"I had found my religion: nothing seemed more important to me than a book. I saw the library as a temple" — Jean-Paul Sartre
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It was a cold, snowy day in New Orleans, Louisiana. The small Mom n' Pop stores slowly began to open, the smell of coffee and pastries filled the French Quarter. Six o'clock in the morning was a magical time for Bucky Barnes, even though his apartment was located above the bookstore he owned, he loved to walk the Quarter before the bustling city was awake. He was wrapped in a royal blue trench coat, underneath it was a grey and white striped long-sleeved shirt, matched with a pair of dark-wash jeans and low-rise boots. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his trench coat and gazed up at the purple and white winter violas. He smiled softly, remembering how his mother loved winter violas. The long-haired male checked the time before turning on his heel and making his way back towards his bookstore. When he returned, he was greeted by Alpine sitting in the front store window, pawing at the cold glass.
"Okay, okay." said Bucky, looking at the small white cat, letting out a chuckle. "I'm coming."
Once he entered the store again, Alpine jumped down from the window to greet him. Bucky took the trench coat off and placed it on the coat rack, he then reached up and pulled his hair back into a bun. He bent down and picked up Alpine and set him on top of one of the smaller bookshelves that had a small bowl of cat food resting on top of it. He then started the coffee pot and set out a new stack of throw away coffee cups and lids, making sure to save one for himself. He decided to turn on the radio last minute so he could listen to see if the weather would change like he was hoping, but now the radio was playing Christmas hits. He hummed softly to a version of Blue Christmas as he straightened up the shelves, waiting for people to walk by.
The bell that was attached to the door, rang and Bucky looked up from where he was placing books. "Hello, Mrs. Gunners!" exclaimed Bucky has he slightly waved to one of his regular customers.
"Hello Bucky, how are you doing today dear?" she asked as she made her way to the check-out counter.
Bucky met her there and stamped each time card of the books she returned. "I'm doing great today, how have you been?" he replied, giving her a smile.
"Oh you know, these old bones are different every day." she replied before walking over to the coffee pot and pouring herself a small cup of hot, black coffee.
"It's all this cold weather we've had. This cold front is making my bones hurt as well." stated Bucky as he moved the books to a small cart behind the counter.
"I almost forgot! Here, I made it last night and know how much you love shrimp gumbo." she said before handing him a brown paper bag with a small cup of gumbo inside of it.
Mrs. Gunners was one of Bucky's favorite customers, she was always kind to everyone and never said a bad word of anything. She was a wise old soul who made some pretty damn good gumbo. Bucky's eyes lit up as he placed the bag in a mini fridge that was hidden away, behind the spiral staircase that lead up to his apartment.
"Thank you so much Mrs. Gunners." said Bucky, returning back to straighten up the shelves.
She just waved it off and sipped on her cup of coffee as she walked towards the door. "I'll see you later Bucky, make sure to stay warm!" she called as she exited the store.
Bucky just waved and leaned on the bookshelf that Alpine was laying on. He placed his right hand on the white feline gently, making sure not to wake him.
'It's going to be a cold one in New Orleans today, the snow will get heavier throughout the day. We suggest that everyone traveling take extreme precautions as the roads will be icy.'
