The Big Easy Mark
It’s the night before the ACCM show begins and my coworkers Jim, Tim and I are walking down Bourbon St. An official-looking guy pops out of nowhere and sternly announces he has to give Tim a ticket for “not partying enough.”
He glances at me and then says he has to give Tim another citation for traveling with an underage girl. Then he asks Jim if he is my bodyguard.
It was all really cheesy (except for the part about me potentially being underage–that was an honest mistake), but the guy was good. We waited for the hustle.
The man said he was raising money for some local school or children’s organization–I can’t remember. For a small donation, we would get a New Orleans baseball hat.
Jim and Tim quickly declined. I made the mistake of hesitating. I like to help kids and all, but I really didn’t want a hat, and I didn’t want to part with any cash just then. Just $10, the pitchman persisted.
It’s only $10, I thought, though $10 still goes a long way in New Orleans. For instance, we could buy three Hurricanes at one fine establishment we had just walked past called The Rat Hole. Or I could throw $10 into the slots at Harrah’s and maybe hit the jackpot. What to do?
I caved. The kids win. Even if the guy is not legit, he earned it.
I hope my husband likes his new hat.
