Echoes in the Bayou
Page 8
An innocent grin came across his face; he hadn’t had to ask anybody out in a very long time, not since Jeanette and that was a long time ago. Well here goes nothing, he told himself as he sat down next to her.
"Ava I’ve been invited to a writer’s award ceremony down in New Orleans, I'm to be given an award for staying true to the historical significance in my writing and I thought that maybe you would like to go with me. And before you say no, I know that we haven’t known each other long and that you didn’t come down here to get romantically involved. But I need to go to this ceremony and I’d very much like it if you would go with me," he stammered.
Magnus had blurted it all out and when he was finished, he felt like a teenager asking for a date to the prom. Ava could sense his childlike nervousness and fought hard not to laugh, he looked so damn cute like that.
"Magnus DuPonte, are you asking me out on a date?" She teased.
"Yes, that’s exactly what I'm doing, and I have no doubt that you are well aware of this. It’s giving you great pleasure to see me sweat isn’t it?"
"Why I declare," she let out a feminine giggle. "It would be my pleasure to be your date for the evening kind sir. And you're getting an award to boot? That's wonderful Magnus, I'm very proud of you," she said enthusiastically.
Magnus smiled again and repeatedly thanked her for accepting the invitation. "Ava, you won’t regret the evening I promise you. And I thought we’d make a weekend of it and stay at the same hotel where the ceremony is being held. The Omni Royal Orleans, it’s one of the best hotels in the French Quarter, separate rooms of course," he smiled.
"Sounds perfect Magnus, but you failed to mention just when this award ceremony is supposed to take place."
Magnus looked away shyly before answering. "Uh, this weekend." He’d hoped that she wouldn’t harp about it being short notice. But something about her told him that she was far from being upset.
Ava smiled grandly, she loved the idea of being spontaneous and it was something that Gavin had never been, at least not with her anyway. He’d always had to make plans, write things down, and make arrangements. Never once during their relationship had he sprung any surprises at her. And Gavin called me the predictable one, she scoffed. This man is full of surprises; she thought to herself and smiled.
"Well then I guess you better reserve our rooms before it’s too late."
Magnus released a devilish grin. "I already reserved our rooms," he said. "When I spoke to Sinta about it, she told me that you’d accept so being the believer that I am, I took the liberty of reserving our rooms," he gave her a wink.
Ava couldn’t help but grin. Here he was, mister skeptical asking a woman who has clearly come from another time and place about whether or not I would accept an invitation. Can this all be happening?
"Magnus, ever since I got here, I have felt like I’ve been on the craziest ride of my life. I can’t explain it, but I like it. My body told me to run for the hills the first time that I encountered that horrible spirit, but my intuition told me to stay, stay and stick it out. And I am so very glad that I did Magnus," she smiled a cheerfully.
"So am I Ava, so am I," he said and returned her smile.
Magnus didn’t have to think twice about his response to what she’d just said; the supernatural events weren’t the only thing that was becoming more and more intense around the old house. He was growing quite fond of Ava, and in some strange way, his affection for her was far stronger than any he’d ever had with Jeanette. The more he thought about it the more he realized that what he and Jeanette had was fake. There was nothing genuine about the relationship. Jeanette was all glitz and glam; he knew that she had been the kind of woman who if her own mother had a heart attack, she'd think it was less important than finding out whether or not her own name was listed in the society pages.
But Ava was different; there was no comparison between his ex and Ava. Ava Montgomery was incredibly sexy, and one of the most down to earth, good natured woman that he has ever had the pleasure of meeting. Finding a woman who was sexy and down to earth had been exactly what he was looking for, but when he had a hard time finding it, he settled on Jeanette. What a mistake that was, he told himself. Ava had this way about her, like no matter how many people were around, she would make you feel as if you were all that mattered. He’d never met anyone so full of life, so intrigued by things, even things that would scare most people half to death. Yes, Ava was his equal in every way, but he wasn’t sure if she’d felt the same. Oh sure she would spend hours talking with him, and they’d gone on countless walks around the expansive property getting lost in one another’s words. But it was clear to him that there was something going on with her boss Gavin and although he had tried to drag it out of her that was something that she obviously wanted to keep to herself. She’s not ready to tell me, he thought to himself. Hell she may never want to tell me.
She said yes to be my date for the ceremony and that’s a start. Now I’ll leave it up to her to decide whether or not things progress.
The morning of their departure to New Orleans, Ava found herself awake at the crack of dawn. The sun was about to rise and she yawned and smiled at the new day. Off in the distance, she could hear the sound of a rooster crowing. It was far too early to wake up Magnus so she decided to get a few hours of reading in before she took a shower and got ready to leave. She’d done all of her last minute packing the night before and since she had nothing that even remotely looked like an evening gown amongst her things, she asked Magnus if they could stop at a boutique once they got to New Orleans. He told her not to worry, that he had planned everything out already and he hoped that she wouldn’t be disappointed.
"I’ll be disappointed if I go to this ceremony looking like a street urchin," she joked.
