Call Me Stewardess

by Elizabeth Landry

  The closer I got to the silver doors, the clearer the reflection facing me became. I could see in it my proud figure; from the curve of my hips to my shoulder span. My hair appeared to still be smooth and intact; its glow shimmering in the mirror. My red lips brought color to my face. Behind me, not a soul. Of all the passengers and crew members, I was the first one using these doors.

  I approached the dazzling mirrors. One more step and they would let me through. They finally opened and I reached the arrivals area. All of a sudden, I felt as if I was a movie star arriving in Nice for the Cannes Film Festival. Paparazzi were waiting. Flowers were presented. Autograph requests were called out. All the people standing there were waiting for me! All I needed was a pair of sunglasses resting on the tip of my nose and I’d start waving at my fans.

  Sadly, I was dreaming. No one was waiting for me. I was obviously hallucinating. Despite my disappointing anonymity, my fake admirers let me through, drawing a path for me to walk through. I split through the crowd with a superior air, taking in the sights. Then, abruptly, my gaze was caught by the sole piece of red clothing worn amidst the group of people.

  I automatically lifted my eyes up to get a look at the person wearing the red sweater. It was a man. A Greek god. His long brown hair fell on his broad shoulders. He looked like a deliciously splendid hippie. He was observing me closely. I was staring back. He looked familiar. But how could I possibly know him? I was in Nice! On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean!

  He was still staring and the closer I got to him, the more familiar he seemed. I was by his side when I finally remembered.

  “Hm, Arnaud? Hi!” I said, a bit shocked.

  “Scarlett? Is that you? Hi!” he responded, equally surprised.

  I was frozen in place. The hottest guy I had hung out with in my first year of college was standing in front of me. He was French and had come to the States on a school exchange. Back then, I had never wanted to have any sort of adventure with him as I knew he was a true Casanova, always showing off a new conquest. Being the reserved Scarlett I was then, I had declined his many attempts to seduce me during his time in the US. Eventually, he had gone back to live in France. I had never regretted not being one of the hundred ladies he had shared his bed with. However, now that I was committed to my Extreme Flirt, I suddenly felt ready to jump in. Hopefully, I was no longer hallucinating.

  “You live in Nice?” I quickly inquired.

  “Actually, I live in Monaco. What about you, what are you doing here?”

  What kind of question is that? I thought. I’m working, of course! As if the color of my uniform and the scarf around my neck were my daily go-to outfit. Still, I made an effort to kindly reply and investigate his situation further.

  “Well, I’m working . . . I’m a flight attendant, Arnaud,” I specified, in case he hadn’t noticed.

  “Wow! You work on a plane?” he asked, to verify the meaning of flight attendant.

  “Exactly, you got it, Arnaud” I replied, annoyed with having to state the obvious. “And you? Are you here to pick up someone?”

  Obviously, the person he was waiting for had flown with me on my aircraft. Who was it? An old flame? A friend? His girlfriend? That last option would see me disappointed. I couldn’t wait to hear his answer.

  “A client,” he said, running his hand through his hair.

  I was relieved. The coast was clear. And seeing the way he looked at me, I knew he had the same sort of idea in mind I did.

  Then I saw the rest of my crew come through the silver doors. Samantha was leading the pack and Cecilia was close behind. She walked by and noticed me talking with Arnaud. She didn’t stop but she still glanced at us, smiled knowingly, and subtly winked. I got her message.

  “Arnaud, I have to go. My crew is here” I said, hoping to speed up the conversation. I didn’t need to say more, which was a relief.

  “Are you in Nice long?” he quickly asked.

  “Three nights.”

  “Well, we’d be crazy not to see each other again! Look, here’s my number, call me later. I’ll come meet you tonight, wherever you are, okay?”

  “Great! See you tonight!” I said, leaving to go meet my crew on the bus.

  ◆◆◆

  As soon as I sat on the bus, eight pairs of eyes, including the pilots’, turned toward me. I shrugged and didn’t say anything. I, myself, was astonished at life’s coincidences. Had I been asked to imagine who I would be running into today, Arnaud would have been the last person I would have thought of. Silence reigned over the bus, but not for long.

