The Tinted Glass By Deveney Marshall

It was a misty Thursday evening in New Orleans. The sun was close to setting and gave the sky a magical haze of pink and golden tones that only a rainy day in NOLA could have. The smell of rain lingered on everyone’s nose as they perused up and down a tranquil Magazine Street. On Magazine sat a quaint bar, famous amongst the locals for its array of wines and beignets. It was one of those bars that lured you inside with its mystic ambiance. Passersby would admire the patrons of the bar, commenting on how everyone inside looked so cultured. The type of people who have memories of traveling to cities like Paris and Milan. Strollers looking in envisioned the people who frequented the bar were famed authors, designers, painters and had come to the city to find inspiration for their latest masterpiece.

On this particular evening, one of the many persons who were roaming Magazine Street was Aaron. A quirky painter from Austin, who desperately wanted to be perceived as cool but constantly found himself tripping over his words and his feet. He was awkward— shy, but it suited him. A part of his charm, but he didn’t see it that way. He wanted to be more. So when his neighbor, Mr. Donny, told him about the famed Toussaint Wine Bar he knew he had to visit it.

Three weeks in New Orleans and Aaron had yet to explore the Big Easy, he decided today was the day he’d fall in love with the city. He wanted to be able to speak about New Orleans the way the residents did. He longed to have that same gleam shimmer across his face as Mr. Donny when he spoke about the city.

Aaron began his day browsing the shops in the Riverwalk, then he found himself having a cafe au lait at Cafe Du Monde, finally, he found himself on Magazine Street, enjoying the boutiques and specialty shops he came across.

Just as the rain started to fall he looked up for a second and realized he was directly across the street from the Toussaint Bar, Mr. Donny’s words of New Orleans being a “city of enchanting fate” replayed in his mind. He knew at that moment he had to go in.

As he entered the bar he noticed how beautifully curated everything inside it was, yet maintained this old-world feel.

Aaron sat down at the bar, scanned the wine list, but quickly realized his palate was not as cultivated as he wished. Andi, Toussaint’s resident wine connoisseur, noticed Aaron was not a wine buff, says “I recommend the Blackstone Merlot, the notes of blackberries and plum pair excellent with our pan-seared steak and patates.” Startled by her adamant suggestion, Aaron says “I’ll have that.” “The wine, the dish, or both?” Andi replies. He says “both,” in a nervous tone, almost as if he’s afraid to say the wrong answer. “Perfect. I’ll have LeMaré move you to a table” Andi says. “A table?” Aaron replies. Before he can even object he’s ushered to an exquisitely set table, he looks around at the other patrons, then scans his clothing and begins to shrink inside of himself, his ensemble does not match the level of attire the others are wearing.

Aaron thought to himself maybe he should leave, but as he was gathering the courage to get up the waiter brought him his glass of Merlot, “here’s your wine, sir.” Aaron gestured graciously, grabbed his glass, and stared at the wine as if he wanted it to give him a suggestion on what to do. He didn’t want to be the guy who goes to a place outside of his range, realizes it midway, then leaves, so he decided to tough it out. At least one day he’ll be able to say he wined and dined at the famous Toussaint Bar. Aaron took one sip of his wine then sat the glass down.

As he waited for his dish to arrive, Aaron began to scan the room more intensely. He locked eyes with an alluring woman wearing a beautiful shade of yellow. Aaron tried to look away, but her beauty and mystery captivated him. He was mesmerized, but surprisingly so was she. Seated at the bar, she points at his glass of wine and nods her head in enthusiasm. Aaron stares at her confused, not realizing she’s pointing to the glass, he begins to look behind him to gather what she’s pointing at. She laughs, then holds up her glass of wine to show him they are drinking the same thing. Aaron is instantly embarrassed. He makes a half-smile then looks away.

Noticing he is embarrassed, she grabs her wine glass and clutch then begins to walk over to him. Aaron sits there, trying to prepare himself for what she may say. He fails. Knocking over the fork on his place setting. “That’s a glass of Blackstone Merlot, correct?” She says in a poised tone. Aaron takes a big gulp then answers, “Yes. Yes, it is. One of my favorite Merlots, my go-to wine when I come here.” “Oh, you frequent Toussaints?” “Only when I’m in New Orleans.” Aaron smiles to himself at his smoothness. “I’ve been here a few times, but this is my first time coming here alone. I’m treating myself to a date! I’m Claudette, by the way, well Dee, most people call me Dee.” “Aaron,” he replies in a suave demeanor.

