Page 2 of Carnival Queen

“That feels like a nightmare,” he murmured.

“It could be,” nodded Irene in agreement, “but I think we should consider it. For now, we’ve got boats that need to be decorated, meals planned, tents to set up, and I’m needin’ helpin’ hands.”

“Alright, Mama,” he said, standing and smiling at her. He reached beside him and handed her a box wrapped in gold paper with a delicate gold and white bow on top.

“What’s this?” she asked skeptically.

“A bomb, Mama.”

“Gaspar, don’t be smart with me. I am not in the mood today. I’m gettin’ too old for all this foolishness.”

“It’s a gift, Mama. From all of us from Italy,” he smiled. She sat down with the box in front of her and shook her head. She had tears in her eyes as she tugged on the bow.

“You brought me a gift? Why?”

“Because you’re the glue that holds us together, Mama Irene,” said Ian. “Besides, the Pope was quite a fan, and we agree.” Irene only chuckled, shaking her head. She opened the box and let her fingers gently touch the bookSaints, Pasta, and Wine.

“It was in the Vatican bookstore. It’s produced by the cardinals to raise money for orphanages. I figured it was something we could all get behind.” Lifting the book, she gasped, touching the beautiful lace beneath it.

“That was made by a group of nuns we met,” said Nine. “They said any great seamstress could make it into a blouse or shawl for you. I’m going to bet that Gwen could make it into something wonderful. It’s gonna look beautiful on you, Mama Irene. I’m sure it will. We hope you like it.”

“I love it,” she whispered. “It’s one of the finest gifts I’ve ever been given. I can’t believe y’all did this for me. Thank you.”

“There’s more coming from Father Nicholas,” said Ghost. “He made pottery items for everyone and sent some table pieces for you and Matthew. He said Matthew would understand and that they would be special to him.”

“Oh, how thoughtful,” she said, shaking her head. “This is truly lovely. The girls have been raving about what a great time they had. I know you all enjoyed the trip, and the pontiff made sure to tell me how impressed he was with you all. I’m glad you did this. Y’all needed it. Thank you, boys.”

“You’re welcome, Mama,” laughed Jean, giving her a hug as all the others followed, doing the same. “Now, where is all this work that needs to be done.” She tucked the box against her breasts and waved at them.

“Follow me!”

CHAPTER TWO

Choosing a queen for carnival was worse than judging a toddler beauty pageant, thought Deanna. She should have refused this ‘perk’ from her boss, but she had the foolish idea it would be fun. Something different than spreadsheets and tax forms.

It was different, alright. Mothers and teenage girls, all believing they should be the star of the show. They all wanted to be the center of attention atop a Mardi Gras float, tossing beads and coins into a crowd that could truly care less, mostly because they were too drunk to care.

What they really failed to realize was that the floats were the center of attention. The parade was the center of attention. The teenage girls waving from the main float were just there for decoration.

Sad but true because Deanna knew. She’d been a pageant girl, even making it as far as Miss Orleans Parish and finishing in the top five of the Miss Teen Louisiana pageant. She was happy with top five and happy to tell her parents she was done with pageant life.

Secretly, they were happy as well. The pageants were exhausting, expensive, and cutthroat. Everything that Deanna was not.

With the recent rains and the need for more space for everything in New Orleans, Deanna had to scramble last minute to find a place to hold the interviews. In the end, she called the one person she’d known nearly all of her life.

“Mama Irene! It’s so wonderful to see you. Have we done something wrong? I promise we’ll be out by five,” she said, hugging the woman.

“Nonsense, child. You’re fine, and you have the space for as long as you need. I brought some sandwiches and treats from the café. Y’all haven’t taken a break all day.” Deanna thought to question how Irene knew that, but she knew enough to not say a word. Mama Irene seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere.

“Well, to be honest, Mama Irene, these girls are more than I signed up for. This is just an interview. The girls present themselves, we read their essays, and we ask them some questions. They’re acting as though there are thousands of dollars in scholarships riding on this.”

Irene turned to look at the more than one hundred teenage girls sitting in metal chairs with their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters. They were all waiting their turn to impress the judges.

Some of the women Irene knew and knew that they would give Deanna a rough time. They knew that she’d been in the Miss Teen Louisiana pageant because the pageant community was small, and Deanna was a hometown girl. She also wasn’t a whole lot older than the girls sitting in this room.

Irene looked at the faces one by one, and then something caught her attention. One of Irene’s many talents was her ability to hear everything, near or far. Sometimes it was also a curse, and this might be one of those times.

“Who is that old woman? Please tell me she’s not one of the judges,” scoffed a young girl. “She wouldn’t know talent and beauty if it slapped her in the face.”

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