Uptown man lost in Kenner

Man Asks for Directions

            (Kenner, LA) - Yesterday at approximately 3pm. James Conway, 57, Uptown New Orleans, pulled into a Circle K on Loyola Drive and asked for directions to Reuben Mayes Playground.  Conway and his wife (June, 55, also Uptown New Orleans) were on their way to watch their grandson (Tyler, 8, Metairie) play peewee football at the playground.  Mrs. Conway, who described the misadventure as aggravating, said, “We kept driving around and around in circles, and I could tell James was getting annoyed or embarrassed or both, so I just sat there looking out the window until I finally couldn’t take it.”

Conway (James) described himself as becoming very anxious and knew it was not good for his ticker (heart).  He decided to give in and listen to his wife, so he pulled into the Circle K.

 Randal DuPont, 41, Kenner, witnessed the entire incident.  He explained that he had just bought some boudin balls and was about to eat them in his car when the Conway car (Buick Regal) pulled into the parking lot.  DuPont said, “Everything seemed normal at first, then I noticed a look on the old man’s (James) face that concerned me.”  He said it looked broken.  

DuPont said he had never seen a man ask for directions before, but he somehow knew that was what was about to happen.   DuPont went on to say, “I watched him (James) walk over to another gentleman (later identified as Mark Finn, 45, Kenner) with his shoulders slumped and his eyes down.”  DuPont stated that he suddenly lost his appetite and put his boudin balls away.  He said, “I can just heat them up in the microwave later. At this point what does it matter anymore.”

Mark Finn was fueling up his truck (Dodge Ram) when he noticed Conway (James) get out of his car and walked toward him.  Finn said, “I could tell by his walk something was wrong, and I said a silent prayer that he was not going to ask me for directions.  I was hoping he was broke and needed some gas money or something.”  Finn said that he has never been asked for directions from a man before, but for some reason when Conway (James) approached him with that look of defeat in his eyes, he knew something unnatural was about to take place.

Finn said, “There was nothing I could do; I was in the middle of gassing up.  I thought about running inside or pretending not to understand English, but I froze.  I am as much to blame as him (Conway).”

Finn did in fact give Conway (James) directions, and the Conways were able to catch the end of Tyler’s football game.  When asked if he told his family what had happened, James said, “Not yet, I want them to enjoy the win.”  Tyler did lead his Dempsey Kickers in their win over the Bayou Bullets 31-18.  Tyler scored 2 touchdowns and had 5 tackles.  The Dempsey Kickers are 2-0 this season.

We will to continue to follow this story and will report what will most likely result in many changes in the concept of what it means to be a man.