Chapter 2. Who is Michelle?
[Chapter 3 will be available on September 1. Scroll down for previous chapters.]
Brushing her honey gold hair from her
eyes, she told herself you get what you expect to get and she wasn't
going to expect or accept another disappointment. Dan, the man of
her dreams was turning into an indifferent nightmare. He had the sexiest smile, with deep dimples he said he hated but turned her backbone to jelly when he flashed them. Unfortunately, he wasn't flashing them at her very much these days.
Her job as travel concierge at the world's largest consulting firm, so exciting at first, had become overwhelming as she struggled to keep up with its demands. Sometimes she felt like she was stuffing ten pounds of files into a five pound cabinet.
Her job as travel concierge at the world's largest consulting firm, so exciting at first, had become overwhelming as she struggled to keep up with its demands. Sometimes she felt like she was stuffing ten pounds of files into a five pound cabinet.
Her mother would tell her to 'buck
up,' and 'the world is your oyster' and other crazy platitudes. It
was just as well her retired parents were off on another of their
once in a lifetime trips, which they seemed to take every year.
Vanessa stretched her firm, young arms
and legs ready to roll out from between her violet plaid sheets.
Her mother said they matched her eyes. Funny because Vanessa didn't
think her eyes were plaid. She shrieked as her toes touched a
strange lump. The lump wiggled its way up to her face and began
licking her.
“Charlie!” She'd forgotten the
dog. After walking him in the cold rain last night, she'd shut him
up in the kitchen with his sleeping blanket and water dish. Somehow
the rascal had gotten out and into her bed. She must have been
really tired if he did it without waking her up.
Poor thing. He probably missed his
owner. She hoped the vet's office could find someone at home today.
Charlie lasered her with big, brown eyes and whined. She got the
message. He needed a walk. The rain had stopped. There was no
patter of drops hitting the window glass. She pulled on her grape
colored sweats, ran a brush over her hair, and hoped to heaven she
didn't meet anyone she knew.
On the corner there was a French bakery sending out the most delicious aromas and she decided for good luck she would eat a croissant
while reading the mystery card. Unfortunately, dogs weren't allowed
in Le Baguette, so she tied Charlie's leash to a parking meter and
dashed in to get a flaky, buttery pastry and a small, fragrant French
Roast coffee to go. Charlie sniffed the enticing smells and yelped
happily when she untied him to go back to her building.
Vanessa knew it was silly, but she
wanted to to create good vibes for reading what she hoped—expected,
she corrected herself—was a wonderful invitation. After feeding
Charlie, she warmed up the croissant and put it on a scalloped edge
plate with the Eiffel tower on it she'd picked up at a sale. For a
touch of Parisian elegance, she poured the black coffee into the
matching, porcelain cup. She added a little nonfat milk cause she didn't
like the bitterness of French Roast. Too bad, she mused, it wasn't cream. She put out a paper napkin
covered with wine labels left over from a small party she'd
had. If she were doing it properly it would have been a cloth
napkin. Oh, well, she wasn't in France yet. She propped the stiff card
against the coffee cup with the chateau facing her.
“Well, Charlie, I've put it off as
long as possible. I can't bear another minute of not...Oh, wait. I
need music.” Vanessa slipped in one of her favorite CDs,
practically an antique but she loved it, La Vie En Rose, and
smiled as the familiar violins started to sing.
She settled herself again, gave a deep
sigh, looked at the card and made a wish. She didn't know what she
was wishing for. Something new, something exciting, and, oh, please,
something French.
She made a swooping sign of the cross,
took a tiny bite of the croissant, savored it and swallowed. Then a
sip of the coffee and a wipe of her glistening, pink lips with the
napkin. She slid the card out of its envelope, rubbing her finger
tips lightly over the picture of the imposing, stone faced chateau
with its pointed towers.
Charlie pushed his nose against her
leg. “OK, Charlie, come on.” She patted the seat of the wooden
chair next to her and he scampered up. He woofed, looking at the
card as if urging her to hurry and open it.
She slowly opened the top flap of the
note. The message inside was written in a beautiful, flowing
script...in French. Her stomach dropped like a bocce ball. At first
all she could recognize was her name and the words at the bottom,
Respondez
s'il vous plait. She didn't
know French but her 'stickler for manners' mother had hammered into
her what that meant. Respond if you please. So, it was an
invitation of some kind. That was encouraging. But she wanted it
translated and fast. She pulled her iPad over and went to Google
translation. She typed in the words of the card, sentence by
sentence, until she got what looked like a readable version in
English.
“Mon cher Vanessa, Vous
pouvez rappeler de moi comme un vieil ami de votre mère. My
dear Vanessa, You may remember me as an old friend of your
mother's. I tried to call but she does not answer. She must be away
on one of her adventures. I hope you are as adventurous as she is
because I have a favor to ask of you...”
Vanessa's cell rang. She grumbled and
let it go to voice mail. Charlie nudged her hand with his cold nose.
“Yes, yes. I'll keep reading.”
“You may have an important
occupation and relationships you would not want to disrupt, but I
find myself needing your presence. It is vital that you come to
visit me at the Chateau de Savigny as soon as possible. I will cover
all your expenses. Although I prefer what you Americans call 'snail
mail', it would be advantageous in this case if you could respond to
my electronic mail: MichelleSavigny@francais.net.
