by Marten, Mimi
“I remember, Ms. Gourmet.”
The chateau was extremely busy with all the departing guests, good-byes, and the staff taking everything down.
“Madame Simone.”
“Wow, that’s a first.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, nobody calls me Simone.”
“Oh, my sincere apologies. Madame Simona.”
“I didn’t mind Simone. What’s up, Chef Bernard?”
“Are you sure you want to do this dinner at your house?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Now, we have an extra five guests.”
“Actually it’s an extra six. Arye is staying until the morning. Andre and Francois are going to drive him back to school. “
“So, what’s the total?”
“Let me count again… I believe it’s nineteen.”
“Ok, if it’s under twenty, it’s manageable. Your kitchen is much smaller. I will do the prep and dirty work here and bring it over almost ready to serve.”
“That’s very considerate, but you can mess up my kitchen. It’s really not just for show. I do cook, you know?”
“I heard the rumors. How come I have never been invited for dinner?”
“We will have to fix that soon, Chef Bernard. Can Philippe be your date?”
“You are evil. But I’m flying home with him tomorrow. I guarantee you by the time we land, we are going to be besties.”
“Very unlikely, Philippe is not easy by anyone’s standards. He is the hardest nut I know. Good luck.”
Simona was in a great mood. Everyone was leaving happy and satisfied. They all loved their little presents. Some were exchanging butterflies for dragonflies, sharing plans about where they were going to put them from a daughter’s room, foyer, kitchen, office, all the way to bedrooms. Simona had Chef Bernard make sandwiches for their short flights, packed with water and small wine bottles with twist tops for the car ride.
The Zatopeks came to the chateau to say good bye, and so did Arye. Simona was proud that she didn’t have to ask her son; he knew on his own it was the right thing to do.
The caterers and flower people packed all the dirty glassware, silverware, and dishes, loaded up the tables and chairs, and promised to have everything ready in her house by 5 PM. The florist insisted on bringing some flowers for the table setting as a freebee bonus. Simona was thrilled and very grateful. She wanted to tip him, but he refused.
Everyone was finally gone by 4 PM, and the Zatopeks decided to stay by the pool a little longer, just for the change of scenery. The dinner was scheduled for 7 PM, which meant that everyone was welcome to come for drinks earlier, but no later than seven. Simona asked Elise to be home with Francois by 6 PM. She told Andre to stay and hang out, but he insisted on coming with her.
“There is no ‘I’m going to show you something’ again,” she warned him. “I’m going to be busy.”
Andre pretended not to know what the hell she was talking about.
❖ ❖ ❖
Francois decided to be on door duty. He talked Arye into setting up a champagne station by the door, giving everyone a glass of champagne or orange juice in a champagne glass for the girls upon their arrival.
He was dressed in a fabulous stripy shirt with dark blue roll up sleeves and classy jeans. Arye was wearing a white collared shirt and jeans. They didn’t look anything alike, except for the blond hair and identical green eyes.
Simona was in tight cropped jeans, with her heels on, and an olive smooth collared shirt. She was doing her final walkthrough as she arrived to check the dining table. It was beautiful with magnificent tiny balls of pink, fuchsia, and lime green roses with extra petals on the table. The tiny candles were like little stars, and the whole setting was simple and elegant. She was very pleased.
She discovered the champagne station and laughed out loud. Arye assured her that he was totally blackmailed into it, and Francois proudly took all the responsibility and credit. She praised them both, and as she was squatting down to Francois’ level, Andre walked in and wanted to capture that image of all of them together.
They all sat down on the floor, and Andre took a picture of all the green-eyed, blond people in his life. The door bell rang, a sign of the first guests arriving. Simona and Andre rushed off not to invade the welcome committee.
Adam’s family arrived first to Francois’ delight. He finally had Mateas with him which relieved Arye from his glass duty. He stayed and poured all the glasses to make it easier for Mateas to just hand them out.
Grandpa Josef and Danielle arrived second, and Philippe and the Hawaiians were next. The last as usual was Anton with his ladies.
Francois was thrilled to take all the kids on a tour of the house, and after he showed them his room, they ended up outside, exploring their property, and all the hidden jewels.
Everyone was in a pleasant mood. Simona was on the receiving end of compliments about the house, almost to the point of being overwhelmed by them. The whole day was about expressions of gratitude, good-byes, and speeches of a memorable weekend. She was glad Brian finally turned to someone else.
“Philippe, I’m so excited to go to Paris tomorrow and get this amazing opportunity to fly on a private plane. It has always been on my bucket list.”
“You are very welcome, Brian. It’s truly my pleasure. I do have to warn you however that we do have the pleasure of our crazy Chef Bernard’s company, compliments of Simona.”
“What? What did I do now?” Simona asked innocently.
“I was just telling Brian how much I enjoy Bernard’s company,” Philippe smiled at her.
“Yeah, right. You stress him out. I’m so glad these guys are flying with you tomorrow. I was worried you would flip him out without a parachute.”
