Down by the swamp there is an old showboat. It has sat in the same spot for as long as I can remember. I have never gone into it, I am not even allowed to be down near the swamp. My Mother thinks that it is not a place for young ladies. One day I was caught by my Mother sneaking down to the swamp. As I was leaving she said, “ Ella where in the world do you think your going ?” “No where,” I said mischievously renewable. She told me I could never go down near the swamp, ever! When I was younger my Dad would take me down to the swamp to play all the time. Now that he is older he does not feel like going anywhere. My Dad is a successful business owner, he owns the best restaurant in New Orleans and does not have time for anything. My mom stays at home and does nothing all day but chit chat on the phone. Today while my Mom was not paying attention, I snuck out the back and went down to the swamp, just to look at that beautiful old showboat. I really wanted to go in but never gathered the courage to actually do so, until today. I walked straight in without looking back. It was a little spooky at first because everything kept making noises. I imagined how it would have been back when it was first built. Oh, what I would do just to see a picture of the beautiful boat. I can only imagine tall ceilings with white lace trim, hard wood floors, and lovely velvet drapes. Out of nowhere the door swung open and an old man appeared. I was extremely startled, and I wanted to move but I could not for some reason. He said “what are you doing here?” Don’t you know that no one is allowed on this boat,” in a cranky voice. “ I'm sorry I did not know I was just curious, I wanted to see what the boat looked like” I said. I was ready to cry regretting coming on the boat. He did not say much else after my comment, he just stared and gazed at the walls and the ceilings as if he had a fond memory of the place. I asked him what his name was. He said it was Mr. Leefault, he then explained that he used to own the showboat. He told me he would host parties in it every night and it would be the best place to be at night in New Orleans. Mr. Leefault said that there would always be a live band playing, and people would come from all over just to get on the boat. I asked him how it got wrecked and why he was here. He told me that in a big storm it got swept away into this swamp and damaged. Mr. Leefault told me that he was not able to move on from all the great memories in this boat and that he could not leave his boat here alone ,he had grown too attached. Mr. Leefault tried to get the boat running back up, but the business would never be what it used to be. I then saw that it was getting dark outside and I could not be late for supper. I told Mr. Leefault I had to go to dinner and would be back tomorrow, to listen to some of his stories about the boat. As I got close to my house my Mother poked her head out the back door just in time to see me come inside the house. “ Young lady where were you today?” she asked with an angry look on here face. “ Um, nowhere just you know out and about”. Of course she did not believe, me but she asked no more questions. I was surprised, my Mom never just left something alone like that something must have been going on. Dinner was extremely awkward and quiet. That's when my Father asked me what I thought about moving to California. I nearly spat out all the food in my mouth I was confused, California! How could I move from somewhere I have been my whole life. “Your father is opening a restaurant there”, my Mother said cheerfully.
“What about our restaurant here?” I said with a worried voice.
Mom said, “ There is better business in California, and thats where we are moving it is final.” “We are moving in a month,” My father said with sympathy.
I was so upset. What about the man in the old boat? First thing in the morning, I had to go tell him that I was moving. I got up bright and early the next day and sprinted to the swamp. As I entered I yelled “Mr. Leefault its Ella where are you?” I got no reply so I started searching and yelling. Mr. Leefault was no where to be found. I sat and waited for a couple of hours but he never showed. For the whole month I had left in New Orleans, I would come every day in hopes he would show his face. He never did return, but I will always remember the showboat.