parade, I was sure that the sudden influx of tourists would mob the streets and make it virtually impossible to move around, let alone make me want to be out in the crowd to begin with.
I would go back to see “Market Monroe” the day after and hope that Carrie would be kind enough to let me keep the room for a few days.
I have to call Daddy and Mama when I get out of here, I thought with a yawn.
I wanted to make things right with them; I didn’t want him to be mad at me because I missed my friend. Mama I knew wasn’t mad; she just never contradicted Daddy’s words.
I wasn’t sure how long I had been in the tub and at what point I had actually fallen asleep, but I woke up with a start and my heart beating erratically. I guess I had managed to tune out the people outside and lost the battle to Mr. Sand Man.
Fuck, I thought getting out of the tub and reaching down for the towel that had fallen onto the floor. I leaned down toward the drain and pulled out the plug. The water swished and made a loud gurgling sound as it disappeared into the dark hole, probably out toward the Mississippi.
I wrapped the towel firmly wrapped around my body as I went into the bedroom. It was odd that I didn’t remember dreaming anything, but it could possibly be because maybe I hadn’t slept as long as it would take the body to induce dreams. With a sigh I dried myself, and let the towel fall to the beautiful carpet before I pulled back the comforter and climbed into the bed.
Perhaps a proper nap would be what I needed. I’d try to win back my parents’ favor when I woke up.
Six
I was chasing James down a darkened alley, trying to catch up to him. His laughter drifted back toward me and he called out to me.
“Keep up, Miss! I can show you where he is!”
“Wait!” I shouted out to him as my legs pumped hard, and my lungs burned. I didn’t know such a young child could run so quickly and I was having a hard time keeping up.
He disappeared from view when he cut around a corner and I found myself wavering in my movements. There was no way I’d be able to catch up to him, but he knew where Grimm was so I had to at least try.
When I reached the end of the alley, I stopped running and looked around in confusion. I was trying desperately to catch my breath when I realized that I was standing in the Lower Ninth Ward. Did this mean that Grimm went back to his old home? Did this mean that I was going to finally see him after so many years?
“Miss! He’s here!” James called out excitedly.
I took a deep breath and broke into a sprint, running blindly toward his voice. It seemed like the abandoned houses were closing in on me on either side as I ran as quickly as I could toward the laughing young boy. He had done what I had asked him to do, but why did he do it alone? I didn’t see his friends anywhere, and I didn’t hear any other voices besides his.
“Where are you?” I called out desperately.
“In his home! Come see what he’s got in here!” James’ voice rang out.
The street I ran down seemed to lengthen and I could almost swear that vertigo was setting in. I felt like the closer I got to the front door of what I assumed was Grimm’s home, the further away it pulled from my reach.
A bloodcurdling scream met my ears, and it took me a moment to realize that it was James. He was in trouble and he needed my help, but why wasn’t Grimm helping him?
“I’m coming!” I screamed out as the first wave of actual vertigo knocked me to my knees. I dropped onto the crooked pavement and felt my mouth begin to water. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before and I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to get to him in time.
“No! Stop please!” his voice rang out again, followed by another agonized scream.
Then silence filled the void. The only sound I could hear was that of my own heart beating furiously in my chest as I fought to get to my feet, failing as the nausea held me firmly in place.
After a few moments it was over and I was able to get to my feet. I was able to fight my way back up from the ground and I was able to run again. I barreled through the slanted wooden door and followed the dimly lit path of candles to a back room. But there was no sign of James or Grimm. Instead there was only a pool of blood in the middle of a salt circle, and some ugly deity statue at the head of it.
I woke up with a start. Never in my life had I ever dreamed of anything so insane and so blatantly violent before and my body was shaking as a result. I had no idea what the nightmare meant, but I knew that I wouldn’t be going to sleep anytime soon. I didn’t want to fall back into that world that I had just left; it terrified me and it was a world where good children disappeared.
I sat up on the bed and pushed my sweat dampened, hair away from my forehead.
God, it was almost like I was really running, I thought leaning over the side and grabbing the towel off of the carpet. I used it to dry my face, then ran it down my arms and legs, before I let it fall onto the carpet again. Something about the air around me felt different; odd almost. As the sudden wave of paranoia washed over me, I decided to take a shower and hope that the hot water I planned to scorch myself with, would wash away the terrors of what I had just dreamt of.
Maybe coming back here wasn’t such a good idea after all. As I walked into the bathroom again, I found a fresh towel in the small linen closet and turned the knobs on again. But when I stepped in and let the water start to wash over me, I wondered about James.
I knew that dreams weren’t real, and I didn’t believe that they held omens of any kind, but it still made me worried that maybe he had gone into the Lower Ninth Ward alone.
Stop it, Emmie, I scolded myself. Next thing you know, you’ll end up in a voodoo shop believing in the things they’ll tell you about your “future.”
I chuckled at the thought. The history here was definitely rich and voodoo played a big part in it, but I never believed in it. That was another thing Daddy had forbidden; letting us wander too far into the French Quarter alone because if we did, we’d get “snatched up by a Witch Doctor”.
That was the bedtime stories we would get. All about the big, bad, evil Witch Doctors; not once do I ever recall hearing a story about Cinderella or a princess being saved by a knight in shining armor.
I sighed as I unwrapped the small bar of hotel soap and started to lather my arms with it. Anything that would have been considered slightly normal was pretty much forbidden to do, and I think that’s why I had taken such a shine to Grimm. He was far from normal and even though we didn’t do much but sit around and talk while he fished, it was still the most fun I ever had as a child.
And if that’s what I considered to be fun as a kid, I wonder what he’s up to now. I wonder if he still sits with that fishing rod somewhere near his home. I wonder if he has a home anymore. Hell, I wonder if he’s even still alive.
A sadness I had never felt before gripped
me as I again thought of the possibility that I might have come all the way down to New Orleans only to find out he had died. But I also knew myself well enough to know, that if I hadn’t come down here to at least try, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
I decided to clear my mind as I finished washing myself up. Thirty well spent minutes in the shower had been enough to put me in a semi-decent mood again, so when I was done and the water had been shut off, I dried myself thoroughly with the towel before walking stark naked onto the balcony and leaning on the rail.
I didn’t care who saw me; Daddy wasn’t around and it was something I always wanted to do. It made me feel like Lady Godiva in a way, except I was championing for myself and no one else.
It didn’t take long before one of the tourists down below whistled loudly. Now the Emmie Thibideaux that had been raised as a good girl would have immediately shied away and ran inside, but this Emmie Thibideaux, raised her hand and waved like she was the Queen of the Mardi Gras parade, herself.
The handsome man waved back at me before he and his friends kept walking and I felt a jolt of excitement inside of me. Maybe there was something to this whole freedom thing. Being myself instead of the little girl Daddy had raised could be fun, but I didn’t want to do anything too crazy until I found out about Grimm.
I wanted to have as much fun as I could before I left New Orleans again, but I wanted to do it with him.
Guess I should probably call Mama and Daddy, I thought after another ten minutes of standing on the balcony. I went back into the room and found the phone that was sitting on the stand next to the bed and dialed their number.
One Hundred Saints Page 3