“I must have been talking out loud in my sleep,” Philippe smirked at her.
“Well, Simona, again, it’s good to be your friend,” Brian concluded. “Thanks to your connections, I’m going to fly in style tomorrow like the rich and the famous.”
“Does that mean you are going to keep me around for a while, Brian?”
“Definitely. I hope our next vacation is a package including a helicopter and a private yacht.”
“I’m so sick of it already! I feel like I’m suffocating. I can’t take it any more.” Everyone turned towards the voice; it was Margaret. She seemed to be in distress. Nobody was moving because everyone was lost about whom she was talking to and what she was talking about.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Anton was trying to figure out what was happening to his wife.
“I’m sick and tired of listening to all this gratitude and kissing ass bullshit. It has been three days straight. Enough already!”
Most people were still lost and had no idea what she was talking about, but all the Zatopeks were on high alert. She was just starting, and knowing her, this was going to be an erupting volcano. She was going to blow up.
“Margaret, calm down. This is not the place,” Anton was trying to calm his wife, but it was too late; she was on a roll.
Margaret got everyone’s attention which gave her the courage to continue. It became clear that Simona was her target, and Andre walked over to protect her. She was standing with three men around her, facing Margaret.
“I’m sick of your games. You are a master manipulator. Are all these amazing, educated, successful people really that blind? They don’t see your game? Your motives?”
“What are my motives, Margaret?” Simona was incredibly calm, but all the men surrounding her were totally tensed.
“You are a master manipulator.”
“You already said that...”
“You do favors, go out of your way, do things for people. And then you make them feel obligated, like they owe you. You go from zero to hero.”
“That’s enough,” Andre spoke in a very authoritative voice, taking a step forward.
“No. Let her get it out. Let her talk,” Simona said calmly. “Please conti
nue. Here is your chance to get it all out.”
Margaret got scared a little but had a huge audience. It was finally her moment, and she took it. “People seem to worship you like you are some greatness, like you are Mother Teresa, like you are better than all of us. How about your fallouts with people that are not in your life anymore? How about that? The ones that had enough of your manipulations?! The ones that you can’t buy? Nobody talks about how you go from hero to zero!”
“Zero to hero, and hero to zero? How the fuck do you go from a hovering helicopter to a miserable, attacking bitch?”
“Jada! Please. Let her talk. Sorry, Margaret, please continue,” Simona made an inviting hand gesture.
“But what is mind boggling to me the most is how you manipulated all these men and got their love. First you were sucking Philippe dry, and now it’s Andre’s turn. It must be so easy to be spending their money. The strangest thing is that no one talks about their blindness to it all. They are still goo goo gaga over you, even giving you credit for all of it. Both of them! How the hell do you manage to do that? You either have magic powers, some spell, or you have a golden pussy!”
The collective sigh was like a loud aaaahmm, with many covering their open mouths. The room stood still.
“Get out of this house!” It was the deepest unknown voice that nobody identified.
Simona walked around the table and stood in front of Margaret like a protective shield. She raised her hand. The gesture was demanding attention.
“No. With all due respect to you, Josef, this is my house. It was addressed to me, and I believe I do have the right to respond.”
Simona made sure the children were not in the room, but she saw Arye with his eyes on fire like a young warrior. The other men didn’t look any more pleasant. Simona knew that whatever she was going to say had to be something powerful and convincing.
She turned around to face Margaret. She looked more like a cornered animal than an attacker, perhaps because of all the eyes and energy in the room she was receiving at this point.
“Margaret. My son is in this room. He should never be present when someone is talking about his mother and pussy in the same sentence. You need to take that one back.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“You offended two men that I love, and you owe them an apology. It doesn’t have to be tonight, not even in person. You can do it in writing, but you will need to apologize. As far as the rest of it goes, I don’t have to justify my life to you or anyone else. I have never done it, and I’m not going to start tonight. You and everyone else are entitled to their beliefs and opinions. All I’m going to say is that I created my life on my own. I don’t need Philippe or Andre for financial reasons. I need them for love and care.
“But...”
“No, Margaret. I let you talk. Now it is your turn to listen. You are like a wounded animal that is crying for help. I will give you love if you can receive it, but I will hold you responsible for the energy you bring to me and the people I love. This is my home. I will always welcome you with open arms if you’re coming in peace with love and kindness. If you’re coming with your negative energy and hate, I don’t want you in my house. Do you understand?”
“Hmm...”
“Sorry, Margaret, but you have to articulate your answer to me. Are you coming with an open heart, bringing positive energy to me and the people in my home? Yes or no?”
Margaret was confused and thrown off, not expecting that at all.
“Yes,” she finally said reluctantly.
“Alright then. Let us eat.”
Simona grabbed Margaret under her arm and walked her out to the patio. She continued walking onto the lawn, down to the fruit trees, leaving a completely stunned audience behind.
“Listen, do you need a moment alone to gather yourself?”
“Why are you nice to me?”
“Because you need love. And when you get enough, when you become secure about yourself, you won’t have the need to envy, attack, or take anyone down.”
