"Claude", I asked, "whatever possessed you to do such a thing?" I was, of course,
referring to the discharge of his lieutenant and the resultant cruel
prank. "I told
you what could possibly happen and sure enough...."
I was more than a
little annoyed. Having to interrupt a pleasant
evening just to soothe his bruised ego, I must have lost my head. "Had
is ever occurred to you that this soldier would have it in for you? That
there are folks out there who would be bold enough to pull such a prank, and NOT
get caught?"
Claude Frollo, now fully dressed, adjusted the familiar triangular hat
with its long, red silk veil. Then he wheeled around and glared at me.
"Honestly, Danisha! Spare me the lecture!", as he
raised his hands in exasperation. "I indulge in a little recreation --
`Do something to relieve the stress', as you are always telling me. How
was I to know what was about to transpire? Oh
really, darling, this 'sister-in-a-snit' routine. While at times I find it
somewhat amusing, right now it is not very becoming! How I perform my
duties and indulge my free time is none of your concern!"
I felt
tears well-up in my eyes.
He had never before spoken to me so harshly. Claude sensed my reaction,
softened his tone and took me in his arms. "Forgive me, Nisha", he whispered
sweetly in my ear, "I shouldn't have berated you like that. It's just
that I was so angry, so... oh my sweet love..." He kissed me deeply and
tenderly. "You always come through for me. And what do I do? Rail away at
you when I should be showing my gratitude."
I gave him my
'what-are-you-gonna-do-about-it' look and
asked, with hands on hips, "And just HOW grateful are you, Claude
Frollo?"
A broad, seductive smile spread across his handsome face.
In a playful voice and with a cute little wiggle of the hips he replied,
"Oh...I can think of...a few things."
Oh why, I thought, does he
have to be so damned fine? He cut quite a figure in his black,
purple-trimmed velvet tunic, and pants that fitted oh-so-tight. The
sweeping cape. That
hat! Those boots! I swear I wanted to...well...right then and there.
Hold on, hot stuff, I thought as I surveyed the dark little alley
with trash
piled here and there, this is hardly the place.
"Back to the
Palace?"
Claude pondered a bit. "No, my dear. They are most likely swarming all
over the place by now." He eyed the Camry then gave me a sly glance.
"Great
minds think alike, don't they, baby?", I said as I opened the door on the
passenger side. Claude settled himself in soft velour seats as I walked
around to the other side. Boy, I thought, this evening's not a total
washout after all. Claude buckled his safety belt as I began to switch
on the ignition. He looked at me with questioning eyes, "Well? Have we
forgotten something?"
I strapped on my safety belt; I forget how much
Claude cares about my well-being.
"Are you sure this will work a
second
time?", he asked.
"It got me here, didn't it?", came the reply.
Claude Frollo smiled. "Drive on then."
Guiding the little Camry down the narrow streets, we came to the immense
square near the Palace of Justice. Just as Claude predicted, a horde of
young women crowded around the Palace's main entrance. "Turn off the
lights", Claude whispered.
I doused the lights. "Now what?", I asked.
"Drive toward Notre Dame," he directed, "they wouldn't dream of going
there. At least I hope not!"
I complied and drove toward the
cathedral.
It was amazing how quickly we reached the Place de Notre-Dame, and
without being detected. "Do you have enough room to do this?",
Claude asked.
"We'll find out." The Camry was in position. "Brace
yourself", as my foot pressed down hard on the accelerator. Claude's
eyes
were wide with alarm, and, just before I reached under the dash and
depressed the violet button, he saw Quasimodo at the front entrance of
Notre Dame.
"Don't worry, Master!", Quasi called out, "I won't tell a
soul!"
"What a sweet little guy", I remarked just before a bright, white light
engulfed us. Claude, shielding his eyes, replied, "I can always count
on him." He closed his eyes tightly as we sped through time and space.
Then darkness again.
"You can open your eyes now, honey", I said as I guided the car through
downtown streets.
Claude Frollo slowly opened his eyes. With a sigh of relief, he turned
to me and said, "I never thought a 20th century American city would be
such a welcomed sight. Besides, I needed to get out from under all
that.....isn't that the American Legion Mall? Lovely grounds...very
green and well-laid out." I knew he was trying to make small talk,
but I didn't mind. He had just come through a highly embarassing and
nerve-wracking ordeal and he really
needed a little release.
"Yes, that's it", I replied, watching the way he toyed with the radio.
"Here, Claude", as I fumbled around in the console between the seats.
"Pop this in the CD player."
Claude Frollo burst into smiles and
laughter. "Ray Charles'--'Night Time is the Right Time'! I remember
when you sang this to me the first night we...." Still chuckling,
Claude loaded the silvery disc into the player, hit the play button, and
soon we were singing along with Ray as we cruised up Meridian Street
towards the northside neighborhood where I lived.
Copyright©Sept 1997 FrolloFreak