The Odd Couple in Paris

by Patricia M Swayze

  He felt startled for a moment because a woman walked by who looked like his best friend, Jena. She had the same coloring with her strawberry-blond hair and slight build. She never looked his way, but the resemblance was uncanny. He had just sent a postcard to Jena that morning. Dillon wondered what Jena was doing. Probably making her jewelry and pottery, Dillon thought. He saw her long, strong fingers and how she could throw the pottery on the wheel. She did it so effortlessly while he was always clumsy with the clay. It was his least favorite art class. She helped him, and they became good friends. Later, they took a drawing class together, and he helped her because that was the area that she was lacking in.

  Jena wanted Dillon to be her marketing representative to sell her jewelry. Jena hated the marketing aspect and wanted someone else to do it for her. Dillon was the perfect person with his outgoing personality. And she trusted him. They were going to be partners. She loved him but didn’t know what to do about his sexuality. She wondered if she could have a relationship with him despite it. She thought that maybe he was bisexual and could go either way. She missed him while he was in Paris and thought about him every day.

  “You’re still sitting here where I left you,” said Lulu.

  “I’m watching the people and daydreaming. Should we just walk around until we see a restaurant that looks interesting?”

  “Yes, that’s the plan. What were you daydreaming about—if you want to share?”

  “I was thinking about San Francisco, where Jena is living now. We’re going to be partners after I finish getting my fine arts degree. I’m going to be her jewelry rep. She already has some of her jewelry in a few stores. She really hates the marketing part and wants to spend her time just making her jewelry.”

  “Don’t you have goals of your own, considering you’ll have an MFA degree?”

  “Of course, but I can do the marketing part-time while I pursue my art. I might try teaching too.

  “You would make a good professor because you’re so spontaneous. The students would love you.”

  “Thanks, Chockey Bickey,” said Dillon while smiling profusely.

  A group of men walked by Dillon and Lulu, and they started speaking to them in their language. Lulu said, “No comprendo.”

  “We’re not Italian,” said the men. They continued on their way.

  “I wonder why they spoke to us in their language.”

  “Maybe they were Portuguese. You could pass for Portuguese,” said Dillon.

  9

  The Italians

  The streets were very crowded now with tourists all going out for the evening. Two men that walked by recognized Dillon. They were very friendly and asked to see Dillon’s muscles. Dillon just laughed and joked with them. He didn’t seem to mind. Lulu thought it was silly but just smiled. She thought it must be some inside joke. Sometimes the men acted aggressive toward Lulu, so Dillon would put his arm around Lulu to make the men go away.

  “Look there’s an Italian restaurant with pizza. We should go in there. It doesn’t look expensive,” said Lulu.

  ”Bellissima,” said an Italian man as Lulu and Dillon walked in. He looked like he was getting ready to pinch Lulu’s behind, but Dillon threw his arm around Lulu and escorted her to the table.

  “I don’t know what I would do if I were to go out alone at night,” said Lulu.

  “Don’t. They’ll never leave you alone. They will be swarming you like bees to a hive. If you’re with a man, they usually leave you alone. But sometimes I still have to put my arm around you to keep them away.”

  “They’re so aggressive. It’s kind of annoying.”

  “Would you rather be an ugly woman?” asked Dillon.

  “No, but I think they come on too strong—especially Italian men. They think that they can pinch women and that it’s their God-given right. I was in a bar one time in the States that had some men that looked Italian. All of a sudden I was getting pinched from behind, and every time that I turned around, the men were stone-faced so I couldn’t tell who was doing it. I finally had to leave because they wouldn’t stop. They laughed when I left. Men can be such jerks sometimes.”

  “Oh no, someone is coming over here,” said Dillon.

  “Pretend that we’re married,” said Lulu

  “Mademoiselle, would you care to join me for dinner?”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m having dinner with my husband right now,” said Lulu.

  “We’re on our honeymoon,” said Dillon with a big grin on his face.

  “Oh pardon, I didn’t see any wedding rings.”

  “We don’t wear them while we’re traveling. You know it’s better not to wear jewelry.”

  “You give men hope when you don’t wear a ring, and then it’s very disappointing—so cruel of you.”

  “We just want to have a nice quiet dinner—and have a pleasant evening,” said Dillon.

  “Ciao,” said Lulu.

  “Bon appétit,” said the Italian man. He walked back to his table where his buddies were waiting.

  “I bet that he’s married and so are the other guys sitting with him. They look like they’re in their late twenties. They probably left their wives in Italy. He is very good looking. I’ll give him that,” said Lulu.

  “Let’s order a pizza. They’re still staring over here,” said Dillon.

  “Try to ignore them. I hope no one comes over again. I don’t think they believed that we’re married,” said Lulu. The waiter came over and took their order. Dillon and Lucy decided not to order wine so they could save some money.

  The waiter brought the pizza and a bottle of red wine with two wine glasses. “We didn’t order wine,” said Dillon.

  “It is from the gentleman from over there. His name is Raphael.”

  “Send it back,” said Lulu.

