Angela realized New Orleans, now, was the surging pulse in her blood. Therefore, her choice to leave at the termination of her contract sucked all the life out of her. It was like cutting off her nose to spite her face—a drastic and awfully painful operation. In spite of that, she strengthened her resolve knowing the move presented new opportunities to thrive.
The fighter in her hedged closer to the surface rumbling right under the skin. There wasn’t a scuffle won without grit and determination as her weapons. This decision, made easier by last night’s exchange with Chance, exemplified the lengths she would go to disavow her love for him. She’d be off to a new start in two weeks time with Chance diminishing to a treasured memory.
For now, he gained entrance to his home frowning at the clothes littering the living area. Kelsy lay facedown on the sofa, a naked arm and leg dangling over the edge prompting her father to reposition the throw cover. She snored prettily drawing a smile from him because he knew she’d never believe it if he told her. Kicking her things to make an aisle, he continued to the kitchen to start the coffee for this morning’s breakfast he brought in. His once spotless kitchen showed signs of mistreatment with dishes strewn from the counter to the sink. Tina evidently forgot she left her maid in Montana and conveniently contracted amnesia when it came to loading the dishwasher.
Chance patiently cleaned the area and ran across Angela’s jelly exposed to the elements. He did what he thought best with the open jar and tossed it in the trash. That was a no brainer. Tossing away their future signified the decision for what it was—absolutely idiotic. Angela’s image materialized, conjured up by recall of their last time together right there in his kitchen. If he daydreamed long enough he’d be able to see her curled in his chair. His eyes shifted back to the present and to that same chair currently occupied by Tina, whose look of condescension cast him even farther back in their realm of time.
He introduced a conversation to thwart her attack. “Coffee’s ready. There’s a full Big Easy breakfast for each of you.” Chance culminated his KP duties, poured a cup of chicory coffee and took a seat at the table. He allowed her to study him at her leisure. With Kelsy knocked out on the sofa a few feet away, he’d be damned if he flushed their last day together down the toilet.
Tina strolled towards him lacking the decency to cover-up in the presence of the estranged ex-spouse. “No beignets?” she complained.
“Afraid not.” He closed that subject to initiate another. “I’m taking Kelsy with me—”
“No, you’re not. Did you conveniently forget? We’re leaving today,” she announced.
“Tina, I won’t let you spoil what little time we have left.” His eyes fell to his cup in hopes of curbing his tongue.
She would hear none of what he said and was adamant in her disagreement. “Our plane leaves at eight forty-five tonight. And that’s that.”
He could spend his time arguing the point, thereby, upsetting Kelsy with their normal routine. Or he could make good use of what time he had left with his daughter. He sprang to his feet. “Kel?” He shook her by the foot. “Wake up, Baby.”
“I am awake, Dad. Listening to every word.”
“Then, you heard your mother.” He stood next to the couch, pulled the cover from her head and tweaked her cheek. “Get dressed. We have places to go before you leave.” He glanced at Tina. “Just the two of us.”
“I’m not staying in this cubby hole all day by myself while you and Kelsy have fun on the town.”
“Tina, you’re in walking distance of the French Quarters and the downtown CBD. The carriages are running. So are the trolleys. There’s no limit to the number of ways you can spend your time.”
“I’m spending my time with you and our daughter whether you like it or not.”
He grinned. “Suit yourself.” Looking at the clock on the microwave, he said, “Hustle, ladies. We have a schedule to keep.” As an afterthought, “Dress comfortably.”
Chance’s pacing irritated rather than spurred them to dress faster. But, now he tooled the Mustang Cobra onto the church lot, stealing glances at his passengers as he continued on to the rear of the cathedral. He waited for the bombardment of questions, noticing the lines grooved at the corners of Tina’s mouth. Her mildly disguised look screamed for an explanation. Chance downshifted, pulled into a parking spot in front of the mission center and cut the motor. Three. Two. One.
“Church? We’re starting our morning at church?” she asked.
“Come on, Tina. It’ll do you good.” He unfolded his frame from the driver’s seat to stand beside the car, holding the seat forward for Kelsy to exit. Her hesitation urged him to put her at ease. “Keep an open mind, Kel. That’s all I ask.”
Kelsy kept her mother in her sights and Chance knew she would imitate the behavior exhibited by her. Wanting to nip that in the bud, he issued, “Tina, if you prefer, you can wait in the sanctuary or I’ll call you a taxi.”
“You should have told me your intentions, Brock.” Sour notes sounded in her tone.
“But, you insisted.” His face broke into a grin. Tina stepped from the car magnificently dressed in a winter white outfit proper for the ski lodge or passing the time in some genteel fashion.
When he led them in the direction of the mission and not the church, she accosted him physically with a hand to his arm. “You’ve got to be kidding!”
He never stopped walking forcing her to hang on to his sleeve. “We’ll get you something to protect your clothes.” He tried to make peace. “Kel? Come on, Baby.”
Kelsy took in the altercation with interested eyes and a foreboding that signaled in the speed of her steps. All around them were people of all colors and ethnicities lined up for admittance to the food hall. It was obvious some found her appearance outside of the norm for they stared openly. Others didn’t pay her the time of day. “Dad?” she whispered and increased her stride to catch up to him. “Are all of these people homeless?”
