Previously:
"Must be a really bad headache," Luck said.
"Yeah. She's been like that for as long as I've known her. She'll suddenly get excruciating headaches and have to lie down."
"There's no medicine she can take for it? It sounds like a migraine."
"The usual remedies aren't enough for her."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Yeah. She's so cheerful, you'd never know she has a problem."
"I'm sure her husband is taking care of her."
Luck leaned closer to Charlie and lowered his voice.
"Why don't you let me take care of you?"
Charlie blushed slightly and smiled. She nodded and took his hand, leading him from the dining car to their room.
Chapter 20: Honeymoon
At the time Charlie was leading Luck to their room on the train, some of the men of the Gandor Family were having lunch in the office in the basement. They were chatting about work and the state of the family, and then the topic turned to Luck and Charlie.
"Mr. Luck's a lucky man."
"Yeah. But if it'd been me, I wouldn't have needed that long to make her mine."
"If it'd been you? Like you ever stood a chance."
"Besides, what kind of girl do you think Miss Charlie is?"
"She's not a girl anymore. She's a full-blown woman now."
"That lucky bastard..."
"What did you just say?"
"Ahem. Nothing. Nothing."
"It didn't sound like 'nothing' to me."
"I wonder where they are right about now?"
"Who knows. Aren't they about halfway there?"
"They're going to New Orleans, huh?"
"Isn't that where Mrs. Charlie is from?"
"That's probably why Mr. Luck picked it."
"Yeah, he dotes on her, doesn't he?"
"Wouldn't you?"
"I bet he'd cut off your hand if you tried to touch her."
"He'd probably kill you for looking at her sideways."
"Mrs. Charlie wouldn't let that happen."
"Who says she'd know anything about it?"
"Women are good at finding stuff out."
"Yeah, I cheated on my old woman once, and she knew right away. She was hitting me with a wooden spoon before I even had time to explain."
"She probably would've hit you harder if you had. There's really no excuse for that, you know."
"Speaking of which, how is Irma?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"That bad, huh?"
"I hope Mr. Luck and Mrs. Charlie don't end up like you two."
"That won't happen to them."
"Yeah, don't even say stuff like that."
—∞—
Sometime later. A train heading to New Orleans.
Luck and Charlie didn't reemerge from their cabin until they had almost stopped serving dinner. They were just barely able to get their orders in. They didn't see Lottie or Henry and assumed they must've eaten earlier. Luck and Charlie finished their meal with one slice of a very rich chocolate cake, then they returned to their room.
—∞—
Louisiana. New Orleans Union Station.
The train pulled to a stop. Luck and Charlie looked out the window of their compartment, watching the people coming and going at the terminal.
"Ready?" Luck asked.
"Ready."
They took their luggage and moved to get off the train with the rest of the passengers. They stepped out onto the platform, and Luck learned that Charlie hadn't been exaggerating. The humidity hit him like a wall, and he felt like he was slowly being boiled alive. A familiar voice called out to them.
"Charlie!"
Charlie and Luck turned and saw that Lottie had found them again.
"Feeling better?" Charlie asked.
"Much. I was wondering if you wanted to come see our home? Maybe you could stay with us?"
"Oh, well..."
"Oh, that's right. I can't believe myself sometimes—I forgot to ask for your last name. You're not an Azzura anymore, right?"
"It's Gandor."
"Gandor?"
Henry looked like he had seen a ghost. Judging by his reaction, he had heard of the Family somehow.
"I-I'm sorry. I just remembered, we're having the house fumigated. You really wouldn't want to stay."
"What are you talking about?"
Lottie was clearly confused.
"Come on, Lottie. I'll explain more on the way home. Sorry about that. It was nice to have met you. I hope you have a good vacation."
As he spoke, Henry pulled Lottie further and further away from them until they disappeared into the crowd. Luck and Charlie were left staring after them.
"…..."
Charlie didn't know what to say. It was obvious that Henry was now afraid of them, and it was probably the last time she would ever see Lottie.
Luck looked at Charlie with concern. There was no way that didn't hurt her.
"Let's go, Luck."
Charlie smiled as she turned her heel and started walking in the direction opposite the one that Lottie and Henry had disappeared in.
"I hope we won't have to wait long for a taxi to come."
"Charlie."
Luck placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"I'm sorry."
Charlie looked at him, allowing a little sadness to show.
"What for? I knew what I was getting into when I married you. You have nothing to be sorry for."
Luck put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. She rested her head against his shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
"I mean it, Luck. Given a choice, I'd still rather have you."
Charlie kissed Luck, and he kissed her back. They had almost forgotten where they were until someone called out, "Hey, you two, get a room!"
Charlie blushed and grinned sheepishly as they parted.
