“Breakfast is in thirty minutes. Wake up.” It was that guy pounding on the door. “If y’all still hungry, you’d better get up. Now.”
It was pitch black. I heard birds singing outside, so I knew dawn was on its way. Not soon enough for me.
“Nestor, you awake?” I switched on the table lamp.
“Yeah, I guess I am. Why’d you tickle me last night?”
“I didn’t.”
“Stop messing with me.”
“It’s the truth.”
Nestor bunched up his blanket and threw it on my bed.
A white feather floated on Nestor’s foot. “You’re so busted.”
“Where did that come from? So, I wasn’t dreaming.” I told Nestor what happened. “Something strange is going on here.”
“You expect me to believe a meat-eating ghost was in here last night?”
“I didn’t say anything about a ghost.”
“Oh, no? Cool air? Walking through walls?”
“Nestor, I’m serious.”
“What’s serious is that you’re losing your mind.”
“What I don’t get is how anyone got in this room.”
“You know, Phil, I think you’ve got the New Orleans crazies. This city is affecting you in a very strange way. First, you’re singing on the train about saints. Now you’re playing the feather trick.”
“I’m not playing with you.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re giving me an authentic New Orleans ghost experience so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. Thanks. I’ll be sure to tell the kids back at school.”
“Nestor—”
A pounding on the door interrupted, “You two, get a move on in there.”
“We’ll figure this out later. I’ll take a shower first.”
“Take this with you.” Nestor handed me the feather “Maybe you’ll have better luck tickling the ghost.”
That conversation went nowhere fast.
We went down at six thirty, not wanting any grief from that guy and hoping to find a phone to call home. I knew I’d feel a lot better as soon as I could see my great-aunt.
No one was in the kitchen. We looked around and found a phone jack next to the refrigerator. But no phone. We sat down at the table and waited. Footsteps came closer. I had a smile on my face, hoping to see my great-aunt. My smile disappeared. It was him.
“When are you boys going home?”
“When are we going home? We just got here.” What’s with this guy’s attitude?
“Ah asked you a question.”
“We’re supposed to stay for five days. We have tickets back home on Friday.”
“Look around and find something to eat. Ah’ll be back.”
“Isn’t Aunt Delphine coming to breakfast? And what about Uncle Antoine?”
“Stop with the questions.”
He left. Don’t rush back. I caught Nestor staring at me. I knew what he was thinking.
We were starving at this point and opened the cabinet doors in search of something to eat. We found a food pantry but the cereal was all this high-fiber stuff. And sugar free, to make it even worse. I opened the refrigerator and took out some eggs, cheese, bread, and butter. There was a bowl of fruit salad covered in plastic wrap—red grapes, strawberries, kiwi, and mango.
“Do you think it’s OK if we eat this stuff?” I asked Nestor.
“Don’t know. It’s your family.”
Nothing is weirder than having to find food in someone else’s house. “Let’s do it fast, before that guy comes back.”
I made a cheese omelet. Nestor was surprised. “This tastes really good.”
“My dad’s a cook, remember? He taught me a lot.”
“I guess that’s because you’re already twelve.”
“I guess. Nestor, can you look around for a toaster?”
“OK.”
We had breakfast in peace. Just as we finished that guy banged into the room.
“Clean up this mess. You’re going out for the day.”
“Going where? Isn’t Aunt Delphine coming with us?”
“She’s busy today. She needs to take her husband to the doctor, or something like that. I’m going to bring you kids over to do some sightseeing on one of those Hop-On Hop-Off bus tours.”
“I want to see my great-aunt.”
“OK. Ah’ll tell her.”
“Did you hear screaming and yelling last night? We heard some strange things, maybe from the basement.” How did I know I wouldn’t get a straight answer?
“What y’all heard was my TV set. That’s all.”
“Is your room in the basement?”
“Again with the questions? Clean up so we can get this day started.”
We cleared the dishes. I gave Nestor the job of washing the omelet pan. “I don’t know how to clean this.”
“Here.” I handed him a special sponge for nonstick pans. “Learn.”
I scraped the dishes over the garbage pail before putting them into the dishwasher. At the bottom, half-covered by dirty napkins, was a ripped-up pizza box with italicized red lettering: Best Pizza in Texas.
Texas?
That guy came back. “Go upstairs and make your beds. Come down, say hello to your aunt and uncle, and then we’ll leave. Ah don’t have all day.”
Sunrise was at 7:12a.m. The dark mood was lifted as the sun streamed through the windows. We went upstairs. “I’m surprised we need to do all this stuff ourselves. My mom said Aunt Delphine and Uncle Antoine had a housekeeper.”
“Maybe they’re doing a tough love thing on us,” Nestor said.
“Maybe, but things don’t seem normal around here.”
“OK, so let me ask you this. How do you know what’s normal around here? You were practically a baby when you were here last.”
“Good point. Let’s get our beds made. See you in a few.”
I made my bed, making sure to pull the sheets real tight, and walked over to the dresser to get my smartphone. That’s funny. I could swear I left it here. I looked on the floor under the dresser and under the bed. I patted the sheets, searching. I couldn’t find it.
Nestor came in. “Phil, I can’t find my phone. It’s not where I left it.”
“This is crazy. I can’t find mine either.”
That guy walked into my room. “You kids ready?”
“We can’t find our phones. Do you know where they are?”
“No cell phones allowed in the house. Your aunt’s rule. Y’all get them when you go back home. She’s waiting for you downstairs.”
I raced down that staircase like a marathon runner headed to the finish line.
Nestor was right behind me.
“Phil. Ah’m so happy to see you!” Her arms reached out like a mama bear getting ready to hug her cub. I started toward her but stopped myself as she pushed me aside.
“My little Phil!” Aunt Delphine said as she took Nestor in her arms.