L. Marie Adeline- S.E.C.R.E.T

the neighborhoods where freed slaves began to settle. After the devastation of Hurricane
Katrina, the Society made rebuilding schools in disadvantaged wards its focus, because
waiting for the government to do it meant waiting forever. My volunteering for the
Society was part of my attempt to make this city my home, and to make friends beyond
the Café and its environs. My job for the evening was to work the donation booth, to
collect checks and run through credit cards. No costume and dancing for me. I wanted to
take this event seriously. In exchange for my time, Kay allowed us to hang a Café Rose
banner on the skirt of the table.
This year the ball was being held at the New Orleans Museum of Art, one of my
favorite buildings in the city. I loved its four-columned Greek Revival facade, and its
square marble foyer surrounded on all sides by a high balcony. I used to wander in its
echoing rooms when I was still married to Scott and things were tense between us. I
would visit Degas’ Girl in Green painting, because she seemed mournful to me, facing
away, either worried about the past or afraid of the future. Or maybe I was just
projecting. I had an hour to assemble the booth and to get a rundown from Kay. I found
her, dressed like the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, yelling in the middle of the
white marble foyer.
“Move the ladder!”
Two young men were trying to suspend giant sparkly snowakes from the ceiling. Kay
wasn’t a big fan.
“I don’t know how snowakes t the ‘Make-Believe’ theme, but what else can we
suspend from the ceiling? Fairies?”
An image of Tracina dangling from a thread brought a smile to my face, interrupted
only by Kay eyeing me over her reading glasses.
“Where are you setting up the booth? Not in here, I hope!”
“I think over there,” I said, pointing to an area near the back of the room.
“No! I don’t want people to confuse our beautiful dinner with a grubby cash grab! Near
the coat check, please. And where are your tools?”
“Tools? I didn’t realize that—”
Kay let out an exasperated huff. “I’ll get a couple of the maintenance guys to help.”
By the time Tracina arrived, fully decked out in her white tutu and tiara, the booth was
up and running and I was comfortably hidden behind its high skirt.
“Where’s Will?” I asked, as casually as possible.
“Parking the truck. I’m going to get a drink. You want one?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
The rst of the guests started to arrive. I spotted a Snow White, several Scarletts, a
Rhett Butler, two Draculas, an Ali Baba and a Harry Potter. There was a Dorothy, a Mad
Hatter, a Black Beard the pirate and a Blue Beard, the murderous aristocrat. I glanced
down at my A-line skirt and plain blouse. Maybe I should have put more eort into the
occasion. Did I really need to wear a waitressing apron? Well, there was the matter of
storing pens and credit card slips. And I wasn’t there to meet men. I was there to work
for a charity. But just as I was securing the second Café Rose banner to the back of the
booth, I heard, “Cassie, over here!” A beautiful woman in a Scheherazade costume