Chapter 7: Big Events in the Big Easy

Alex and his people headed towards Patricia's club since it was getting near the time for the show. The group formed quite an entourage, with Alex, Cate and Gail, Tina and Amy, the three girls from the apartment, plus Darice, Dave and Peter in addition to the girls that had made up their little test. Alex was afraid they were close to reaching parade status and hoped they weren't as obvious as he feared. Before they got far, Alex cornered Cynthia, one of Allison's renters.

"I think I might have someone you'd like to discuss," Alex told Cynthia. "Valerie told us about your degree and I've got someone else who is into writing, though hers is more philosophical in nature. I thought the two of you would probably hit it off." So Alex told Cynthia about Diane Lane at SIU. Of course that led immediately to a discussion about Alex's sorority, which the other girls overheard and joined in. Many of the girls they'd just met were either in school or had recently finished, although there were a few older ones as well.

"We'd love to help develop your sorority here," Valerie replied enthusiastically. "Patricia told us how you've managed to merge your normal classmates in with the rest of your followers," she told a surprised Alex, who hadn't been aware he'd done any such thing until just then, but he could see how Patricia could have gotten that impression from the people she'd met at his birthday party.

"There's a lot of work involved, but we started it because it gives our girls a home, providing them with a common framework and allows you to aid the normal girls who join as well. I see each of the Seers and Watchers who are a part of the sorority assisting the 'type 3' girls with evaluating who to trust and how to evaluate people," Alex explained to the girls.

Cate nudged Alex as he finished speaking to Valerie and the other girls. When he glanced at her questioningly, she nodded behind her. Glancing back he noticed they had added even more women to their group. He was sure they'd be likely to attract attention, but he wasn't sure how else to handle the situation. He just hoped they wouldn't create a scene before they reached the club.

Alex also noticed they weren't heading to the club where they'd first heard Patricia.

"So where are we headed?" he asked Darice.

"Oh, I guess you wouldn't have known," he responded with a casual flip of his wrist, dismissing his concern. "Patricia booked a new hall for tonight. As she said, this is a big event for her." That comment didn't help Alex, but Cate was just as bewildered when he glanced at her. So they just followed everyone else, who seemed perfectly comfortable with where they were going.

There were other tourists around, but being mid-week there shouldn't have been so many. Instead their group seemed to be amassing more and more people, as additional groups just seemed to merge into theirs as they continued. Alex was starting to get alarmed at the size of the group now. They turned off St. Louis Street and neared a much larger club which had a large sign out front announcing "Closed: Private Party".

As they approached the door a couple of large beefy bouncers glared at them, making Alex nervous about age limits for the club. But the people at the door recognized Darice, Peter and David and let them through, though they stopped those following. They managed to get Shanna, Tina and Amy in with them though.

The club was not only large, it was packed. Every seat was filled and there were still a lot of people standing around, packing both sides and filling the back of the hall. Alex was sure if the fire marshal were aware of the crowd he'd surely close the place down, since the club was almost certainly over capacity. But the trio of Watcher watchers, as they'd been referring to Peter, David and Darice, continued to lead them forward. Finally they came to the only table still open in the entire club. Despite Patricia's problem with having Alex in the crowd during one of her performances, the table was right in the middle, just in front of the stage. There were seven seats, so Alex assumed the spare seat was meant for Patricia to join them mid-set, but no one objected when Alex offered it to Shanna. Tina and Amy assured them they'd join Valerie and her friends standing with the rest of the people there. There was a real feeling of excited anticipation to the crowd, although there was an awed hush the entire time they'd been walking in. Once they sat down a nervous buzz began.

People continued to arrive and blend into the crowd, and a waitress hurried over. However, instead of addressing the girls she came directly up to Alex.

"Mr. Jennings, sir, Ms. Patty asked me to bring you a Le Pavillon. It's her personal favorite. It's a local red amber beer and I hope you'll like it," she nervously told him, rattling her prepared speech off as if trying to distract herself. Alex looked for a name tag but didn't see one.

