by Agnès Ruiz
“I found out that you and Marguerite had an affair.”
“She couldn’t hold her tongue, then.”
He called out all kinds of crazy talk against poor Marguerite, but Joanna interrupted him.
“It was Mum who told me, at Marguerite retirement party. You must remember that day well since you went out of your way to make sure you didn’t come.”
“I had an important meeting”, Rodolphe assured.
“You at least owed Marguerite your being there!”
“I don’t owe her anything at all. Her salary was enough.”
“Enough, really? Even though she gave up her life for you? She loved you, Dad. Just like I loved you.”
She didn’t plan to use the past tense. It came out without warning. She didn’t stop despite it.
“Marguerite told me that she came into your office that evening. And that she’d left your photos, torn into a thousand pieces all over your office. Talk about an intrusion. You stirred everybody up because of a shag.”
“Ah! Don’t be rude, Joanna, please.”
“That beats everything”, Joanna fumed. “You are the one who cheated on Mum, and who cheated everybody, yet it’s me who gets the blame. Well, you know what? It’s over. I quit. Goodbye and good riddance.”
“You cannot do that!” her father shouted standing up.
“Read my letter, you’ll see that I can. And I’m taking the holidays I’ve never taken, from now.”
Joanna left the office, her heart crushed by her decision and tears in her eyes. She wanted to hold herself, and handle herself until she left the seaside hotel.
She got to her car as if in a curious waking dream. She was aware of her movements without needing to try too hard, as if she were on automatic pilot. Her father summoned her to come back. She heard him through the door. She held herself well. Even as she passed by the reception to say hello to Sylvie, who was at her post. She avoided asking if they had heard from Mélanie.
Do not get mixed up in seaside hotel affairs, she told herself.
At the steering wheel, Mélanie’s absence worried her nonetheless. She thought about going to see her parents as she planned earlier, but she reconsidered. That was no longer one of her prerogatives. Nothing was anymore. Only herself. And Zoé, of course.
She would be back on Monday, after school. She decided to call her a while later. Just to make sure everything was OK.
She had driven several kilometres when she thought about Guillermo. She had told him they would talk later. Why go back to that discussion?
She didn’t want to, no, more like she no longer wanted to worry about the next days. Yet, she should feel some kind of anxiety. After all, she no longer had a job.
She would make a decision. She wasn’t homeless and could take one or two months to turn things around before finding herself in dire straits.
66
She did a U-turn and went back to the hotel, nevertheless parking in a side street so that nobody would see her car. Again, she snuck in through the back and hid in the shadows to get to Guillermo’s room.
When he opened the door, she told him straight away that she didn’t want to talk.
“Just for pleasure.”
“I don’t think that’s what you need”, Guillermo rebelled.
“And yet that’s what men usually like; a woman who only wants sex with no strings attached.” Joanna moved closer to him as he moved back.
“Joanna, I don’t think you’re OK. And I’m not like that, like the men you’re talking about.”
She stopped and blushed at Guillermo’s tirade. Suddenly, she was upset, but mostly ashamed of her attitude.
“I’m ridiculous, aren’t I?”
“A bit frightening, mainly”, Guillermo commented, smiling now.
“Frightening? You could have said temptress or something like that...”
“Sexy?”
“That’s not bad, either”, Joanna thought.
How had to tone changed so much between them? She wondered.
“What’s going on, Joanna?”
She pouted.
“Do we really have to talk about it?”
“We can play Scrabble if you prefer...”
They both laughed, in unison at the unexpected proposition.
“It’s good, Scrabble”, she said anyway.
“I’ve got nothing against it”, he confirmed.
“I just handed in my resignation.”
There, she said it. Guillermo opened his mouth, flabbergasted.
“You... what?”
“I just handed in my resignation to my father. I don’t see why you’re so bowled over. It’s just that I realised I was wasting my time.”
“You’re incredible. Really astounding, Joanna.”
“Astounding, but you don’t want me”, she complained.
“I don’t want you to jump me to make up for I-don’t-know-what.”
Joanna blushed again and wondered why Guillermo wasn’t making her leave after what she had done. No, really, who did she think she was? An easy girl who threw herself on somebody like that? He had been more enlightened in the past.
“I apologise”, she murmured, looking down.
“And me; I told myself I must be crazy not to give in. Because you have some convincing arguments.”
“There, you’re laughing at me again.”
“I was complimenting you”, Guillermo assured.
His eyes were laughing and Joanna didn’t fall for it.
“So what are you going to do? Look for a job?”
“Yes, but not right away. I’m going to paint. I’ve bought everything necessary. It was you who told me to paint, do you remember?”
“It would be difficult to forget that moment.”
His eyes shone and he kissed her without a moment’s notice. Joanna was surprised by his quick movement pulling her towards him. Her lips parted, searching for him.
They remained wrapped around each other for several minutes before Guillermo let go of her.
“I think you have a funny effect on me.”