  “That is not a good idea, Mademoiselle. You will insult him, and then a fight might start.”

  “Tell him thank you and that I think he’s very handsome, but I’m married,” said Lulu.

  “Oui,” said the waiter with a smile.

  Lulu and Dillon watched as the waiter talked to the Italian men. Raphael blew Lulu a kiss and she waved back.

  “God, I hope that’s the end of that,” said Lulu.

  “I just thought of something. What if those guys belong to the Mafia? They look really rich with their gold watches and expensive shoes.”

  “That’s really stretching the imagination, Chockey Bickey. I didn’t even notice his shoes.”

  “I always look at people’s shoes. He had on Bally loafers.”

  The waiter brought out an enormous amount of food to Raphael’s table. It looked like a lot even for the four men.

  “Look at the food they’re bringing out. They need two waiters. It looks really good,” said Dillon.

  Lulu looked at the little pizza that she and Dillon were sharing. “Don’t look over there.”

  Dillon poured himself a third glass of wine. Lulu had drank two and was getting a buzz. “They’re waving at us,” said Dillon. He decided to wave back and smile.

  Raphael’s brother got up to walk over to Lulu’s table. “Oh no, he’s coming over here,” said Lulu.

  “Good evening, I am Giovanni. Would you like to join us, please? We have so much food!”

  “I would love to join you,” said Dillon.

  “Traitor,” said Lulu.

  “Oh, live a little Lulu,” said Dillon.

  “Yes, live and enjoy yourself. You’re on vacation, no?” asked Giovanni.

  Lulu got up and took her glass of wine with her. She followed Dillon who seemed delighted to be joining the four Italian men. Lulu thought that Dillon must have forgotten about his Mafia theory. The men all jumped up, and Raphael pulled out the chair for her. He extended his hand and took Lulu’s and kissed it. The men applauded and said, “Bravo.” Lulu fel
t silly but liked that she was being treated like a special guest.

  Raphael and Giovanni both spoke English well, but the other two men spoke very broken English. “Giovanni is my brother. This is Lorenzo and Bernardo, both my cousins.” The men smiled and shook Dillon’s hand, but they all kissed Lulu’s hand.

  “Ah, Dillon. Your name like western, no?” asked Lorenzo.

  “Yes. My father loves westerns.”

  “Si, your papa like westerns. That good,” said Lorenzo. Raphael said something to Lorenzo in Italian, and Lulu understood it to mean for him to shut up.

  “It’s OK if he speaks English. He doesn’t have to be perfect,” said Lulu.

  “You understand Italian. What is your full name?” asked Raphael.

  “Lucinda Bianchi.”

  “Very nice Italian name. You look northern Italian,” said Raphael.

  “I have some English blood. My father is southern Italian, but he was born in the States.”

  The cousins were eating and so was Dillon. “Dillon and Lucinda, like a spaghetti western,” said Raphael while he passed plates of food to Lucinda.

  “I like the Clint Eastwood movies—Per un Pugno di Dollari,” said Giovanni.

  “You mean A Fistful of Dollars,” said Lulu.

  “I liked The Good, the Bad and the Ugly the best,” said Dillon.

  “Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo. That was my favorite too,” said Raphael.

  Giovanni asked the waiter to bring more wine. Lulu was feeling the wine now and decided not to drink anymore, but Giovanni insisted on pouring her another glass. He raised his glass and said, “Salute.”

  Everyone said the same, including Dillon. Raphael planted a kiss on Lulu’s cheek and called her an angel. Raphael was very charming and handsome. Lulu liked the attention.

  “You know that we aren’t married,” said Dillon while grinning and helping himself to the osso buco.

  “Of course, my handsome Hawaiian man. Do you think that we are idiots?” asked Raphael.

  “How do you know that I’m Hawaiian?”

  “Well, I don’t know for sure, but you’re wearing a Hawaiian shirt, and you look Hawaiian. What’s your last name?” asked Raphael.

  “It’s Hata,” said Dillon. Lulu jerked her head a little and then tried not to look surprised. She realized that Dillon didn’t want to give out his real name. How funny, she thought. Dillon still thinks that they’re in the Mafia.

  “You’re Japanese Hawaiian?” asked Giovanni.

  “Yes.”

  “The Japanese women are very beautiful and very gentle,” said Raphael.

  “You mean very submissive,” said Lulu. The men laughed including Dillon.

  “Are you submissive?” asked Raphael. There was a silence at the table. All eyes were on Lulu.

  “Not that submissive, but I can be whatever someone likes,” said Lulu. The men laughed and applauded.

  “You better not have any more wine,” said Dillon.

  “I like a tiger,” said Raphael.

  “You called me an angel.”

  “You look like an angel but you’re not passive, I can tell. You’re an angel-tiger.” Raphael said this quietly in Lulu’s ear. Then he kissed the back of her neck. It sent goose bumps down Lulu’s body. Giovanni ordered gelato and coffee for everyone.

  “What business are you in?” asked Dillon.

  “We’re in the investment business,” said Raphael.