"And who might you be, sweetie?"

"My name is Stacy, sir. I'll bring over some snacks although the kitchen is closed tonight, and I'll get drinks for everyone else as well."

"Relax, Stacy, everything is fine. You understand I'm not—"

"Oh, that's not a problem here, sir," she hurriedly explained. "Ms. Patty said to not let you overdo it, but to make sure I took care of each of you."

"Well you're doing a fine job," he told her, touching her arm to help calm. Instead she blushed and hurried through getting everyone else's order. Alex noticed her clutching her arm where he'd touch her as she hurried away to fill their order.

"She's got it bad," Gail told him.

"Yeah, I can see that. I assume she's a Watcher as well."

"I think everyone here is a Watcher," Cate observed. "Though I'm surprised there aren't a few Seers as well."

"No, you won't see any," Darice told them. "Patty will explain it, though."

People continued to filter in and Stacy brought drinks for everyone, along with peanuts and fresh fruit which she delivered and placed directly in front of Alex, though he offered it to everyone else. The lights blinked a few times, signaling the show was to begin, so everyone started getting settled. The lights finally dimmed and shortly the curtain opened featuring a band consisting of a bald keyboardist, a female guitarist and drummer. They started up a tune Alex didn't recognize, however he figured he'd probably heard it during his Prom but hadn't been able to focus on it at the time.

Patricia entered the stage from the side, dressed for some serious rocking in black leather and a brightly patterned top with a long scarf, not to mention the necklace from before. She stopped in the center of the stage and began speaking.

"Good evening ladies and ... Alex." That line produced a good laugh from the audience but she soon got them under control as she continued. "I'm sure you're all aware this is a very special private show. You've each been invited here for quite obvious reasons. There are a couple purposes to this show. I'm getting ready to release a new album and I'm anxious to test out the material, so this is the largest crowd I've tried it out for yet. But mostly this is to show off for someone you all know. A certain someone who, like Madonna and Cher, needs only a single name. Someone by the name of Alex," she shouted as a spotlight shown down directly on Alex.

He had to hold a hand over his eyes for a moment and the crowd started screaming and then they started stamping their feet. He hesitantly got to his feet, at which point everyone started going wild. He sat down again and the noise continued until Patricia, or Patty as she was known on stage, got them under control again.

"He's still the shy young man you've all heard about, so we won't embarrass him anymore. But that's part of why we love him so much," she announced before getting serious again, motioning for quiet. "There are several things to announce. First, our special 'Program' starts tonight. Those who have been selected are waiting backstage and they'll be brought out later. They were each excited to have been selected. Next, I have a special announcement." Here she waited for the anticipation to build a bit before she continued. "It seems I've gotten some special news recently." She paused again and the audience shifted nervously. "It seems I'm officially pregnant. And as all of you know, there's only one man who could possibly be the father, so the Madonna of the Angel of New Orleans is expecting her own not-so-virgin-birth," she shouted, and the resulting screaming and yelling was even louder than it had been before.

Alex was shocked to hear the news and sunk low in his chair upon hearing it. He'd wished someone had mentioned it to him beforehand and glanced at Gail, however she simply shrugged, holding her hands up in a dismissive gesture, signaling it had been out of her hands so he simply groaned. He wasn't disappointed, he just wasn't sure finding out in the middle of a concert was the most personal way of discovering such an intimate detail. Still, he was pleased, since he knew she was anxious about becoming pregnant, though he wondered how it would impact her new recording career. Surely she'd been planning on touring to help promote the new album they were planning. However Patty didn't go into that just yet.