"That's not a bad idea," Luck said, looking forward to the hotel.
After that it was a swirling haze of lovemaking, sightseeing, good food, and good music. Their flame of passion burned even hotter than the weather, and they spent half the day in bed together under the rotating fan on the ceiling of their hotel room, only coming out after noon, when the day began to cool off.
Luck persuaded Charlie to show him her affluent old neighborhood, so on their last day in New Orleans, they left the hotel in the late morning, and she gave him a tour and showed him the house she used to live in with the Azzuras, an Italianate beauty. A new family was living there now. The wife was friendly when they chatted with her on the street, and she invited them in when Charlie mentioned that she used to live there. The new owner gave them a tour of the house. It was different on the inside, but Charlie told Luck how it was when she lived there and pointed out where the piano used to be. In place of the piano was a table with a phonograph. Charlie's room had been completely repainted and turned into a nursery, where an adorable baby girl was sleeping peacefully in a crib. They were careful not to disturb her. They thanked the new owner for the tour, said goodbye, and left.
Charlie was quiet as they walked away from her old home.
"That must've been strange, seeing someone else live there."
"A little, but I'm glad it went to a nice family. I hope they're happy there."
They left the neighborhood and then wandered around for a little bit until Charlie spotted a humble little mom-and-pop store.
"Hungry?"
"Starved."
She pulled Luck into the store, and he saw from the products—the type of meats, the breads, the cheeses—that it was run by an Italian family.
He had initially been surprised by the number of Italian-owned business in the French Quarter, but Charlie had explained that the number of Italians who immigrated in the late 19th century had greatly exceeded those who had come before the Civil War. Only New York had a higher population of Sicilian-Americans and Sicilian immigrants than New Orleans. "Little Palermo" was established by the recent immigrants in the lower French Quarter, which some suggested should be renamed as the "Sicilian Quarter" because so many Italians had settled there.
Charlie went right up to the counter and placed her order:
"Two quarter muffalettas and two cokes, please."
"Coming right—"
Just as Luck had been about to ask why she was ordering two pieces of the Sicilian sesame bread, the middle-aged lady behind the counter paused abruptly in the middle of ringing them up. She took a good look at Charlie and broke into a smile.
"Little Miss Charlie! Alfredo, it's Miss Charlie!"
A round Italian man came out from the back to answer her call. He also smiled when he saw Charlie.
"Miss Charlie!"
He spoke with a light Italian accent as he spread his arms wide and then clapped his hands together, beaming at her.
"You came back! We thought you moved to New York? You didn't even say goodbye!"
"Sorry, it was really sudden. I didn't have time for goodbyes."
"Oh, we heard. Mr. Dino came in with some friends and was bragging about how he'd left you in some kind of trouble?"
"He did, but something good came out of it. Mr. Alfredo, Mrs. Sofia, I want you to meet my husband, Luck."
"Husband?!"
Alfredo and Sofia seemed, shocked, but then they looked just as pleased as if their own daughter had married and started making a fuss over the newlyweds.
"Congratulazioni!"
"Bravi!"
"Cento di questi giorni!"
"Auguri e figli maschi!"
"Evviva gli sposi!"
They were so excited that they had slipped into Italian. Charlie smiled as they congratulated her and Luck and wished them many more happy days and lots of sons. Sofia kissed her on the cheeks, and Alfredo hugged her. Then they moved onto Luck and repeated the process with him.
"Oh, he's so handsome! You two are going to make such beautiful children."
Sofia was beaming at them so brightly that her smile was almost blinding. Charlie's cheeks turned a little pink, but she looked pleased. Luck smiled when he looked at her.
While Sofia told them what a good couple they made, Alfredo had taken a nice basket that was for sale and was quickly going around the store pulling things off of shelves. Mozzarella, provolone, coffee, fettuccine, farfalle, olive oil, olive salad, two loaves of coppia ferrarese bread, grapes, prosciutto, and pastrami. Alfredo set this basket on the counter.
"Two quarter muffalettas, right?"
Without waiting for their answer, he went to make their sandwiches.
"What's all this?" Luck asked.
"It's our gift to you, to celebrate your marriage."
Sofia said it as if it should've been obvious, and Charlie really appreciated it, but… She knew they needed every penny they made.
"Oh, I can't take all this."
"You're right."
Charlie was surprised she agreed with her so easily. She and Luck watched her walk out from behind the counter and disappear among the shelves. When Sofia came back, she was holding a box of lemon-flavored Italian candies. She added it to the basket.
"We forgot your favorite candy. Now you can take it."
"That's not what I meant," Charlie said wryly.
"I know what you meant. And I'll keep adding to the basket until you take it."
Charlie could see that she meant it. Sofia was determined to make her take their present. The longer she refused, the more money she would cost them.