He hugged her around the shoulders and walked with her towards the entryway. “Not necessarily. Some probably are while others are, unfortunately, down on their luck.”
“B-but,” she stuttered, “so many of them are children.”
“It’s sad. I know. And this may be the only meal they’ll have today.” He looked her way and witnessed a hint of something new and fresh in her eyes now filled with befuddled emotion.
“Is this where you met Angela?” Tina, bringing up the rear, poked fun with a taunting smile. “Begging for food?” She startled when Chance turned her way so swiftly she bumped headlong into him.
“This isn’t a joke,” he said through clenched teeth. “You’ll show respect here.” He resumed walking and stopped, again. “Better yet, you can sashay your fancy butt back to the car.”
Everybody stood stone-still in the middle of the walk. Chance and Tina had eye combat going on while those patiently waiting ignored the scene. Kelsy felt sorry for the people. However, her sympathies were with her mother and Chance knew it, relinquishing a bit of his anger to attempt a cohesive front.
“Tina, be the giving person I know you can be by setting an example for Kelsy. Doing for others is more rewarding than you can imagine. Can you do that for Kel?” He purposely backed her into a corner.
“I’m not staying here all day,” she gave an answer as close to a yes as she could.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Chance reached the building and rang the buzzer at the door. The nun peering at them through the rectangle glass scrutinized each of them before unlocking and pushing it open. She moved into the walkway to allow them to enter speaking cordially as she did so.
“Lt. Alexander, it’s good to see you again.”
“Sister Catherine,” he acknowledged her by name. “We’ve come to help serve if you have space for us.”
“We always need helping hands, Lieutenant.”
Chance allowed her to relock the door then introduced his team. “This is my daughter, Kelsy. She’s visiting
me for the holidays. And her mother, Tina Campbell, who’s here to take her home.”
“It’s real considerate of you to take the time to help others. We need more people like you in this world.” She beckoned them to follow her.
Tina said for their ears only, “A Mother Theresa wannabe.” Chance glared. “Oops. Sorry.”
“Mom?”
“Not you, too?”
“It’s only for a couple of hours,” Kelsy said in support of her father. Her eyes swept the dining hall’s many tables. “We can do this.” Kelsy found herself entrenched in Chance’s bear hug.
“That’s my girl.”
“Lieutenant?” Chance responded by turning to face Sister Catherine. “I have space for all of you on the line. That frees up a couple of my regulars to keep the pans coming from the kitchen.” She directed the next question to Kelsy and Tina. “Have either of you ever served meals before?”
“Only the dinner parties I’ve given,” Tina confessed with a hoity-toity flair.
Kelsy said a nervous, “No.”
“We don’t skimp on the servings and try to keep the line flowing in order that all who show up are fed.” The Sister offered a bundle to Tina. “Your outfit is too pretty to mess up.”
“Thank you, Sister.”
“Take your places at the hot table where you’ll be given gloves and a cap. You two will have a mentor between you to get you started.”
“Ready, ladies?” Chance asked, pride seeping into his voice at the eagerness displayed by his daughter. Tina slipped the apron over her head and tied it on. “Here goes.”
The group behind the serving table gazed in the direction of the door that Sister Catherine and a male volunteer opened to a very orderly crowd. Some walked with an urgency seen in those whose lives, challenged at every turn, had to make each minute count. Some seemingly down for the count so long, nothing enticed them to hurry for they only expected more of the same drudgery.
Kelsy’s place on the line was next to Chance who observed as she appeared to do a mental calculation. She leaned into him so as not to be overheard. “Do you know how many babies are out there? What about the babies, Dad?”
“Sister will take care of the babies, too,” he reassured. As he spoke with confidence that no child would go hungry, one little boy dropped his plate and simply rooted to the spot as if afraid of retribution and slowly stooped to collect the spoils. Tina, the one on the line closest to him,to Chance’s utter shock, put herself out for another. “Amazing.”
Tina felt many eyes burning into her back but chose to act in a way counter to her normal behavior. She led the crying child back to the snaking line where she graciously gained permission to break and glided his tray with him in tow as his mother hovered nearby. Once his plate contained new portions of the day’s meal, she exchanged places with his mother and returned to her position, spooning like a pro.
It was two-fifteen when Chance turned onto the Lakeview Mall parking lot to treat Kelsy to a shopping spree. He truly hoped she purchased something in colors other than morose black. The choice would be hers, though. Whatever she decided, he determined to go with the flow. Nothing could spoil the camaraderie established between the three of them during the last few hours’ experience. Tina, for one, impressed him with her willingness to exhibit a compassionate trait from her past.
Tinsel, garland and bells shimmering red and gold, bobbed and weaved from light poles already and Christmas was a month away. They left the car what seemed like miles across the lot due to the heavy volume of shoppers mobbing the stores for the big after Thanksgiving sales. Tunes piped in by loudspeakers anchored overhead blasted the airwaves with merriment. The interior of the mall told the true story as elbow to elbow shoppers jostled each other while en route to the next savings.