"Now, as you all know, I don't plan on being the last. We plan on giving Alex plenty of chances to provide my little baby with some brothers and sisters. And we hope he'll leave here in a few days with both a son and a daughter with his own special 'attributes'," she said, insinuating exactly what she meant. "Now, before we get to that, here's the music I'll be recording soon. Obviously it's dedicated to Alex, and it reflects how each of us feels about him, though it's cleverly disguised as a series of romantic tunes. The album will be entitled, 'Light of Our Lives', and I can't think of a more fitting title." And with that the band started playing and she started singing the soulful title song, detailing how someone always enters the lives of lost women and fills their lives with expectations, beauty and understanding, as well as providing them with a new view of life and an understanding of what the meaning of those lives is all about.

That was as much as Alex could stand before it became too much for him. Despite what had happened to him he was still a humble kid, and he really didn't like all this overwhelming talk about how wonderful he was. It really troubled him and he was afraid of the effect it may have on him if he ever took it seriously. So he reminded himself that everyone was only responded like this because of his abilities and that it had nothing to do with him or who he was. However, everyone else at his table, in fact everyone else in the entire club, was listening intently to every word. For a rock concert, the crowd was surprisingly quiet as everyone struggled to understand each and every word she sang as if they were personal messages for each of them. Alex simply shook his head and sunk even lower in his chair.

Patricia continued singing another six tunes, each one as laden with subtle but unmistakable references to Alex. Each one making him sink a little lower in his seat, but there was only so far down he could sink. Not only that, but every time he tried to distract himself by glancing around the club, he realized everyone else was mesmerized, either by the performance or by him.

When the set ended, Patricia and her band exited the stage to thunderous applause. Alex relaxed a little more, hoping everyone would ignore him a little now that they weren't being reminded of everything he'd done. Alas, his hope was short lived. While Stacy brought yet another local beer, a different one this time, several new women clustered around him, either wanting an autograph or to tell him how much he'd changed their lives.

Finally Patricia joined them and Shanna offered her seat. Sitting down, Patricia thanked her, wiping her brow and taking the drink Stacy handed her.

"So, what did you think?" she asked Alex, worry about her tremendous performance marring her normal beauty.

"The music was wonderful, but I think I'd prefer a few more instrumentals," he mildly complained, hoping she wouldn't take it too seriously. The music and lyrics really were very good, and he was sure she'd be successful with it. He was also sure no one not already involved in the movement would associate the lyrics with him. It was clear that Patricia had spent a lot of time crafting the double meanings of the lyrics.

"I'd also have thought you'd have mentioned your pregnancy to me earlier, say maybe during dinner?" he asked her pointedly.

"I thought it would be more effective this way," she laughed. "I can't see you blush anyway, but at least I can imagine you squirming."

"He was trying to slide out of his chair and under the table," Cate unhelpfully told her.

"And Gail, why couldn't you have warned me? You're supposed to be able to see these things," Alex complained.

"Hey, she talked to me earlier and asked me not to say a thing when we saw each other. She said she wanted to surprise you. Who am I to spoil your surprise?" Gail responded, though she was smiling as she said it.

"Geez, some protector you are. If someone wanted to stab me in the back I imagine you'd hand them a knife if they didn't bring theirs."

"A surprise is hardly a knife, though a knife is often surprising," Gail told him, making a true but meaningless statement. "But you're hardly likely to be badly hurt by a little well deserved attention."

"Just be prepared, because there's another big surprise at the beginning of the next set," Patricia warned him.

"Should I go ahead and slip out the back now, or do it in the middle of your presentation?" he asked.

"Alex, you could hardly 'slip out' of here," Cate informed him. "Everyone in here is watching your every move. Every time you sneeze, everyone pulls out a Kleenex."

"So what did you think of the songs?" Patricia pressed.

"Well, I've heard them before," Alex reminded her. "Twice in fact, but they are truly wonderful tunes and I'm sure your album is going to be a huge success. When are you supposed to record it?"

"So what did the rest of you think?" she asked, not answering the question, focusing on the others instead. Alex couldn't blame her, she had a lot riding on the success of this new album. Aside from a bunch of high school kids and a handful of adults with a vested interest, no one had heard the songs before.

