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He had said he wanted her to leave New Orleans and return to California she did not belong here. She jumped out the car and ran as fast as she could here to Paige, the one person she knew wihout a shadow of a doubt with whom she was safe.
"Come in here Mercedes we need to talk," Mercedes walked into the room took her ice tea and sat on the sofa and stared at Paige. Paige spoke in a thickly accented voice that let one know immediately she was of french/Haitian decent.Mercedes' accent had become light over the years."That was father on the phone he told me what happened and why he did what he did.Corte' was seen yesterday riding on the River Explorer with a blonde woman , he would not allow such a man to marry his daughter nor disgrace her,""No that is a lie ,Corte' loves me Paige and I him , if he was with a woman then maybe he had just met her was helping her out I knew exactly where he was I knew he went to the Explorer.why would he tell me where he would be if he was going to rendevous with a woman?""Mercedes I cannot answer what I donot know. i can only tell you our father's reasons for what he did""No Paige you and I both know father has not cared for me since the day mother died, he just did not wish to see me happy," at this Mercedes looked at the clock..10p.m, she had an hour , "Paige I tell you this because I love you and pray you not tell father until tomorrow,by then there will be nothing he can do.I am leaving to go meet Corte' we will elope tonight by morning he will by my husband and I his wife.At this Paige began to protest but she had learned long ago each of us had a destiny and must follow it maybe this was Mercedes', and it was a far cry better than the one that she dreamt near everynight now.She wished Mercedes well and started to give her the keys to her car,Mercedes declined and kissed Paige on each cheek and on the lips and left. |
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On the walk to the Barataria Swamp where they had discussed if anything went wrong they would meet and elope,Mercedes thought on what Paige had told her her father had told Paige of Corte' and this blonde.As she crossed Royal Street, she realized she had told Paige her first lie Corte' never told her he was going to the River Explorer in fact , that is the boat they were going to be wed on should they have to elope.Corte had a prearranged wedding to a blonde from a wealthy family in NewYork.Corte' had told her today he would be doing some charity work and working in the office most the day at his father's firm. As she crossed the last street before the swamp she cleared her mind of any and all thoughts except that Corte' De Valde taught her what living truly was and come morning they would be man and wife. They had planned to meet if things worked against them in the Barataria Swamp and catch the River Explorer, which was a luxury hotel barge which would take them through an intercoastal gateway so they could begin their bold new life together,along the way through the mosquito infested swamp with its beautiful sounds and sites (man-made of course like most of the french quarter),a strange feeling crept over Mercedes.She felt as if she were being followed by something very old and very dark, she had always been able to sense things as long as she could remember but it was usually things like the exact emergence of a butterfly from its chrysallis or like when an alligator was within the lil"lake" she and Paige used to play in , but this was different. |
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