  “Well, well, well, looks like our little newbie has contacts all over the world,” teased Samantha.

  “Eh, well! I truly don’t know what to say. I met the guy ten years ago. I really had no idea I’d bump into him just like that, first thing in the morning, after landing in Nice,” I explained, as if justifying my role of the victim in life’s random acts.

  “You’re seeing him tonight, I hope?”

  The tone Samantha had used suggested that if I wasn’t the one making the most of Arnaud tonight, she would be. The look on her face made me smile but I didn’t respond.

  “Anyway, Scarlett, you can’t say that your aura didn’t hand him to you on a silver platter!” added Mary, referring to our earlier conversation with Michelle.

  “Whoa, girls! Calm down! I’ll call him after my nap and then we’ll see if he comes over to see me. He’s an old college friend, so we just have some catching up to do,” I declared, only half believing my own words.

  “Oh! Give me a break!” Cecilia jumped in. “He’s handsome as hell. Surely you won’t just be chatting!”

  “Hm, we’ll see. He’s the biggest womanizer I’ve ever known,” I added, still unsure of what to think of the upcoming evening.

  “Scarlett, a womanizer, that’s perfect! You couldn’t have hoped for better! We already know how your night’s going to end. Have fun for me, kiddo!” exclaimed Samantha.

  Now the whole crew knew who I’d possibly be spending the night with. Awkward! They were all laughing along, picturing me in bed with Arnaud-the-Greek-God. They were even cheering me on!

  “Come on, Scarlett! Come on!” they all yelled, clapping their hands.

  “Come on, Scarlett! Come on!” they cried, even louder.

  Clearly, I had inadvertently generated a strong team spirit in the company, for which I should get a prize! Listening to their cries, I couldn’t help but laugh as well.

  “All right, all right! Chill out! I’ll try my best not to disappoint you,” I announced, amused by the outcome.

  “Good girl!” said Samantha before shutting her eyes.

  I put my headphones on, turned on my iPod, and closed my eyes as well.

  ◆◆◆

  Ring! Ring! Ring!

  “Bonjour?”

  “Arnaud?”

  “Oui.”

  “Hi, it’s Scarlett!”

  “Ah! Scarlett! Hi . . . ”

  “Is this a good time?”

  “Actually, I’m just with a client at the moment. Can you call back in about an hour?”

  “Hm . . . Yes, no problem. Talk to you then.”

  Was it just me or had he cut the conversation short? When you’re ready, YOU call me back! I grumbled, after having hung up. His tone had been really dry. Nothing like what I had expected. He hadn’t even said bye before ending the call. I hated when a guy acted that way, especially when he had been the one suggesting I call him to set a time to meet up. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, I decided I would still call him back later and went for a run along the Promenade des Anglais.

  When I got back to my room, I jumped in the shower, then tried calling a second time. Just before dialing his number, I promised myself that if Arnaud didn’t pick up, it would be end of story. After all, I didn’t intend on forcing things . . . but I still hoped he would answer.

  Ring! Ring! Ring! The ringtone started.

  Ring! Ring! Ring! It resounded.

&nb
sp; Ring! Ring! Ring! Still no answer.

  I hung up. ARRRG! I was absolutely furious! He had been the one offering to come and see me and now he was acting all independent. The last thing I wanted was to chase after him but still, I was in Nice and had met him out of nowhere. What did I have to lose? My dignity? Not even! I ignored the promise I had made to myself two seconds earlier and dialed his number for the third time.

  Ring! Ring! Ring!

  Really, I look like a stalker! I thought.

  Ring! Ring! Ring!

  This is getting embarrassing! Continuing my attempt.

  Ring! Ring! Ring! He finally answered.

  “Bonjour?”

  “Hi, Arnaud. It’s Scarlett!”

  “Hi, Scarlett!” he answered, sounding more outgoing.

  Now that was a bit reassuring. Turns out, I may have freaked out for no reason.

