The Snow is melting. We believe we will reach a degree above freezing. Spring is not here yet. The Old Man remembers New Orleans. There was a different world in the French Quarter. A world of happiness and Joie de vivre. A philosophy of life-affirming rather than denigrating. Hope danced outside the windows of the Hotel Monteleone. The Old Man watched the revelry with keen interest. He was in a different place. Fever Dreams of Dominance and a Master Race were not to be found in the Quarter.

‘It is getting where I am afraid to go outside,’ Jane said. ‘Masked men are on every corner and arbitrarily pull people out of their homes and cars because of the color ot their skin,’ Jane explained. ‘United States citizens carry their papers with them to prove they are legal,’ Jane said with tears in her eyes. ‘People are being killed,’ Jane whispered.

‘Now this is the way to live,’ the Old Man said, with a broad smile and his pork-pie hat on his head. ‘There is a lightness of being in the faces of the people,’ the Old Man continued. ‘Mr. Meyer, the owner of Meyer’s Hat Store, was laughing with customers and enjoying having his picture taken with customers,’ the Old Man laughed. ‘He said he is 102 and still works each day in his store,’ the Old Man smiled. ‘There is a joy in living when you are not afraid,’ the Old Man mused.

‘Franklin Delano Roosevelt told us that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,’ Chet said. ‘We fought World War II to free Europe from tyranny,’ Chet continued. ‘We took a turn sometime back and chose a road that looked safe,’ Chet observed. ‘We were fearful and saw ghosts lurking around every corner,’ Chet noted. ‘Now we are living with the results of our paranoia,’ Chet said softly.

‘Just listen to the wonderful band at the end of the Carousel Bar,’ Billy B said with a little dance. ‘I have seen shows on television about the French Quarter, but to be here in person is awesome,’ Billy B continued. ‘It is a bit like being in a movie,’ Billy B thought. ‘People come to America for the promise of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,’ Billy B noted. ‘President Kennedy said to us, ‘ Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,’ Billy B said with his voice cracking. ‘From the Kennedy Administration came the Peace Corps,’ Billy B thought out loud. ‘We were the Nation that thought of others less fortunate than we,’ Billy B said.

‘The lovely singer is singing from her soul,’ Neva J said. ‘She has lived the suffering that she is singing about,’ Neva J continued. ‘See how everyone who passes stops to listen to her song and weeps as the lyrics touch their hearts,’ Neva J observed. ‘Safety, security, and no fear are balanced on a tightrope,’ Neva J proclaimed.