As they gaze at one another, thinking for a split second who was going to say something next, a waitress brings over a basket of French baguettes. “You two enjoy.” Dee took this as her cue to have a seat at the table. “I figure you weren’t waiting for anyone, since the second place setting had been removed,” says Dee. Aaron gives a slanted gaze and smile, trying to appear attractively mysterious, then says “I was going to ask if you wanted to join, we already have a wine choice in common, I’m sure we’ll have more things we bond over.” “Bond? You plan on us bonding?” Dee says teasingly, mocking Aaron with her banter. Aaron looks down, nervous he’s been figured out. “I was only joking, it’s okay, you can relax,” Dee says with a devilish smile, you can tell she was the type of woman who enjoyed making men second-guess themselves. Aaron realized at that moment his usual routine of playing the perplexing artist was not going to work for this interaction. This time, he may have to be his off-centered self, he sat there slightly petrified.

“So you said earlier, you come here every time you come to New Orleans, how many times have you visited the city?” Dee asks. “Quite a few,” Aaron replies quickly, trying to keep his answers short in fear of saying the wrong thing to this glamorous woman in front of him. Dee asks “Does few have a number?” She instantly laughs, trying to break the ice. Aaron smiles, “I’ve visited the city four times, twice for Mardi Gras, twice during festival season, as the locals call it.” “I love festival season! No one does festivals like New Orleans!” Dee says filled with excitement. This shocks Aaron, he assumed Dee was the type of person who was too posh to attend a festival, much less love them. He smiled at Dee, amazed by her charm, he began to feel more at ease. The pairing continued to chat and ask all of the get-to-know-you questions two would discuss on a first date. Laughs, banter, and hand gestures were expressed. It was clear Aaron and Claudette were enjoying each other’s company, everyone around them could see the chemistry they shared.

An older, worldly couple who sat at the table next to them leaned over and said “We shared our first date here too, we’ve been married for 25 years, we come back here every year to celebrate and sit at this exact same table.” Aaron and Dee listen graciously, then look at one another. “How cute are they? New Orleans is a city of many things, but I never viewed it as a city of love.” Dee whispers to Aaron. “I think this city has the room to be whatever you want it to be,” Aaron replies, gazing into Dee’s eyes. They both share a moment of possibility. “Here is your steak sir, be careful, the plate is very hot. Would you like me to refresh your glasses? Are you having the steak and patates as well?” “Yes, to both questions, I’ll have the same,” Dee replies to the waiter. Aaron begins to dive into his food as if he was never uncomfortable around Dee. “Well, I see someone is enjoying their steak and patates au gratin,” Dee says jokingly, letting out a gentle laugh. Aaron feels embarrassed by the hastily way he is eating his dish. “Food is meant to be enjoyed, especially in a city like New Orleans, eat away!” Dee says. Aaron looks at Dee, then replies “I’m enjoying you. I’m glad I came here.” Dee smiles, then says “See, you were right, we’re bonding.” They both share a laugh. Dee begins to tell a story about one of her favorite times at Toussaints, Aaron intently listens as he enjoys his food and wine.

“Here is your steak and patates au gratin, Miss, enjoy.” Dee gestures a thank you to the waiter, then politely asks for more bread. “I like to enjoy my steak and wine with bread,” she whispers to Aaron. Aaron looks at Dee in awe, wondering what he did to get such a beautiful woman to accompany him at a dream place like this. As Claudette indulges in her dinner, Aaron tells her about his recent move to New Orleans.

Aaron is waiting for Claudette to finish her meal, he looks at his wine glass, then it dawns on him how did she know they were drinking the same wine. He picks up his wine, takes a sip, then says “Dee, may I ask you a question?” “Have we not been asking each other questions all night?” She replies in a bantering way. They both laugh. “How did you know I was also drinking Blackstone Merlot?” She smiles, then points to their glasses, “Raise your glass.” He does, “Now look at the turned down glasses at the other tables.” Aaron closely analyzes the glasses trying to spot the difference, then realizes the stem of their glasses isn’t clear like the others. “Is it the stems?” “Yes, ours are tinted, here, they call these the tinted glass, and they’re only used for the particular Merlot we’re drinking.” Taken back by Dee’s observation he asked her “How did you learn this?” She grins. “My first time at Toussaints, my friends and I had heard so much about this wine bar we had to come, but I was hardly the wine girl that I am now, I allowed the bartender to suggest my wine and she instantly paired it with the dish we just ate. Funny enough, the host rushed me over to this exact same table we’re sitting at. Unlike most people whose palate advances over time, I like to enjoy this wine as a reminder of who I really am. A girl who presents well, but at some point ran to a wine bar just to not know what to order.” Dee laughs, then winks at Aaron. Aaron realizes from her anecdote and expression Dee knew he in fact not been to Toussaints several times but was just like her, a guy who presents well and rushed to a wine bar only to not know what to order. Aaron grabs Dee’s hand and says “What should we do next?” Dee replies “We can do anything, it’s New Orleans.” The same glimmer Aaron once admired in the eyes of locals, now glistened from his face.