“Sorry, love, I am still a bit drowsy.”
“Just to let you see that we are already at our destination. Samantha and Phil are over there anxious to welcome us.”
Araon felt relieved while noticing that Phil was wearing jeans. They were both dressed in casual wear.
“Good morning Jill. Good morning Araon. Did you sleep well?” said Phil.
“Yes indeed. We have been woken up by your sardonic laugh. Jill almost fell down when she went to pick the shoes from the shoes cupboard. She feels terrific in this dark wear.”
“So let’s go. Women first. Jill. Samantha…”
The four almost broke down the scale of emotions as steadily bewitched by the car’s facilities as they were. “Jill, Araon, shut down the curtain and enjoy your intimacy,” said Phil at the end.
“Is the air condition OK?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
“Now enjoy your travel.” he insisted. Jill took the sleepers and lay on the seat. She had some still water to put a remedy to all that sweating and put her head on Araon’s legs. Some music came from both sides of the car.
“You can tame your erotic desires if this pleases you,” a voice said and Phil knocked on their seat.
“It’s just a joke. You will get used to me very soon, I guess.”
“Sure, Phil. We are half frightened and half amused by your sense of entertainment. If it was not for you and Samantha, we would be very bored. There is no escapism. Tell me, can you see from the window where we are now?” said Araon.
“We are directed to Selfridges, the place where Jill and Samantha wish to do the shopping. We don’t want to go to Harrods because it is too posh. We are simple guys, after all. Listen: we have arrived,” said Phil.
The limousine stopped in front of the door of the department store to let them get out. The driver was away for the rest of the day waiting for them to call him to say they had to go. “Look Araon: it’s a dream!” exclaimed Jill.” “We are straight into the jewellery room. I want to see all the pieces of jewellery and buy one. Samantha is here with me for some advice. I see. Maybe I have found what I was looking for. A pearl necklace from Armani. He is also making jewels. I happen to know it just now. Samantha, tell me: does this necklace suit me?” said Jill.
“I think you look fantastic! It matches your black suit very well. And also, your complexion. I will buy the earrings from the same brand. Our men should be proud of us. I think we can go to pay now,” said Samantha.
The check assistant was an ugly, stinking lady in her forties. She was also very rude mannered. Samantha and Jill gave each other a glance of complicity. They arranged to pay quickly and to run away from that woman as soon as possible. Their men were behind them talking friendly. “I guess you were talking about business,” said Samantha.
“I would think so,” Jill said immediately.
An amazing couple had just entered from the door close to them. There was a woman with a bulldog with a muzzle and a whip in her right hand. An effeminate, womanish man was with her. Samantha and Jill exchanged a funny smile. “We must be careful,” Jill said, even if Samantha didn’t understand what Jill meant. They approached the escalator and heard Phil and Araon shout: “Don’t lose us. Wait for us.” The two women nodded and went to the first floor which was endowed with a display of fashionable dresses and very expensive shoes. Jill couldn’t find anything appropriate. At home she had it all, after all.
She spent a few minutes looking around when Samantha called her. “Hey. There is the chewing gum man.” A man so nimble that could twist around. Samantha had heard of him from telly and now she was so close to him to boost her imagination. Jill tried to hide her lack of interest in the matter with a maternal smile. Apparently, the game was over and routine faced itself on the place again.
Samantha and Jill were still in the shoe shop with their men behind them. A moment of absent-mindedness and Araon didn’t realize that Jill was going to fall down. “Jill, Jill don’t make me worry.”
“We left the address and telephone number of a GP in case you need it in your flat. What’s wrong?” Shriek Samantha.
“Nothing, Samantha. I think it’s the difference of temperature from outside. Van der Baast:”
“What?”
“I said Van der Baast because he is the one who gives me good advice in these circumstances. I only need some sugar. Would you stop to get a drink in the bar?”
“Sure. Hey men: let’s go to the bar,” Samantha said with all the breath she could use.
Jill smashed her desires in a coffee with a dash of milk and the other three followed suit. “I hope this won’t happen any more,” said Samantha.
