Sugar Doll's Hurricane Blues

by Lauber, Kalua

  Benny came quickly and picked her up as she kicked and screamed.

  “Where did you kids come from?” Mona asked as she cleaned off the boy’s hands. It looked as though he’s just pounded his hands against the service window and cut both hands badly.

  “Our mother died in the storm.” The little girl offered.

  “Oh?” Mona was shocked by this information.

  “We had to swim and then this man gave us a ride to the police but they didn’t have time for us so we came here.” The girl continued.

  “Why did you come here?” Mona asked.

  “Our momma’s name was Mona.” The little girl cried. Mona’s heart melted and she hugged the girl.

  Mona went to the freezer and although it had been off for two days the food hadn’t spoiled. She took out a few steak chops a container of potato salad and set about preparing a meal for the children. Benny was already at the bar having a beer.

  “Are they still cold?” Mona asked not minding the idea of a cold one herself.

  “They’ll do.” Benny said and handed her one.

  Eddie, Sugar Doll and Remy guided the canoe toward the Superdome. The cars on the street were all flooded. People waded by them looking dazed and afraid. As they approached the Superdome the three passengers realized that they had taken on a huge task.

  “We’ve got to come up with some sort of plan to divide up and find our family and friends. Remy suggested.

  “Well, we can’t leave the boat behind, somebody will steal it.” Sugar Doll worried about getting back to the Quarters.

  “I’m not leaving you behind.” Remy said flatly.

  “Maybe we can hide it somewhere.” Eddie suggested. They began looking around for hiding spaces as soon as he’d said it.

  There was a small space next to the dome which seemed abandoned. They stowed the boat there and waded into the water which was waist deep. The water did nothing to cool them off as it was as hot as the humid summer air. Eddie was anxious to see his family so he jogged ahead of Remy and Sugar Doll.

  “Do we split up and meet back somewhere or what?” Sugar Doll asked.

  “No dahling, we are going to stay together that’s all. If we don’t find her today we will find her in time. Don’t worry.” Remy comforted her.

  “Mona probably doesn’t know that the Quarters are safe again. Especially looking at all of this.” Sugar Doll bit her lip.

  “We’ll find her.” Remy said.

  They approached the building with trepidation. Eddie had already disappeared into the building.

  The building was hot, perhaps hotter than outside if that was possible.

  “Hey man, you don’t want to go in there man!” A young boy sat next to the entrance looking out hopefully.

  “Thanks for the tip.” Remy said as he took Sugar Doll’s hand to lead her to the inside of the stadium.

  They were unprepared for the mass of humanity there. People were everywhere. The stale unventilated air assaulted their noses. It would take a month to locate anyone in this building. They descended the first level of stairs looking on both aisles. They didn’t have a photo of Mona to show so they had to depend on just seeing her. Remy glanced at Sugar Doll knowing that their chances of finding Mona in this mess were very low. As they ascended the stairs they noticed a particular trend. Many people who were from across the river had been there in one section at the beginning of the storm. The new arrivals were on the other side of the building.

  “Yeah baby, if your momma came from Charity Hospital they probably have her on the other side of the building. We been here for a few days.” A woman who sat with her five children told them. “I heard that they are getting buses to take us out of here before they run out of food and water. Luckily we brought our own.” She nodded.

  Sugar Doll thanked the woman and walked away.

  As they walked toward the area with newcomers Sugar Doll saw someone in the distance who looked familiar. She touched Remy’s arm.

  “Do you see her?” Remy asked surprised.

  “No, but I think I see one of the girls I came up here with. Let’s go there to check; maybe they’ve seen my mother as well.” Sugar Doll said hopefully. They ran back up the stairs toward the opening of the stadium.

  “Elise?” Sugar Doll yelled as soon as she came out of the building. Both girls turned at the call.

  “Sugar Doll!” They yelled in unison.

  The girls ran to each other in an embrace.

  “Girl we were worried about you. Did you go to your momma’s?” Elise asked excitedly.

