Out of nowhere, Journey snapped her fingers. “That’s it. Now, I know where I’ve heard that name. She’s mentioned in Saul’s journal.”
“Well, I’m not surprised. He thought a lot of Ela. What does it say about her?” His tone was excited and demanding.
Journey shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember. We’ll look tonight. Okay?” She put on her blinker. “I need to make one quick stop before we eat. I need a new phone.”
“I’ll wait out here,” Reno volunteered.
“Okay, you people watch. I’ll hurry.”
As he waited, Reno was hypnotized by the flow of people. All ages. All sizes. All nationalities. Milling about. They were all dressed in far less clothes than he was used to seeing. Women traveled by themselves and in pairs. He even saw two women kissing. “Good gravy,” he whispered, absolutely fascinated.
When Journey returned, he was ready with a comment. “I saw two women kissing. On the mouth.”
“Oh, really? That’s nice. Gay people are the best. In this day and age, they’re all pretty open about their relationships.”
“Huh.” He mulled over that revelation. “Men too?”
“Yea, men too.”
“Why did you call them ‘gay’? Because they’re happy?”
She laughed. “That’s just the word they chose to distinguish themselves. I think it originally meant carefree or bright.” She broke out in song, singing a line from the Christmas carol, Deck the Halls. “Don we now our gay apparel. Fa-la-la La-la-la La-la-la.”
Reno looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “In my time, it went a little further, gay meant addicted to pleasure.”
“Really.” Journey was surprised. “So, another word for hedonist. Learn something new every day.”
She didn’t drive but a few more blocks before she turned into the parking lot of The Real New Orleans Style Restaurant. “Oh, I was about to tell you something else when I thought about getting a phone. This might interest you. Aunt Myra told me that Mr. Kota is descended from Ela.”
“What?” Reno was understandably surprised.
She nodded. “That’s right. I don’t know if I mentioned it, but his last name is Blue. I’ll bet he can tell you some tales.”
“I bet he can.”
Once they parked and left the car, Reno stepped ahead of Journey to open the door for her. “Why, thank you.” His gallantry warmed her heart. “Men don’t do that very often anymore.”
“They should,” he said matter-of-factly.
When they entered the modest, simple dining area, a hostess directed them to an empty table beneath a television on the wall which was set on CNN. Journey paid the noise little notice, but Reno quickly became mesmerized. “What in the devil is that thing?” he asked, pointing to the TV, his eyes wide, his mouth open.
“That’s a television, it broadcasts programming like news, sitcoms, movies, commercials – an abundance of commercials.”
“I don’t know what any of that means.”
She held up a finger. “I’ll tell you as much as you can handle, just as soon as we place our order.” The waitress presented them with a menu and Journey grinned as Reno licked his lips, reading the list of entrees.
“I can choose any of this?” he asked in wonder. “The eating establishment I’m used to only offers everyone the same meal.”
“You can order one of each, if you want.” The young waitress grinned broadly. “As cute as you are, I’ll make sure some of it’s on the house.”
Journey enjoyed watching him decide. While he did, she ordered red beans, rice, and sausage. “It’s not Monday, but your cook nails that dish every time.”
“She sure does,” the girl agreed. “Now, what can I get you, cowboy?”
Reno grinned at her. “Crawfish etouffee, blackened catfish, and bread pudding.”
“Oh, a man after my own heart!” She wrote his choices down. “I’ll turn this in and be back with your sweet tea.”
“Keep it coming!” Reno announced jubilantly.
Journey was so glad to see him happy. If he found himself ‘stuck’ in this time, she couldn’t stand the thought of him being miserable. “You won’t be disappointed in the food. These folks are the real deal. They left New Orleans after Katrina, never went back.”
“Katrina?”
“A storm. A big one. Hit New Orleans a glancing blow, but the rain was so intense that the levees broke. The city was flooded. It was a surreal, true disaster. People on roofs. The dead floating down the streets. The Superdome was full of people who couldn’t evacuate and had nowhere to go. And we watched it all unfold on the TV.” She pointed once more to the television.
“The storm had a name?”
“Yea, they name hurricanes now. Since 1950 or so.” She became very serious. “There have been some really bad ones in the past. In 1900 a huge hurricane destroyed Galveston, killing somewhere between eight to twelve thousand people, they couldn’t get an accurate count. So many were washed out to sea and their bodies never recovered.”
“I can’t imagine such destruction. Galveston is a major port. Many of the immigrants to Texas come through Galveston.”
“Houston is the main port now. Galveston is more for the tourists.”
He looked confused. “But Houston isn’t on the coast. How can it be a port?”
She nodded, understanding his confusion. “After the Galveston Hurricane, about ten years later, the government dug the Houston ship channel. Now, ships from all sail in and out. It’s one of the great oil ports of the world.”
“Oil’s a big deal now?”
“Yea, if you go back in time. Invest in oil. You’ll be a billionaire. I think the first big strike in Texas was in Beaumont. It was called Spindletop.”
As soon as she said ‘go back in time’, his eyes glazed over. She regretted mentioning the