“Once at home, contact the GP and explain to him exactly what happened to you. Now I see you are looking better. Have you got nausea as well?”
“No Samantha. I feel well now. We can go if you want to,” said Jill.
“I’ll call the limousine,” said Philip.
The car arrived sooner than expected. “Now I’ll show you the wonders of the city: Marble Arch, Victoria Station, Buckingham Palace. We can see these and something else while lying in the seats of the car. I promised to keep a glance at air pollution. I mean we need to be bright. Jill take yourself at ease and enjoy your intimacy with Araon.”
“No jokes?”
“It depends.”
“Thank you for your charm. We don’t have a moment of boredom with you,” Said Jill.
I try to do my best. I have strong feelings of friendship,” Phil replied.
The car was fast in the middle of the traffic and the four were soon at their respective houses. Jill found a surprise on the desk of the bedroom. A golden necklace with a diamond well exposed. She was enchanted by the gift.
“Hey, Jill. It’s Araon.” The door opened and a cunning sight of her spouse delighted Jill eyes. “How could you send me this jewel?”
“I spent half an hour with Samantha leaving you and Phil on your own.”
“It’s a mystery, my dear. Now I am an alpha male. I won’t reveal to you the secret. You are the one who will reveal it to me. Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed the surprise.”
“It’s simply fantastic.”
“Yes and there is other news. Here is a fountain pen. I have to write a letter to the British Consulate in Amsterdam in order to grant the right of a refugee to an Iraqi who currently lives here. I can do it on the grounds of my position as a powerful businessman. Yes, you have understood. From now on I am a business associate of Phil’s. I have done it for you and for our little Rokin. Phil revealed to me the secret of his constant good mood. He takes notes in the calendar concerning good deeds to do in order to have a spiritual balance to his life as a billionaire. And I wish to do the same. You can shriek now, Jill. I have to inform you that we are the owners of this flat. A gift from Phil. He has also paid the solicitor’s expenses. Isn’t he great?”
“I’m happy Araon. I cannot believe our life has changed so much in one month. A simple suitcase on a train. The word Van der Baast created a solid concern among strangers. And there is more I don’t dare to confess. Do you know the reason we have been invited to London?”
“Yes, Jill, Keb Mami.”
“Good. The concert is this evening at The Royal Albert Hall at eight pm. Samantha and Phil will come to pick us up at seven pm. We have all the time to relax ourselves. I have been bewitched by the enchanting power of the hydro massage. I’ll plunge into the bathtub while you do whatever you like waiting for the evening event. Write your intentions previously exposed to me and make sure that the writing is nice and clear to be understood. I’ll go now. I don’t want you to waste more time for me.”
Araon had to play a dirty game with that refugee. He proceeded in an orderly fashion. He had no idea about how to help that man. Sure, he was more powerful and responsible now, but to follow the example of good-doing of Phil was not clearly enough. After all, Samantha got used to Phil’s powerful form of protection very soon. And Araon followed suit: no deal is be
tter than a bad deal was his motto. He figured out to make Jill deserved to be overwhelmed with his attention. Life for them was not the same any more. Their adorable intimacy was in the grip of those damned bodyguards who were forced to follow them at a certain distance. Hopefully they had not had serious problems so far.
“Sweetheart, are you ready?” said Jill coming out of the bathroom wearing a nightshirt.
“Yes, I’m ready dear. By the way, I forgot to ask you something: have you contacted the GP regarding your throwing up this morning?”
“Not yet.”
“So do it as soon as possible as a form of safety. Just dial 23 and he will be here in ten minutes. He lives next door.
“Good!”
And the GP arrived very quickly. He checked Jill’s arterial pressure and the condition of her chest. “Everything is fine from what I can see. Maybe you had some nausea because of the blistering hot weather. Take care. I will be at your disposal any time you need me. Now I go. Have a nice day,” said the doctor.
“Thanks a lot,” answered Jill.
“Jill”
“Yes, darling?”
