Big Easy Escapade

by Joan Rylen

  Wendy tapped the guy’s shoulder, but he didn’t let up. Kate snapped a picture* while everybody around whooped and egged him on. He finished the kiss and spun her about. She looked dazed but shook her head and yelled, “Woo!”

  “Happy bachelorette party,” he said, then gave her a strand of his Happy St. Patrick’s Day beads and kissed her once more on the cheek before continuing down the street with his buddies.

  Jason, Daisy and the girls grabbed a table in Voodoo Vibes, and a shot girl approached with test tubes in a variety of colors.

  “Would anyone like some Voodoo Vexes?” She pointed to the purple tubes, then to the green. “Or here we have our Voodoo Viagra.”

  Daisy held up her Hand Grenade. “I’m set, thanks.”

  “What else do you have?” Kate asked.

  “Three-for-one wells and domestics.”

  “I’m up for a beer,” Vivian said. “Anybody else?”

  Wendy and Kate raised their hands, but Lucy said, “I’ll take a vodka tonic.” Lucy grabbed a songbook from the table next to them. “Who’s singing with me?”

  “We all need to go up there!” Vivian said. “Even you, Daisy!”

  “I’m more of a dancer than a singer, but sure!”

  “I’ll stay here and rock the air drums, pretend I’m on stage,” Jason said.

  “Are you in a band?” Kate asked.

  “I’m the drummer for 12 Stones.”

  “You are?” Lucy asked. “I saw y’all in Denver with Panic of the Disco. I loved that song ‘Anthem for the Underdog.’ It totally rocked!”

  He nodded. “Cool.”

  “Is that the concert where the concrete chunk fell on your head?” Vivian asked.

  “That’s the one.”

  “You could have been killed!” Kate said.

  “Don’t I know it!” Lucy said, rubbing her head. Then she went back to flipping the pages of the karaoke book with frenzy. “We need some rock! Oh, I know, Rush! Can you kick it to ‘Dreamline’?”

  “Hell, yeah,” Jason said.

  Lucy turned in the request and their drinks were delivered. Lucy’s came in a giant plastic cup that had the Voodoo Vibes logo surrounded by musical notes.

  “Now that’s what I call a drink!” Lucy said and took a long sip.

  “Jason, are y’all on tour right now? Is that why you’re here in New Orleans?”

  “Actually, 12 Stones is from NOLA. Right now, Daisy’s the one on tour.”

  “Are you in a band, too?” Kate asked her.

  Daisy smiled and shook her head. “I have a different talent. I’m a burlesque dancer.”

  “What’s that?” Wendy asked.

  “It’s basically a stripper, but I don’t get all the way naked. Plus, I’m in a lot of competitions.”

  Jason squeezed her knee. “She’s up for newcomer of the year in the Exotic Dancer National Championships. She’s amazing.”

  She smiled at him and placed her hand on his.

  He picked it up and kissed it. “We’re on a cross-country exhibition ending in Las Vegas where I know she’ll win. Nobody can compete with her. She’s fantastic, a true athlete on the pole.”

  “That’s amazing, congratulations!” Vivian said, then raised her beer. “To Daisy! Our new friend and soon-to-be grand champion dancer!”

  The DJ announced their song, so the girls got up and boogied their way to the stage. Vivian looked down and couldn’t believe who she saw.

  Chapter 7

  Sitting front and center at a table beyond the stage at Voodoo Vibes was Adrienne Russo. Her tan hadn’t faded a bit since Vivian and the girls met her and Al, her boisterous husband, in Playa del Carmen a year and a half ago. They owned a restaurant in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood that Al inherited from his father who had inherited it from his father. Al and Adrienne had been a huge help in getting unjust murder accusations cleared up, and they and the girls became friends for life.

  Despite the humidity, Adrienne’s hair was styled to its usual perfection and her bling was still blinding. Earrings, necklace, bracelet and a ring of silver and blue sapphires sparkled, and then there was the wedding ring — kaboom!

  “Hey!” Vivian called and waved to her just as the guitar licks of “Dreamline” began, so the girls got into position in front of the microphones.