"… In that case, I'll gratefully accept your gift."
"Good girl."
Luck was a little amused that Charlie seemed so helpless against the older woman's kindness.
Alfredo returned with their sandwiches, and Sofia removed two ice-cold cokes from the red Coca-Cola cooler that was standing by the counter. She popped them open for them with a bottle-opener.
"There. It's all on the house."
"At least let us pay for the sandwiches and drinks," Charlie said.
"No, no. You're not paying for a thing."
Charlie's eyes went to the tip jar sitting next to the cash register.
"In that case, you leave me no choice..."
Charlie opened her wallet, took out enough to pay for everything and still give them a little extra and shoved it into the tip jar.
"Miss Charlie!"
"You rascal!"
They seemed dismayed, but Charlie smiled warmly at them.
"Mr. Alfredo. Mrs. Sofia. Thanks for taking care of me all this time."
This seemed to mollify them a bit, because although they grumbled a bit about her not letting them treat her, they returned her warm smile. Charlie hugged them both goodbye, and she and Luck took the basket and their food and left.
"Send us a picture of your firstborn!"
Charlie and smiled a laughed a little at Sofia's parting shot.
"We will!" Charlie promised. She and Luck headed over to Jackson square to eat while sitting on a bench under the shade of the trees.
"You seem close to them. Are they friends of your family?"
Luck was curious about her relationship with the grocers.
"You could say that. Mrs. Aggie and my father would bring me there to get lunch or a snack when we were in the area, and they took a liking to me. They don't have any children of their own, so they doted on me. But I couldn't let them give me that basket for free, because I know they've been having a hard time since the depression hit."
"So that's why you chose that particular grocer."
"Sorry, I kind of wanted to show you off to them."
"Now why should you apologize for that?"
They smiled at each other.
When they reached Jackson Square, and the muffalettas were unwrapped, Luck learned that "muffaletta" was also the name of type of local sandwich, which is what Charlie had ordered them.
"Try it it's good."
At Charlie's encouragement, Luck took his first bite. It really was good. He tasted salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella… and something else he couldn't quite identify. There were cut up pieces of what seemed to be olives and vegetables.
"What's this olive stuff?"
"Olive salad. It's a like giardiniera made from green olives, black olives, olive oil, celery, cauliflower, carrots, sweet peppers, onions, capers, parsley, pepperoncini, oregano, garlic, vinegar, herbs and spices."
"Oh, is that all?"
"Do you like it?"
"Honestly, I like it so much I wish the sandwich was bigger."
"But then you wouldn't have room for beignets. You haven't had any yet, right? You can't leave New Orleans without having a beignet."
"Those are like doughnuts, right?"
"In the sense that they're both fried dough with something sugary on top. But I think beignets are fluffier, and, well, you'll never look at a doughnut the same way again after having one."
"Before I try one, I think I should ask: Can you make them?"
"Yes, but they're messier to eat than doughnuts, so I tend to only make them once in a blue moon."
"Just checking. I'd hate to get hooked on them only to never have one again."
They finished eating, and Charlie started leading Luck to their next destination, but she stopped abruptly when she saw a display of artwork by a local artist just outside the fence of the square. A wonderful painting of Jackson square with St. Louis Cathedral in the background had caught her eye. It was a colorful, vibrant painting that perfectly captured the character of the city.
Luck looked from Charlie to the painting.
"Do you want it?"
"Huh? Well..."
"We haven't picked out a souvenir yet."
Luck reminded her before approaching the artist.
"How much for that painting?"
"Two dollars."
As two dollars in 1931 would still only be equivalent to about twenty-four dollars seven decades in the future, it was a steal for a painting of such good quality.
"We'll take it."
The artist was pleased to sell and wrapped it up in brown paper for them to protect the painting. Charlie was very happy with the purchase—it was a little piece of New Orleans that she could look at whenever she missed her childhood home—and led Luck to the Café du Monde with a spring in her step.
Again, Charlie was recognized. This time it was by a waiter who appeared to be in his late fifties.
"Miss Charlie! We haven't seen you in two years, and now you show up with a date? You've certainly grown up, haven't you?"
The older man grinned as he teased her, clearly happy to see her again.
"Sorry, Mr. Emile. It wasn't planned."
Charlie apologized wryly.
"But can I introduce you to my husband?"
"Husband?"
Emile looked at Luck, surprised, and smiled.
"Congratulations!"
Emile took Luck's hand and shook it.
He looked truly pleased for Charlie.
"You're all grown up now, huh? She's been coming here since she was this tall."
Emile held his hand out low, showing Luck her height from when she was six-years-old.
"She and her brother used to make such a mess. The instant Mrs. Aggie turned her back, Dino would start a sugar fight with this one."