Christmas colors decorated every inch of the promenade while holiday smells wafted in the air. They strolled where others seemed in the biggest hurry to get on with the burdensome holiday chore of shopping. An outsider would have mistaken them for a real family from the looks of things. Kelsy window shopped as Chance and Tina tagged along behind, lost in their own thoughts. He had only praise for the way Kelsy stepped out of her comfort zone to be of benefit to others.
Mall carolers had onlookers packing the stage area to enjoy the brief performances. All the noise clashed into a cacophony of sound that somehow blended to make a joyous atmosphere even jollier. The singing stopped. New participants took their places on stage and the melodies began again.
“Dad,” she disturbed his revelry. “I’m going in here.”
The shop reeked of the trendy clothes worn by the young hip set. It looked to be a teenager’s gold mine. “Take your time. I’ll be in the sitting corner on the other side of the performing stage with the other old men who are too tired to move.” She laughed and invited her mother to browse with her.
Chance, left to his own devices, actually found a seat stage left, and promptly searched out a toothpick. Spirited young voices prattled on in his subconscious as he people-watched as a way of occupying his time, drifting in and out of what was happening all around him. During his time on the sidelines, he passed small talk with others in the rotation of musical chairs. Many came and went on their way and he still sat good-naturedly with passers-by cloaking his presence. A glance in the vicinity of Kelsy’s location was all he did to ensure they found him when they were ready to move on.
The amateurish music playing in the background captured his full attention. The tinkling of triangles combined with thumping tambourines brought a smile that showed snowy white teeth as he listened appreciatively. They played a little then sang a little. He laughed aloud and craned his neck for a glimpse through the moving wall of bodies. There she was—conducting the beginner’s orchestra with flair becoming any professional performance.
He no longer needed the wood gnashed between his teeth with Angela so close.
Chance left his seat behind slowly moving in for a better look. He was careful to remain in the background as not to distract Angela. When the children’s number was over, a teacher escorted them off the platform while other teachers joined Angela who’d not descended. All arranged themselves near the piano for a preview of their talents. Principal Dauchex moved from the grand piano to announce the next number.
“Please show your appreciation for the kindergartners of the Academy School of the Arts.”
A sporadic round of applause competed with the buzz in the air.
“We hope you enjoyed their performance. The following number comes to you from our dedicated instructors performing a rendition of Joy to the World, musical arrangement by one of our own, Angela Munso. Our soloist today is also one of our own, Sheryl Jacques.”
Chance eased closer to a support pillar to watch clandestinely. The song progressed in the style becoming a black-tie affair with a standout singing presentation. The time came for the instrumental solo and his chest swelled mightily while listening to Angela finesse the strings of her cherished viola. He heard her practicing across the yard but never in concert with others. If he’d worn a hat, he would have tipped it to her magnificent performance.
Nearing the end of the number, Angela’s stance stiffened ever so slightly only Chance recognized the change. He locked into her line of sight and spotted Tina and Kelsy standing abreast of the performing area doing all types of antics to capture his attention. They skirted the maze of onlookers to finally reach him. When they did, Angela’s eyes met his, momentarily transmitting her duress, before she pivoted away never missing a beat.
“I need your card, Dad.”
Chance handed over his debit card without questioning the total purchase to watch Kelsy dash back to the store. To his disappointment, she left her mother behind.
“You are so busted,” Tina regaled. “At least she has another talent. Which one, to your knowledge, is she more proficient?”
“Pull in your fangs, Tina,” he warned. “You’re nowhere in her league. So, back off.”
Kelsy walked up as Tina burst out in a fit of laughter. “What’s so funny?” She handed his card back.
“Your father’s witty sense of humor.”
“Dad?” Kelsy swallowed down the bitter taste of prejudice to pay a compliment. “Angela’s got skills.” Her words were an emulsion extracting another series of side-splitting laughter from her mother.
“You don’t know the half of it.” Tina reached out to pat Chance’s cheek.
Angela saw the gentleness of the contact but tried to cover the observation by throwing herself into packing up their gear for departure. She missed him flinch at Tina’s touch. When it appeared he’d separate from them to start in her direction, she absconded on sprinter’s feet dragging her instrument plus the two small children appointed to her care and headed for freedom, flinging one last look over her shoulder.
One more hole he had to dig himself out of thanks to Tina’s pranks. Then, he remembered. His digging days were over as far as Angela was concerned. They weren’t an item anymore.
Chapter Twenty
Perspiration beads speckled Angela’s forehead settling obtrusively on the bridge of her freckled nose. The mistake made on this nippy Monday afternoon was to think she was ready to resume her health regimen and go for a mind-clearing walk after only a week into her healing. Mind-clearing because her last week of school also coincided with her departure from New Orleans, the city she’d grown to think of as home. Love of people brought her here, kept her in town and now drove her away.
Shaky knees almost folded her to the ground a number of times as she planted one foot in front of the other, praying religiously not to fall on her face. The kettledrum pounding in her ears was her pulse’s alarming response to each beat of her heart. Less than four agonizing blocks to go and she could collapse on her king-sized bed, not before. All she had to do was think of something else.
Her mind drifted to Chance.
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