Everyone sat, talked and drank for the next twenty minutes. Stacy kept bringing refills on the fruits, along with a selection of cookies which Cate kept forcing Alex to eat. He didn't mind, but he thought she was getting a little obsessive about it. Soon Patricia excused herself and returned to the stage while Shanna reclaimed her seat. This time, instead of beginning a song, she got everyone's attention.

"All right, now's the big moment. This is significant, as all of you know these women have been waiting for so long because it's so important to all of us, but also because most of you have never seen Alex work his magic. Now, Alex," she said, turning to him while shielding her eyes, "I explained how we've picked out several potential Seers over the last couple of months. I also told you we picked a few based upon who was the most receptive in their cycles... ," she continued. Alex was getting a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"So this is your big surprise. We've been hiding the women who we've picked. They're ready and are certainly psyched to meet you. They're anxious to be mothers, but more importantly they're anxious to be the mothers of your children."

The drummer actually played a drum roll as Stacy led three blindfolded women from behind the stage. Despite being blind and confused by the noises in the hall, none of the three hesitated, since they knew exactly where they were headed. They could have found Alex naked in a whiteout. Stacy positioned each in front of Alex and everyone at his table moved back, so every eye was definitely on him now. The three girls were flexing their hands, apparently dying to rip off their masks and throw themselves at him.

"See. Alex, they actually maintain quite a bit of control over themselves," Cate quietly whispered in his ear. "They can resist the impulse to chase you down, they just want to find you as soon as they can."

The three girls were close in size, though not necessarily in physique. There was a tall blonde, a shapely Hispanic and a cute black girl with an odd hairstyle. It was obvious they each were prepared for this, since they were each nicely but simply dressed and each wore makeup. It was clear they each wanted to look their best for him. Alex hated this idea of handing him three random women for him to impregnate, but knew it meant the world to these girls. He supposed he could still get to know them before he did anything. After all, the last thing he wanted was to screw some stranger he didn't know to produce a child he'd likely feel unconnected to. He noticed they were waiting for him so he nodded. When Patricia didn't continue he realized she couldn't see him, so he gave her a thumbs up.

"The first, a pretty blonde by the name of Carolyn Simons, is from Montgomery, Alabama and was brought to our attention by Sandy, her cousin," Patricia announced. Alex realized she was trying to thank the people involved, but he found this presentation a little disconcerting. When Patricia finished the description, Stacy released her blindfold and Carolyn took a quick step forward before she looked into Alex's eyes. She immediately jerked back but didn't respond beyond that. Apparently they'd been warned what to expect.

Alex stood and walked up to her, taking the still confused girl by the hands and leading her back to the table, which Darice, Peter and David had vacated, leaving three empty seats. He sat her down so she could recover and then turned back to the two remaining girls.

"The next is Kristi Nicholas, from near Monroe, Mississippi. She was sponsored by her sister, Katie, who was lucky enough to have first seen Alex when he was here the first time." Alex noticed the applause as Stacy loosened her blindfold. Kristi overbalanced a little as the blindfold came free, but quickly regained her balance as their eyes met. She didn't stumble or jerk, but she waved her arms for a minute, unaccustomed to the many lights she was now seeing. Alex walked up and after kissing her on the cheek, guided her to a seat next to Carolyn.

Finally turning back, Patricia jumped right into it.

"The last one is Lekesia Shapiro, from Chalmette, just near here. She was excited when her niece, Kendasha, informed her and her mother about our little program." Stacy pulled the blindfold from Lekesia's eyes and she too jerked back a little then looked momentarily confused after Alex activated her. Alex took both her hands and drew her forward to the last chair, then moved around the table until he sat facing the three of them. Cate and Gail shifted their seats around until they sat on either side of him.

"Now we'll leave Alex to wine and dine his new girlfriends in his usual style, while the rest of you enjoy the rest of our set," Patricia announced as she and her band began playing.

