Please let me know either way.
Rosie.
The little bitch! And I mean that in the nicest way possible. Damn her. She knows I wouldn’t want any of the staff to be let go. Well, Kannika would be the exception. But what about Gan? The perfumery is everything to him.
And then I wonder if it’s true. Is Daniel’s perfumery really in trouble? But he seems so talented! Is he just not very good at marketing? He’s always busy, so there must be more to the story.
I stare at the screen and re-read the message. I don’t like that I’m being manipulated. Why does everyone feel like it’s OK to do that?
But then Daniel has never tried to, and he’s the one who would benefit the most from this arrangement.
A scared thrill races through my body as I contemplate returning to the perfumery against Aaron’s wishes. I normally tolerate all of my boyfriend’s kookiness, but these last twenty-four hours have made me realise that if I let him have his way this time, I’ll be setting a very dangerous precedent. I can put up with his protective emails, and the fact that he wants to make sure I’m safe, but it is not OK to spy on me, or assume I’m cheating.
I kind of feel like standing up to Aaron might even be good for him in the long run. Make him understand that we have an equal partnership.
I quickly write up a reply to Rosie and tell her I’ll meet her at the perfumery after lunch.
I know this isn’t the easy way out, but I think it’s going to be fun.
***
I don’t get back to the perfumery until almost half an hour after I planned, thanks to a horrendous traffic jam on the highway.
I wasn’t going to check out of the Indra Regent, but if I’m going to keep working at the perfumery for a few more days, it might be best if I went back to the apartment. And I’d be saving Aaron money. He might not see the positive in that, but it seems silly to spend money just for the sake of it.
Both Daniel and Rosie are in the shop when I get there, sitting at a small table covered in dozens of different materials. They both look up at the same time and smile.
“Hi guys,” I say awkwardly. “Sorry I’m late…and also Daniel about…”
Rosie cuts me off. “Chloe felt bad that she had food poisoning yesterday and wasn’t able to contact you herself. I told her she was being ridiculous.”
I look at her, one eyebrow raised. What is she talking about? She shoots me a warning look and I suddenly feel confused. What’s going on?
“Of course I understand you weren’t in any condition to be social. I’m just glad you’re feeling better. Anyway, Rosie tells me you’ve offered to help her work on her new line of skincare products.”
“That’s right. I assume you’ll be pretty busy over the next few days, getting ready for your workshop?”
“Yeah. There’s always so much prep work for these things. So if it’s OK with you, I might leave you both to it. But let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do,” Rosie sing-songs.
After Daniel is out of earshot, I look at her. “Why did you cut me off when I was going to apologise for leaving him in the lurch?”
“Because I didn’t tell him you’d left! I thought I would wait and see if you wanted to help me with this stuff first. There was no use worrying Daniel if you were going to change your mind.”
I slap her on the arm. “I wish you would have gone about this a different way. You made me feel like I had no choice.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, seeming genuinely apologetic. “I know it was manipulative, and by the sounds of it, you have plenty of those people in your life already. I promise to never pull a stunt like that again.”
My face softens. “Apology accepted.”
She pulls a key out of her pocket. “So you’ll be needing this back, I take it?”
“Well, I wasn’t going to move back, but after the traffic this morning, I’ve decided I probably will.”
I take the key and hope that the PI has stopped following me.
Which makes me think of something.
“Hey, what happened with you and Lover Boy at the club the other night?”
She grins devilishly. “Why do you think I was only just coming back in the elevator yesterday morning?”
I stare at her. “No!”
She nods. “Oh, yes.”
“You little hussy, you.”
“Hey, I told you he was right up my alley.” And then she bursts into laughter. “Ooh, that sounded dirty.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to know the details.”
“I wasn’t going to tell you anyway. Other than he had a huge…”
“What are you doing here?” A voice suddenly cuts in on our conversation. “I thought you’d finally left.” My heart sinks. Kannika is standing nearby, watching us.
“I’m sorry, but who are you?” Rosie asks, irritated.
“Uh, I work here. And I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to her.” She jabs a finger in my direction.
“She’s helping me,” Rosie answers for me. “Daniel asked her specifically to assist me, seeing as I will be spending a lot of money in this perfumery. So if you’re an employee, I suggest you change your tone.”
Kannika sneers and says something in Thai.
Rosie says something back in Thai, and I can barely hide my glee when Kannika registers shock at being understood before storming off in disgust.
Rosie looks at me incredulously. “Let me guess. Kannika?”
“Yep. Oh my God, you are my hero right now. What did she say?”
“Oh, just that we were a pair of Western whores.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told her I wasn’t insulted by that, because I have several friends in LA who work as high-class escorts, and they make more money in a week than she would in a whole year. And at least they treat their clients with respect.”
I can’t contain my laughter. “I think I love you, Rosie.”
“The feeling’s mutual, babe.” She wraps an arm around me and pulls me in for a side hug. “The feeling’s mutual.”
