Chapter Seven: Lost In Memory Lane

Chapter Seven: Lost In Memory Lane

New Orleans, a year ago

 Lyya

The rain kept on falling for hours in this city. It was as if the Mississippi River had made its way to the streets. It kept on pouring like it was never going to stop. Many ran under it due to their impatience. And for those who couldn't afford to get wet, have their expensive coat drenched, or have their brown fine hair get soaked up messy, stood under a kind of roof structure, waiting for a ride. 

Slowly, the people that stood under their shades vanished, as they found their way home. No one now stood under this shade again that evening, except for tipsy Loggman's son, who didn't know his way around the city.

 He had gotten lost after wandering off to look for entertainment centers like clubs, pubs, or something to keep his wild atmosphere on. He didn't have his escorts with him, as he had let them loose.

Lady Lyya stayed that rainy day, at the Monami Boutique, making a telephone call with one angry foreign customer. He claimed to be in New Orleans as they spoke, waiting for his package.

"Mr Da…" She tried calling the customer's name, who was yelling over the line, making this lady nervous. 

"Davinci!" The man with a French accent corrected.

 Lyya tried calming this man down as she still spoke amiably, "Sir, you'll have to come by the store tomorrow to collect your clothes. We're almost closed and it's raining where I am right now."

"I'm a busy man! I need that velvet suit for an important event tomorrow!" The voice yelled over the telephone, making the lady shift it away from her ear. "Where's your madam? You're going to get fired if you don't make the delivery. You hear me?!"

The woman forked her hair with her free fingers, in frustration.

"That's right. I know your madam, and I will report that her incompetent employee wants to drag her business into the mud. Guess who's that employee. You!"

The line was cut off, and the lady jerked in fright at the customer's voice. She placed the telephone back and went to the glass door. There, Lyya gazed at the rain, as it came falling down, making the entire place saturated. 

She had worked for her Madam Sophia for months now as a seamstress, just so she could make ends meet. She struggled to feed her family ever since her father passed away from a heart attack. 

She now had to work harder than every other girl and guy in the store and stay for extra hours in order to get paid more. Doing this didn't still didn't make Lyya's salary enough. 

The now exasperated lady Lyya went to stand in front of the large shop's mirror to pack up her hair in a pony. 

Looking at the shop's pretty pink umbrella that had the logo of the shop on it at the rack, she exclaimed in annoyance, "Darn it!"

The shop's door now rang open. It was her fellow employee, who had come back to the shop as he had forgotten something. He was a black American guy, who still had his accent.

"What's up, girl? Just my keys." His name was Daniel. 

He took his home keys which he had forgotten on his own sewing compartment table. 

"Could you believe I got home and like literally couldn't get home?" He laughed at the end like it was supposed to sound like a joke. He saw the Lady who would've probably given a response or at least a chuckle, just stood there looking upset. "What's with you girl?"

"A delivery under the rain," She said looking at him pitiably.

"Well, that's crazy. Shop's closed. You should get going home."

The young lady gave him a look that said she couldn't, and he immediately understood.

"You ain't gonna do this darling." Daniel sounded concerned. "You're being overworked. It's freezing cold outside."

Lyya's face didn't change. He now understood that she really feared losing her job.

"Please, at least just give me a ride." She begged.

"Fine, fine."

Lyya smiled as he accepted. She took her jacket from the coat rack, the customized umbrella, and then the customer's clothes packaged properly in a customized bag, before leaving.

The Buick Roadster was now parked at a place in the streets. The female came down from the car.

"Thanks, Daniel. Be back in a short while, okay? Bye!" She said waving as the car drove away.

Lyya now heaved a sigh as she opened her umbrella, and began her walk.

 It was really freezing outside, and the day was getting dark slowly. She looked at the address in her hand and looked around the place if it matched. She didn't see a sign that corresponded with what was written. 

She bit onto the bottom of her light-shaded lips as she walked, still looking for this address. 

After walking down the street for about an hour, Lyya got tired and annoyed that she hadn't still found the place. She went ahead and asked someone, whom she had met on the street if where she was was Merburgh Street.

"No." The reply was curtly said by the stranger. The person didn't even bother to tell her where was. 

Not many people were on the streets again because of the rain, and because it was getting late. Lyya would have headed back home, but she was too scared of losing her job because of a failed delivery. 

Now perplexed, Lyya walked in one lonely-looking street in uncertainty. She was still walking slowly, holding tightly to her umbrella and looking all anxious, when she felt someone from behind hold up her umbrella suddenly.

