A Rogue's Tale

Gift of Friendship: Part 1

Rogue looked out the window. She was tired and somewhat bored. She thought about the last time she had been to Louisiana, or had she? When she was a child, it was easy for her mother and aunt to convince her it was all a dream, but she had so many doubts about that now.

Sleep was overtaking her again. Her mind drifted back to that boy and things that may have truly happened.

"Anna!" Remy shouted over the noise of the train. "Get ready to jump. Our stop is coming up." Anna Marie had that frightened look on her face. "Don' worry. It'll be okay."

Anna Marie inched over to the opening of the boxcar. "On three?" she questioned.

"Yeah!" he shouted back and slowly counted. When he got to three, they both jumped giving a yelp as they hit the ground. Anna Marie rolled a few times before coming to a stop and lay there still on the grass as Remy looked up from the ground. He crawled over to her, a worried look on his face. "Anna, you okay?" he asked.

Then she turned over laughing. "That was fun," she said giggling, a smile plastered on her face. "Let's do it again."

He looked annoyed but not angry as he started to tickle her. She laughed so hard she thought she was going to throw up. He soon stopped and helped her up to a sitting position.

"So, where we go now?" Anna Marie asked.

"'Nawlins," he said. "Dat's where I'm from. Mardi Gras startin' soon."

"Really? Only seen it on T.V.," Anna said excitedly. "Never been to a real one."

"Den, come on. It like one big ole party," he said, taking her hand. They ran across the field together heading for the city.

Upon reaching it, Anna Marie could hear the sounds of music and people laughing and cheering. She was more excited than ever. Remy led her down the main street to behold the beautiful floats that passed by. They had just arrived in time for the parade, and it sent the biggest smile on Anna Marie's face. They watched a few floats go by, but suddenly Anna Marie felt lightheaded.

"Somethin' wrong?" Remy asked.

"No, ah think ah'm just hungry is all," she said.

"Then we'll have ta get somethin' ta eat," he said. "Come on." He led her into the park where he found an empty bench. "Jus' sit here an' I'll be right back."

"Where ya goin'?" she asked. She didn't like the thought very much of being in a strange city all alone.

"Ta get us some food," he said. "Jus' stay here out of sight. I promise I'll be back soon."

"Okay," she said but still looked worried.

The bench she was sitting on was in a secluded place, but she was still able to see the parade from where she was sitting. After about a half hour she was getting concerned. Had Remy abandoned her? The thought frightened her, but she still waited patiently for him to return.

After another fifteen minutes, she saw a figure approaching. She got up off the bench and ran behind a nearby tree. She peeked out slowly from her hiding place and saw Remy's figure approaching the bench she had been sitting on.

"Anna," he called out.

She was relieved that it was him and not some stranger. She came out from behind the tree and felt a little foolish, but after all she had been through lately, she had become just a little paranoid.

"I got us some food," Remy said and she sat down on the bench as Remy handed her a sandwich. "Careful, it's hot."

She unwrapped it and let the cool air of the night take some of the heat off. Then she took a nice big bite. "This is good," she said after swallowing it.

He handed her a soda to wash it down. She finished off her sandwich in no time and drank the rest of her soda. "Are you full?" he asked her after she was finished.

"Yeah, ah guess so," Anna Marie said wiping her mouth off with a napkin Remy handed her.

"That's too bad, 'cause I got us some dessert too," he said with a smirk plastered on his face.

Her eyes grew wide as she found that her appetite was returning. "What ya get?" she asked.

"Jus' some King Cake," he said and showed her a brown paper bag. She could practically smell it.

"Ah never had it before," she said, "but it smells good."

"It is good, Anna. You'll like it." He took the tasty morsel out of the bag and handed her a piece. She took a small bite, just in case she didn't like it, but she found that it was quite tasty and soon devoured it.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Anna Marie asked him.

"Let's go check out the carnival," Remy said. "It's just across the park."

"Okay," she said. "Ah just have one question." Remy looked confused as Anna Marie spoke again. "Where'd ya get the money for the food?"

"I got my ways, petite," was all he would say. She looked skeptical as he took her hand and led her across the park.

To Be Continued...