and we had a small office in the Marigny, in an old building on Frenchmen Street. It was funâweâd get up in the morning, have breakfast together, and walk over to the office. Weâd work all day, and then around five weâd head for the gym. We didnât have anything major to work on at the office; most times it was just doing back-up research for another branch officeâs case, and the occasional job doing research for a lawyer (my older brother, Storm, had his firm throwing a lot of work our way). I had a regular paycheck and the kind of home life Iâd never imagined in my wildest fantasies. We all got along great. About the only real problem had been convincing Frank to try Ecstasy at Mardi Gras. It hadnât been easy, but he finally gave in.
Little did I realize how much hassle we would have been spared if weâd only listened to Frank. You see, thereâs something about Carnival that affects people. Every day in New Orleans is anything can happen day, and Mardi Gras somehow heightens that sense of insanity. Maybe itâs the liquor, maybe itâs the parades, or maybe itâs just the hordes of tourists; I donât know. But Carnival is somehow different, more charged with the craziness that dogs our days here. My mom jokes that during Carnival the city spikes the drinking water, but I donât know if that would do the trick. I think itâs something to do with the time of year, the way the planets align themselves or the stars are arranged when the season starts. Crazier things happen than usual. People let down their guard and open themselves to all kinds of bizarre behaviorâthings they wouldnât do any other time of year. Straight boys go out on Fat Tuesday practically naked, showing off their bodies and actually enjoying the attention from the gay boys. And, of course, as everyone knows, lots of breasts are bared.
Iâve always called it the Mardi Gras mambo.
And if someone had told me what would happen during this yearâs Carnival, I would have laughed my ass off at them. Please âit was too much for anyone to believe. And Frank has never once, since Fat Tuesday, ever said, âI told you so.â Maybe it wouldnât have happened if we hadnât done the Ecstasy, but I have a feeling it was kind of meant to be. Somehow, we would have gotten dragged into it. And if not for the Ecstasy, who knows? Maybe it would have wound up worse than it actually was. You can never question the Goddess and what she has in mind for you. All you can do is take what she throws at you and do your best. Thereâs never any point in thinking, âIf we hadnât done this or if weâd done this instead things would have been different.â
Things happen for a reason, and itâs not our place to question those reasons, right? But sometimes I have to wonder if the Goddess doesnât just enjoy fucking with me for her own entertainment. I mean, she probably does have a sense of humor, right? Itâs not a stretch to think she likes to see how we are all going to react to the curveballs she throws at us. And I usually donât mind the curveballsâthatâs what makes life interesting, after all, and I canât think of anything more tedious than having a life that is set in stone and completely predictable. Sure, some warning that something crazy is about to land in your lap would be niceâand maybe she could not throw a lot of successful curveballs at me in a row. But Iâve never been destined for a quiet life, as Iâve said, and for the most part my life has always been pretty charmed. Iâve got a great family, a great apartment, and two fabulous boyfriends, so apparently she feels like I need to have some nutso stuff in my life as well. And if thatâs the price I have to pay for the great life sheâs given me, so be it. I donât ever want my life to become boring.
And since Ash Wednesday, Iâve