SEVENTEEN
The perfumery is closed on Sunday, so Rosie and I go on a temple and palace tour. Before we leave, we dress in the most conservative clothes we own. For me, that’s a pair of orange harem pants I bought from a market back home and a white t-shirt. For Rosie, it’s a red fifties rockabilly dress. I wouldn’t say she looks particularly respectful, but at least the dress goes down to her knees and its sleeves cover her shoulders.
Our first stop is the Grand Palace, and we arrive early, before the crowds get too thick. The grounds are immaculately kept, with lush green lawns, perfectly manicured trees and freshly swept paths. The buildings are all constructed in the traditional Thai style with lots of pointy roofs and gold spires. Many of the walls are covered in mosaic tiles that sparkle in the morning sun. It is absolutely stunning.
The smell of incense wafts past me and it reminds me of something.
“Hey, Rosie, I never got around to asking: when Daniel made you that fragrance, you seemed really surprised by the way it smelt. Why was that?”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you already? Sorry, I thought I did. OK, so this is going to sound unbelievable, but that perfume—I don’t know how—but it somehow perfectly captured a particular time in my life. A really happy time before everything turned to shit. And when I smelt it, it was like I was actually there again. Reliving it. I literally saw my parents standing on the beach near my childhood home in San Diego…I could smell the ocean, and the perfume Mom used to wear, and the hair product Dad used to buy. It was like Daniel managed to capture the exact—and I mean exact—smells from that moment.”
I stare at her. “But how can that be? There’s no way he could’ve known. And what are the odds of just randomly coming up with that specific combination?”
“I don’t know, but I’m grateful. Mom and Dad died a year ago, and I’ve been struggling a bit lately. I’d started to worry that I was for
getting them and it feels like Daniel somehow knew I needed to remember.”
I don’t know what to say. Is it possible Daniel knew all that, just from looking at Rosie? Was it a coincidence? And then I process what she just said.
“I’m so sorry about your parents. Do you mind me asking what happened?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind talking about it. They died in a car crash. A truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and ploughed into them. It was pretty fucked up. And do you know what’s even more fucked up? I am now super wealthy because of it. Mom and Dad were rich, so I inherited all their money, but I also got a payout from the company who employed the truck driver. My aunt hired a lawyer to sue them for me. I was kind of against it at first, but I also wanted the company to suffer financially, so I could avenge their deaths in some way. And now I’ve been using the payout to fund this ridiculous vacation. Originally, I just wanted to spend all my money as quickly as possible, because I didn’t want to be reminded of what happened every time I looked at my bank balance.” She shakes her head as if regretting all that waste now. “But then after I smelt the perfume Daniel made, I wanted to create the line of skincare products to dedicate to their memory.”
“Wow.” I stop walking and give Rosie a heartfelt hug. She laughs and awkwardly wraps her arms around me in return.
“Sorry. I’m still getting used to reconnecting with people properly. I switched off for a while after Mom and Dad died.”
I pull back and look at her again. “I think it’s great what you’re doing. And how you’re handling everything.”
“Well, what was the alternative? Stay in LA and pretend everything was normal? Nope. I needed to get away for a while. See the world and all that.”
“I’m so sorry, I had no idea. I never should’ve moved out the other day. I feel like I abandoned you!”
She dismissively waves a hand at me. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t think that at all—I was just surprised. I sort of understood where you were coming from, even if it was a dumb move to go back to your boyfriend. Speaking of which, what does he think about your change of plans?”
We start walking again. “He doesn’t know. Unless your PI has spoken to him.”
“Oh. Yeah, about that. I hope you don’t mind, but I paid him to stop tailing you. I couldn’t be sleeping with some guy who was following my friend around town. Besides, it would have taken time away from our dates. So now everyone’s happy. Well, except for maybe Aaron.”
“You didn’t have to do that!”
“No, I didn’t, but if I have to spend this money, I might as well spend it wisely. So if I can stop someone spying on you, I’m going to do it.”
“Rosie, you are way too kind to me.”
“Hey, if I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun on the day I locked myself out of my apartment. By the way, I am officially obsessed with those pastries you bought. And I certainly wouldn’t be on the current path I’m on. I would never have met Daniel or had that perfume made for me. It’s like it was all meant to be.”
I think about that for a minute: crazy boyfriends, chance encounters, and magical perfumes…it does seem rather serendipitous. Almost unbelievable. But then maybe it is all just meant to be.
Rosie points to a tour group gathering nearby. “Hey, do you want to crash this tour? Try and actually soak up a bit of culture?”
“Sounds good.”
I turn my attention to the tour guide and listen to the history of a royal family that has been around since the seventeen hundreds.
It kind of puts my place in the universe into perspective.
***
For lunch, we head back into the city and stop at a place called the Platinum Fashion Mall. Rosie suggests we eat before looking at all the clothes in the multi-storey shopping centre. And because she doesn’t seem to share my guilt at eating Western food while in Thailand, she insists we go to a place called Jeffer Steak. It looks like it might be a Thai franchise, but it doesn’t sell anything that sounds Thai.
“OK, so I’ve told you my life story,” Rosie says after we sit down and open our menus. “What’s yours?”
“I’ve kind of told you the important stuff. You know about my sister and Aaron. What else do you want to know?”