  Lucy belted out the song, with Vivian and Daisy singing the lines off the prompter best they could. Kate and Wendy mostly danced in the back. Jason, true to his word, played stellar air drums at their table.

  Song over, Daisy went back to the table while Vivian hopped off the stage and hugged Adrienne’s neck. “I can’t believe it! What are you doing here?”

  “Came in to see family. I saw on Facebook you girls were here, too. I had a feeling I’d run into you!”

  Lucy hugged her, too. “Where’s Al?”

  “He’s with his cousin, Gino. This is his wife, Michelle.”

  “Come sit with us!” Kate said.

  They pulled up two more chairs, and Vivian introduced Jason and Daisy. “We met Adrienne in Playa del Carmen on our first girls trip.”

  “Look out for these girls,” Adrienne joked. “They’ve got killer instincts.”

  “Ha ha ha,” Vivian said. “He’s spoken for, so in no danger of any of us. Daisy’s his fiancé.”

  “Congratulations! Are you getting married here in New Orleans?” Adrienne asked.

  Lucy picked up her giant three-for-one vodka. “Actually they’re here for Daisy’s big show. They’re on their way to Vegas.”

  “What kind of show?”

  Daisy answered. “It’s a burlesque exhibition.”

  Adrienne and Michelle looked at each other and smiled.

  “My husband owns the French House,” Michelle said.

  “What a small world,” Kate said.

  “I met Gino,” Daisy said. “He’s really nice. It’s an awesome club, one of the nicer ones I’ve danced in.”

  Adrienne tugged on Wendy’s sash. “So who’s the lucky guy?”

  “Same guy I was dating in Mexico — Jake. He’s from North Carolina.”

  “Yeah, I remember you talking about him. That’s great, I’m happy for you. When’s the big day?”

  “Only a month away!”

  Michelle looked at her watch. “I hate to meet and run, but the guys are expecting us to be home by 2 a.m.”

  Adrienne nodded her head. “Okay, okay. I’m on a short leash tonight. Are y’all coming to the show tomorrow?”

  Vivian shrugged. “We didn’t know about it.”

  “You’ve got to come. We’ll reserve you girls and Jason a table down front. What do you say?”

  “Sure, why not!” Lucy said.

  The other girls nodded.

  “We’ll be there!” Vivian said, then they said their goodbyes to Adrienne and Michelle.

  After some bad karaoke, everyone decided it was time to hang up their beads and boas for the night. They all walked down Bourbon toward Canal together since Jason and Daisy’s hotel was only a few blocks from the Hotel De Lis.

  The streets had started to clear out and trash was strewn about. As they walked, Daisy told them more about the show and her competition.

  Vivian noticed a dim light coming from a small alcove of a building and got an eerie feeling. “What’s that?”

  As they got closer, she saw a petite lady with long, black hair sitting on a milk crate at a makeshift table that held a small candle. “Would you like to know more about your future?”

  Vivian shuddered, immediately recognizing the woman. “Let’s go.” She grabbed Kate’s elbow and pulled her along.

  “I want to know more about my future,” Lucy said as she sat down across from the woman.

  The rest of the group stopped in the street, close by.

  Kate turned to Vivian. “What’s wrong?”

  “I swear that’s the lady who read my aura when I was here in college. She totally freaked me out. She told me Rick would hurt me very badly and I shou
ld leave him. She knew his name. I hadn’t said a word. I ran away, upset, and a few hours later she popped out of nowhere and asked if I was okay, which of course I wasn’t.”

  “Oh my gosh, I’m totally talking to this lady,” Wendy said. “I have so many questions. I want to hear what she says.”

  “I’ll see what Lucy thinks,” Kate said. “I might do it.”

  After a while, Lucy stood up and walked over.

  “How was it?” Kate asked.

  “She’s better than my shrink.”

  “I’m goin’ next,” Wendy said, then walked over to her.

  “What’d she say?” Kate asked Lucy.

  “You aren’t supposed to talk about it. But I will tell you there are big changes coming in my life.”

  Vivian rolled her eyes and groaned. Kate clapped.

  “How much was it?” Daisy asked.

  “Only 15 bucks and soooo worth it.”

  “For that, I’ll probably do it, too.”