  “Are you able to talk now?” I asked, a bit sarcastically.

  “Yes, yes. No problem.”

  “Are you still free to come and see me?”

  “Yeah, but I won’t make it until about eleven p.m.”

  Is he kidding me? Eleven at night! That’s one hour before midnight! I thought, internally offended. He might as well say he doesn’t want to see me at all! Or that all he wants is to get in my pants! I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say. If I agreed, I knew where this would end up. Although, it might help clear my head. Hearing only silence from me, Arnaud tried to convince me.

  “That’s really too bad, Scarlett, but I must have dinner with my client tonight. I’ll try to get there earlier, though.”

  “Okay! Send me a text when you’re done and I’ll come meet you at the hotel. I’m at the Mercure on Promenade des Anglais. You know where that is?”

  “Yes, sure do. See you tonight.”

  “See you tonight,” I concluded, and hung up.

  I couldn’t believe he had dared suggest we meet up so late. Clearly, he didn’t care about knowing how I had been doing. But above all, since I had spoken with that Samantha Brown, I, too, felt like having some fun. The upcoming nocturnal meeting with Arnaud-the-Greek-God, the womanizer, could only contribute to my detox. I grabbed the phone again and dialed Samantha’s room number.

  “Yesss!” she answered urgently.

  “Sorry, Samantha, it’s Scarlett. Were you sleeping?”

  “No, no, love, what’s going on?”

  “I wanted to know if you guys were planning on meeting up for dinner tonight?” I asked.

  “Yeah, we’re meeting in the lobby at six. Wanna come?”

  “Yes, I’ll be there.”

  “Aren’t you seeing your French stallion?” she asked, incredulous.

  “Yeah but the stud wants to come around later . . . ” I explained, insinuating the obvious.

  “Hm, that’s great for you because a stallion like that doesn’t waste his energy, Scarlett. He saves it up in order to be highly efficient,” she said in a tone that was meant to be reassuring, but had the opposite effect.

  “Hm, see you later, Samantha!”

  “Later, my love!”

  Whoa! Now, that was far from reassuring. A stallion? No! I very well knew what stallions did to mares while mating. It was long, hard, straight to the point, no-frills. Not at all what I had in mind. I was even a bit scared of what was to come. You’re being paranoid, Scarlett! Arnaud is as gentle as a lamb! I convinced myself and then went back to sleep to regain some more strength.

  ◆◆◆

  Quack-quack! Quack-quack! Quack-quack! announced the little duck from my phone.

  It was already almost six. I immediately got up and got dressed to go meet up with Samantha and the others in the lobby. When I arrived, the rest of the crew was there waiting for me, so we left for the restaurant right away. We were walking toward Old Nice, where Mary said she knew a place. We got there within ten minutes and went inside. I sat next to Samantha as, strangely, I very much enjoyed hearing her talk. Cecilia sat next to us. After a while and a few glasses of house wine later, the conversation stirred back in my direction.

  “Scarlett has a date with her man tonight!” Samantha announced proudly to the rest of the group.

  “That’s great!” they exclaimed.

  “Yeah,” I said shyly.

  “He couldn’t have dinner with you?” asked Mary, curious.

  “Nope! Completely unacceptable, isn’t it?” I asked, conscious that had Arnaud truly wanted to see me, he would have come out for a meal with me.

  “Well, it shows a lot about his intentions,” indicated sweet Mary.

  “So, who cares! The guy doesn’t want anything else and won’t beat around the bush to say it. That’s all!” said Cecilia, cutting off Mary.

  “Well, he could have at least played along,” I said, disappointed.

  “Scarlett! What were you thinking about when you saw him at the airport?” asked Cecilia.

  “Well . . . ”

  “You were thinking about sex! There you go! That’s what you were thinking,” she said, taking the words right out of my mouth.

  “Yeah,” I confirmed, as if it was a crime to think as such.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that!” she exclaimed. “Sex is such a great thing!”

