Lauren was driving home with a great deal more care than was normal for her. Today was Friday, and her vacation had just started. She was taking no chances on missing her evening flight to New Orleans. It would be, she hoped a vacation she would long remember. Traffic was unusually heavy and she soon realized she would be hard pressed to make her flight.
She reached her home without incident and hurried inside. Collecting her bags, she said a fond farewell to her pets, left instructions for their care with her roommate and raced off to the airport. Traffic was worse than it had been on the way in and she was running late by the time she reached the airport parking lot. Check in was jammed with people trying to make their flights and she found herself having to run to make it to her gate.
It was only after she was seated in her assigned seat with a drink in her hand and the plane in level flight that she relaxed enough to begin to think again. This was going to be so much fun, she had never been to New Orleans. She had read a lot about the fabled city, and was enchanted with its air of romance and mystery. Her hotel was right in the middle of the quarter and she had devoured all the literature sent by the Chamber of Commerce.
Even more exciting to her than the city was the prospect of meeting Roxanne. They had met in a chat room devoted to battlefaeries, an online game. Lauren had spent the better part of a year, coaxing, cajoling and patiently waiting to finally convince the shy woman to meet in person. She had only obtained a tentative promise, with a warning that she might chicken out. Still the prospect of finally meeting was a nice one. Her feelings for Roxanne were deep, but confusing. They were alike in many ways, but there was something else there that she could not put her finger on. An undercurrent of something she could ill define was there of that she was sure. Perhaps, she admitted she wasn't ready to deal with what that undercurrent might be. She dozed on the flight, waking with an indistinct memory of a pleasant dream
The plane touched down smoothly and began to taxi towards the terminal, Lauren felt herself beginning to become excited, she was finally here! The plane glided smoothly to a stop and she gathered her carry on bag from the overhead compartment. The line moved slowly down the aisle and she was ready to get off the plane. Without the air conditioner it was becoming stuffy. Or was she just getting nervous? She couldn't tell.
When she reached the end of the tunnel she looked around expectantly, no one in the crowd of waiting friends and relatives looked like the pictures she had seen of Roxanne. She felt a deep disappointment, but tried to tell herself that with all the new security measures Roxanne might not have been able to make it to her gate. Lauren made her way to baggage claim, again scanning the crowd, but she saw no one familiar in the milling faces. By the time she reached the main concourse she was sure that her friend had backed out. It hurt her feelings but she tried to smile and remember she was on vacation.
She followed the signs to the taxiway planning on taking a cab to her hotel. Walking through the doors her breath was taken away. The heat and sultry humidity assaulted her senses. It was like stepping fully clothed into a sauna. She put her bags down and wiped her brow, this was not what she was used to. She felt a strange excitement, something in the air. It was a suppressed feeling of waiting for something to happen.
She was reaching down to pick her bags up when a small voice behind her said "Lauren?"
Lauren turned quickly to face the person who had spoken. She was a small woman, dressed in jeans, a flannel work shirt and work boots. Her auburn hair was up, in a pony tail and she looked like she was dying in those heavy clothes in the heat. Lauren remembered suddenly that Roxanne had said she would have to leave straight from work to catch her plane. Lauren felt a bit silly now; she had been searching for someone dressed like a woman, as she knew Roxanne liked to do.
"Roxanne?" She asked.
The smaller woman smiled shyly and nodded. Lauren could see how much just this simple exchange was taking out of her. She felt bad that she had inadvertently forced her friend to approach her. She was also strangely flattered, she knew just how difficult it was for her.
Lauren wanted to hug her at that point, but something held her back. Instead she held out her hand and the smaller woman shook it. She found herself at a loss for words.
"How was your flight?" she asked finally. "It was O.K.," came the reply. Her voice was low, pleasantly modulated, but too deep for her size. Lauren remembered that she was very self-conscious about it and made a point not to notice.
The silence that followed was awkward and Lauren was glad to have a taxi pull in. A tall black man in gray livery got out and helped them put their bags into the trunk. The cool air conditioning inside the cab was a godsend after the stifling humidity outside. Roxanne seemed even more grateful for the coolness and sat in the corner pressed up against the door.
"Where to ladies?" the driver asked in a voice heavily tainted by his southern accent.
"The Jefferson," Lauren replied.
"Nice place," he said as he pulled away. "First time in the City?"
"It is for me, she has been here several times before," Lauren said.
"It's a great place to visit, good thing you didn't come at Mardi Gras your first trip. It is a different place then," he said.
They continued chatting as he drove through the streets of the city. Lauren stole a glance at Roxanne, she was staring out the window, apparently lost in thought. Lauren was happy for the talkative driver, she was sure that it would have been a silent ride otherwise.
The Jefferson was situated on Rue De Bienville in the heart of the quarter. It was four stories high with a red brick and wrought iron fa‡ade that fit perfectly with the architecture around it. Inside it was decorated in lavish Victorian style. Lauren and Roxanne made their way to the desk where a formally attired man in his middle fifties greeted them.
"May I help you?" he asked with a smile.
"We would like to check in," Lauren said.
"Reservations?" he asked.
"Yes," Lauren said as she handed him her print out from the reservation company. He looked it over then looked up and smiled "Are you together?" he inquired.
She was forced to smile when she saw Roxanne blush and seem to be looking for a place to hide. Something about her at that moment touched Lauren, she seemed to be totally vulnerable. She wasn't sure if it was her maternal instinct, or something else, but she took the print out from Roxanne's hand and said, "Yes."
The concierge arched an eyebrow but said nothing as he took the two print outs and entered them into the computer on the desk. Lauren felt rather than saw Roxanne move slightly closer to her. The concierge programmed two key cards and handed them to Lauren.
"I have taken the liberty of moving your friend to a room adjoining yours, second floor end of the hallway, the bell hop will bring up your bags momentarily," he said with a smile.
They made their way across the beautiful lobby. Old paintings showing the riverfront in the days of steamships and antebellum homes decorated the walls. The wainscoat was expensive wood and all the trim was mahogany. The architect had done an outstanding job of transporting those in the lobby back to a more elegant and genteel time. The elevator in the corner was right out of a movie. An open wrought iron cage, with an elderly black man, dressed in the hotel's livery operating it.