“It doesn’t sound good hearing you say it. I’d say you are refusing it.”
Guillermo turned around, pretending to pick up his things. Joanna suspected he wanted to hide his face. She felt hurt.
“You don’t want us to see each other anymore, is that it?”
“I think it’s getting a bit too complicated”, Guillermo announced, dully.
It was a confession. Joanna wanted to answer back, but she had nothing to add.
“I’ll go, then. Maybe we’ll run into each other some time.”
Joanna left in a rush, her heart overwhelmed by those last words. Guillermo remained silent. He did nothing to try to make her stay.
Once more, she wondered how they had gotten to that point, from a passionate kiss to getting kicked out.
She raised her index finger and gently touched her still hungry, unsatisfied lips.
67
Lorelli accomplished a feat. She met her bank manager in the morning, who welcomed her with open arms now that she had more credit.
Lorelli smiled, but inside, she thought he was dead weight. If she hadn’t managed it by herself, he wouldn’t be bowing and scraping to her. Profits, always profits, that was what the bank wanted and Lorelli was irritated when she stopped by.
Her bank manager hurried to cash her cheque, suddenly offering her a coffee or a tea. Lorelli flatly refused.
The man didn’t lose his friendly smile until his hand shake, limp, Lorelli thought, as they left each other.
When she left, Lorelli contacted Amélie Flaque to let her know that everything was in order. She made an appointment with the solicitor to settle the purchase of the restaurant.
Now, the evening was just beginning on a light note as the two women happily clinked glasses in their new premises.
“We really have our own place, I can’t believe it”, chuckled Amélie for at least the third time.
Lo
relli knew that there was still a lot of work to do. Her objective was just about feasible. Her bank manager told her she should get on with it at the end of the season. She shot back that the summer, during the peak season, would bring in a better turnover.
Strangely, he didn’t say a word.
Lorelli threw herself into the big opening day. She was well aware that she had to hire staff. That was part of the specifications she had prepared.
“Let’s settle into the flat upstairs, tomorrow”, she said. “And here is your key, my dear business partner.”
Lorelli and Amélie hugged each other like old friends.
“What are you doing here?” Joshua suddenly asked.
Lorelli looked up at her son then held out her arm horizontally before twirling around.
“As you can see, Joshua, Amélie and I have our own place. We have just bought the restaurant.”
Joshua looked flabbergasted and looked at his mother to be sure she was telling the truth.
“I wanted to see you, actually. About the money; I was finally able to get half the amount together”, he informed.
“You are sweet, Joshua. I’m grateful, believe me. But it’s not necessary.”
“How did you do it?” Joshua wanted to know, suspicious.
“I figured something out.”
“Is it Joanna? Did she give you a hand? That’s what she’s up to, hey?”
“What on earth are you talking about? Joanna has nothing to do with it.”
“Yeah, right!”
“Joshua, you’re being unkind”, Lorelli informed, but intrigued anyway.
“Well, she’s left us in a real pickle, now!”
“Are you still talking about Joanna?” Lorelli tried to follow.
“Who do you think I’m talking about; Of course.”
“I would like it if you took a different tone with me!” Lorelli belched.
Joshua was about to retaliate, but he realised that he had indeed gone too far. He apologised, reluctantly.
“Good, well then, what is going on with Joanna? Why are you blaming this on her?”
Joshua looked unsettled. He looked at his mother for a long time, as if he was trying to find out the truth from her attitude or her look, but he gave up.
“I thought she would have let you know, at least. Joanna has handed in her resignation!”
It came out like a sentence coming from Joshua’s mouth. However, Lorelli applauded loudly.
“Finally! She’s decided to cut herself loose from that torturous job. It wouldn’t take much to do a spin. I think today has been particularly successful”, she laughed again.
“But do you not understand or are you doing it on purpose?” Joshua was irritated once more.
“I understand she was far too patient with your father. And look, while we’re at it, with you, too. Because you didn’t tolerate her.”
“Oh! Nice. That’s how you thank me for wanting to help you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“About the money you wanted me to lend you”, Joshua reminded her, livid. “Would you believe it I have taken risks to be able to get that amount.”
“Well, first of all, you said yourself it was half the amount I needed, and moreover, I didn’t ask for anything you couldn’t manage.”
Joshua cursed, annoyed, then left as quickly as he arrived.
“I really think something fishy is going on”, Amélie commented.
“The only thing that I caught was that Joanna has freed herself. Forget my son’s worries, Amélie. He always tends to exaggerate. He likes looking for sympathy. His father and Joanna have always been there for him. And me, too.”
“And Joanna? Perhaps she needs you... You can go to see her if you want.”
Lorelli would have accepted at other times. Now, it was their evening. She categorically refused, and precised that her daughter was old enough to make her own decisions.
“Particularly as she’d certainly want to do something else with her first evening off other than see her mother.”
Lorelli knew in her heart of hearts that she would have gone to see her daughter if it hadn’t occurred on the same evening as her celebration.