“The clock reads the exact time to leave. We probably won’t have a moment of tranquility sipping our favourite coffee.”
“No problem, Araon. There is some coffee with a dash of milk for the two of us in the kitchen. Can you smell the fuming hot odour?”
“That’s good news. I just needed it.”
“Araon, I forgot to ask a question of the GP: how long does it take to have the full placenta in the womb.”
“I know it will take about twenty weeks. A bit too early for the moment. But, please, sit at the table and enjoy your coffee. I have also some peach tea if you want.”
“Let me see. But it’s too hot! How can it be like that?”
“I don’t know. Please, Jill be patient. I’m new to the matter.”
“That’s good enough Araon. But are you sure our friends are supposed to be here by now? I cannot see the limousine. I suppose we will be home late tonight and we have to match at our best the time of rest and the time of full enjoyment.” And she collapsed.
In a half dream state of mind, Jill started to fly with her imagination. She saw the big car with some screw in the tyres but this time she saw it stopping in front of a shed. No accident at all, but she found those images very convulsive. “Are you OK Jill?”
“Yes Araon. It was a moment of somnolence. I’m puzzled about what dress to wear to go out.”
“The black one will do. It’s a perfect match with the diamond necklace,” said Araon.
And a diamond necklace was what Samantha was wearing when they arrived at their flat. “Sorry if we are too early, my friends. The problem was that I didn’t want to face the peril of the traffic jam. I had a small accident when I was coming here. I saw Ausberge, a gold digger, who wanted to marry me a couple of years ago. Now she is married to a gardener and she is the happiest woman under the sun. Sometimes I present her with some money anonymously. Anyway, we are ready to go. Please, get in the limousine. The traffic won’t cheat us now,” said Phil.
The driver knew the secret of good driving. He let the four go through the wild architecture of the city by passing as many Cheb Mami posters as he could. Phil didn’t miss the occasion to do nasty jokes to his newly acquired friends. “Good, you have passed the exam. You are ready to bear jokes you cannot stand otherwise. I am cruel and vicious if I want to be. My friends, the good ones like you, are my sheep and I am the good shepherd. Sometimes I wonder why we chose Cheb Mami and not somebody else. I know him from two years ago. Apparently, he became a star late in his life. I don’t know what else I can do for your wellbeing. Oh, yes: relax. Jill be comfortable as if you were in your bed.”
“It’s too early to have a sleep, Phil.”
They were the merry men who went crazy by the Royal Albert Hall.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Jill and the night’s sleep didn’t get along together very well. It was one of those indefinite nights she had nothing to do other than forget what sleeping meant. Even the presence of blissful Araon Enlighted her status of a woken-up woman. She went into the kitchen to have a glass of water with sugar when the phone rang. A feeble voice reminded her of her jovial youth in Provence. It was the same tone of voice that dwarfed her in the presence of ghost-like figures.” Hi Jill. How are you? It’s Sylvanus. Sorry if I call you so late in the night but the l phone was busy during the day. I desperately need you.”
“It’s my fault Sylvanus. During the day I left my mobile off because me and Araon are in London with Phil and Samantha. We went to a great concert earlier this evening and now I am her to revert Araon who is apparently a man of great stamina. You seem dumbstruck. What’s wrong?”
“I am not in a state of bliss. Albert decided that we should go on holiday for one week and, apart from my job, I have nothing else to do. Somebody thinks I’m envious of Albert and Ravina. But, to be honest with you, I don’t want to wear their same shoes. They argue quite a bit. But, you know, to be single has a price: loneliness. Albert forgot the appointment with the priest for their wedding and Ravina got cantankerous. She tossed a slipper at Albert in my presence, crazy woman. She cannot stand the idea of living together and not being married. But, apart from that episode, they spread a little happiness to me as well. You know, it’s obvious I cannot go out with them whenever I want. They need their privacy. With you, things are different: you dedicate your time to a beast as I am. Just kidding, of course.”
