Rebecca Drouilhet

The Mating Rituals of Strange Young Humans

It was an old-fashioned courtship. Think of Al Pacino, the young Godfather, wooing his Italian wife. Entire days spent roaming the streets of New Orleans, stopping to buy Chinese food on a stick, strolling among the crowds as they eat, people watching all the while—the sway of beautiful young Creole women in summer dresses and fashionable straw hats sashaying down the avenues, a saxophone blowing jazz, sweat dripping down the faces of players and dancers, and children nibbling colorful ices to quell the heat. The young man stops to buy his girl a pair of blue sandals, but before he can pay, the street vendor (always a bit of a sucker for romance himself) gives them to her for free. A horse-drawn carriage heavy with tourists passes by, the horse pausing to flick his tail at a lazy fly, the animal as languid with heat as they are.

And, later, back in Mississippi, as he paddles the yellow canoe down those clear brown creeks, turtles become logs and cotton-mouth moccasins undulate through the water graceful as dancers, leaving behind barely a ripple. Charmed by the quiet and by the teeming life everywhere she looks, the young woman spies a wild magnolia high in the tree. Without thinking, her beau scales its trunk and picks it for her, a blossom so pure its pale petals glisten in the sun.

diamond anniversary
his cane leaning
on hers

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About the Author

Rebecca Drouilhet is a retired registered nurse who lives in Picayune, Mississippi, in the Deep South region. Her work had appeared in many venues and has won several awards. She likes reading, word games, and listening to the rain.

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