  “If I tell you, I would have to kill you,” said Giovanni while smiling.

  The cousins laughed and yelled, “Viva la famiglia!” Raphael laughed and said that it was a family business passed down generations. They all wore expensive jewelry with Gucci watches.

  “I think we should be going now Lulu,” said Dillon.

  “Oh, live a little, Dillon. We’re just playing,” said Lulu.

  “Yes, live a little and eat your dessert, Mr. Hawaii,” said Raphael.

  Raphael slipped Lulu a note that Lulu read. Lulu agreed to meet him at 11:00 a.m. at the bakery near the beach. Dillon always went to the museums at 10:00 am. Everyone decided that it was time to leave. The men kissed Lulu’s hand, but Raphael and Giovanni gave Lulu a kiss on the cheek. Lulu put her arm through Dillon’s when she saw a man coming toward her saying good evening.

  “Wow, that was fun, and the food was great,” said Lulu.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t like being called Mr. Hawaii. They were kind of annoying. You really did an about-face. First you didn’t want anything to do with them, and then you really got friendly. We still don’t know what type of business that they’re in.”

  “I had too much to drink and then decided to just go with the flow. They’re not in the Mafia. Giovanni and Raphael speak English really well. They come from educated families. Most Italians speak very little English. And you were the one that wanted to go to the table when you saw all the food. How quickly you forget.”

  “None of them were wearing wedding rings,” said Dillon.

  “That doesn’t mean anything because lots of married Italian men don’t wear wedding bands.”

  “Are you going to see Raphael again?” asked Dillon.

  “Maybe. Why not? I’m here to have fun. Don’t make such a face.”

  “What if he’s married?”

  “I’m not going to worry about that now. I’ll probably never see him again, once I go back to Paris.”

  They approached their hotel and went inside. It was almost midnight now. “You can go in the bathroom first. I’ll sit out on the balcony,” said Dillon.

  “Thanks, I won’t be long. Lulu wrapped a towel around her hair. She didn’t want to get it wet since she had already washed it earlier during the day. She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She couldn’t wait to go to sleep. “It’s all yours.” She was asleep by the time Dillon got into bed.

  He wondered what Raphael would think if he knew that he and Lulu were sharing a bed. He didn’t like the idea of Raphael taking Lulu away from him. He hoped that Lulu wouldn’t see Raphael again.

  10

  A Secret Meeting

  Dillon left at 10:00 a.m. just as Lulu predicted. Lulu left a note for Dillon telling him that she was going to go shopping after the beach and would skip the banana split but would probably see him later in the evening. It was almost 11:00 a.m. She hurried to meet Raphael at the bakery near the beach.

  She saw him from the distance walking from the opposite direction toward the bakery. She waved, and he waved back. She had on her straw hat and was wearing a sundress. “Ciao,” he said as he bent down to kiss her cheek. “You look so pretty in your dress with the roses.”

  “Thank you. I thought maybe we could go for a walk,” said Lulu.

  “Let’s go for a walk and then have lunch somewhere. As they walked along, Raphael pointed to his hotel. “I am staying here. It has a large pool. I prefer to swim in the pool rather than the ocean.”

  “You don’t go in the ocean?” asked Lulu.

  “I go in, but it’s more for splashing around. I don’t swim that much in there. We can swim in the pool later and have a tropical drink. It’s, really, very nice.”

  “I don’t have my bathing suit with me.”

  “Don’t worry, I will buy you one. They have a clothing store with bathing suits.”

  “How did you learn to speak English so well?”

  “I had a private tutor when I was young, and then I went to design school in New York. I’m a jewelry designer. My grandparents were in the jewelry business. It was passed down. We make jewelry for Tiffany, Gucci, and other companies.”

  “I hope you’re not in the Mafia.”

  “Please don’t insult me. Where did you get such an idea—from The Godfather film?”

  “Well, actually it was Dillon’s idea. I did see The Godfather movie.”

/>   “All the Americans think if you have some money and are Italian, then you must be in the Mafia. Such a cliché,” said Raphael while grinning.

  “Speaking of clichés, are you married?” asked Lulu.

  “Does it matter to you?”

  “Not at this moment, but I would like to know.”

  “Yes, I’m married. I married at twenty-six—after I finished the school in New York. I knew my wife all of my life. We were childhood playmates and our parents were business associates. They always expected us to marry. But it’s not always exciting when the left hand knows what the right hand is going to do.”

  “Do you have children?”

  “No, not yet. But we are trying because our parents want grandchildren. I will be married to my wife forever, but the idea of being monogamous forever doesn’t appeal to me. When I travel, I sometimes play, and she does too when I’m gone. We just don’t talk about it. I was completely faithful for five years. After that I got a little bored.”

  “I don’t know if I could have a marriage like that. I think it would bother me.”

  “Maybe you’ll be lucky and find someone that you will stay madly in love with. If I have children, I would never get a divorce unless I could no longer stand my wife. Sometimes that happens. If you don’t want children, I think it’s better to stay single. In Italy it’s so complicated to get a divorce. It’s only become legal for a few years now.”