  “Yes, but then I was at my…” Sugar Doll hesitated.

  “She was at her boyfriend’s house.” Remy walked up behind her and kissed her on the neck.

  “Oh, oh…look out!” Patrice laughed.

  “You dating a white boy?” Elise blurted out.”

  “Elise!” Patrice admonished.

  “It’s all right, I am white.” Remy laughed

  “He’s cute girl.” Elise winked and managed to flash a smile at Bobby Joe.

  Bobby Joe looked away.

  “Where are ya’ll going?” Sugar Doll asked.

  “We were just asking ourselves that.” Patrice said.

  “Why don’t you just stay here until they release people?” Sugar Doll asked.

  “It’s dangerous in there and hot and smelly. We were sitting next to a dead body of a girl. We have to bounce.” Patrice said.

  “A man attacked Patrice!” Elise blurted out.

  “What?” Sugar Doll and Remy said in unison.

  “I’m fine. Big Elise here fell on the man and the entire bathroom came to my rescue.” Patrice rolled her eyes at Elise.

  “He still attacked you.” Elise said.

  Remy and Sugar Doll exchanged a glance.

  “Mona’s in there.” Sugar Doll said worried.

  “You couldn’t pay me money to go back.” Patrice said.

  “I heard that Gretna wasn’t affected at all. If we can just get to the bridge we can all go over to my cousin’s house in Harvey.” Tommy piped up.

  “We have to try to find Mona.” Sugar Doll said sadly.

  “Okay well we wish ya’ll good luck.” Bobby Joe said.

  Patrice gave Sugar Doll another squeeze.

  “I can’t do it girl, I can’t go back in there. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, I understand. Remy’s apartment in the Quarters wasn’t damaged. We’ll go back there after we find her or get tired of looking.”

  “There’s no electricity and from what I heard the water isn’t safe to drink.” Patrice said.

  “We’ll be all right for a few days until things clear up. We spent the day trying to help people get down off of their rooftops. If you ask me it’s no better out in the city.” Sugar Doll said.

  People were passing them wading through the water trying to make it back to their homes.

  “Okay, but there’s one way to find out. Let’s go.” Tommy said.

  “Be careful.” Patrice warned Sugar Doll.

  “I will.” Sugar Doll promised. The friends parted ways. Remy took Sugar Doll’s hand and they went back into the Superdome to look for Mona.

  “Our momma couldn’t swim.” Shonda told Mona. “She sent us to swim classes since we were babies but never had the time to learn herself.” She cried.

  “You don’t have to talk about it.” Mona said as she cleared away the plates.

  “What’s your brother’s name? He hasn’t said a word.” Mona asked.

  “John.” Came the simple answer.

  The children had been through a lot. Mona felt something she wasn’t used to feeling, pity.

  “Well, I’m going back to my apartment and wait for the power to come on honey.” Benny said rising to leave.

  “All right Benny, you’ve been good company. Come back tomorrow if you get bored. I might need your help.” Mona smiled.

  “Why sure. The job ain’t there no mo’ so I’m available and at your service…for a b
eer or two.” He winked and walked out of the door.

  “Good ole Benny.” Mona smiled. He had been a regular customer for years.

  “Ya’ll want to come to my house until we can find your relatives?” Mona asked.

  “Yes.” Shonda smiled knowing that she had made the right choice.

  Mona walked over to the broken service window that Bernie had boarded up. She swept up the glass into a bin, dusted off her skirt and locked up the back area of the bar.

  “Let’s go kids.” Mona said.

  She hadn’t been a mother in years. It felt good.

  “Miss Jones, can you come by our rooms please.” Pastor Han spoke into the phone. Big Ma’s heart raced. What could it be?

  She rushed toward his rooms.

  “My cousin just came back from flying over the Parish. James why don’t you tell her what you saw.” Pastor Han motioned for Big Ma to sit down.

  James was a tall, powerfully built young man. He was young and handsome. He had a kind look in his eyes.