All in all, Alex thought it was probably a bit of a letdown for the people assembled, since these women, having been prepared, hadn't responded as unpredictably as most of his Seers had in the past. For that he was thankful and had to acknowledge this little presentation, as embarrassing as it was, was probably beneficial.

As the music played in the background, Alex leaned forward so the girls could hear him.

"So, Lekesia, an interesting last name you have," he said, speaking loudly so she could hear him over the music. Thankfully the music was also loud enough so the sound of their conversation didn't travel far. "Not at all what I would have expected."

Lekesia blushed, which was interesting to watch in such a cute little black girl. Her hair was cut in an unusual style, almost shorn on one side and combed straight over to the other side, with much of it sticking straight up in the back. She also had pretty makeup, penciled on eyebrows and an infectious smile.

"My dad was from a Jewish family on the east coast," she told him. "He met my mom when he came down for Mardi Gras one year and never went home. I catch a lot of grief from my friends but we alternate holidays. We get Mardi Gras but he gets Passover. Well, he got Passover, I guess," Lekesia smiled, remembering the events, telling Alex all he needed to know about just how close she was to her family. Alex was the last one to complain about unusual family relationships. What's more, it sounded like the family was still close, since the niece had gotten both Lekesia and her mother involved. He didn't bother to ask about her father yet, figuring he'd wait until they knew each other a little better before broaching what might be an uncomfortable subject.

"So what's your mother's name?"

"Her name is Noel. She's here in the city but Patricia didn't want you to see her until after they determined whether she might get a chance at you as well. She's been talking about having another baby for a long time and sees this as being the perfect chance. When she found out I'd been selected tonight she told me she was looking forward to our being pregnant together."

"Yeah, I can imagine the fun filled live birth videos," Alex teased. "So what happened to your father? Doesn't he have an opinion about your mother, uh... ?"

"No, he died several years ago. We've decided whichever of us has the first male baby will name it after him, Nathan Samuels."

Alex had been afraid she might have gotten emotional about a missing father, but she grinned fondly at the memory of her father. Alex felt like shit for calling a dead man a cuckold, but she didn't seem to be offended by it. "You don't mind having a baby so young, or your mother having one so late?"

"I'm actually seventeen and I'll be finishing high school early next year since I've been taking advanced courses. Some of the other women in the community here have told me they'd help watch the babies so I could attend community college, so I'll be able to continue my education. But I'm about the last girl in my neighborhood to get pregnant, so I wouldn't be likely to advance very far otherwise. I figured I'd either succumb to all the players chasing me or get raped someday, but now, with everyone including me as a Sister, I think I can get away from that environment. Plus I'll have a new baby that not only my Mom and I can love, but everyone else will love him too."

Alex felt ready to cry hearing how hopeless her life had been knowing the highest she could aim was to be the last one of her friends to get pregnant and drop out of school. The fact she was graduating early spoke volumes about her dedication and conviction, since Alex knew Louisiana didn't have the best education system in the world.

Turning to Kristi he asked, "What brings a beauty like you to a party town like this?" She giggled, which he thought was generous, since it was hardly the cleverest line in the world.

"My father came here looking for work. He does lawn services while my mom does maid work. I help her out to help cover expenses, but I'm really hoping to attend college. Only we can't afford much and there's the problem of the school letting me in with my immigration status."

"So your family isn't legal?" he asked, immediately regretting it since the family wasn't bootleg, what he meant was that they weren't legal citizens. Still, he couldn't hold where she was born against her. However she didn't get upset either.

"No, my father snuck across the border in Texas twenty years ago and my mother and uncle came across to join him a few years later. They moved around quite a bit until they found a stable community here. There's always a chance we'll be discovered and deported, but their life in Mexico was hell. They were dirt poor, there were no jobs and the crime in the neighborhood was unbelievable."

"You know, if you were born here you're considered a citizen, so you should be able to attend school here as a native?"