Respond if you please. Most sincerely yours, Michelle.”
Vanessa hands fell from the keyboard.
“Is this a joke? Charlie, I've never heard of this woman before.
And why does she need my presence?” The dog put both his front
paws on her leg and pushed his head against her tummy.
“Oh dear, and I still need to find
your owner.” She finished the croissant without tasting it. Her
cell rang again. “Vanessa” she answered. It was Jackie at the
vet's office.
“I'm sorry but we've bad news for
you. We've located Charles' owner.”
“But that's good news!” She would
be sad to have Charlie leave, but if she did go to France, she
couldn't keep him.
“There's more. Are you sitting
down?”
“Yees. What else?”
“The dog's owner was Raymond Carr,
but he was struck and killed in a hit and run accident last evening.
He had no relatives. It's on the news this morning.”
“Oh, no. The accident must have
happened when he was walking Charlie. That's why the dog ran away.
I'm so sorry, but where should I bring Charlie? To Mr. Carr's
apartment?” Vanessa glanced at Charlie whose ears pricked up, like
he recognized his owner's name.
“No, there's no one at the
apartment. No one to take the dog. The only solution is to take the
dog to the pound. Don't worry they'll take good care of him.”
Vanessa looked at Charlie, whose
fluffy white head was now down between his paws as he laid on the
floor. He looked up at her as if he was thinking, please don't send
me away. She knew the pound had a two week waiting period. If an
animal wasn't adopted by then, it was...she didn't want to think
about it. She thanked Jackie for calling her. As she clicked off,
she saw the flashing light reminding her of the ignored call.
“Vanessa, This is Dan. Sorry I had
to bail on you last night. But let me make it up to you. I've
scored tickets for tonight's Bulls' game. It's against the Lakers so
should be an epic battle. Let me know right away. If you can't make
it I'll have to find someone else. Can't waste these seats.”
After listening to his message, she
didn't know whether to feel happy he was taking her someplace
special, or sad because someone probably bailed on him to make him
available. Oh, why not, she thought, she had nothing else to do
tonight and he did have those devastating dimples. But she'd let him wait a little before she accepted the
date.
As she punched in her parents' cell
number, she racked her brain to remember a woman named Michelle.
There was no answer. Of course not, it must be the middle of the
night in Thailand. Her sensible mother would have turned the phone
off, knowing she couldn't do anything about any disaster until
morning.
The next best thing was a long talk
with Sylvia. She was home and excited about the invitation. She
said it was about time something good happened to Vanessa and of
course she should go. “This Michelle knew your mother's name and
your address so it can't be a scam and she offered to pay your
expenses.”
Vanessa skimmed the translation and
the card, no where did she see her mother's name. But whoever wrote
the letter knew her mother loved adventures.
Sylvia pooh-poohed her fears. “Just
answer with a yes and see what happens next. You don't have to go if
you don't want to. At least find out more about it before saying
no.”
“If I go, could you take care of
Charlie for me?”
“Charlie, who's Charlie? Aren't you
still dating dumpling Dan?”
“Charlie's the dog I rescued last
night. And yeah, I guess I'm still dating Dan. At least I am
tonight.”
Sylvia chuckled. “Dan's another good
reason to leave town. Remember 'Absence makes the heart grow
fonder.” 'Course I wouldn't blame you if you preferred 'out of
sight, ought of mind.' And no, sorry, I can't take care of a dog.
My building doesn't allow pets, remember. I've thought about suing
them over the issue, but I'll save my legal ammunition for a bigger
case.”
“I don't know exactly when Michelle
needs me in France. Maybe my folks will be home by then and my Mom can help her. Or can take
the dog so I can go. But enough about me. Do you think your new client is going
to work out well for your career.”
They debated the pros and cons of Sylvia's client, who wanted to sue Jen & Barry's ice cream for an
unhealthy weight gain due to use of the product. When that subject
was exhausted they hung up promising to touch base on Sunday.
Vanessa called Dan, getting his voice mail. She lowered her voice to
what she hoped was a sexy tone saying she was up for the game and
possibly everything else he had in mind.
She glanced down at Charlie. Although
asleep, he now had both paws over his head. Was this his opinion of
her going out with Dan? She shook her head, of course not. He was a
dog, he couldn't even know what she was saying.
Now she was faced with sending an
e-mail reply to Michelle Savigny. She looked down at her grubby
sweats. No, they would never do. It was crazy, but she needed to
take a shower and pull together an 'outfit' before she could write to
the probably incredibly chic woman.
An hour later, she was squeaky clean
and dressed in a fitted white T shirt, black jeans so tight she could
barely sit in them, and black ballet slippers. Strangely enough, the
clothes gave her confidence. But still she trembled with excitement
as she composed a formal response. This might be the most important
letter of her life.
She typed that yes her mother was on
an adventure and wouldn't be back for two months. Considering her
words carefully as she would for college entrance essay, she
thanked Michelle for the invitation to Chateau Savigny. If help was
needed before her mother came home, she, Vanessa, might be able to
arrange time off from her employment. When would Michelle want
Vanessa's presence? For how long? And to do what? She tried to
word the message as politely and grammatically as possible. She
hoped it wouldn't count against her that she didn't write in French.
Oh well, once she tapped 'send' her future would be in the hands of
the gods.
[To be continued on September 1.]
