CANDIED APRICOTS

One of my fondest memories of life in New Orleans is from the summer I worked as a bike messenger. Every time I had a job that would take me into the heart of the French Quarter, I would go into a great candy store called Laura's. It had more space than it needed for customers and was always dark and quiet as a church, except for the hissing of the air conditioning. It was also freezing cold, like walking into an ice box.

I'd lean my bicycle against the wall by their door on a quiet street a few blocks from Jackson Square so I could see my front tire and go in and buy a single, dark chocolate dipped candied apricot. It was always so cold and satisfying - rich candied fruit and dark chocolate. I would always start eating it inside the store to get the cold chocolate & apricot sensation, and then take it outside for the big, gooey melt down in the 100 degree afternoons of New Orleans in the summer. Then, I'd lick my fingers, wipe them on my black tshirt and shorts and hop on my bike back to the fountain plaza at the New Orleans Board of Trade where my best friend Lara and I would wait for her brother to radio our next job to us on walkie talkies. Sometimes, if she was going to be there when I arrived, I would bring her a treat, too.