"Really? I've always been too afraid to ask about the details. I've been lining up how to get fake documents. Of course, even if I'm legal, if they find out about my parents they may start asking questions."

The fact this young woman would trust him so much upon first meeting him was both fascinating and sad. He wondered if they'd confess such thoughts within minutes of meeting someone else, but seriously doubted it. They were laying everything on the line, telling him their most hidden secrets. That showed a high level of trust. He hoped he could live up to it.

"We'll have to see if someone in the community knows something about immigration law. It seems to me we could work it out. They couldn't prevent your parents from being deported if they ran into problems, but you should still be able to attend school. Assuming you can get in, that is."

"Oh, my grades are good and I'm in a bunch of work/study programs. I've been working really hard and I thought if I couldn't get into college I could probably do an internet study course."

"Hey, what do you know, I'm planning on doing the same. As you might already know, a few things have popped up which have taken priority over my attending college."

"College is important since it opens so many doors," she told him. "But I think you'll have doors open for you for many reasons, not the least being your friendly personality and forceful nature. Any company would be happy to have you."

"Maybe, but I'll have to see when I get there. In the meantime I'm going to be studying while I'm traveling, hoping to get some college credits under my belt. Maybe after I've established a larger community of followers I can look at going to school again." At this point Alex stopped and regarded her a little closer.

"So why are you having a baby if getting into college is such a priority for you?"

Kristi sighed. "Alas, it's a priority, but it's not real likely. I'll try to go as far as I can, but I'm unlikely to ever finish. I'm just hoping to learn as much as I can while I'll probably become a waitress or something. I know I'm pretty enough to do fairly well, so I'll do better than my parents. The fact I speak without an accent and know enough to speak well means I'll probably do even better.

"But I can do those jobs with a baby. I have my mother and sister to help babysit for me, plus a lot of the Sisters have told me they'd watch over my child for me. But mostly, I couldn't resist the chance to have a baby which everyone would love and stood to be as influential and make as big a mark in the world as you have. I'll be honest, the chances I'll ever do anything famous are pretty remote, no matter how well I do in anything. But if I have your son, there's a chance he'll be remembered forever. And even if he isn't, he'll still be loved by hundreds of my Sisters."

"I'll be honest as well. I was kind of hoping you girls would be a little older, since I hate to see such young girls limit their futures so much. But I can see you're serious in your outlook and you believe in what you're doing. What about you, Carolyn?"

"Oh, I'm older. I'm 23 and I've finished college," she proudly announced. "I was married too, to a wonderful guy. Unfortunately he was killed in Afghanistan while stationed there. We were hoping to have a baby together, but he died before we could make it happen. I'm still interested in having our baby, in honor of him, but I couldn't see going out and dating again and making a mockery of my love for him. But then I found out about being a Seer and about getting pregnant by you. It seemed the best option available. I get to have a baby by a wonderful guy, I get the support of both you and all of your followers and I don't have to diminish Jack's memory by getting involved with someone else. I've found a wonderful sharing community, almost like the army wives but even better, and I can see my child will have wonderful genetic potential based on how well his father has turned out."

"There's really no reason to butter me up," Alex teased her. "You had me at 'Can I please have your baby?'"

She had the good grace to laugh as well. "Well, I'm very impressed with each of you," Alex told them. "I was a little worried about this meeting. It's hardly the most romantic or the most intimate. Usually when I meet new Seers it's one-on-one, and we take time to get to know one another before we jump into bed. Even after three months I've only gotten two of them pregnant, and even then I only knew one was eligible."

"Has Patricia and the others explained what being a Seer is about?" Cate asked, speaking up for the first time.

"In case you don't know, this is my sister Cate. She kind of runs my life. She's my harshest defender, my science advisor and she helps keep me on the straight and narrow. This other woman is Gail. She's an ex-cop and my personal bodyguard. That's why she practices looking so mean all the time," he joked.