"Oh you’ll feel more like Cinderella I'm sure," he hinted. Ava had no idea of what he had in mind but she quite enjoyed the mystery of it all.
Enough with the day dreaming Ava, time to get in some reading, she told herself and carefully opened up Amelia Montieu’s diary.
John DuPonte is coming to visit and I know that William cannot wait to see his childhood friend. I just hope that this business in Texas will not keep him away too long. Poor Will Junior is also anxious to see his daddy. I must say that he is however, enjoying taking control of the place while his daddy is away. But, he’s too soft on them field niggas and I'm going to have to tell his daddy about that. They are treated as good as they can be but he still insists on asking them to do the extras. You tell them to do it, don’t ask! I always scold him about that but he doesn’t listen, he is stubborn as can be, he got that honest from his daddy. He tells me that I should treat them all better because they are not animals, they are human beings, and I told him that if they aren’t animals then how come his daddy had to drag them here on a leash? He had nothing to say to that remark; he just looked at me oddly and walked away. But I love my boy and I need to keep a watchful eye on him. Why just today I saw that nigga whore Celeste giving him the eye, ain’t no child of mine going to get mixed up with a nigga. Sowing his wild oats is one thing, but taking kindly to that nigga is another. I’ll have to tell him to go into town to lady Shari’s whorehouse if he wants his needs taken care of.
"That woman is such a bitch!" Ava had just finished telling Magnus about the passage she’d read hours ago. They were in the car now headed to New Orleans.
"Don’t you mean she was a bitch?"
"Was, is, either way she was an ignorant racist bitch."
"Now Ava, don’t forget that was the norm back then and not all antebellum woman had it easy."
"Oh of course they did Magnus, all they had to do was oversee the house, they had slaves do the rest," Ava objected.
"Now that’s where you’re not entirely accurate."
"Magnus, I think I know a little bit about the history of my people," she said matter of factly. "I mean I am half African American and I have read books on African American history you know."
Ava returned his look and said, "Please continue."
"Please don’t misunderstand Ava, I am not in any way condoning nor am I trying to justify how the mistress treated their slaves. All I am trying to do is tell you that many of the woman back then were not only in charge of the house but they were expected to garden, make clothes, darn socks, make soap, butter and cream, plan and fix some of the meals, educate the children, and keep the valuables locked away from the household help. And even though most of them wed while still young, they were expected to make the transition from young debutantes to matron of the big house. "
"I'm impressed Magnus, it sounds like you know your stuff." And she really was, even though the thought of a mistress comparing darning socks to picking cotton was preposterous, she knew what Magnus was trying to say and for that she found him even more intriguing. Not since she’d arrived there had she been able to have such lengthy intellectual conversations with a man before. All Gavin ever wanted to talk about was flipping a house or how he could make more money. Whenever she would try to change the subject into something more personal or intellectual, he’d almost always would clam up or tell her that she didn’t know what she was talking about. He told her that she wasn’t a worldly woman so she shouldn’t talk about things that she knows nothing about.
Goddamn, I must have been one incredibly naïve woman to have put up with that jack ass, she scolded herself. There’s not enough good sex in the world to make me want to go back to that foolishness, she almost said that out loud.
"What was that?" Magnus asked and turned his attention to her.
"Nothing, just thinking out loud. Please go on," she told him.
"Well as I was saying, the mistress was in charge of a lot of things and I am sure for a lot of them, the life wasn’t what they were expecting. For some, the days and nights of being wooed by their suitor suddenly stopped when they became husband and wife. I mean just picture it, you get wined and dined by this handsome guy, he asks you to marry him, and you say yes.
After the wedding, you move into the big house with him and you’re probably thinking, wow, I hit the big time. Now all I have to do is sit back, put my feet up and my house slave will wait on me hand and foot. Now where’s my mint julep? You know what I mean?" He asked her. When Ava nodded her head, he continued. "Well It was more like, if you want a mint julep you better plant the mint and tend to it first, before you tell your slave to being you one. Oh but don’t get me wrong, some were waited on hand and foot, they had mammies to teach and take care of the children, and house slaves to take care of the rest but it wasn’t like that for all of them, that’s all I'm saying."
"But it sounds like Amelia, had everything and who knows, maybe she wanted to teach her own children. God knows that she certainly doted after Will. I can’t imagine her allowing anyone but herself to do the educating around that house."
"You're right Magnus and thank you for the lesson on the antebellum mistresses, you are just full of surprises aren’t you?" she smiled at him.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "Does my knowledge really surprise you?" Was his response, he was from the south after all. Surely she wouldn’t think him ignorant of such things.
Ava began to frown, she had insulted him and didn’t mean to. She reached for his hand. "Magnus please don’t take offense, because I meant no disrespect by saying that. All I meant was that it is so refreshing to be able to have these kinds of conversations with you." She didn’t want to start their weekend away together on a sour note.
"Let’s just say that my last boyfriend didn’t think me worldly enough to even engage in such a conversation so when you told me all of that just now, I was so impressed and flattered that you wanted to share it with me."
