The Battle Bar. Chapter 651.
I walked into the Battle Bar in Chalmette. There were midgets as far as the eye could see. They were mingling with Chalmatians in their native habitat. The Battle Bar is diagonally across the street from the St. Bernard Parish Prison.
The Battle Bar is not named for its famed midget wrestling bouts. It is named for the Battle of New Orleans. You may have heard of it. Andrew Jackson beat the British and won the War of 1812 on the Chalmette Battlefield. That is where the Battle of New Orleans was fought.
General Jackson thanked the Ursuline nuns in New Orleans for their prayers, crediting his victory to their intercession.
The Battle Bar is a big room with cement floors that people use to grind their cigarette butts under their heel. There is a bar. There is a stage. The stage is decorated with a mural depicting the Battle of New Orleans. Chalmette Battlefield is right a stone’s throw away. I passed it on my way here.
I drove past Fazendeville, both coming and going.
On the way home, I was driving the Vespa, I noticed there were a lot of bugs in Chalmette. I thought they were moths attracted to the streetlights. Then, I go to the Lower 9.
The termites were swarming in the Lower 9. It is that time of year. I drove the Vespa through a miles-long cloud of swarming termites. They were hitting me in the chest. It is a good thing my helmet has a face shield.
By the time I reached the Bywater, my helmet’s face shield was covered with termite blood and termite guts and termite wings stuck in the blood and guts. I had made it through the worst of it.
It was worth it. I got to see some midget wrestling. The crowd was wild.
Oh! What a night. I will talk about it more later.
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