I'm the luckiest guy in the world, or at least the luckiest guy I know. Just four years ago, I was an ordinary middle management guy in his middle 50s treading water: who I worked for doesn't matter. It wasn't bad, it wasn't killing me, but it wasn't a lot of fun. Had to put in more than forty hours a week since I was on salary, and my health care had so many restrictions I wondered whether I could get anything I developed or caught treated, but I knew a lot of guys worse off than me. I never married: had to take care of my folks until they passed and afterward had to work so many odd hours I never got out and had a life.
Then I got lucky: I won the lottery. Yeah, I know the odds were against me, and I never expected those 5 lotto tickets I bought every week would ever amount to much, but it happens and one great night it was me. I did everything carefully, kept my lifestyle as it was for a couple of years until the bank account got built up, made some good cautious investments to set me up for life, used some play money to earn a little more on the markets, and researched the hell out of my options. Of course, I wrote my employer a go-fuck-yourself-to-hell-and-stay-there resignation letter right away, and in a few years I'll have enough stock in the company to fire all the assholes I used to work for.
When I felt comfortable, I sold out and moved to New Orleans. Always wanted an apartment in the French Quarter, and I got a nice one with three bedrooms, a skylight and a balcony. I love the nice people in the South, and the parties down below all night don't bother me. Everybody up and down the block is my friend, as are the cops, and anytime I want to party, all I have to do is open my door.
It didn't surprise me when the Weather Channel wanted to use my place when a hurricane approached the Crescent City. I've got such a sweet location and the view from my balcony is fantastic; can't remember which friend gave them my name and address. My spare rooms were empty when the storm approached, and I had a lot of space available. Al Roker and Jim Cantore used my place as their base, and we couldn't have had a better time. Fantastic guys both of them, a little crazy, and I had a great time drinking hurricanes with them and their crew when the cameras were off. When Hurricane Roxanne was heading our way, I was looking forward to hanging with them again, and made preparations for their return.
Just before noon there was a knock at my door. Everything was ready when I opened the door with a huge grin: "Hi guys, welcome back!"
Instead of my buddies, a tall, lanky woman in her 30s was standing in the door, wearing a Marlins baseball cap, LLBean windbreaker, shorts and sneakers. Her dimpled smile above her dark brown eyes bowled me over: "Hi, I'm Stephanie Abrams and this is Bill McCrary and Barney Shields. Are you Ernie Davidson?"
"Yeah. Ah. Er. You aren't who I was expecting."
"Sorry about that, What is that fantastic smell? Oh, we trade off the remote work, different crew every time: Jim's in Jamaica and Al's back in New York."
I shook my head to clear it and backed away from the door. "All right, I guess you'll do. Come on in, I've got some coffee made and some beignets on the table. Working on some gumbo for later." I pointed down the hallway: "The rooms are down there, two suites with a bathroom for each. Locks on the doors. My bedroom's at the other end of the apartment. If you need more room I can unlock the studio downstairs; it's got a bed if you'd rather sleep down there."
"A studio? An artist's studio?"
"Yeah. I'll show it to you later if you want."
"My God, I think I'm in love. C'mon in guys." She came in through the door, and headed down the hallway with two medium sized bags in search of her room. After she returned from the one overlooking the street, she had taken off her windbreaker to reveal her wonderful form, her torso clad in an ample Florida State sweatshirt. The guys came in behind her, laden with gear and were just getting down the hallway after she returned. "We've got till, , ,what time zone are we in?"
"Central."
"4:00 local time to do the first remote. We'll do them on the balcony tonight; I'm tired of people crawling all over me when I'm doing a live shot. Last time I was here some idiot shouted 'show us your tits' as we were doing a live spot on Bourbon Street. Tomorrow morning is soon enough to get soaked when we do Wake Up With Al."
The guys bustled in, leaving a video camera and boom mic in the living room and taking their stuff to one of the other free rooms. Stephanie sat and put her feet up on a chair, giving me a gorgeous view of her long, athletic legs. She grabbed a beignet from the basket and took a bite: "They're still warm. Did they just get here?"
"No, I got them earlier this morning. I've got a hot pad underneath to keep them perfect: got the idea from Alton Brown."
"Great idea. I'd love a cup of coffee."
"Done." I poured her a cup in the kitchen and brought it back. "Cream and sugar?"
"No, thanks. I usually drink it black, unless it's late or a weekend, when I put a little Bailey's Irish Cream in it."
"That can be arranged."
"I think I'm in love. How long have to lived in New Orleans?"
"I'm a newcomer here, just been here two years. Grew up in the Midwest, flew a desk until I won the lottery."
"Get out!"
"It happens. Almost enough to make me believe in a good and loving God. The people who live here year round are wonderful, and I have a little place on the bayou when I want to get away from the city. I'm set."
"Sounds wonderful. I've got an apartment, but it's very ordinary. Where'd you get all the art work?"
"Bought a few pieces, like the Madonna from Italy in the corner. The abstract stuff I did myself."
"Get out!"