New Orleans

he was twenty-five she was twenty-eight
 he was grown she'd just pulled off the interstate
 she bought a small dr. pepper ten dollars worth of gas
 she was obviously lost but too afraid to ask directions
 so he offered her a smile and a stick of beech nut gum
 he said where you headed to where are you coming from
 (she said)
 new orleans ...but that's another story
 new orleans ...that's another time
 that's another town, that's another life
 first she stayed a day then she stayed a week
 couple months later they were living on his parents street
 he worked the station she worked the store
 and then they had a kid and
 then they had one more little jesse
 when she dropped the kids off at mother's day out
 all the ladies had their questions but they knew not to ask about
 wednesday night supper, first baptist church
 stranger standing in a door way as they're passing out desert
 he said go on and pack your bags i'm here to take you home
 i'm going back to louisana and woman
 i ain't gonna go without you
 there's a few defining moments in every person's life
 when you know what