Ch. 2 – A Chance Encounter
It was a lovely day in New Orleans. Locals and tourists alike were walking the narrow streets of this jewel of the south. They were going to work in the historic district or performing Cajun music on the street corner. Marie and Logan glanced at each colorful performer and smiled at each other.
That was when He broke through the crowd. He was tall, had brown parted hair, and a rather studley looking twentysomething, like herself. He looked like any of the native Nawleners. He had an aura of mystery surrounding him. Her eyes met his and they were…she must be delusional. Marie broke the eye contact and looked down the street.
He too looked into her eyes at what he guessed from her demeanor, a southern belle, not from New Orleans. He stopped and turned to look as she walked down the street with Logan until she disappeared behind a crowd. He thought for a second, and then shot down an alleyway. A minute later, he returned carrying a man's wallet, to fund his pursuit of that flower of that girl. He couldn't get her out of his mind.
He found her again, kept his distance, and watched the pair point and approach the National D-Day Museum. 'Hmm.' He thought. 'Must have brains along wid dat beautiful face.' He watched them enter. He adjusted his coat, pulled out a comb and brushed his hair, then followed them in.
Marie was having fun in the museum. The stories that she had heard from veterans when she was living in Mississippi pulled her fascination of the so-called "Greatest Generation." Logan was a bit annoyed. After all, he had memories of battling in World War II, whether real or not was something left to the people in the Weapon X project. On top of that, he couldn't smoke inside the museum, and he really wanted a beer badly.
"Hey darlin', I'm gonna go outside and have a smoke. Can ya take care of yerself?"
"Yeah, ah'll be walkin' around." As he walked out, he pulled out two things: his ticket to get back in, and a Cuban cigar.
The young man casually walked in as he saw the man the girl was with walk out with a cigar in his hand. He promptly paid for admission, and off he went to find that lovely girl. He entered the prelude to war exhibit and was having no luck finding her. He wasn't watching where he was going, and accidentally backed into Marie, sending her notebook flying through the air.
Marie was surprised to see that the young man in the museum. As he picked up her books, she pondered whether if it was fate or if he followed her into the museum..
"I am sorry chere, but I wasn't paying attention, and I'm a bit clumsy." She looked into his eyes, and they were what she saw when she walked past him on the street.
"Can ah have your name young man, or do ah have to force it outtya?" She smiled and he chuckled. Just then…
"Hey darlin.'" Logan returned from his smoke break and saw the young man. "Who's this chump? Is he giving you a hard time? Tryin' to mess with ya?" Anger was starting to build on his face. The young man stood up and backed off.
"I'm sorry. I cause no trouble." He walked away.
"Thanks Logan." Marie mumbled, stood up, then continued on the exhibits. Logan stood there dumbfounded.
The young man hurriedly walked out, constantly looking over his shoulder to see if the guy was after him. He found a safe bench to await her leaving the museum to see where she was staying. His departure did not go unnoticed from the museum though. A large, hairy man sat in a car with a dark haired woman, watching the Cajun sitting on the bench.
"Heh heh. What luck. I can bag the Cajun and that Logan all at once." He quietly growled in his find.
Marie and Logan went back to the hotel after spending the entire day at the museum so she could start working on her paper with the laptop she brought. Logan didn't want to bother her, so he stayed down in the bar having a few drinks. She wrote about a page and a half, and then took a health and welfare break. Just as she was sitting back down to the computer to work, there was a knock at the door.
"Room service!" Surprised, Marie checked the peephole to make sure that that person said who he was. She looked and saw that it was indeed a hotel employee. She opened the door. He had a pizza with a vased rose bought in the florist shop.
"Ahm sorry, you must have the wrong room. Ah didn't order any room service."
"Dis is compliments of a local, madame."
"Ah don't know…"
"De Mon Ami asked me to give dis note to you cherie." It read:
Dearest Chere,
I am de man from de museum. I find you very attractive an' you seem very special. Please accept dis wid my humblest compliments.
Sincerely, An' Admirer.
She smiled over the note, and directed the man where to set the pizza. After taking a bite of a slice, she got back to work on the paper.
The man and the woman from the car, followed Logan and Marie back to the hotel. He smiled a toothy smile, then drove off.
Marie had most of the paper, and the pizza, done when Logan came back up to the room from the bar. He immediately spotted the remains of the pizza.
"Order room service?" She shook her head.
"No. Someone sent it up to me."
"Who?" A grin spread across his face.
"Ah think its that local Cajun guy who I bumped into earlier today at the museum."
"I see." He went into the bathroom and changed into his boxers, ready for bed. "Now that our educational part of this 'field trip' is over, what do ya wanna do now darlin'?" Marie yawned and turned off the laptop.
"Let's really delve into the French Quarter and Bourbon Street." She also went into the bathroom and changed for bed. Logan was already asleep when she got out of the bathroom. Marie set the radio alarm to go off in the morning.
The young man slowly walked away into the night. He soon disappeared down an alley, headed away from the Hylton.
Keep those reviews coming!