8 - ‘Come gentle night…’

“Here you go.” The man handed Kemp the driver’s license. As per the agreement with Leif, it was an excellent fabrication of one from the state of Washington, the thinking being that it would draw less scrutiny than one from Louisiana.

Kemp had to laugh when he saw that, according to the license, he’d turned twenty-one two days previously. Tucking it into his wallet and thanking the man again he turned to leave.

“Hang on kid, I got something for you,” the man said. “Be right back.”

Kemp shrugged and leaned against the short counter to wait, figuring it was probably some message from Leif. He’d only talked to him once, right after he’d gotten to New Orleans yesterday afternoon, calling collect from the phone booth in the lobby of his hotel. A cell phone was definitely not something that was in his budget at the moment. They’d talked for a while, Kemp assuring his brother that he was just fine and would call again once he’d settled in. He wasn’t about to admit that the only place he’d found that he could afford made his room back in Seattle look like one at the Ritz.

The man reappeared with some papers in his hand that he handed to Kemp.

“What’s this mean?” Kemp asked as he read one of them.

“It means you’ve been upgraded from hovel to halfway decent living quarters for the next month. You’re brother’s no fool. He checked out where the phone was you called from and then called me to find out what the place was like.” The man shrugged. “I told him and also let him know I could hook you up with a better place.”

“And how much is it going to cost me?” Kemp mentally checked his dwindling resources.

“For the moment, nothing. The place belongs to a friend and he’s willing to wait on the rent until you get a job. After that, well it’s affordable. The other paper is a list of a couple of places you might try getting that job. I know they’re reputable and the owners won’t try to take advantage of you, if you get my drift.”

Kemp looked at the names and nodded. He recognized them from his walk around the Quarter a couple of hours ago. He’d actually debated making them his first stops tomorrow when he began his job hunting.

“If I were you I’d go get your stuff and head to my friend’s place before it gets dark,” the man told him, a cautionary look in his eyes.

“You’re the second person who’s warned me about that.”

The man nodded. “And I think you know why, so heed the warning. You’re kind are not exactly popular in some circles.”

Kemp started to bristle angrily until he realized what the man was, or more to the point wasn’t saying. “Since you know Leif, I’ll take that for what I think you mean.”

The man laughed. “Trust me kid, I didn’t mean 'cause you're gay. Around this area that’s almost a selling point, not something to be ashamed of. Now get out of here, but keep in touch. Your brother’s appointed me sort of your guardian in absentia, for whatever that’s worth.”

“Yes sir, I will. And…”

“You say thanks one more time and I’ll wash my hands of you. Got that?” The man glowered at him before smiling, pointing to the door.

“Got it sir, but I do anyway,” Kemp replied as he left.