“My dear Sylvanus you sink your teeth into those of Albert. Listen to me: pretend to be an ephemeral gratitude for your friendship with Albert and Ravina. Now I am like in a dream. London is majestic and this is certainly not the last time we come here. Now have a sleep. I’ll contact you as soon as I am in Amsterdam. Goodnight Sylvanus.”
“Goodnight Jill.”
Jill went to have a look in her diary. There was a page all crumpled. It’s Araon’s fault, she thought. How silly. I did it yesterday when I dropped the diary on the floor. Araon could never spy on my notes… Oh, my goodness. Again. “She had a vision of the big car with the screw in the tyres. It was all covered with mud and it was upside down in the countryside. Jill didn’t know what was the problem; why she had always those oppressing images. Or, maybe, it was a plunge into the past driven by her chat to Sylvanus. The fat old lady at the knitting course with her stories of her niece prostitute, the old witch. All those women had increased Jill’s negative creativity and pushed her to rely on whims. She only hoped those thoughts were not the beginning of a convulsion. She went back to the bedroom where Araon was sleeping like a child. She finally got herself into the bed, leant her face on the pillow and fell asleep. It was four am.
The day started with the sardonic grin of Phil through the alarm clock. “Good morning, my princess. Did you sleep well?” said Araon to an overwhelmed Jill.
“Actually, I had to wait until four am to start sleeping. Maybe I was excited by the day. The concert was better than most, Samantha was the usual good companion but, at a certain point, I even felt a bit envious. She told me she had been working for an Irish Airline as a hostess before she came to London and met Phil. I have never worked in my life. I saw you and Phil chatting with charm.”
“Yes, darling. We were chatting about business. He got the first work appointment with me prior to the day we go back to Amsterdam. We have to deal with a boss of The British Airways Company. A deal of a million pounds Of course, you and Samantha will be with us.”
“That’s terrific. I was expecting that good news. And what did you plan for today?”
“Phil told me that they would be here by nine am but he hadn’t decided what to do yet.”
Sure enough, the phone rang immediately. “Hi Araon. Are you coming from sweet dreams?”
“Yes, Phil. But I cannot say the same for Jill. She has just told me that she fell asleep at four am. Probably because she was agitated by the terrific evening we spent toget
her. I would suggest that we shouldn’t go out this morning,” said Araon.
“Well, this is exactly what Samantha and me wanted to say to you. I am in the swimming pool room while Samantha is pampering herself upstairs. What if we meet each other at six or at eight pm so that you can have your afternoon and morning free? Don’t suppose I‘m playing as if in a joust. We are good people, you must have understood it by now.”
“Actually, me and Jill were thinking of using the barbecue in order to have excellent roasted steaks in company of you and Samantha.”
“Brilliant. I’ll arrange for the steaks to be delivered to you by four p.m. We’ll come to you on time. Have a nice day.”
“The same with you, Phil.”
Jill nodded when she realized Araon was going to say something. “You know, Araon. This morning and afternoon are for ourselves only. Actually, I have called a housekeeper to clean the flat very thoroughly. All this according to our mutual intentions. By the way, did you receive The Independent?”
“Yes, it was under the door. But I also use the internet to make myself connected to the rest of the world. Breaking news can never be obsolete in my mind. For the moment, there was nothing that could beguile my interest.”
“Well, let me tell you: I forgot to tell you the password of the safe. It’s 123. It’s a useful reminder. I put my necklace into it.”
“It sounds too easy to open the safe. Hopefully we are in London, where housekeepers mind their businesses and we are followed constantly by bodyguards from a certain distance. What a joy!”
“Are you complaining because of our luck? Don’t misunderstand me Araon. After all I am a pregnant woman.”
“Sorry about that.”
“I love you, Jill.”
“I love you too.”
Samantha had a sonorous cry of desperation. “It’s not your fault, Phil. Never mind a wasteland.”
Phil couldn’t understand that obscure talk and pretended to be in tune with his fiancée. “I do not want to risk to finish in a tricky situation,” he said.
The Red Box Page 63