She promised herself to pay her a visit the next day. And suddenly, an idea blossomed in her mind as she helped herself to a second glass of champagne.
68
Joshua suddenly felt like he no longer had time for anything. Everybody seemed to come to see him for even the slightest problem. Sometimes he sent the employees to his father, but they seemed afraid of him more than anything, so, they ended up coming back to him.
Joshua began wondering how Joanna had managed to get everything to run smoothly in the hotel.
“What’s going on now?” his father thundered, “the lobby’s packed. Why don’t you call the other operator?!”
“But she won’t be here until peak season”, Joshua answered back. “Sylvie’s managing well enough, and Grégoire’s giving her a hand.”
“Except the guests are not satisfied. There is a seminar this week and three other very important ones next week. These companies trust us every year. They choose to come here because of the service we give them as well as the setting. You must take care of it otherwise we could lose their clients.”
Joshua wanted to tell him that he should call Joanna. But his father would have hardly appreciated that comment. Especially as he would be showing his inability to solve the problem.
“I just need a day to organise myself”, he pleaded nonetheless. “Joanna was inconsistent in leaving that way.”
Rodolphe G. Gaspardin grumbled something that Joshua didn’t understand. He saw him go to the reception and do something rarely before seen: he helped by checking in some guests.
He was friendly, smiling and joking. He shed his armour as the unattainable head of the company to take his time with everybody. Joshua felt bad. He should have thought of that himself. What would it have cost him?
* * *
It was late at Joanna’s house when the phone rang. But the only sound was the answering machine clicking into action. Joanna had made a date with her best friend Linda for a girls’ night out. The announcement of her leaving the seaside hotel was the hottest news for the first few minutes. Then, with good grace, they moved away from the delicate and painful subject and on to having fun. It was the word of the evening.
“And no excuse to get away or being gloomy”, Linda laughed threatening her friend with her index finger.
They ordered two cocktails then happily rushed to the dance floor. Two men began to move around them. Linda winked at Joanna and grabbed her elbow so they could dance much closer, wiggling their hips excessively.
“You’re moving too much for me”, Joanna yelled, laughing.
“We’re having fun, Jo! You can get some breathing space tomorrow.”
“You never called me back”, she heard suddenly.
Joanna turned and came across Paul, the emergency doctor. He seemed disappointed.
“I liked your rose”, Joanna assured after a moment of surprise seeing him there.
They spoke a bit more as they danced together.
“I need a break”, Joanna panted after dancing for several songs.
Her cheeks were pink, some of her hair had gotten lose and she was smiling as she got her breath back. She looked in Linda’s direction.
“I’m with a friend”, she told him, pointing to her friend.
“She looks like she knows how to enjoy herself”, Paul announced moving closer to Joanna so she could hear him.
His lips were close to her ear, brushing against her skin. She turned towards him. He offered her a drink and she accepted. Paul ordered for them both.
“I was here with a friend, too. He left earlier than planned. Work; you know how it is.”
However, Joanna felt that he was lying. But she couldn’t understand why. Then she remembered the strange phone call where she heard laughing in the background. She was sure he w
as with a girl and about to... Well, have a good time. She had felt he wasn’t playing fair with her then, either.
Should she pay attention to the signals her brain was sending her, or did she just want to have fun? It was Linda who insisted they forget everything.
“Shall we go?” Paul suggested, finishing his glass.
He even placed an insistent hand on Joanna’s. His eyes were shining with desire. Joanna had no doubt about that.
What was the problem, then? She was annoyed at herself. Why did such a proposition from this really attractive guy not excite her that much?
69
Her telephone came to her rescue. She ogled at the screen, saw that it was Guillermo and pulled a face.
“A problem?” Paul asked, still with his hand on Joanna’s.
“Sorry, I have to answer”, she lied shamelessly, freeing her hand at the same time.
Paul waited as Joanna answered. In other circumstances, she wouldn’t have done. Especially as she had the feeling Guillermo and she had finished their romance quite abruptly. Had there even been a romance? Joanna doubted it.
Guillermo asked her how she was. Joanna replied that everything was fine. That she felt freer than ever and meant it. There was a silence between them; at least she wasn’t imagining things. Guillermo told her that the seaside hotel seemed lost without her. Joanna laughed but didn’t doubt it. He explained that everybody was looking for her and that she wasn’t answering her phone. That was true, she recognised.
“I’ve been screening my calls. And it’s fine just like that.”
There was a lot of noise around her from the music and laughter. She had difficulty following the whole conversation. Yet, she made herself stay on the line. Finally, she understood that she didn’t want to do anything with Paul. She watched him slyly as he ogled at the girls as they moved and grooved. She even caught him smile at two of them directly and inviting.
She realised that Guillermo was still talking to her. She could only catch the odd word and even then with effort. An extra comment from him nevertheless disappointed her. Or at least she had misunderstood. In any case, she suddenly felt obliged to tell him that she was with Paul, even checking her voice was conscious and bold.