"Are you having a blast girls?"

"Yes, Mrs. LaFleur, we are" 

The story between Mrs. Yvonne LaFleur and I began as most inspiring essays, stories, or memoirs, begin..... "I met a woman, she changed my life" and although this seemingly overused and otherwise cheesy line is true in my case, it is deeper. Not only in my brief encounter with her did she change my outlook on life, but she allowed me to regain the childlike perception of the world which recently has felt so distant to me. According to my Apple location, I spent only sixty-eight minutes in her presence, however, it was these sixty-eight minutes in which she scooped me into the aromatic atmosphere of her delicate arms and whisked me away into the world of elegant hats, dainty headbands, and phenomenal coats, a world in which is the reality and peace of her entire being. 

On October 12, 2022, Aidan Carpenter and I found ourselves in Metairie, Louisiana in search of a hat suitable for Jesuit's homecoming court, which Aidan was elected onto as the date of her boyfriend, Jace Larsen. Aidan's grandmother recommended making the trip to Mrs. LaFleur's business, and because the trip simultaneously coincided with the timing of a school event, the both of us were overjoyed. Upon entry to Mrs. LaFleur's establishment, we knew we were in the right place for the occasion. The walls adorned with stunning paintings and carpeting which can be found throughout her store, which was intentionally chosen by Mrs. Gayle Benson from London who conducted the interior design of her storefront, made it abundantly clear that as much passion as she had for designing and fashion, she had double for the life and location in which she had built for herself. Mrs. LaFleur shared with us that she had lived in New York for two years in her youth while owning and operating a factory. 

As Aidan and I sat, Mrs. LaFleur was at work, meticulously placing ribbons, flowers, feathers, and laces atop the hat that would become Aidan's. As she worked, we eagerly watched, anxiously awaiting her to add the next addition to her masterpiece until she deemed it complete. Of course, Mrs. LaFleur was entirely unbeknownst to our fascination with all that she was, signified, and embodied. She was a woman who went after exactly what she wanted, she was the product of following her heart. She was truly enchanting. She told stories of the glamorous, and often trivial, times she experienced as she spent her time in New York City Monday through Friday evening, and then flying home to New Orleans to ensure she was physically present in her storefront Saturday morning to welcome and address customers herself. She said that she had to be there in her store for the world's global day of weekly shopping. 

She not only allowed, but encouraged, Aids and I to frolic amongst her dresses and fabrics and remember what it was truly like to be a child. We giggled and stood wide-eyed as we found ourselves running through the masses of lace wedding gowns that hung from the ceiling in the bridal suite, feeling the silk and lace brush against our shoulders and forgetting all sense of responsibility. Aidan and I shared with her our plans to make it out of the "Mardi Gras Box" as she put it, and our aspirations to appreciate where we came from, but grow beyond the banks that Lake Pontchartrain has, for eighteen years, held us in. We stood near a rack of long coats, fit for a northern winter, and THAT was where she began to indulge us with more than just her shiny trinkets, she began to indulge us with her wisdom: 

                                                "Seek everything girls, the universe is yours"  

It felt as though everything had stopped. 

Suddenly it all came into vision. Somehow, from some butterfly effect of my decisions in this life, I had found myself in Mrs. Yvonne LaFleur's business, speaking with her about how she started her business with only one hundred, one hundred dollar bills, and an inhumane amount of determination. That is the moment that I knew I was meant to be there, I was meant to speak with Mrs. LaFleur, and I was meant to spend these sixty-eight minutes of my life with both Mrs. LaFleur and Aidan. 

She gently held our arms and guided us throughout her store showing me the art and clothing that she had specifically chosen to display in her store, and explaining the 'why' behind these decisions. Art was in every corner of her business, from every corner of the world, and somehow the story behind each piece was even deeper than the piece itself. Walking out of her store was like stepping back into reality, but this time with a refreshed sense of self. It was as if we had just received a pep talk from an all-knowing being as we embarked on the start of the rest of our lives. 

Aidan and I are both going far from home next year, her to Iona University in New York City to play Division I soccer, and I to University College in Dublin, Ireland to pursue a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Our aspirations are big, but not impossible, and it was these sixty-eight minutes spent in Metairie that allowed us to gain a new sense of confidence about our departures from all that we have ever known and loved and realize that what we will know and will love is waiting out there for us to discover.  

We are doing just as Mrs. Yvonne LaFleur told us to, seeking everything as the universe is ours. 

Fallon