“I hate you though.”
“Hate is like handcuffs. Suffocation. Misery. But not to me. To yourself.”
“I don’t get you.”
“That’s alright. Maybe just trust me on this one thing. Focus on the good. Start with what you already have. Gratitude is the way to go to have more.”
“More of what?”
“Anything you desire. Friends, success, happiness, money, things. You have to earn those things, but not with the mindset of expecting back or instant gratification.”
“You don’t speak my language. I don’t understand…”
“Maybe not now. But let me start by what I always say about you. You have a good heart, you are a loyal friend, you are a giving person; those are all amazing qualities. Focus on the good, and bring more of that to the people around you.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m just someone who believes in the goodness in people, tries to learn something new every day, tries to compliment more than criticize, and better herself all the time. Be kinder, do things for strangers who can never give it back, but hopefully will pass it on.”
“I was so sure…”
“About my zero to hero? Haha. I think you gave me too much credit there. I was never your hero. I kept my distance because I didn’t like your energy.
“Should I leave?”
“No, unless you are planing on harming someone.”
“Everyone hates me.”
“We all do things that we wish to take back. I always tell my boys it’s not about the fuck up. It’s about how you go about fixing it. It’s open seating tonight. Where would you like to sit?”
“Next to you. Please.”
“Very well, take your time. I’ll go check on the rest of the clan.”
Simona grabbed Margaret’s shoulders, gave her an encouraging smile, and walked back to the house.
24
"BUILD YOUR TRIBE WITH PEOPLE WITH THE SAME VIBE."
“EXCUSE ME, WHO is the husband of this witch?” Philippe was overwhelmed with injustice, wrong doing, and a helpless feeling.
“I am,” Anton came out of the circle.
“I’m sorry, Anton. With all due respect, you need to put a leash on your wife in public.”
“Point taken.”
“What the fuck just happened?” Adam was fuming next to his father Josef.
“I’m sorry, but Simona just defused a major disaster. Let’s give her some credit,” Elise said.
“I agree with Elise, I would have ripped her to shreds,” Ashley was admiring her friend and how she remained calm amid all the nasty accusations.
“I’m sorry,” Arye said, “why is everyone under the impression that my mother is living large and having men for her lifestyle?”
“Arye, it’s my choice to reveal as little or as much of my private life as I deem necessary. I will take any punches if it means to protect you, Cori, and Francois.”
Everyone turned around to see Simona walking back in with a smile as if nothing happened just five minutes earlier.
“Mom, but these people are family…”
“You just had a great display of family love, Arye. Your mom has a point.”
“Thanks, Jada. Let’s eat. It’s open seating.”
“Wait,” Jada grabbed Simona’s arm. “What I just said was for your son, but we need to talk about this shit. It’s getting under my skin.”
“After dinner...”
Simona took her seat in the middle of the table and whispered something to Arye. He looked at her in disbelief and walked over to the other side of the table to sit right next to Francois and the giggling girls. Andre watched the scene, not understanding, until Margaret showed up and sat down next to Simona. He smiled at Simona and touched her hand under the table, making sure she was happy.
It was a pretty comical seating arrangement because the youngest and the oldest were at the opposite heads of the table with the ladies on each side. F
rancois had Amalie and Sofie, and Josef had his two wives: one ex, and one current.
Francois said grace again, being very chatty as if he knew he needed to cheer up everyone around. The atmosphere was getting looser, and people started to talk, except for Adam who stayed very reserved.
When Simona got up to check on the staff, Andre followed her to the back.
“Blondie, are you ok?”
“Yes, I’m alright. I didn’t take it personally. She needed to blow, and I was her built-up target.”
“Come on, everyone wants to strangle her.”
“I’m not saying it was pleasant, but she needs help, not yelling.”
“We need to talk about this set up. I’m not comfortable any more.”
“Elaborate?”
“I hate the misconception about you.”
“Oh, come on, we agreed... I have my reasons.”
“You come on. These are not people who would call the tabloids.”
“Once it’s out, it’s out. I like our life.”
“I fucking hate it, too,” Philippe barged in.
“You two got your egos smacked. Don’t be so sensitive.”
“This is not about us.”
“I happen to agree with Philippe; this is about you,”
“Well, if that’s the case, there is nothing to worry about. I have you two, and judging by Adam’s expression and Arye’s looks, actually four men to protect me.”
“Are you playing some bullshit hero?” Andre asked.
“That was good. I liked that. I’ll use it in my book…'zero to hero.’
“You are hopeless.”
“I really appreciate your concern. But I’m not the one who needs help and some empathy right now.”
“I’m sorry, but that evil has no place in your home. It’s poison,” Philippe said.
“Philippe, you are a great judge of characters. Can’t you see through her tantrums?”
“Oh, I can see that this woman needs some serious therapy to fix decades of her own shit. It would take years, discipline, and some strong will. Is she capable?”
“I’m not sure, but hurting her is not going to make her better or realize anything.”