Mardi Gras Masquerade (24 page)

“I do.”

“Do you live at home with your parents?”

“No.
 
They live in the same town, but I have my own apartment.”

“All by yourself?”

“I have a roommate.”

“Tell me about your parents.”

Maria settled back into a more relaxed position and said, “My father is a retired postal worker, and my mother does tailoring from the house.
 
That’s how I learned to sew.”

“Do you make your own clothes?”

“Sometimes, if I can’t find or afford what I want in the stores.”

“Is that how you got involved with
modelin
’?”

“No.
 
Actually, that was through my roommate.
 
She taught me everything I know about it.”

Maria tried to stay close to partial truths.

“Then, she’s a model, too?”

“Yes.”

“Does she have auburn hair like you?”

“My roommate is a blonde.”

“Let’s get back to your parents.
 
What are they like?”

“Nice, uncomplicated people.
 
They’re not wealthy, but they always got me everything I wanted.”

“So, you were a spoiled child.”

“Not at all!
 
I never asked them for anything extravagant, just a few simple things here and there.
 
Of course, they did pay for my college education.”

“They sound like good people.
 
What are their names?”

“Doris and Harold.
 
Tell me more about your parents.”

“My father was always a businessman.
 
Our company has been in the family for generations.
 
My mother was a
New Orleans
socialite.
 
She also comes from an old family.
 
My father fell in love with her when she was crowned queen of the Mardi Gras.
 
It’s always been a special time for the DuPonts.”

“How romantic.
 
Was your father the king?”

“Only of his own private world.
 
When he saw my mother up on that float, he knew that she was the one he’d been waitin’ for.
 
He went out and got a suit of armor, like the ones used by the knights of old.
 
When it was time for the grand ball, he rode a horse right through the ballroom and on up the steps to the throne where my mother was
sittin
’.

“She had never seen him before, but when he put up his visor and told her that he had come for her, she smiled.
 
Then he picked her up to put her on the horse beside him.
 
They nearly brought down the room with applause as they rode out together.”

“What a wonderful story!
 
It’s almost like a fairy tale.”

Maria held her fists clenched tightly against her in spine-tingling pleasure as she pictured the romantic event Steve had described.
 
He glanced at her and smiled briefly.

“Now, you know where I get my impetuous nature.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Maria assured him.
 
“I believe that spontaneity is very important in keeping us happy.
 
If we all did only what was expected of us in some dull routine, we’d stagnate and grow old.”

“An
interestin
’ philosophy.
 
Have you done any impetuous things lately, Maria?”

“I came to Mardi Gras,” she breathed out in suppressed emotion.

“I suppose my own spontaneity just took over after that.”

“There’s no denying it.”

“Are you mad that I brought you to the house?”

“Brought me? You dragged me!”

“Was I too brutal?”

“You’re a barbarian!” Maria exclaimed, but she could not keep the smile out of her voice.

“I guess you hate me for that,” the man replied.

There was no way to interpret his tone.

“I’ve never hated you, Steve, and I was what I said I was.
 
You’ve treated me like a queen, at least, most of the time.
 
I’ve never felt luxury in my life.”

“Do you like it?”

“Who wouldn’t?
 
I only wish my parents could . . .”

Maria quickly stopped herself from completing this thought.
 
She was afraid that Steve might think she was looking for an invitation.
 
When he changed the subject, she felt relieved.

“Do you like to travel?” he asked.

“Very much, not that I . . .” Maria quickly corrected to add, “I’ve had my fill of it.”

The man ignored the statement, reading an odd interpretation into her sentence.

“Sometimes, I have to go away on business for long periods of time,” he said.

“That must be very exciting for you.”

“Not really.
 
It’s kind of lonely,
stayin
’ in strange hotels
havin
’ all of my meals in restaurants.
 
The excitement wore years ago.”

“It might be better if you had someone to go with you.”