  After several minutes, Wendy finished up and Kate went next.

  “Anything you’d like to share?” Lucy asked Wendy.

  “She sees a lot of travel in my future, and I’m livin’ to the ripe ol’ age of 92.”

  “It’s all that good, clean living,” Vivian laughed.

  “Right,” Lucy smirked.

  Vivian turned to Daisy. “So where are y’all from?”

  “We started out from Trenton last week, had a stop in DC, Charlotte, then Atlanta, but originally I’m from Minneapolis. Jason’s a Jersey boy.”

  “Man, that’s a lot of stops,” Lucy said.

  “We’ve got five more on our way to Vegas.”

  Kate finished up and Daisy sat down on the milk crate. Vivian watched as the fortune-teller took Daisy’s hand and began her reading. Daisy was there for almost 10 minutes when her expression turned from amusement to questioning. Jason saw it and took a few steps closer. Shortly thereafter, the reading was over and she joined the group.

  “What’d she say that pissed you off?” Jason asked.

  Daisy waved her hand. “Oh, my job puts me in danger, blah blah blah.”

  Jason pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. “I’ll keep you safe, baby.”

  “Oh Bam Bam, not in front of the children,” she joked but turned into his embrace.

  Vivian was about to start walking toward their hotel again when the fortune-teller came her way.

  “I want to read you again. No charge.”

  Vivian waved her off and took two steps back. “No, no, no. I’m not ever doing that again.”

  The woman looked into Vivian’s eyes. “I was right before. No?”

  Chapter 8

  Day 2

  Vivian woke to the sound of water running and shuffling around in the bathroom. Light peeked through the corner of the drapes, and though she couldn’t see the clock, she figured it was close to 10 a.m. Another couple hours of sleep would be good, along with some ibuprofen. Wendy, always prepared, had left the whole bottle on the nightstand. She reached for it and a cup of water.

  Lucy came out of the bathroom, looking freshly scrubbed and ready to start the day. “Oh, good. You’re up. I’m starving!”

  Vivian swallowed three pills and fell back onto the pillows. “This is not up. This waking is for medicinal purposes only.”

  Kate threw back her covers. “I’ll go next. I need to wash the Bourbon funk off me.”

  “Yuck,” Wendy said and rolled over. “I washed off the funk last night. Now you’ve contaminated the bed. Thanks.”

  “Not everybody showers at 3 o’clock in the morning,” Vivian said.

  Wendy burrowed further under the covers. “I couldn’t sleep until I washed off. There’s just no telling what all kind of filth we had on us.”

  Vivian threw the covers back but made no attempt to get up. “Bourbon definitely isn’t the cleanest street I’ve ever walked down.”

  “Speaking of walking,” Wendy said.

  “Nobody was talking about walking,” Vivian said.

  “Oh, come on,” Wendy said. “The Friends of the Cabildo have a walking tour this afternoon and I’d like to go. Please?”

  Lucy tied the laces on her tennis shoes. “I’m in!”

  Vivian tossed a pillow at her. “You and your exercise.”

  Lucy caught the pillow and then flexed her right bicep. “Look at that. All that exercise is paying off.”

  Vivian was impressed, but she still didn’t want to go on a walking tour. She looked at Wendy. “We’re on vacation, can’t we just relax?”

  Wendy sat up and clicked on the bedside light. “There’s more to the Quarter than the booze and bimbos on Bourbon. The tour gets into the history and we’ll learn new stuff.” She threw a pillow at Vivian.

  Lucy threw Vivian’s pillow back at her. “We’re here to celebrate Wendy’s last few days of bachelorette-hood and she wants to do this, so we have to do it. Rally up!”

  Kate poked her head out of the bathroom. “What are we rallying about?”

  Wendy got her up to date and then said, “But we need breakfast first, and I know just the place.”

  “Now that I can do!” Vivian said and finally sat up in bed. She took a hot shower, then threw on a yellow and green blouse and khaki capris. She went to grab her flip-flops from the closet and noticed Kate’s shoes were all in a row with one shoe face up, one face down.

  “Did you do this on purpose?” Vivian asked Kate, pointing to her shoes.

