Alex in Wonderland (The Wonderland Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

I was eleven and Tatiana was nine. I stayed here with him, but Mother took
Tatiana back to Leningrad where she still had family. It's St. Petersburg now
of course. Anyway, Tatiana hated the communists and became obsessed with the
Russia of the tsars. Mother was too young to even remember the Romanovs, but my
sister made it a personal cause to keep their memory alive. She was ecstatic
when they found the last tsar's bones and felt obliged to attend services when
the family was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral."
    Alex was confused. "Maybe her
obsession is because you're kin to that prince who killed Rasputin."
    "Did she tell you about
that?" Alex nodded. "Well, I adore my sister but I'm afraid she has a
rather vivid imagination. Our ties to the Yussupovs are questionable at best.
Mother has a distant cousin related to them, and that was apparently enough for
my sister to ignore her given surname and present herself as a Yussupov. I
suppose it does no real harm, but I find it a bit embarrassing at times. I feel
much more American than Russian and have never regretted growing up in this
country."
    "What brought you to New
Orleans?"
    "Amtrak," Jacques said
with a twinkle in his eyes.
    Alex laughed. "Sorry. I didn't
mean to pry."
    "I was only kidding."
When Alex took another sip of vodka and made a face, Jacques said, "That's
meant to be tossed down in one gulp. It goes down much easier that way."
    Alex tossed the rest back and
rolled his eyes. "I'm feeling it already."
    Jacques frowned. "Go easy,
young man."
    They made small talk for awhile,
and Alex forgot about Tatiana. Jacques was as entertaining as his sister promised
and captivated Alex with naughty stories about his world travels. Alex hung on
his every word, quietly relishing tales about this outrageous Bangkok bathhouse
or that decadent Parisian club for men only. He was especially intrigued when
Jacques spoke of being gay as though it was a given and envied the man's tale
of "a dashing Hungarian hussar who literally took my breath away and
spirited me off to a seedy Left Bank hotel where we shattered any number of
commandments."
    Alex's yearning for Jacques's worldliness
and contentment with his identity made him want to confess the truth about his
secret sexual preferences, but paranoia threw up the familiar roadblock. He
tried to shrug it off, telling himself that this was the French Quarter, not
the Garden District, and that he'd probably never see this man or his sister
again.He also told himself to relax,
but another shot of vodka only triggered more frustration and confusion.
Feeling the onset of a foul mood, he glanced at his Rolex.
    "I'd better be going."
    Jacques looked with annoyance at
the staircase. "I'm afraid my sister has no concept of time, but I know
she'll be disappointed if she doesn't get to say good-bye. Will you wait a
moment while I get her?"
    "Actually, I'm supposed to
meet some people for a drink," Alex lied. "I'm already late."
    "May I ask where you're
meeting them?"
    Alex wasn't drunk, but the vodka
tangled his thoughts as he said, "Lafitte's."
    Jacques smiled and probed the
telltale revelation. "Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop or
Lafitte's-In-Exile?"
    "I…I don't remember."
    Jacques pushed the envelope.
"Of course you know one is a gay bar, and the other is not."
    Alex was instantly on the
defensive. "No, I didn't."
    Of course he knew the difference.
He had been to the gay bar exactly twice and spent both nights cowering in a
dark corner, terrified he would be recognized. He swore he would never return,
but he was drawn again tonight by a force he couldn't control. He vaguely heard
Jacques continue the conversation.
    "It's certainly none of my
business, young man, but I'm guessing you don't really know which bar you
want."
    "You're absolutely right, Mr.
Menard," Alex said with exaggerated formality. "It's none of your
business. Let me correct that. It's none of your fucking business!"
    "Whoa there, partner! Did I
hit a nerve?"
    Alex ignored the