| |
THE RIVERFRONT BUSTLED with activity. She sat on her favorite bench and absorbed her surroundings. The warm, humid breeze across her face felt heavenly. The brilliant blue, cloudless sky created the perfect Louisiana morning. A flash of white caught her eye. An egret began its graceful descent. This was where she grew up, where her life changed forever. Loneliness has become a permanent part of her life now. She was among the living, but not really with them. It was time to leave the pain behind and search for true love once again.
She watched as the vast water of the mighty Mississippi River continued to flow down to the Gulf of Mexico, carrying with it her dreams and happiness. Tears blurred her vision. She composed herself. At night she dreamed of him and how he deceived her. She still felt the loss, heartache and loneliness he left behind.
She should have moved on, left this place, but for someone unknown reason, she couldn’t break the hold it had on her. She loved this city, the people that lived here and the rich culture that emanated from this place. This was her heritage, and there was no denying it. Of all the places she could live; she would never find a place as perfect as this.
The park had been here for as long as she could remember. Growing up, her dad brought her here to play and fish from the levee. Those memories were rich in her mind. At this very moment, the world felt frozen in time as she reminisced. If she breathed in deep enough, she could recall the smells that lingered here, the heavy, dank scent of the river in the summer heat. Even back then, this area had always been busy. Her childhood had held such happy memories for her, before her life changed forever.
The Mississippi River always beckoned her, whispering her name as the water rushed by. But these waters could also be dark and brooding, unfriendly and dangerous. The churning waters have claimed many lives. Come spring time there was always the fear of the river’s mighty strength. She was a formidable creature. She had been known to tear through towns and leave sheer devastation in her wake. The Mississippi River has been known to drown people and animals in its murky brown water and carry them away to the Gulf of Mexico. After it did its worst, the waters would draw away from the river’s edges and then the sandbanks would reappear. In the summer, everyone would have forgotten the river’s wrath and find relief from the oppressive Louisiana heat in its cool waters . The flood debris long forgotten, already making its way down river.
During the early summer months, the levees would be carpeted with colorful flowers. How she loved watching as they magically appeared almost overnight. The Black-eyed Susans were her favorite. She would pick them for hours on end while her dad would fish. They would picnic under the live oaks that shaded the area, under the large branches with moss draping down from them.
By late summer the heat would have taken its toll on the flowers and grass, the droughts that would soon ensue would also leave their mark. Once midsummer arrived, their trips here would become less frequent, waiting until fall, when the hot sun did not beat down on them.
Several stately plantations still remained along this part of the Mississippi River. Some were open for tours; some have been turned into bed and breakfast inns. This had once been her favorite area of town.
She had learned from her mistakes and would give anything to step back in time and start over. She would never fall in love and depend on a man again. Instead, she would use them as they used her.
The shock from his betrayal had been traumatic on every level, emotionally and physically. She would never leave herself that vulnerable to a man again. She would be the one in charge.
Her thoughts have taken her off in a direction she would rather not relive. Instead of heading back via her usual route, she meandered towards downtown, with its newly renovated shops selling antiques, art galleries, specialized boutique shops and a wide variety of Creole restaurants. As she walked down Main Street, she realized there was no one else out and about. Very few cars were on the street even.
It must be later than she thought. She must have walked further than she anticipated. She found herself at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. This had been where they were supposed to be married all those years ago. She kept walking and found herself near the low-income houses that bordered downtown. She didn’t even remember walking this far, letting her thoughts carry her away. It was dark out now. Few streetlights burned here. Any light was ambient, coming from the occasional window. As she walked back, she tried to keep her thoughts from wandering back to him and all the pain he caused her. The sidewalks began to fill with locals and tourists in search of food and entertainment. A saxophonist played his heart out, a bluesy wail that filled the air. This was just the distraction she needed.