Chapter Text
The La Bouff family has always been old money and it is how my Mama makes hers.
Mama has been their seamstress since I could remember, and they treat us as nothing less than family. In doing such I was able to formulate a special relationship with this little girl named Charolette.
Mama always told me to be nice to her.
“She doesn’t have a mom” she would say.
“You’re gonna have to learn how to share.” Since then, she and Charlotte have been close.
Mama would bring me over whenever she had her appointments to fix her princess dresses and read to us Charlottes' favorite. The story of the frog prince, every single time.
“Just at that moment, the ugly little frog looked up with his sad, round eyes and pleaded,Oh, please, dear princess, only a kiss from you can break this terrible spell that was inflicted on me by a wicked witch!”
In the corner of my eye, I could see Charlotte on the edge of her seat excited at a story she had heard many times.
“Here comes my favorite part.” She whispers gripping her pet cat harder than what was deemed necessary.
My mom turned the page and continued reading dramatically “And the beautiful princess was so moved by his desperate plea, that she stooped down, picked up the slippery creature”
Ew, I hated this part every time I heard it.
“Leaned forward, raised him to her lips, and kissed that little frog,” she said turning the page
Horrified that’s how I felt hearing this part every time I heard it. I cringed in disgust but like always Charlotte ignored me and said “Aw”.
My Mother flipped to the last page “Then, the frog was transformed into a handsome prince. They were married and they lived happily ever after. The end.” she said with the final snip of the ribbon.
“Yay.” Charlotte screamed which brought ringing to my ears. “Read it again, read it again”.
Mama laughed “Sorry, Charlotte. It’s time for us to be heading home.”
Every time I hear this I can’t believe this woman would kiss a frog. Much less marry him afterward. After all, What do they know about love, much less each other?
“There is no way in this whole wide world I would ever, ever, ever I mean, never kiss a frog. Yuck!”.
“Is that so?” Charlotte says mischievously with a smile on her face. She then rips out a costume and puts it on her cat.
“Well, here’s your Prince Charming, Tia come on. Kiss him.” She says while shoving it in my face.
I laugh and push the cat away while saying “No. Stop it! I won’t, I won’t.”
“Well, I would do it. I would kiss a frog. I would kiss a hundred frogs if I could marry a prince and be a princess.” She says dreamily while kissing her pet.
“Charlotte that’s stupid,” I say.
“Tiana!” Mama yells.
“What mama ? You have to admit kissing a frog and feeling something for someone you just met is stupid”. I cross my arms.
“It’s not stupid if it’s true love!” Charlotte replies.
“It’s not real.” I roll my eyes.
“Well, it’s real to me Tia, without true love we wouldn’t be here right? What about our parents.” Charlotte said with sadness in her eyes and looked at Mama.
“When I met James He was quite the gentleman. Hardworking, dedicated, stubborn.” She continued wrapping a bow. “But he is mine. My true love”.
Mama looked dreamy. It was almost the same face she made while discussing sewing. There was this passion. Just maybe I was wrong.
“I'm sorry Char, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” I grab her hand. “Hey, I have no doubt that you’ll find your prince one day.” I smile at her, she smiles back, “Thanks Tia.”
As we hug Mr La Bouff comes in smiling at our bond. “Evening, Eudora.”
Charlotte runs over and says “Daddy! Daddy! Look at my new dress. Isn’t it pretty?”
“Why, I’d expect nothing less from the finest seamstress in New Orleans”, He replies.
Charlotte looks over at her favorite book and sees the dress of her dreams “Ooh! I want that dress!” She says as she grabs at her father's mustache.
Mr La Bouff pleads with Eudora saying, “Eudora, you suppose you could whip something up like that?”
Mama laughs and says “Anything for my best customer.”
Charolette cheers as we say goodbye. I enjoy spending time with charlotte but I can’t help but be happy to leave early today.
I’m excited because Daddy is cooking tonight I get to help him cook an important dish.
As I get home I rush to give him a big kiss on the cheek and clean my side off to help with the preparation.
We cook alongside each other as I watch him do certain things that mama won’t allow me to do because of my age like holding a knife and cutting things.
But I do get to stir the pot and add the seasonings and food to the pot.
Me and my father laugh joke and talk as we prepare the gumbo. He always knew just what to say to put a smile on my face.
When it’s just about done my father says “Mmm. Gumbo smells good, Tiana.” It makes me smile that he thinks that means I am doing my job right.I stir it a couple more times.
“I think it’s done, Daddy.”
“Yeah? Are you sure?” He eyes.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Absolutely positive?”
“Yes,” I say shaking my head. Mama smiles at us. My dad takes the spoon.
“Okay, I’m about to put this spoon in my…
“Wait!” I snatch the spoon back and hit the gumbo with a couple of shots of Tabasco as he laughs.
I taste it for myself and it’s acceptable “Done.”
I watch my dad taste it as he makes a disappointed face.
“What?” I say with panic.
He looks at me and says “Well, sweetheart, this is the best gumbo I’ve ever tasted!” As he throws me up in the air.
“Eudora, our little girl’s got a special gift that just has to be shared.”
Mama returns with “Well I could have told you that” As I run off I tell the neighborhood that we have a pot of gumbo that could feed us all tonight.
——————————
I sit on my bed staring out the window my mom and dad come in the room to tuck me in my dad speaks
“You know the thing about good food? It brings folks together from all walks of life. It warms them right up and it puts little smiles on their faces.”
He smiles and grabs the piece of paper sitting next to him. I know the image is the one with people smiling in a restaurant watching the chef cook something right in the middle. He opens it up and we hold it together.
“And when I open up my own restaurant, I tell you, people are going to line up for miles around just to get a taste of my food.”
“Our food.” I drag out reminding him that I am just as important in this.
He laughs and says “That’s right, baby. Our food.”
He then takes one of my blue crayons and to my surprise writes out Tiana’s Place on the image. I hug it as if my life depended on it.
I Look back at the window and gasp, “Daddy! Look!”
“Where are you going?”
“Charlotte’s fairy tale book said if you make a wish on the evening star it’s sure to come true”. Not that I believe that but if there’s a chance what do I have to lose?
My parents move by the window side with me. Momma says “Well, you wish on that star, sweetheart.”
Dad agrees “Yes. You wish and you dream with all your little heart”,
but also says “But you remember, Tiana, that old star can only take you part of the way. You got to help it along with some hard work of your own”
He reaches out and holds part of my face “And then, yeah, you can do anything you set your mind to.”
He smiles as Momma puts her arms around his shoulders, “Just promise your daddy one thing, that you’ll never, ever lose sight of what’s really important.”
I nod my head but I can’t help but feel a little confused. What can be more important than me working hard enough to accomplish our goal, our dream?
They kiss my forehead and tuck me in. I wait till they leave and I grab the image and scoot over to the window and look up at the star.
“Please, Please, Please!” I beg. I sit there for a minute and think back to what I had seen before. When a frog appears and jumps on my window ceil. It croaks.
And It frightens me. I make a mad dash to my parent's room.
My father comforts me, but little did I know that that would be my final time getting a moment like that from my father.
Stupid frogs.