“I don’t know. Are you close to your parents?”
“Uh, actually, I don’t really know my dad. He left when I was little. And while I do see my mum every week, I don’t think she quite realises I’m there.”
Rosie frowns. “What do you mean?”
“She’s an alcoholic.” I don’t usually talk about Mum, because it makes me sad, but I figure that after what Rosie revealed this morning, I owe her just as much honesty in return.
“Oh, that sucks. I’m sorry.”
“It’s OK. I guess a lot of people have the same problem.”
A server comes to take our order, but Rosie asks them to come back in a few minutes and continues to casually peruse the menu, apparently in no hurry.
“I used to date this guy, Taj,” she says. “He was an alcoholic, but I didn’t realise it until I was totally committed to the relationship, and by that stage it felt impossible to leave. I tried to get him to go to rehab, but he wouldn’t. And then I was worried if I left him, it would make him worse and he’d die.”
“So what happened?”
“He lived, and my parents died. I guess that helped me prioritise my own wellbeing.”
“God. You’ve really had a rough couple of years.”
“I try to not dwell on any of that—there’s nothing I can do about it. But one thing I can say is that having gone through everything, I realise how fragile life is and that I need to do what makes me happy.”
“But you can see why I don’t want to leave Aaron?”
“Oh, yeah, I can see, alright. That’s why I intervened. Because I wanted to give you a way out, without having your parents die first.”
“But he’s not that bad most of the time. He can be really sweet.”
“So could Taj. The sweetest. But it was not a healthy relationship. It has to be equal to work properly.”
“Are you happy with where you are right now? Hanging out here in Bangkok and sleeping with cute PIs?”
She laughs. “Actually, I am. I used to have a pretty average job as a bank teller, but I quit right after Mom and Dad died, even before I knew I was going to get any money. I hired Joey to take care of all the practical stuff—he’s an old family friend and he had been calling in every couple of days to check on me, so when it looked like I was going to get an inheritance, I asked if I could pay him to help out with everything. It suits him, because it covers his living expenses between acting jobs. He’s also housesitting while I’m away.”
“You said you had…um…slept together?” I ask, wondering whether he’d be jealous if he knew Rosie was seeing someone else.
“Oh, yeah. It’s kind of a friends-with-benefits arrangement. If we’re in the same city and both single, we fool around. But there are no expectations. We wouldn’t be compatible in the long term.”
“What makes you say that?” I’m genuinely curious about people who can sustain such unconventional relationships.
“He parties too hard every weekend. I couldn’t take the constant stress of worrying that he’s not going to make it home one night, and that he’ll OD on some drug he got from a stranger. He’s a hottie, though. And I like that he’s always there in the background.”
“I’m impressed you’re able to handle everything so logically.”
She laughs. “I can’t always. I admit, there have been times when I’ve wondered about settling down with Joey, but I always come to my senses before doing anything stupid.”
“How long have you been away?”
“I don’t know, actually. A few months at least, but I haven’t really been keeping track. I just stay somewhere as long as it feels right, and Joey organises my travel when I want to move on. Have you noticed I don’t even have a phone? I
hate technology, so I’ve been avoiding it. You know, as cliché as it sounds, I was kind of using this trip to find myself. And I think I have discovered my purpose, at least for now, doing this perfume stuff.”
“Oh, that’s great.”
“And I’m definitely glad I met you.” She smiles warmly, then shakes her head. “Sorry, here I am talking about myself again when we should be talking about you. Tell me about Aaron. I want to know why he’s worth your time.”
I study her face to see if she just wants to verbally bash him, but her expression is clear. I sigh.
“I think I need a drink first.”
“OK.” She waves a server over. “I suppose we should order food too.”
I quickly scan the menu. “I’ll have a blue margarita,” I say to the server. “And the chicken burger.”
Rosie nods approvingly. “I’ll have a beer and the carbonara pasta.”
The server bows slightly and then leaves us.
I start playing with the salt shaker, not really knowing where to start. I decide to go back to the beginning. “A few years back, Mia and I spent a weekend up the coast. On Sunday afternoons there’s always horrible traffic heading back, and we ended up stuck in this massive line of stationary cars. I’d given Mia money for petrol, because we’d taken her car, but she’d spent it on drinks instead. So just as everyone started to move, we ran out of fuel and were stranded on the side of the highway. And when we tried calling roadside assistance, we found out Mia had forgotten to renew her membership, so they wouldn’t come to help us.”
The server appears with our drinks and I take a big slurp of my cocktail. It looks awesome, made in a mason jar with a small handful of maraschino cherries floating around in the blue liquid. It tastes pretty good too.
“Your sister is still not doing it for me,” Rosie says, sipping her beer. “I know you’re trying not to talk bad about her, but I can tell she’s a bit self-centred.”
I do sometimes feel like she is, but I don’t want to acknowledge it out loud, so I don’t. “Anyway, there was this convoy of army trucks we’d passed a bit earlier, and when they caught up to us, one stopped to help. The first guy out of the truck was Aaron.”
Perfume Therapy Page 13