She shifted, startled, as her eyes met this stranger. 

The stranger, who was taller than she was, stood, holding up her umbrella with a smile on his face. The person stared at Lyya who was now in close range with him. The stare lasted for a while with this strange man. The strange man's name was Jack.

London's very own Jack Loggman gave a look at this lady, who still had a shocking expression on. She didn't give him a surprised, happy friendly look. Instead, this lady lifted her toes up as she stretched forth her hand to collect her umbrella back.

Jack was stunned by the next thing this lady did. He had never experienced such a reaction from a person, especially a female, in his entire flirting years.

"Pervert!" She said as she hit him hard in the groins suddenly with her handbag.

Hurt, Jack gave a stifled moan as he turned the other way in order to hide his wincing face.

"I'm- not-a- pervert." He said still in pain, trying not to place his hands at where hurt.

The Lady shifted with her umbrella from him, leaving him to get wet under the rain. 

"I didn't mean to startle you," Jack said now, a bit cautious of this surprising girl. The pain had now subsided as he spoke. "I just wanted to get under the umbrella. That's all."

Lyya looked at him now feeling she may have overreacted to the whole thing. Pitying him, she drew closer to the brown-haired Jack who was getting soaked under the brutal rain.

"You should've asked first." She apologized curtly, "Sorry."

She now let him share her umbrella. They both began to stroll on the street, walking closely by each other's side. Jack suddenly put his hand on the umbrella, touching her hand. His hard palm covered her soft hands.

The lady's eyes widened as she gave Jack a look. At that moment, she had her mind fly far, and asked herself mentally, if this man was up to something else. He was a stranger after all. She felt a tingling sensation on her hand as he held it. Lyya started to think that she probably shouldn't have let him pair with her under the brightly coloured umbrella.

 'He could be dangerous.' She thought.

"It's better I hold it since I'm taller." He explained. 

Now noticing that he had been lowering his height all through in discomfort, made her understand what he meant. 

She let go of the tight grasp she had on the umbrella's metal, trying not to show she had thought something negative of him.

After a while of silence, the woman inquired as they went on walking, "So where are you headed exactly?"

Jack gave a chuckle before speaking, "I actually don't know."

This made Lyya halt. It sounded silly like it was supposed to be a joke, but it definitely was not funny to her. Her mind took a flight again as she suspected a different motive. She asked, "Are you stalking me?"

"Of course not." Jack quickly retorted, showing he wasn't, and didn't want to be called that. He further went on to explain his predicament to this beautiful-looking girl, "You see, I'm actually not familiar with the city and I think I may be lost. Though I'm certain they'll send someone to find me soon."

She gave a confused look at the man with the British accent. At that moment, she felt like shifting from him as she felt he was playing a funny game with her. 

Was he trying to get her to take him to her home? Well if so, she definitely wouldn't oblige to such an idea.

In this lady's life, there had never been a better timing. A familiar car suddenly drove by and parked by their side, just when she needed to leave.

"Hey!" Daniel said, seated in the driver's seat, "Turns out I didn't drop you at the right street! That place's real far from here, and it's already late. I'll just drive you home."

Lyya now ran off to enter the Buick Roadster, with her umbrella still in her hand, leaving Jack under the brutal rain. Jack laughed out in disbelief at the fact that he had just been deserted like that under the rain.

Still under the rain, he tried to convince himself he wasn't hurt, angry, or annoyed. Which was actually how he felt. Feeling raindrops touch him in a harsh manner, made him shiver, not just out, but in. All of these were caused by that human girl he didn't even know. It made him feel angry.

He was a gentleman to her kind, so didn't ever think he could receive such ungentle action. Being left under the rain without a warning made him feel belittled. 

 "Maybe she acted that way because she didn't know who I was." He spoke to himself.

Snapping him out of his angry thoughts, he suddenly heard a loud long honk.

To Jack's greatest surprise, the car had revised back to where he was. Lyya now came back to offer him her umbrella. 

"You need it more than I do." She said to surprised drenched-in-rain Jack, who was now stunned. 

Taking the umbrella, Jack recalled he hadn't even asked for her name. All he would remember was her face, voice, and bright-coloured hair that was packed up in a pony.

While Jack was still standing, gazing at the car that was zooming off with speed, a black clean car suddenly parked in front of him.

The car's window was lowered, revealing a familiar calm gentleman. 

"Get in," Beta Charles commanded.