Chapter

I See You

One day, when he was about 5, there was a great stirring in the house. Delphe spent a lot of time on the floor below which was not something she did quite often. Prince snuck out of the room. He watched her scurry in and out of a room that was not visible from the landing. He knew this area to be where his grandparents had slept. Delphe saw him at the top of the landing staring down. She immediately frightened and waved him off to get back to his room. It was too late the grandmother saw him as she came out a moment later. Looking up she scorned. "What is that boy doing out?"

"I don't know Madam."

"That is quite enough. We have a physician that will be here shortly. Your job is done. Charles could take over from here. You get that boy back to his room. He is not to be seen. You know there will be consequences if he disobeys."

"Yes Madame."

"Give me that." She orders of the basin. Delphe hands it over and scurries up the stairs.

"Come on. Off with you." She didn't take him to his room. She led him to the attic. It was where he was to go every time guest were expected. He had a small bed fitted for these such occasions. A few meager toys and a second rocking chair for Delphe. A box of quilting fabric on the floor next to the chair. "What were you doing out?" She asked, shutting the door between them and whatever was going on two floors below. "You know better than that."

"I wanted to see."

"What do you want to see? You got no cause for that."

"Something's happening."

"Ain't no thing for you to concern yourself with." She propped herself in the rocking chair lifting the needle work into her lap to ease her mind. Prince watched the needle poke in and out of the quilt pulling the thread with it. She was ignoring him. He drew into himself. Looking at the boy she knew it wasn't right keeping this from him. She lowered the blanket into her lap. "Your grandfather has taken ill."

"Yellow fever?"

"No. Something else. His brain stopped working right. He can't quite move like he used to. A couple of days ago was when we first noticed. Something happened to him over the night. This morning he wasn't quite the same. Whatever had happened to him a few days ago has gotten worse."

"Is he going to die?"

"I'm not sure. He does seem to be in a pretty bad way. If you want we can pray really really hard. Sometimes God listens. He might even bring him back to us."

"You pray. I don't want to."

"You don't want to pray for him?"

"I hardly know him." She could understand his feelings on the matter. "Delphe." He said after a moment. "Is it natural to live in the same house as someone you don't know?" She swallowed her empathy.

"Well, not where I'm from, but then I didn't come from very rich beginnings. I hear the more you have, the less you're able to see the people around you. Belongings can make a person blind to those who love them."

"Do I have too much stuff?" He fretted.

"Are you afraid of not seeing me anymore?" He knelt his head. "Come here." She put her needle work aside to let him crawl into her lap. "Listen, you see me and I see you. You know me and I know you. As long as we have each other nothing else matters. We validate each other." He leaned his head against her bosom while she rocked him.

They had spent the whole rest of the day up there in that attic and even into the night. She had laid him to bed and Delphe watched over the sleeping child. Charles had come to rap on the door sometime in the night. "The master has passed. The boy is free to sleep out the rest of the night in his bed."

"Thank you Charles." He nodded and went away.

~.~

The date was about mid-April. There was a great tumult outside the sound of which drifted through the window and kept him from sleeping.

"Ms. Delphe!"

"What is it boy?"

"I'm scared." He proclaimed with his hands clenched to his ears.

Now she'd unlocked the shutters hours prior already, but he had taken less interest looking out on this night on account of the scary noises coming from the streets below. They had been happening all day now. Starting off low but slowly progressing until this.

People shouted rowdy and raucous from outside. Thunderous bangs amongst whinnying and crying metals in booming succession accompanied their voices. He recognized the clattering of hooves and scraping of carriages but there were so many tonight.

"What is that?"

"Well that ain't no scary sound boy. They're celebrating."

"Celebrating?"

"That's right."

"Do they have to be so loud?"

"They're happy."

"What do they have to be happy about?"

"Well you see, every year around this time they make a parade in the streets." She goes to the window to look out.

"What's a parade?"

"Come here. Take a look." But he shook his head. "Come on. Don't be afraid. Nothing's going to happen to you. Come here. I got you." She lifts him onto her hip so he could see better. "Why are they wearing masks?" He leaned in close feeling her protective embrace. "It looks scary."

"That's all a part of it?"

"Are they trying to hide who they are?"

"I don't know. I think it's just fun." He was silent for a long while and they both stared out.

"I don't think its fun to hide." He finally said. Her heart squeezed as she looked at the boy. She turned her face back to the street before he could see her. Instead he continued to stare out. After a bit he added. "I'm not supposed to be seen am I?" She gulped.

"No son."

"Do you think if I had a mask, I could go out?" Her heart just broke. She did the only thing she could do for him. She hugged him just a little bit tighter.

A tidbit of history:

By the late 1830's, New Orleans held street processions. Maskers with carriages and horseback riders would parade through to celebrate Mardi Gras. Dazzling torches, of "flambeaux," lit the way for the krewe's members and lent each event an exciting air of romance and festivity.