are things to discuss while the night is yet innocent of answers. We will walk for awhile.”
Isaac drained his glass, keenly aware of the differences in the two brandies he had consumed this night. He had only had Cognac that good on one other occasion. It seemed a shame to drain his glass so abruptly.
As they exited the bar, Isaac was amazed at how relaxed he felt. How matter-of-fact it all seemed. There was such an absence of concern that it almost left him giddy.
They neared the heart of the Quarter and the music and revelry paraded around them. They were among the full strength of the tourists now. Isaac was wondering at their destination when Julian broke the spell.
“Look around you, Isaac, and pick a club or a bar at random. There is something I want you to see.”
Isaac stopped and turned 360 degrees in the street. On the opposite corner was an establishment with what seemed an appropriate name: The Zoo.
“Whatever you have in mind, I’m confident that we can find it there.”
Julian frowned and led the way into the club.
Chapter Ten
“ The Zoo,” indeed. As they entered, Isaac felt almost foolish for choosing such a dive. The place was deserted except for three rather unwholesome characters, who lounged contemptuously at a littered table near the wall. But The Zoo was a two-story affair. And what was down in no way prepared Isaac for what was up.
There was muted, high-decibel music coming from above them. In looking for it, Isaac found a dark hallway that kept the staircase a secret. Julian was already there. He glanced once at Isaac and began his ascent. The stairs ended at a heavy steel door with a sliding screen that would not have been out of place in an old gangster movie. Julian rang the bell, and after several minutes the screen slid back and a pair of thickly-browed eyes peered out at them.
The door swung open and Isaac was assaulted by music, incense, and the chaos of lasers. Unimagined spectrums of light careened off the walls and mirrors. The floor itself was a kaleidoscope of color. Alice had tumbled into the looking glass.
It was one vast room. The furnishings were limited to cushions and futon mattresses thrown randomly about. Two of the four corners offered cocktails. Isaac noticed that the art on the walls was of a specifically voluptuous nature. The incense was doing a poor job of masking the unmistakable aroma of premium marijuana.
Through this carelessly-hedonistic landscape was a hungry wandering of men and women of all ages and all social backgrounds. This was a meeting place of the sensually-jaded…the envelope-pushers who had stepped beyond the boundaries of “normal” eroticism too often, and who could no longer be satisfied by less esoteric pleasures.
In the middle of the room they were dancing. At least, Isaac supposed that dancing was the proper coinage. But two was not the common pairing. More often it was three or four people together. They moved against one another with a kind of serpentine friction. The jarring acoustics served to mute the private jargon of their public voracity.
Isaac looked at Julian as if to ask, “What is this all about?” Julian was taking it all in with a serious intent that seemed out of place. He surveyed the scene with a scrutiny that Isaac felt fortunate not to be the object of.
Julian’s gaze had come to rest upon a small group of men reclining on one of the futons not far from where they stood. They surrounded a willowy, sandy-haired young woman of considerable beauty. The men took turns touching her and speaking into her ear. She seemed hardly to notice. Her attention was focused on the writhing bodies that moved all around them.
Julian touched Isaac’s arm and spoke just loudly enough to be heard above the din.
“We must be patient. Even a place such as this must eventually nod its head in the direction of the fable of Romance. They will play something slow and sentimental for these people, something to allow them to cling to
Isaac drained his glass, keenly aware of the differences in the two brandies he had consumed this night. He had only had Cognac that good on one other occasion. It seemed a shame to drain his glass so abruptly.
As they exited the bar, Isaac was amazed at how relaxed he felt. How matter-of-fact it all seemed. There was such an absence of concern that it almost left him giddy.
They neared the heart of the Quarter and the music and revelry paraded around them. They were among the full strength of the tourists now. Isaac was wondering at their destination when Julian broke the spell.
“Look around you, Isaac, and pick a club or a bar at random. There is something I want you to see.”
Isaac stopped and turned 360 degrees in the street. On the opposite corner was an establishment with what seemed an appropriate name: The Zoo.
“Whatever you have in mind, I’m confident that we can find it there.”
Julian frowned and led the way into the club.
Chapter Ten
“ The Zoo,” indeed. As they entered, Isaac felt almost foolish for choosing such a dive. The place was deserted except for three rather unwholesome characters, who lounged contemptuously at a littered table near the wall. But The Zoo was a two-story affair. And what was down in no way prepared Isaac for what was up.
There was muted, high-decibel music coming from above them. In looking for it, Isaac found a dark hallway that kept the staircase a secret. Julian was already there. He glanced once at Isaac and began his ascent. The stairs ended at a heavy steel door with a sliding screen that would not have been out of place in an old gangster movie. Julian rang the bell, and after several minutes the screen slid back and a pair of thickly-browed eyes peered out at them.
The door swung open and Isaac was assaulted by music, incense, and the chaos of lasers. Unimagined spectrums of light careened off the walls and mirrors. The floor itself was a kaleidoscope of color. Alice had tumbled into the looking glass.
It was one vast room. The furnishings were limited to cushions and futon mattresses thrown randomly about. Two of the four corners offered cocktails. Isaac noticed that the art on the walls was of a specifically voluptuous nature. The incense was doing a poor job of masking the unmistakable aroma of premium marijuana.
Through this carelessly-hedonistic landscape was a hungry wandering of men and women of all ages and all social backgrounds. This was a meeting place of the sensually-jaded…the envelope-pushers who had stepped beyond the boundaries of “normal” eroticism too often, and who could no longer be satisfied by less esoteric pleasures.
In the middle of the room they were dancing. At least, Isaac supposed that dancing was the proper coinage. But two was not the common pairing. More often it was three or four people together. They moved against one another with a kind of serpentine friction. The jarring acoustics served to mute the private jargon of their public voracity.
Isaac looked at Julian as if to ask, “What is this all about?” Julian was taking it all in with a serious intent that seemed out of place. He surveyed the scene with a scrutiny that Isaac felt fortunate not to be the object of.
Julian’s gaze had come to rest upon a small group of men reclining on one of the futons not far from where they stood. They surrounded a willowy, sandy-haired young woman of considerable beauty. The men took turns touching her and speaking into her ear. She seemed hardly to notice. Her attention was focused on the writhing bodies that moved all around them.
Julian touched Isaac’s arm and spoke just loudly enough to be heard above the din.
“We must be patient. Even a place such as this must eventually nod its head in the direction of the fable of Romance. They will play something slow and sentimental for these people, something to allow them to cling to
Similar Books