When he had a moment to stop the car, Magnus turned and looked at her. "Ava, I don’t know what went on in your last relationship, but any man that would insult you like that isn’t a man at all and he certainly isn’t worthy of any of your time or conversation. And you better hope that I never run into him, whoever he is," he said and continued to drive.
Chapter Ten
The more she thought about what Magnus had said, the more she realized that he was right. Gavin wasn’t a man, he’d not only constantly put her down, but he cheated on her with her best friend. And although she was well aware that it took two to tango, she knew that had he not constantly flirted and made his many sexual innuendoes, Melanie would not have opened up her legs so easily for him. Maybe she would have thought about what it would do to me, Ava told herself. Maybe.
They had reached the Omni Royal Orleans and Magnus had been right, it was a grand hotel full of every luxury that one could afford. The wrought iron balconies against the off white architecture of the grand hotel gave it that wonderful New Orleans feel and she smiled as she gazed upon it. When they were checking in, she had offered to pay for her share but Magnus insisted that he foot the bill. He told her that she was his date and that he would not be pleased unless the entire weekend was his treat. "Well when you put it like that," she told him and put away her American express card. I should have been incredibly dubious and charged the entire weekend to Gavin Realty, she laughed to herself. I bet he wouldn’t have been expecting me to do that. "Mister you’re so predictable Ava." Asshole.
The moment Magnus unlocked the door to her suite and she saw the clothing rack packed full of evening gowns, any and all thoughts about Gavin and Melanie left her mind faster than a hooker in skecher sneakers.
"Magnus what is all this?" She asked. The rack was full of designer gowns and they were all in her size.
"Well I just figured that you wouldn’t want to waste the entire day shopping for a gown in a city that you’ve never been to right? So I thought it would be nice if I brought the gowns to you, now all you have to do is pick one out and it’s yours," he said rather casually.
Ava could not believe her eyes, not only was this man gorgeous but he was incredibly generous. If he has a hidden agenda and is hoping to get laid tonight, I just may have to accommodate him, she smiled at him seductively.
"Magnus I couldn’t possibly accept one of these gowns, have you seen the price tags?" She held one up for him to see. It was an Oscar de la Renta midnight blue satin gown and it was screaming her name. "I can’t afford this," she winced when she looked at the price. "That comma can’t possibly be in the right spot."
"I was thinking of the very same one," he said ignoring her refusal completely.
She was seeing a side of him that she’d never noticed before, he was unyielding but he did it in such a way that it not only took her by surprise but made her even more attracted to him. Gone was the shy, somewhat unconfident and bashful guy. Standing in front of her, eyeing her, perhaps envisioning her wearing the gown was a more self-assured man who had everything under control and she liked it.
"The blue one it is," he said and called down to the front desk to tell them that he was ready to have the remaining gowns removed. Ava knew she should have refused such a generous gift but the gown was beautiful and he did ask her to be his date.
"Now I’ll let you get settled in Ava and then I'm taking you to lunch and after that, a tour of this grand city. See you in an hour," he said and smiled warmly at her before leaving the room.
What the hell? She thought to herself. Is this the same guy I met only weeks ago? Maybe he’s just being incredibly nice and wants to be friends. Maybe friends with benefits, she suggested to herself. "Oh well, no one can ever be so rich as to throw away a friend," she smiled and began to unpack her clothes.
An hour and a half later they were dining al fresco at Chartres House. The restaurant was located in the heart of the French
quarter and boosted a cozy, homelike atmosphere while still embodying the strong history of years gone by. Ava had never been to New Orleans before and she wanted to try something new. "How about the fried green tomato chips and Duck empanadas for starters?" Magnus suggested.
"Sounds good," she told him.
While they waited for their appetizers, Magnus made sure to point out the historic landmarks that were nearby, such as the St. Louis Cathedral. He also told her about the history of Chartres House, how the property dated back to 1722, when Arnaud Roche and his family lived on the very same land in the French Quarter until their house burned to the ground during the Good Friday fire of 1788. After that it became known as the Reynes Mansion until 1873. Then it was turned into a grocery store that later became a café. Its most notable patron was Tennessee Williams, who would relax at the bar or by the swimming pool which was now a fountain.
"The building stood vacant for quite a while before it was purchased and named Chartres House, so you see Ava by dining here, you are a part of the history of this place," he said with a wink.
She marveled at his extensive knowledge of the place. "So is this what it’s like being a writer?" She asked. "No wonder you’re a best-selling author, you seem to know so much about well… everything," she told him.
Magnus let out a laugh. Besides the occasional fan, he’d forgotten what it felt like to be complimented. Sure he’d received countless letters from fans all around the world, some proclaiming to be the one for him while others simply wanted to thank him for producing such a romantic story while keeping the historical aspects honest and true.
He told Ava that he never liked to fluff when it came to referring to his settings, he’d always tried to describe the setting to a tee and even then sometimes he would feel as if he wasn’t giving the location or setting of his stories justice. He was however, known for making his readers feel as if they had stepped back in time. And that was exactly what he wanted; he wanted to take the reader with him on a romantic journey.