Copyright ©2020 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved.
No part of this chronicle may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system – except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper – without permission in writing from the publisher, Creole Gaudet.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed a law, cruising, slowing, focusing on Sway and I.
Clenching my teeth, I leaned close to Sway’s ear. “The police. Don’t panic… Just be calm.”
“Where?” As she cut a look, a second car pulled behind.
The first officer stopped, exited, and approached. “How are you folks doing tonight?”
I flashed a corny grin, eyeing his long, lanky frame. “We’re good… How about yourself?”
“Thank you. The reason I’m speaking to you is that we had a description of a couple…that matches you two, in a parking garage a few blocks up the way…” His dark, beady eyes scanned us carefully. “Do you know anything about that?”
“A parking garage? No, not at all. We walked here. Didn’t even take a car.”
“You walked?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask where you walked from?”
“Our hotel.”
“And what hotel is that?”
“The W.”
“Oh… And you’re going to the House of Blues?”
“Yes. The concert starts at nine. We came to see the jazz band. We were just admiring this building.”
“I’m sorry to have bothered. It’s obvious you’re not car thieves.”
“Car thieves…?” I looked to Sway. We laughed absurdly at the idea.
“Yeah, two individuals entered, hiding their faces, tried to break into or steal a Chevy Suburban. They’re on camera… Looks like they were trying to open the hood, maybe. Probably to disengage the alarm. Seems they either couldn’t get into the vehicle, or they may have heard a noise or something and took off.”
“Could you see what their faces looked like?”
“Luckily for them, they were in a blind spot.”
“Oh, wow. That’s too bad.”
“It happens.”
“At least they didn’t get to steal anything.”
“Right! That’s true!” He turned, walking to his car. “Have a nice night…and enjoy the jazz band!”
Sway and I danced, partied, and had gotten piss drunk. The night air had stiffened us just enough to make the trek back to our room.
JANUARY 31, 2020
THE W – HOTEL ROOM
I opened my eyes, focusing. Sway was standing, smiling. “What time is it?” I looked out through the windows. “Why are you up so early?”
“It’s not early.”
“The sun is coming up.”
“It’s going down.”
“Oh, fuck no… How long have I been asleep?”
“All day.”
“You didn’t wake me.”
“I wanted you to let you get as much rest as you could.”
“Ha, ha, smart ass. What have you been doing all this time?”
“I went out.”
“Out? Out where? Why didn’t you tell me…?”
“I left you a note.”
“A note?”
“So you could know where I was.”
“Where did you go?”
“Well, let’s see. I took some money out of your wallet and had lunch… Then I came back up, you were still asleep, and after I got bored from watching TV, I started looking at your booking receipts and everything.
“Did you know that the spa was part of your package?”
“No. You went to the spa?”
“The best time I’ve ever had. I had a manicure…” Sway held out her fingernails and then pointed to her toes. “A pedicure and a massage. That little Asian lady is fantastic.” I laughed out loud. “You should go and see her. I’m a whole new person.”
Sway hopped into bed next to me. She leaned up on one elbow. She toyed with my ear and stroked my hair. “Baby, it’s probably not the time to ask you this… This is our honeymoon… But I want to know something.”
“Sure, anything…”
“Don’t be all defensive and macho, alright? Tell me the truth.”
“What is it?”
“How much money do we have saved?”
“I like how you say we.”
“We’re in this together, aren’t we?”
“Yes… We are.”
“Well?”
“It’s not looking good.”
“I’m more than sure. All this is expensive. I know what you spent. It’s insane.”
“I wanted it to be special.”
“It is, and I love you for it. I love all of it. I appreciate you and everything you’ve done for me, Andre. You saved my life. I will never forget that… But I can do a lot too. I can help.”
“I’m not sure I like where this is going.”
“Where do you think it’s going?”
“Are you talking about turning tricks again?”
“I would do that for us.”
Creole Gaudet
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