She gave him a small shake.
“I said, do you understand?”
“Um…Val?” Griffen said. “He can’t answer if he can’t breathe.”
“He can nod,” she said, not looking around.
Gris-gris managed to vibrate his head up and down.
“Fine,” Valerie said, setting him down. “I knew you’d listen to reason. Hey, Jumbo. How’s it going?”
With that she slid back onto her bar stool and returned to her drink.
Gris-gris straightened his clothes, then looked at Valerie’s back.
She ignored him.
Then he looked at Griffen.
Griffen shrugged and gave a little grimace.
Finally, Gris-gris turned on his heel and left the bar, with Jumbo, deadpan, trailing along after him. As the door closed behind them, the bar talk resumed, a little louder than before.
Griffen exhaled a deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“I think that went well,” he said, leaning back in his seat. “I’m about ready for a real drink. How about you?”
“In a minute,” Jerome said. “Did you notice anything unusual happen during that exchange?”
“You saw it, too, huh?” Griffen said. “I was thinking that maybe it was an optical illusion.”
“Um…what did you see?”
“When Val picked Gris-gris up and pinned him against the wall,” Griffen said. “It looked to me like she grew about six or eight inches while she was reading him the riot act. She’s back to normal now, so I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.”
“If so, then my eyes are playing the same tricks,” Jerome said. “But I was talking about the other thing.”
“What other thing?”
“While she was working on Gris-gris and everyone was watching the action, you blew a smoke ring.”
“I what?”
“You blew a smoke ring. A nice round one until the draft blew it apart.”
Griffen looked at him.
“You’re kidding me. Right?”
“Well, while you’re laughing at that, sneak a peek at your right hand.”
Griffen glanced down at his hand that was holding the coffee cup.
At first he thought he was having trouble focusing his eyes, as the image was fading…but his hand, for a few lingering moments, was covered with leathery scales.
Even though it was only supposed to be temporary shelter, Griffen found himself growing increasingly fond of the complex he and Valerie were housed in. He had been puzzled at first by the apparent lack of neighbors, but when he asked, the answer was quite simple.
Mose owned the whole complex. He used the apartments to host the occasional poker game if they didn’t want the lack of privacy that was the downside of using a hotel room. They also served as “perks” for various out of town high rollers, one of the few concessions made to the new competition of the casino. New Orleans wasn’t used to Vegas-style casinos, but with a relatively new Harrah’s literally across Canal Street, the locals had to adapt.
The location of the complex was convenient, tucked away on a small street running parallel to Decatur one block into the Quarter proper. It was only a block and a half away from Jackson Square with its wide range of amusements and distractions, and the street itself was lined with small shops featuring used books, small restaurants, craft and vintage clothing shops, and even one small local bar, Harry’s Corner, that was open twenty- four hours a day.
The complex itself was impressive. It had been designed and built in the 1800s by the same person who had designed and built Pat O’Brien’s, a popular bar and restaurant on St. Peter in the heart of the Quarter. Griffen learned this by listening to the carriage drivers who paused at the entrance-way to rest their mules while regaling their passengers with the history of this particular landmark.
Griffen found himself feeling not only comfortable, but safe. It was as if, nestled as his temporary home was in the surroundings, it was protected by the Quarter itself. He felt himself relaxing, comforted by old brick and the constant swirl of activity beyond the complex walls.
After the inevitable wrought-iron gate on the street, there was a low carriage passage leading to the open- air courtyard. The courtyard itself featured heavily planted gardens, with the apartments in the three buildings surrounding it reaching up two stories. The second floor was circled by a wooden walkway edged by a railing, affording residents a fine view of the courtyard as they emerged from their dwelling.
It was on that walkway that Griffen found himself one morning in the early daylight hours. He was in one of those rare moods that occasionally strike young men. That is, he had abandoned the music and lingering crowds of the clubs to return home, but upon reaching that destination, discovered he was not yet ready to go to sleep. Having noted the clear sky and fresh air still not heated by the new day’s sun, instead of watching a DVD or curling up to read, he decided to pull a chair out onto the walkway and enjoy the morning while he read.
Unfortunately, the book he was reading proved insufficient to hold his attention. He had picked it up at the used bookstore down the street, but as he started to read it, he realized it was merely a reprint of a novel he had read before, rereleased under a new title with a new cover.
As his attention wandered, his eye was drawn to a movement in the courtyard below. It was a cat…no, two cats, strolling regally along one of the walkways between the gardens.
Griffen had noted them, or other similar cats, in the courtyard before, but had never paid them much attention. They usually kept their distance, or, if one attempted to call them over, they would either run or simply fade back into the shadows.
This time, as he watched them, Griffen remembered what his uncle Mal had said about animal control. On a whim, he set aside his book and descended to the ground level to see if there was any substance to the claim.
As he approached the animals, however, he realized that he didn’t have the foggiest idea what was involved in animal control. Pausing about twenty feet away, he stared at them.
They ignored him.
After a few moment’s consideration, he tried to focus a suggestion at them.
“Come here.”
It was a simple enough order.
One sat down and began to wash its crotch.
“Come here.”
Nothing.
Maybe he should try something else.
“Go away.”
The washer broke off its hygienic activity, and they both began to saunter toward the carriageway.
Griffen felt his hopes lift. Maybe there was something there after all.
“What are you doing up so early, Big Brother?”
He turned to find Valerie emerging from her apartment. She was decked out in sweat suit and cross trainers, obviously ready to go jogging.
Griffen was suddenly embarrassed at having gotten caught in his animal control attempt. Viewed through a sober and well-rested eye, his actions probably would seem silly. As a matter of fact, it seemed a little silly now even viewed through his own eyes. He was just glad she hadn’t seen enough to be able to figure out what he had been attempting.
