Walking Out of New Orleans, Part Two

Sebastian was getting tired and hot. He wouldn't drink any more, so I started pouring his share onto his head and body to cool him down. We would take turns carrying him for a while, but he didn't like that. So, we would carry a while, then let him walk a while.

When we came to the area by the projects, the side of the road became more crowded with people. We even saw some firemen setting up a rescue operation with boats. I recognised a couple of them from a delivery I had made for work. Nick knew one of the guys, so talked to him for any updates. He knew less than we did.

There were only 2 times I was concerned for our safety. The first was when I saw 4 guys stealing a car that was parked on the side of the road. As they were getting into the car, on of the guys stared hard at me and flashed a gang sign. I looked away from him and kept walking. They made a uturn and came up behind us, but passed and kept going. I breathed a sigh of relief.

The second time, a man came running toward Sebastian and I, pointing his finger and saying, "You, I know you!" Well, I didn't know him, but I said "ok". He continued, "You live on Clermont. I see you and your dog walking all the time. When did you leave? How high was the water?" My response, "Yes, we live Clermont. We left about midnight last night. And the water was this high at my house." I held out the front of my teeshirt, which was stained from the nasty water almost shoulder high. "I was walking on my tiptoes when I waded out." He looked very depressed then and said, "My house must be under water too. Where are you going?" "Gonsalez." " Well, if anyone can walk that far, it's you. I've seen you walking every day, in all weather. Good luck." "Stay safe, yourself."

For all the nastiness the tv reported. For all the evil deeds that supposedly happened. We only received support, hope and good wishes from people. All everyone wanted was information, and water.

One man called out to us from the side of the road, "Drink of wine, $50!" Nick muttered to me, "If it was ice water, I might take him up on it."

It seemed like we had been walking a lifetime.