“That’s what I’ve been thinkin’ lately.”

“Have you ever thought about getting married?”

Steve turned to look at Maria, but she could not see his expression through the gloom beneath the arbor.

“Are you still
checkin
’ on my commitment level?” he asked.

“I didn’t mean that.
 
I mean, I wasn’t thinking about that at all.” Maria nervously replied.
 
“You told me that you weren’t interested in forming a commitment.”

“I said that I wouldn’t be forced into a commitment, and I also told you that the subject was closed.”

Maria looked away in chagrin and made no reply.

After a prolonged silence, Steve asked, “Would you like to walk along the river?”

“Maybe I should be getting back to my room.”

“It’s still early.
 
Wait a while.”

“Okay.”

They both stood up and walked out of the garden and onto the lawn.
 
The dewy grass dampened Maria’s shoes, but she did not care as long as she had this time with Steve.
 
When she had suggested that she should go inside, it was only to see if the man really wanted her company.
 
She needed to be reassured that her presence was desired.

“It’s time for us to walk along the river bank.”

Maria did not reply to this suggestion.
 
Instead, she turned to walk toward the
Mississippi
.
 
Steve immediately joined her.

The large trees near the water looked like ghostly sentinels against the dim light of the stars.
 
An occasional breeze would ruffle their branches, giving them a sense of sentient mobility.

As they walked along, Maria said, “This is the sort of place you could never take for granted.”

“That’s hard for me to say since I’ve lived here all my life.”

“How long do your parents stay here at the house when they come back from
France
?”

“A couple months.”

Why did they decide to move away?”

“I guess they felt it was time to pass on the reins to the next generation.
 
After my father retired, I think he and my mother were
lookin
’ for a change.
 
They might have wanted to be alone together again.”

“They must be very happy.”

“Like all couples, they have their ups and downs.
 
I believe they’re happier than most.”

Steve stopped to pick up a pebble and toss it into the river.

“Do you have a boat?” Maria asked.

“Two, in the boathouse.
 
The runabout, which is mainly used for
fishin
, and the other is a good-sized cabin cruiser.”

“Have you ever taken it all the way up the
Mississippi
?”

“Only as far as
St. Louis
.
 
We’ve gone out on the Gulf a number of times.”

“How nice that must been!”

Steve appeared to be thoughtful.
 
He made no response.

“Does it take long to get to the Gulf?”

When the man did not give her an answer, Maria repeated the question.

“What?” he said at last, sounding a bit confused at having been taken out of his reverie.

“Never mind,” Maria softly replied.
 
“It doesn’t matter.”

Steve reached up to unexpectedly button her jacket.

“It’s getting colder,” he said.

Maria was surprised by the intimate contact of his hands.
 
It brought a sudden warmth to her body and made her heart pound.
 
When he was done, he let his hands linger on her waist.

“Why
are we talkin’ about all of this nonsense when we could be talkin’ about us?” he suddenly asked.

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Maria answered in confusion.

“My dear, sweet Maria, you are such a child when it comes to
dealin
’ with men.”

Steve placed his hands on her shoulders and continued, “This isn’t high school any more.
 
Why did you agree to walk out here with me when you know how I feel about you?”

“I . . . I thought we were just going to talk.”

“I haven’t
just talked
with a woman since I was sixteen, at least, not to anyone as desirable as you.”

“You
know we can’t do anything about this, Steve.”

“I’m sorry to say that I probably do.
 
You’re not like the other women I’ve known.”

“What were they like?”

“More worldly.
 
Impetuous, in a different way.
 
Phonies, mostly.”

“I could be a phony, too.”

“Not in essentials.”

“How would you know?”

‘I’ve been around a lot more than you, Maria.
 
As a businessman, I’ve had to learn to see through people.
 
As a lover, I’ve learned the hard way.”

“What do you see in me?”

Steve raised his hand to run his thumb down the side of her cheek before moving back to her shoulder.