  “Well ma’am like I was telling my cousin, it’s bad. The entire town is decimated, gone, and our little neighborhood is unrecognizable. The only reason I knew where I was because of the radar and latitude. There were 30 foot waves that just took everything. There were a few boats stacked against each other and the bridge is still intact but the town is just…well…gone.”

  It was late evening when Big Ma received the news that all of lower Plaquemines Parish had been devastated. There was nothing left. Her little house by the river was gone. Her husband had built that house with his own hands.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Sugar, let’s go back to my apartment. We aren’t going to find her here. She may have gone somewhere else.” Remy suggested after the third level of searching bore no results.

  “You’re right. Let’s go. I’m tired and we still have to wade through that mess. I just want to go and clean off and sleep.” Sugar Doll agreed.

  They made their way back through the crowded Superdome. As they left the building they saw that their boat had remained untouched. Grateful that that was the case Remy jumped into the water and waded through it to retrieve the boat. Sugar Doll waited gratefully on the steps. Every inch of her body ached. Remy paddled toward her resigned to the thought that it would probably be impossible to find Mona until the storm was over. Eddie had disappeared into the Superdome and they hadn’t seen him since.

  “Let’s go honey.” She straddled onto the back part of the boat and hugged Remy from behind. She felt relief and comfort as she leaned her head against his back.

  More people were out wading through the water. It was obvious that no help had arrived as more people swarmed on the Superdome. It was no better than where they had come from.

  “I’m glad that I have somewhere to go.” She whispered to Remy as they passed a woman and child wearing tattered clothes.

  “Me too Sugar, me too.” Remy pulled her arm tightly around his chest.

  They finally made it to Canal Street which had blockades set up and uniformed police officers on patrol.

  “They must be guarding the Quarter.” Remy said. He dragged the canoe like an obedient dog behind him. Sugar Doll nudged closer to him as she realized that somehow New Orleans was under martial law.

  “Sir, you gonna have to turn back. The Quarters are closed for business. Haven’t you heard? We’ve done had ourselves a hurricane.” The first police officer said.

  “I…we…live in the Quarters. We just went out to try to find her mama.” Remy said politely.

  “Ah, that’s nice but I’m not allowed to allow anyone to come through here.” The officer said.

  “I have my driver’s license here proving my residence.” Remy took out his wallet.

  “Let me see it.” The officer said. Remy handed over the license.

  “Okay, I’ll let you pass but you shouldn’t try to come out after this. The mayor will be setting up a curfew. The city is closed for business and anybody out here is probably up to no good.” The officer looked sternly at both Sugar Doll and Remy.

  They walked carefully past him. “Hey, where are they going?” Another officer yelled out so they quickened their pace.

  “I never thought I’d have to make a run for it to go to my own apartment.” Remy laughed.

  “We’ve already been given permission to go why are we running?” Sugar Doll asked already out of breath.

  “Just in case.” Remy said as he looked over his shoulder to see the officer conferring with the one who had released them. He slowed his pace and grabbed Sugar Doll’s arm.

  “They’ve stopped.” They both breathed a sigh of relief as they walked slowly toward the Quarters.

  They entered Remy’s apartment exhausted from the day.

  “Well Sugar it looks like our water supply is nil.” Remy said as he tried the faucet but there was no running water.

  “I’ve got one gallon of water under the sink and a half gallon in the fridge.” He joked.

  “I’m a typical bachelor, my food supply is terrible.” He rubbed his stomach as he looked in the bare cabinet. There was one lonesome can of tuna in the corner of the cupboard.

  “I just want to sleep.” Sugar Doll sighed as she headed for the bedroom. She took off her soaked jeans and fell hard onto the unmade bed.

  “Now that’s a beautiful picture.” Remy sighed as he removed his pants and shirt.

  “Don’t even think about it.” Sugar Doll smiled sleepily into the pillow.

  “Now that’s impossible. I am going to think about it, I’m just not going to do anything about it…yet.” Remy pulled Sugar Doll to his body and they curled into a peaceful sleep.

