Muddy Waters

Unleash the Beast

Chapter 4

“Well, it looks like you girls are enjoying the beignets,” a voice said from behind them. Lorraine turned around and Dwade was standing in the door of the café.

“Oh, yes. They are phenomenal,” Lorraine replied back, standing up out of her chair to greet him.

Betsy's eyes grew big and wide. She wanted to be the first one to greet this man. He was sexy. He was exactly her type. And he needed to know it. She stood up and walked just a bit quicker than Lorraine so she could get to this man first. She flaunted herself over to him in her floral romper. It did compliment her body well. She had beautiful tan skin and long legs.

“Hello, I'm Betsy,” she said, extending her arm out to him.

“Nice to meet you, Betsy. I'm Dwade. I sure hope you are enjoying your stay in New Orleans,” he said as he took her hand and briefly shook it.

“What's a good-lookin guy like you doin in a small café like this?,” Betsy asked in an attempt to flirt with him. Lorraine realized she must not have known that this was the same man she had told her about earlier that morning. She almost stepped in and saved her friend from embarrassment, but she decided this punishment would suffice.

“Well, I own the place. And I told your friend here, Lorraine, that I would meet her here for coffee this morning,” he said, nodding his head toward Lorraine. Betsy looked mortified. She didn't even say anything back, just stepped to the side to let Dwade through.

“Oh, and Lorraine, you did make quite a good first impression,” Dwade said as he pulled up a chair from another table. “Do you mind if I sit with you lovely ladies?,” he asked before actually sitting down.

“Of course, you can sit with us. I'm Rhyan. Nice to meet you, sir,” Rhyan said, standing up to shake his hand before he sat down.

“Nice to meet you, as well. Are you a writer, too?,” he asked Rhyan. Lorraine was impressed that he remembered.

“Yes, I am. I love my job. But I actually have been thinking about going back to school to get into film or screenplay, something of that nature,” Rhyan explained.

“That sounds promising. And very intriguing,” Dwade responded, sipping on his coffee.

“Yes, I think it would be a great fit for me and would be a promising career,” Rhyan added. “And Lorraine and I have collaborated on many screenplay ideas so if I decide to do that, we could always team together to make some really great films,” she said.

“Now that sounds fun,” Dwade said smiling at Lorraine.

“Yeah, and you would still need an editor,” Betsy said, making sure to include herself.

“That's correct, Betsy,” Lorraine assured her, seeing she was getting jealous.

“So, you ladies enjoying your stay so far?,” Dwade asked. “Need any ideas or pointers of things to see? I'll be your personal travel guide,” he said, laughing.

“Well, I was hoping to get out and see the cemeteries today, possibly a couple museums, too,” Lorraine said, directing it almost as a question toward the girls.

“That sounds good to me. I can't wait to see it all,” Rhyan said with excitement.

“What about you, Bets?,”Lorraine asked.

“Sure,” was all Betsy said back. She most definitely was not in a good mood.

“Would you like to join us, Dwade?,” Rhyan asked. “You know, since you're an expert tour guide and all,” she added joking with him.

“I have a lot to do today, but maybe some time later this week I can show you gals around,” he said.

“We would appreciate it. Thank you,” Lorraine said, smiling back at him.

“Well, we better be on our way then,” Betsy said, standing up.

“Of course. Well, it was nice to meet you all,” Dwade said, also standing up. He turned toward Lorraine and handed his phone to her. “Would you mind adding your number in my contacts? I would like to get a hold of you and meet up later,” he said. “I mean, if that's okay with you,” he added.

“Absolutely,” Lorraine said, taking the phone in her hands. She typed in her name and number and saved it to his contact list before handing it back to him.

“Thank you, now you ladies have a good day,” he said smiling and nodding toward them before he turned and walked back down Royal Street.

“Before we visit the cemeteries, there is a shop I'd like to stop at if you guys don't mind,” Rhyan said as they all threw away their empty cups and napkins.

“Of course, Rhyan. Which one?,” Lorraine asked.

“Shanta's House of Voodoo,” Rhyan responded.

“Oh, neat. I'd like to go there, too. What about you, Bets?,” Lorraine asked.

“Sure,” she said. Still in a bitter mood.

“Great, we will stop there and then go to the cemeteries,” Rhyan said.

“So, about going back to school.. I think it's a great idea, Rhyan. Especially for film. That would be perfect. I know we talked about it before, but I do have some more ideas I wanted to run past you next time we collaborate,” Lorraine said.

“Yeah, and I will be editor and also an actress,” Betsy added.

“No other person better for the job,” Lorraine said.

“I have been trying to decide for sure if I want to get into screen writing or software engineering. I think they both could be promising jobs,” Rhyan said.

“Well, what do you have more of a passion for?,” Lorraine asked, trying to help her friend make a decision.

“I love them both, but I just don't know for sure which one would be the best for my future,” she contemplated.

“Just pick one and if you don't like it, switch majors,” Betsy said.

“Yeah, I guess I could do that. But it just seems like a pain to have to switch half way through, ya know?,” Rhyan said.

“Well, you don't have to rush your decision, take some time to really think about it,” Lorraine said.

They walked down Royal and turned left on Conti to make their way back to Bourbon Street. It was still fairly early, and the streets were already flooded with tourists and locals all the same. The smell of alcohol never went away. People were already drinking and some of them appeared to be drunk already.

Once they reached the voodoo shop, Rhyan stopped them before going in. “Okay, guys. I have researched shops like these extensively. They take it very seriously here in Louisiana. You can't take any pictures in here, and you aren't supposed to touch anything you don't intend to buy. Also, if I were you, I wouldn't mock anything you see,” she warned.

“What? Will a witch cast a spell on us?,” Betsy laughed.

“Well, I know I wouldn't want to find out the hard way,” Lorraine added. Rhyan opened the door, and they walked into the shop. All of them were unaware that this shop would change their lives forever.