She looks embarrassed, but not surprised, so she must remember something about it. “Will the restaurant be closed?”
With the storm hitting Saturday night? Yep. I nod. “It will.”
Her frown etches deeper, her eyes widening with worry. “Will you still come see me?”
I reach across the table and cover her hand with mine. “If I can, I will.” I refuse to make promises I can’t keep. Even with forecasts, no one knows exactly how bad the storm will be. The last direct hit Lafayette took was just a Category 1, but the storm produced so many tornadoes, thousands of trees fell, pulling down power lines and blocking roads. Life wasn’t normal for weeks. “I’ll come as soon as I can.”
That’s a promise I can keep.
When I leave Camelia Court, I take a detour to Cherry Street to check on Iris and her crew. I’ve been worried about them—about Iris—since she had to cancel class last night. It doesn’t make sense, but I don’t want to go until some time next week without seeing her. But when I turn onto her block, the Range Rover isn’t there.
Maybe she and her buddies are still battling crowds at the grocery store, stocking up on supplies.
I texted her yesterday after Ramon cancelled our class, just to make sure she was okay ahead of the storm—and, yeah, I could have just as easily texted Ramon to ask, but I wanted to talk to Iris—and she never responded.
I haven’t messaged her again. I don’t want to be that guy, but I keep wondering if Iris and her friends have any idea what to expect.
My worry is grounded. I brake in front of the house and can’t help but notice that all the porch furniture and plants are still outside. So are wind chimes and bird feeders. That shit needs to be put away before the winds pick up.
According to the radio, Hurricane Addie, as of noon today, is packing winds of eighty-one miles per hour and strengthening. A Cat 2 storm clocks in with sustained winds anywhere between ninety-six and one-hundred-ten miles per hour.
Lafayette is about fifty-miles inland of Vermilion Bay, so the town won’t get the same punch as folks in Cypremort Point or even Delcambre, but winds will still be hurricane strength with gusts nearing one-hundred-miles per hour—strong enough to send a bird feeder through a window.
I’m tempted to pull into Iris’s driveway and pick up all of this myself, but what would she think? I’m not supposed to be here. Would it startle her if they drove up and saw me hauling patio furniture to the garage? Would it be undeniably obvious that I think about her all the time?
I opt to shoot Ramon a text instead. As Iris’s assistant and protection detail, he should be the one taking care of that—even if I’d feel better doing it myself.
Me: Just passed by your house to check in. Y’all should store the porch furniture, plants, etc. before the storm hits to be on the safe side. Let me know if you need help.
Iris’s friends and I didn’t start off on the best terms, but after about a dozen classes and getting to know each other a little better over snacks and dance lessons, I think we’re okay. Hopefully, okay enough for me to offer well-meant advice.
I head over to Nonc’s to help secure his place. With his bum elbow, moving lawn chairs and crap isn’t so easy to do. But at least he doesn’t need to board his windows. My tiny house is more exposed and a lot more vulnerable to high winds than Nonc’s old house situated in the middle of downtown. Sure, his yard will be a mess after the storm, and he could lose a crepe myrtle or two, but short of a tornado, the old house that is both the studio and his home should be fine.
It’s late afternoon when I finally head back to my place. The winds have shifted but conditions won’t start deteriorating until tomorrow. No need to sleep on the sofa bed at Nonc’s for longer than I have to.
My phone almost never rings, and when it does, it’s usually Val. So when it goes off when I’m a mile from home, I answer blindly, expecting my sister. But the voice on the other end is male. Accented. And flustered.
“Hey, man, thanks for your message,” Ramon rattles off. “Sorry to take so long getting back to you, but Sally and I had just arrived at her