  “I’ve always done that. You’ve just never noticed.”

  Lucy peeked in the closet. “What’s that about?”

  “It’s a Taiwanese thing. I think it’s something to do with ghosts taking their place in your body.”

  “Uhhh, you don’t know for sure?” Wendy asked.

  “I get all these superstitions mixed up. Mom does it, so I do, too.”

  “Hmmm,” Vivian said, then flipped over one of each of her shoes. “Better safe than sorry.”

  “In Taiwan, they have a whole month where you’re not supposed to go swimming because of their fear of ghosts. I think it’s even called ‘Ghost Month.’ ”

  “What month is it?” Lucy asked.

  “Don’t quote me, but I think it’s August.”

  Wendy pulled the comforter off the bed and threw it over her head. “Oooooooooooooo!”

  They got a good laugh out of that, then finished up and left the hotel at the crack of 11 a.m. Wendy directed them across Canal and down a block to Poydras where the line to Mother’s was already out the door.

  “It moves pretty fast, I promise,” Wendy said. “And it’s totally worth it.”

  True to her word, the line did move fast, and once at the front, Vivian ordered sweet tea and a Turkey Ferdi with a side of grits and debris. Her stomach rumbled thinking about the creamy grits smothered in roast beef drippings.

  They took a seat at a table that had a small bit of water on it. Vivian looked up as a drop fell from the air conditioner overhead. Lucy got stuck next to the splashage but quit complaining about it the second her shrimp Creole was put in front of her. Kate dug into her Jerry’s Jambalaya and side of red beans and rice while Wendy scarfed down her crawfish étouffée.

  Vivian wrapped a paper napkin around half of her sandwich and stuck it in her purse. “Savin’ that bad boy for later.”

  Wendy threw in her napkin. “Good thing we aren’t here in the middle of August. That thing would be rancid after 10 minutes outside.” She looked down at her watch. “Are y’all ready for the walking tour? We’ve got 20 minutes to get to Jackson Square.”

  Kate groaned. “Not sure I can walk around half of New Orleans after eating all that.”

  Lucy pushed in her chair as the other girls stood slowly to leave. “You’ll be fine, come on. My tummy is happy and I’m feelin’ rejuvenated. Let’s do this!”

  Vivian dug in her purse. “Don’t we need to leave a tip for the waitress?”

  Wendy pointed to a large sign that hung between the din
ing areas. “No tipping allowed. They pay their folks well, so we don’t have to.”

  “All right, movin’ on then!”

  Lucy held the door open and they trudged along Tchoupitoulas toward Canal where it turned into North Peters, eventually merging onto Decatur.

  “There’s Jax Brewery,” Lucy pointed out. “There’s a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory up there, on the third story.”

  “I can’t really think about chocolate right now,” Wendy said, “but there’s a great view of the river up there. We should try to make it up there at some point.”

  They continued a couple more blocks to Jackson Square, then to the 1850 House, where the Friends of the Cabildo tour started.

  “What’s a Cabildo?” Vivian asked, then snickered and leaned over to Lucy. “Cabildo rhymes with…”

  “We know what it rhymes with, trashy.” Lucy shook her head. “One-track mind with you!”

  “I can’t help it, that stuff just pops in there!”

  Wendy pointed to the three-story building topped with a golden dome. “The Cabildo was the Spanish government building way back when.”

  “Spanish?” Vivian asked. “I thought we bought Louisiana from the French.”

  Kate laughed. “I have a feeling you’re about to learn a lot on this tour, which is good because it knocks out my required educational portion of our trip.”

  The guide met them out front, and the girls did indeed get educated. They learned the difference between a balcony and a gallery, could accurately spot a carriage entry, notice the numerous differences in Spanish and French architecture, learned all about the subterranean termites that can run rampant in season, and heard about the importance of the giant bolts that run through the buildings.

  Vivian thanked the guide and slipped him a 20 from their group. “I never even noticed those bolts before, or the little termite plates on the sidewalk. Guess I need to start looking up. And down.”

  He wished them a pleasant visit. “Come back any time. We have other tours available.”

  They wandered around the Square, checking out paintings and talking to vendors.