  Big Ma watched the news and saw the lack of response the government was giving to the people. “Lord, Lord, what’s going to happen now?” She lamented as she reached for her bible. Pastor Han and his wife tried to comfort her but they had lost everything as well. Their entire way of life was changed forever.

  “Well, ma’am the one thing we all have is the good sense that God gave to us. We all have insurance.” Pastor Han tried to ease the dark mood of the room. His wife cried silently in the corner.

  “Those poor people still stuck in the city with no food and water. It’s a terrible shame. It feels like we are in a third world country with no one to protect us.” Big Ma cried.

  “I hate to say it but I think that because New Orleans is predominantly black the help is going to continue to be slow in coming.” Pastor Han said.

  “We still human. Don’t the people see the people suffering? What about the little children? There are dead bodies in the water for God’s sake!” Big Ma said becoming upset.

  “Now calm yourself Big Ma. There ain’t nothing we can do about it now. We know that our love ones are safe and sound and that’s all we can do. We can pray for America to see how they are treating us and then God will make a move.” Pastor Han began in his preacher’s voice.

  “Oh Lord, Lord. Why have you forsaken us?” Big Ma cried. She felt a familiar pain down her left arm. It happened so quickly that she hadn’t noticed the warning signs. She went down on one knee, her mouth drooping to the side.

  “Mrs. Jones! Mrs. Jones!” Pastor Han yelled alarmed. His wife jumped into action going to Big Ma and helping her down to the floor. Her eyes rolled back into her head.

  “Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance! NOW!” She screamed.

  Mona returned to the house where Mr. Renair was waiting. He had cooked a dinner of catfish and rice.

  “Oh I see that you’ve brought company with you.” Mr. Renair smiled.

  “Hi Mr. Renair, this is Shonda and her little brother John.” Mona introduced the pair.

  “Pleased to meet you. Are ya’ll hungry?” Mr. Renair asked.

  “No sir, we already ate at Mona’s.” Shonda answered. John hid behind his sister.

  “We’ve already eaten.” Mr. Renair corrected.

  “Oh, you ate too?” Shonda asked.

  “No
, pardon me; I have 35 years of teaching experience that makes me correct children. My apologies.” Mr. Renair smiled.

  Shonda looked at him confused and then shrugged.

  “You’ve sure got a big house.” Shonda said.

  “It’s not that big but it’s nice. There is a room upstairs if you guys are tired you can go upstairs and take a nap.” Mona said.

  “Thank you Miss Mona.” John spoke up for the first time.

  “Just go to the first room at the top of the stairs.” Mona directed.

  “Yes ma’am. Shonda and John said in unison.

  They ran up the stairs.

  “Nice kids, relatives of yours?” Mr. Renair asked.

  “No, they aren’t. They broke into the bar. Their mother drowned in the storm and they found my place and were hiding.” Mona said sadly.

  “How traumatic. Are they okay?” Mr. Renair asked.

  “No, I don’t think they are. When this all blows over I’ll try to help them to find their relatives. Hopefully the power will come back on soon. I have an old generator out back. I may need your help in turning it on.” Mona said.

  “I’m your man.” Mr. Renair smiled finding a new found respect for his neighbor.

  Sugar Doll woke up first. Remy was tangled in the sheets next to her. “He’s taken all of the bed coverings”. She thought to herself. It was just as well as the room was blazing. She kissed his shoulder and he moaned. She was very thirsty. She went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and then remembered that Remy was short on supply. She poured herself a half glass and drank it down slowly like one would a fine wine. She couldn’t believe that she was here, in the midst of a storm. Her life had definitely taken a turn.

  “Good morning.” Remy had crept up behind her. She jumped startled at first but then leaned into his sexy embrace.

  “Good morning honey.” Sugar Doll smiled. He kissed her on the neck.

  “Good morning. I wish I had a cup of coffee to offer you.” Remy smiled apologetically.

  “What else do you have to offer me?” Sugar Doll looked suggestively at Remy.