Page 66 of Ruby (Landry 1)

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I didn't waste a moment. I scooped up my bag

and ran toward the revelers, who shouted and laughed,

trying to hold me back so I would join them. "NO!" I cried and broke loose to tear through

them and out of the alley. Once onto a street, I ran and

ran to get myself as far away from that alley as I

could, my feet slapping the pavement so hard, my

soles stung. Finally, out of breath, my shoulders

heaving, my side aching, I stopped. When I looked up

I was happy to see a policeman on the corner. "Please," I said, approaching him. "I'm lost. I

just arrived and I've got to find this address." "Some night to come to New Orleans and get

lost," he said, shaking his head. He took the slip of

paper. "Oh, this is in the Garden District. You can

take the streetcar. Follow me," he said. He showed me

where to wait.

"Thank you," I told him. Shortly afterward, the

streetcar arrived. I gave the driver my address and he

told me he would let me know when to get off. I sat

down quickly, wiped my sweaty face with my

handkerchief, and closed my eyes, hoping my

heartbeat would slow down before I stood in my

father's doorway. Otherwise, the excitement over what

had already happened, and my actually confronting

him would cause me to simply faint at his feet. When the streetcar entered what was known as

the Garden District of New Orleans, we passed under

a long canopy of spreading oaks and passed yards

filled with camellias and magnolia trees. Here there

were elegant homes with garden walls that enclosed

huge banana trees and dripped with purple bugle vine.

Each corner sidewalk was embedded with old ceramic

tiles that spelled out the names of the streets. Some of

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