14. The City I Fell For Through A Screen

Back in 2012, when I was doing my Master’s, I was living in a girl’s hostel- the kind of place where friendship was loud, chaotic, and unforgettable. At the time, I was absolutely obsessed with a web series called The Originals, the darker, more intense extension of The Vampire Diaries. I used to watch it on my red Dell Inspiron laptop, which felt like the coolest thing back then- an i3 processor, no internet, nothing fancy. We survived on pen drives, copying and pasting episodes from one laptop to another. Good old days. Many of the girls in the hostel watched the series too, and in our free hours the corridors echoed with our discussions about vampires, witches, and the magic of New Orleans. The series was shot in the French Quarters, around Bourbon Street, and it brought the whole world to life for us. I had a massive crush on Klaus Mikaelson- the brooding antagonist who slowly became the protagonist- and because of him, the Bourbon Street in French Quarters, New Orleans became our shared dream destination. We used to joke that someday we would walk those streets ourselves, even though deep down I never believed I would actually get the chance. But life, as always, had a beautiful surprise waiting for me.

The Voyage That Brought My Dream Closer

On one of our ships, the voyage plan was to load MEA- a chemical from Geismar, Louisiana, and then discharge it at Veracruz, Mexico. We were still in Houston port when Smith first told me about the new voyage. The moment I heard the word Louisiana, my mind jumped straight to The Originals- that name I had heard more than a thousand times during my hostel days- and I immediately asked him, “Is it the same one?” He smiled and said yes. By then, after our marriage, I had already made Smith watch The Originals, just so I could talk to him about Klaus, witches, and The French Quarters in New Orleans without sounding crazy. Back in 2016. When Smith was Chief Officer, he had visited the French Quarters, Bourbon Street in New Orleans himself, and during a video call he had shown me the streets, the little shops, the bars- everything I used to dream about. He always knew how obsessed I was with that place. So naturally, I asked him if we were going to enter New Orleans through the Mississippi River. When he said yes, I simply could not believe it. And then he promised me that he would take me out to the the French Quarters- the same place that had lived in my imagination for years.

Sailing the Mississippi- My Fan Girl Dream in Real Life

The sailing time from Houston to Geismar was just two days, and then came the part I was waiting for the most- the 7 hours transit through the Mississippi River channel, I told Smith very clearly that I was going to stay on bridge with him for all 7 hours because I did not want to miss a single second of the experience. And then the moment finally arrived. We entered the Mississippi River in the morning, gliding slowly through the narrow, winding channel. It was much tighter than I had imagined, yet incredibly busy- ships coming and going, endless strings of barges moving alongside us. On both sides, lush green trees, cornfield, and occasional wooden logs floated past, and still the river looked so clean. Smith told me to watch carefully because Mississippi is full of alligators, and if I was lucky, I might spot one.

Seeing me so excited, the Second Officer asked why I was behaving like I had lost my mind. I told him he would not understand, and he insisted that he would. So finally, I confessed: Klaus Mikaelson had entered New Orleans through this very river on a ship hundreds of years ago. And before I could tease him further, he laughed and said, “Klaus Mikaelson’s real name is Joseph Morgan.” I was stunned. I never expected him to be a fan of The Originals too. That was it- suddenly we were discussing the entire series just like I used to do in my hostel days with the girls. Even Smith joined in, teasing him, “How come you watch such a girly series?” and all three of us ended up giggling on the bridge as the ship sailed deeper into the Mississippi.

The First Glimpse of My Dream City

And there I was- laughing and giggling with the Second Officer while we were transiting the Mississippi River. Smith was fully absorbed in the pilotage, giving courses to the AB, the able seaman who steered during the entire channel transit. By then, the Second Officer and I had become the best of friends, talking endlessly about the series we both loved. Sometimes I would run to the bridge wing to catch the view outside, sometimes I would come back breathless and ask him, “How much time left to enter the New Orleans?”

As time passed, I drifted deeper into my own dreams, imagining the moment I would finally see it. And then, from distance, I spotted the Crescent City Connection Bridge- long, high, slightly arched- exactly the same one I had seen so many times on my laptop. I literally jumped with excitement, until Smith told me to calm down because it was dangerous to get distracted in such a busy channel.

And then- I saw it.

New Orleans

The building beside the Crescent Bridge. The church. The narrow roads. The old warehouses- the same ones where Klaus used to hide his kidnapped victims in the series. It was afternoon, so I got a bright clear day view. I could not believe my eyes. A part of me wanted to jump off the ship and run straight into the city. But I could not.

As we slowly crossed past the French Quarters, I felt this strange mix of excitement and sadness. Excitement because my dream city was right there. Sadness because we had to keep moving. Smith told me, “Have patience. Tomorrow we will explore.”

I took my last glimpse of the city and the Crescent Bridge through my binoculars from the bridge wing, trying to capture every detail in my heart. By evening, we reached our berth in Geismar. The Pilot called both of us to the port side bridge wing and pointed at a baby alligator swimming near our mooring station. I could not believe my luck; it felt like the river itself was welcoming me to Louisiana.

And that was how the excitement for the next day truly begun.

The Plan That Broke My Heart a Little

The next morning Smith gave me news that instantly sank my heart. “We could not go to New Orleans. From Geismar, it was almost 80 miles away, which is 129 kms and we would not have enough time to visit and return since the ship was scheduled to sail early the next morning.” Instead, he suggested, “we could explore a good restaurant in Geismar, enjoy some nice food, roam around a bit, do a little shopping, and then return to the ship”.

The moment he finished speaking, the Second Officer dramatically said that he was not going for any “shopping shit,” which made the Third Officer laugh and volunteer to join us instead, mainly because he had no idea about the fun, madness, and the history of Bourbon Street.

But I was still heart broken. I had imagined walking on that street for years. Slowly, I tried to shift my mind from sad to happy. At least I had seen the city from the river. At least I had watched the French Quarters with my own eyes- a dream many people never get even once in their life. And I could see it again when we sailed back. That thought made me feel grateful. Sometimes life does not give the whole dream- just a beautiful piece of it- and even that is enough.

No Sadness, Just Plans, Promises, And the Comfort of Good Food Ahead

Around 3o clock in the afternoon, we were ready- Smith and I, the Third Officer, the Fourth Engineer, and the Batti Saab. He was our Electrical Officer, known onboard, as always, by the affectionate name Batti Saab. The five of us stood in the port of Geismar, waiting for our cab, the afternoon hanging quietly around us. By then, my sadness had dissolved. I had already made peace with the moment, saving my excitement for another time- for the view of New Orleans again, the very next day, while sailing back.

Smith however, carried a different weight. He kept reminding me that our ship visits Louisiana often, and the next time- without fail- he would take me to Bourbon Street. I smiled and asked him not to worry. I told him I was happy, truly happy, and that my thoughts were already drifting towards food- the comfort of a good restaurant in Geismar, the promise of a large glass of cold Starbucks coffee in my hand. Wrapped in these small conversations, gentle reassurances and unspoken promises, we stood by the roadside of the port, waiting- letting the day decide its own pace.