  I was shocked, yet again. I knew Cecilia was mad about sexual pleasures but I was far from expecting her to confirm it in between two mouthfuls! No one was saying a word apart from Nate and George, who were having a completely different conversation at the other end of the table, to my relief. As for Mary, she had remained silent since she had been interrupted, and Michelle, on her end, appeared to agree with Cecilia. Samantha was getting ready to spice up the conversation.

  “Yum! This is true, nothing better than good sex!” agreed Samantha, looking convincingly at me.

  “That’s not the issue, Samantha! It’s just that Arnaud could have tried to, if only for a night, make me feel special.”

  “Ah! I see! You’re a romantic,” she concluded.

  “Well, sort of.”

  “You need a man, then, not a stallion!” she declared.

  “Yeah, maybe. But believe me, I also need a stallion,” I stated, convinced that I needed to take my mind off things once and for all.

  “Whoa! She’s greedy and demanding, isn’t she!” said Cecilia, impressed with my comment.

  “All right, girls! Enough! Leave her alone,” intervened Michelle and Mary, to my rescue.

  “Okay! Okay! We’re letting you off, Scarlett! But just one last piece of advice,” begged Samantha.

  “Yes, go!” they all commanded.

  She ran her hand through her platinum blond hair, as if creating momentum before her big revelation. She then placed both her hands flat on the table, on either side of her plate, and softly whispered her advice in my ear.

  “At every stage in life, we must make the most of what we have. When we’re twenty, it’s time to dance and flirt. When we’re thirty, we must make the most of our beauty and absolute femininity. Five years from now, it’ll be about babies. Your turn will have passed. My advice: It’s your moment now, Scarlett! Seize it, as it won’t come again. So what if you must meet a stallion in order to do so? Just go for it!”

  What a wise piece of advice! Samantha was right. I had the chance to be free to have fun with a man however I liked. It was my turn, my moment. A few years from now, Extreme Flirts would be a thing of the past, so I might as well make the most of it while it lasted. As I was growing more and more convinced, I received a message on my phone.

  Hi, Scarlett. On my way. Will be there in 15. Arnaud

  Just in time, I thought. I paid my share and left the restaurant, hearing a Good luck chanted in unison.

  ◆◆◆

  When I got to the hotel, Arnaud was waiting. He kissed me on both cheeks and suggested we go for a drink in a pub he knew. I wholeheartedly accepted. We sat at a table in one of the establishment’s dark corners. The waitress promptly showed up and asked what we wanted to drink. I opted for
a glass of red wine and he a beer. We raised our glasses and as soon as we had taken our first sip, Arnaud went straight to the point.

  “So, after our drinks, should we go to your room or my place?” he asked without a hint of hesitation.

  My heart did a three-sixty. No, really? He doesn’t bother courting me at all! I became somewhat frustrated.

  “Hm. Arnaud, you could have been a bit more romantic . . . ”

  “Come on, Scarlett, you can’t say that’s not what you had in mind?”

  I didn’t answer right away. But let’s be honest, that’s exactly what I had been thinking! From now on, there were no more rules. Having temporarily put aside my principles, I was not allowed to get offended by anything. And, seeing the Greek god that he was, I decided to play the game.

  “My room, then!” I officially declared.

  “Hm, I love your lips” he replied right away, biting his own.

  Oh! It looked as if I had turned on a blaze. I could feel Arnaud lighting up on his chair, examining me from all angles. I wondered what rank I would hold on his long list of conquests. Would I be number fifty? One hundred? Two hundred? I chose not to think about it too much. I admired his handsomeness and concluded that regardless of his frustrating attitude, I simply had to see him as a vital aspect of my evolution. Without hesitation, I suggested we go back to my room immediately. He looked at me, astonished, and kissed me without warning. My lips didn’t even have time to welcome his.

  “Delicious,” he murmured, after a long kiss.

  Indeed, it wasn’t bad at all. And why should I be surprised? He must be talented. It was his specialty, after all. He enthusiastically kissed me again.

  “Ouch! Ouch!” I exclaimed. “You’re biting a bit hard!”

  “Ah! Sorry! It’s just that I really want you,” he justified, biting his own lower lip.