CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: Who Says You Can’t Go Home
Nick pulled off Interstate 10 at the 103A exit. He drove into Lafayette on the Evangeline Thruway. He drove around the city, searching for something that would make him want to stop. He ended up in front of Jamie’s old house. Mr. O’Malley was watering his lawn. Nick stopped and got out the car. Mr. O’Malley put the hose down and stared at Nick.
“Hi, Mr. O'Malley,” said Nick.
“Whatever you’re selling, I am not buying,” he yelled.
“It’s me, Nicholas.” Mr. O’Malley squinted as he stared at Nick.
“Son-of-a-gun, it is you.” Nick approached him as he held out his hand. Mr. O’Malley lifted up the hose and started spraying Nick.
“I told you to stay away from here, you little bastard.” He never forgot how Nick upset his daughter.
Nick ran back to the car. He was dripping wet as he drove away. He drove in front of his old home, but it was just an empty lot. The neighborhood had been re-zoned and the house was cleared to make room for a Wal-Mart parking lot. He passed in front of his old high school. It still looked the same. He got flashbacks of all the great times he had there. As he made way to the Downtown area, he looked up and saw a billboard. There was a huge picture of Alvin. The four-inch Afro was gone but he was still recognizable. He was now an insurance salesman, with his own agency. Nick thought, drummer – insurance agent. I rest my case. Arriving downtown, he noticed cars parked everywhere, which was unusual for a Saturday in Lafayette. Nick parked the car and walked around.
“What’s going on?” Nick asked a passerby.
“You enjoying the festival?” asked the drunken reveler.
“What festival is it?”
“Festival International,” said the young man, as he stumbled away from Nick. Festivals were plentiful in south Louisiana, but this was one Nick couldn’t remember. He walked along Jefferson Street, which looked completely different. He saw a crowd dancing in front of a stage. On stage was a band from Africa. They were playing steel drums, congas, and other percussion. This wasn’t the typical French music Nick was used to hearing at festivals. In the middle of the crowd, Nick noticed a tall, bald-headed figure jumping up and down. He didn’t recognize the man, but he knew the jump. He went up and tapped Alvin on the shoulder.
“Is that you, Alvin?” asked Nick.
Alvin froze in amazement. “Son – of –a – bitch. Nick?” asked Alvin. “Yeah, it’s me.”
“How in the hell are you, man?” He grabbed Nick and gave him a huge hug.
“Not bad,” said Nick, trying hard to breathe.
“Man, I haven’t seen you since your Grandma’s funeral. Where you been, man?” He let go of the hug.
“If you have a couple of days, I could probably tell you,” said Nick, while catching his breath.
“Man, it is so great to see you. What brings you here after all this time?”
“You probably think this is crazy, but I’m here to find answers.”
“What’s the question?”
“It’ll take me hours to explain, Alvin. Hey, I saw the billboard. You’re selling insurance?”
“Hey, gotta make a living somehow. I got a wife and five kids.”
“Five? No wonder you lost all your hair. Who did you marry? Anyone I know?”
“Matter of fact, you do know her.” Alvin turned to call his wife. “Hey, Angelle, come check out who the wind just blew in.”
“Nick? Is that you?” asked the still beautiful Angelle. The last time he saw her, she was drunk outside of Alvin’s house. It wasn’t a great moment to remember.
“You’re still gorgeous,” said Nick. He was cautious as he gave her a hug.
“Thanks,” she said. “Where have you been all these years, and why are you soaking wet?”
“Obviously, catching psychos causes people to work up a sweat,” said Alvin. “We saw on the news that you helped catch Alphonse LeBlanc in Chicago a few days ago.”
“Wow, that made the news over here? That was kind of wild,” said Nick.
“Nobody in town knew what happened to that poor bastard,” said Alvin. “We never saw him after that gig for his daughter’s wedding. The mayor went berserk, resigned, and left town.”
“Yeah, his daughter’s wedding – the job you took Jamie to,” said Angelle. “Whatever happened to her?”
“Actually, I just talked to her a few days ago. She’s part of the reason I’m here.”
“So, she did turn out to be a slut, right?” asked Angelle.
“Hey, wait a second, sugar,” said Alvin. “Don’t tell me you’re still mad at him for dumping you way back then.”
“Hold on,” said Nick. “I didn’t dump you, Angelle. I just started seeing Jamie exclusively.”
“I still think she was a slut,” said Angelle.
“That’s far from the truth. It turned out she was really a…” Nick stopped before he blurted it out. He was still embarrassed about the whole ordeal.
“A what?” asked Angelle.
“A damn nice piece of ass?” asked Alvin. Angelle slapped him across the face. “I’m sorry, baby. That kind of slipped out,” he said.
“You haven’t talked like that since high school,” said Angelle. “You see that? Jamie is still causing me pain after all these years.” She started crying and ran away.
“Aren’t you going to go after her?” asked Nick.
“Don’t worry about it. She always gets emotional when she’s pregnant.”
“Again?”
“Yeah, number six.”
“You don’t know when to quit, do you?”
“Well, we have five boys and I wanted to try for a girl one last time.”
“I didn’t mean to cause any problems.”
“Hey, no problem, man,” said Alvin. “She’s been mad at me all day anyway. We got into an argument last night over names. We were discussing what to call the baby if it happens to be a girl. I mentioned the name Jamie and she went ballistic. I really love my wife but she tends to get a little crazy sometimes.”
“Yeah, that name seems to bring out the worst in people,” said Nick. “Hey you want to grab a bite to eat?”
“Sure, man,” said Alvin. They purchased gumbo from one of the festival booths. Nick gave him the condensed version about why he was there.
“So you see, Alvin, I have a lot of questions,” said Nick.
“That’s quite a story,” said Alvin. “And to think that all these years I’ve been having fantasies about Jamie.”
“You’ve been having fantasies about her and you’re selling insurance? Man, you’re having almost as tough a life as me.”
“No way, Nick. I’m really happy. I have a great family and business. Things are just about perfect. You don’t know what you’re missing by not having a family. You know – the love of a woman and kids who adore the ground you walk on. There’s nothing in the world that can match it.”
“If everything is so perfect, why were you still having fantasies about Jamie?”
“Hey, I’m only human, man,” laughed Alvin. “I still think she was the finest woman you ever had.” He felt a hand slap him in the back of the head after saying that.
“I heard that,” said Angelle, who had just walked up.
“But baby – I meant she was the finest woman he ever had besides you. You didn’t let me finish.”
“Go to hell,” she screamed and walked away.
“I think I better go after her this time,” said Alvin. “Here’s my card. Give me a call.” He handed Nick his card as he ran after Angelle. “Baby, come back here. There’s nobody in the world nearly as beautiful as you.”
Nick chuckled then looked at the card. The grease from the gumbo on Alvin’s hand had smeared the card a bit. It read Alvin L. Williams Insurance. The address on the card should have read St. Antoine Street but instead the words appeared to read - Satan Antonio Sees U.
The Devil's in My Bathroom Page 44