"Sugar fight?"
"With the powdered sugar from the beignets. He'd blow it all over me, so I'd get up and hug him until it rubbed off on him, too. He hated it. You'd think he would've learned after the first two times."
"Are you sure he hated it?"
"He certainly hated being pulled away by his ear when Mrs. Aggie saw what he'd done."
"That boy made such a fuss that everyone stared. A few people even laughed. Humiliations galore."
"And then there was the punishment she'd give him when we got home: No toys for three days and he had to help with the dishes."
"And what was your punishment?"
"She confiscated my Raggedy Ann doll for a day."
"Only one day? That seems a bit unfair."
"That's because I was only being punished for messing up Dino's clothes. He was being punished for messing up my clothes and wasting food. After all, the sugar I put on him had already been wasted when he got it on me."
"That was sneaky of you."
"Yeah, but Dino never learned. He always had to start trouble somehow."
Charlie was quiet for a moment as she remembered that he was dead now, but she quickly reminded herself that he had saddled her with his debt and tried to have her killed.
"Yes, it was sad what happened to him," Emile said, shaking his head. "Shot by a mugger in an alley… I'm sorry to say not many people will miss him."
"No, he didn't have many friends."
There was a moment of silence, and then, abruptly, Emile said:
"So, what can I get you?"
"A plate of beignets, and I'll have a café au lait."
"You're drinking coffee in this heat?" Luck asked.
Charlie shrugged.
"I'll just have a water," Luck said.
"I'll bring you some ice, too. You must be melting, poor yankee."
"Excuse me?"
"Your accent is from New York, right?"
"Yes?"
"Well, it gets real cold up there, doesn't it? This must be a big change for you."
"We have hot weather in the summer, too, you know."
"Sure you do."
Luck could tell Emile didn't believe him or simply didn't think a New York summer could compare to a New Orleans summer. Well, he was right when it came to the humidity. That was much worse.
"I'll tell them it's on the house," Emile said, smiling at them.
"No, you don't have to..."
He was gone before Charlie could stop him.
"You sure are popular with the older generations around here."
"Well, they were better company than the other kids. Either their parents wouldn't let them play with me because of where I came from, they wouldn't play with me because they'd made up their own minds about where I came—Dino made sure everyone knew—or they were too scared of Dino and his little gang to think playing with me was worth the risk."
"That's terrible."
"But on the plus side, it meant I spent a lot of time hanging out with Mrs. Aggie and our cook, and I learned a lot from them. I also had plenty of time to practice playing the piano. I got everything I needed, so it all worked out in the end."
Charlie seemed satisfied, but Luck thought it must have been very lonely at the time, being shunned by everyone her own age. He pictured her sitting alone at the piano, too small for her feet to completely reach the floor.
He took her hand in his to hold it, and she smiled at him.
Emile returned with their drinks and beignets. He set them on the table for them and gave them a wink as he left. As promised, he had added ice to Luck's water.
"You'll want to tap the extra powdered sugar off, or it'll go everywhere when you bite it."
This was good advice, as Luck observed someone making that very mistake only half a second later. They breathed through their nose as they bit into a beignet, and the powdered sugar was scattered all over their clothes. He also saw the rather than biting her beignet, Charlie was tearing small pieces off of hers and sticking them in the powdered sugar that had been tapped off to pick more of it up.
"You're not going to bite yours?"
"No, but you should definitely try it at least once."
Luck picked up a very warm beignet that was obviously fresh from the fryer. He tapped off the extra powdered sugar and carefully bit into it. The beignet was fluffy and airy, wonderfully tender, and delicious to the very last bite.
"You're going to have to make these for me sometime."
"They're even better with coffee. Go ahead."
Charlie could see Luck was eyeing the last beignet. He didn't need to be told twice. Again, he enjoyed every last bite.
"Oh, that's right!"
Charlie sat up in her chair and clapped her hands together when a thought came to her.
"We should get a souvenir to share with Keith, Kate, Berga, and Kalia. How about pralines?"
"Pralines?"
"They're a southern tradition. It's a confection made with sugar, corn syrup, milk, butter, and pecans. They're delicious, but it's better not too eat too many of them, so we only need a small box."
"I imagine so, with ingredients like that."
"But they're really good."
"Lead the way, then."
They gave Emile a good tip and left to buy a small box of pralines from a local confectioner. They weren't the only tourists buying them for souvenirs, but they managed to snatch up the last of them. The lady right behind them shot them a dirty look as they left.
Luck put his arm around Charlie as they walked.
"I don't know about you, but I'm ready to go back to the hotel."
He spoke in a low voice and gave her a suggestive smile. Charlie bit her lip then smiled back at him.
"I think we've seen enough."