by Mia Villano
I completely forgot about the meeting until I saw General Gerard stick his head out reminding me by tapping his watch. I headed to the meeting and thought it would be the usual weekly meeting with everyone. I was surprised and terrified when it was just the General, Fabrice, and a woman I never saw before. Fabrice sat next to the General leaning against his desk with his arms folded. This woman was dressed in a dark suit with some medals adorning the front. She had to be some guest, I thought. Maybe she was brought in to officially let me go. This must be it. I was being let go and Fabrice was right there to tell me he couldn’t stop it. This woman was going to fire me.
Fabrice winked at me when I sat down across from him. That made me feel a little better. Surely he wouldn’t let me be humiliated by the General.
“Let’s get started. This is General Morou. She flew in from France today. I will introduce her to the entire office after our meeting. I wanted to have a meeting today to go over some things. I didn’t want the entire staff in here until I informed you, Isabella. I have some bad news.” My heart skipped.
Chapter 6
The room was silent except for my heart beating so loudly I’m sure everyone heard it. What was happening? Would he do this to me? I looked at Fabrice and he was looking at the General. He must know. I looked down at my tablet and turned it on to keep busy.
“I wanted to let you know I will be stepping down from my position effective immediately.” I gasped and looked up at what I heard.
“I have an issue with my health and I need to focus on getting well. It’s going to be a long road but a road I can get through if I focus on myself. You know my wife, she is my boss and when she said I’m not going back to work, I listened. A replacement is stepping in. Isabella, you will have a new boss. You will be working for the new Attaché. This is Antoinette Morou. She has worked with Fabrice and me for fifteen years. She is highly regarded in her field. Please welcome her today as the new Attaché. I have informed her of your excellent work and she is eager to get acquainted with you. I’m sorry it’s of such short notice, but I had just found out about my health last week. I’m making this decision based on what is best for me and our countries. General Morou, I’m sure you will be very pleased with Miss Piori and her work ethic. She is an exceptional worker and very much an asset to me and this entire office.
I stood up to shake her hand across from the table. My face flushed, not used to compliments and I never thought I would hear one from General Gerard. He was sick. I know he had been late often and missed a lot of days. Now I felt bad thinking he was being lazy or slacking off. I will have to get the real reason from Fabrice later. General Morou was a pretty woman, about forty. She had long blonde hair in a fierce, tight bun on the back of her head. She wore little makeup and was quite tall. She had lines around her eyes that were steel grey and piercing, a pointy nose, and thin lips. She stood up and didn’t smile at me. She was showing me she was in charge.
In a French accent she said, “Pleased to meet you, Isabella. I’m sure we will work well together. I hope to meet with you today and we can go over a few important issues. General Gerard has had nothing but good things to say about you.”
“Great. It’s nice to meet you.” I wondered if they told her about Fabrice and me.
I looked at here again and smiled, though she didn’t return a smile. Her personality was official and stern. Much like that of the General, she was letting me know by looking at her, she meant business and we wouldn’t be office buddies.
I watched Fabrice stare at me during the entire meeting. His eyes didn’t leave me. He tore his gaze from me when the meeting was done. When we were finished, I went to get coffee. I was shocked how quickly all of this began happening. I couldn’t believe the General was sick. Elizabeth was there in the lunch room. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk of any kind or her looks. My head was in a jumbled-up mess. First of all, my sister was going to be an unwed mother, I was feeling out of sorts, I needed to be with Fabrice. My boss was sick and my ex-boyfriend was about to be let out of the hospital at any time. Being left alone was what I wanted. I didn’t need coffee that bad. I started to walk the other way, but it was too late.
“Isabella?” She was the last person I cared to talk to, well maybe the second last. Anthony was still the first.
I slowly turned around, dreading what she had to say to me.
“I heard you have a new boss.” Fabrice probably told her this morning.
“Yes, I guess I do. I’m sure it will be all right. I’m still working, so that’s a good thing.”
“Yeah, but with her. Did you not hear?” Christ, gossip already about the new girl and she’s been here five minutes.
“No, Elizabeth. I haven’t heard. I don’t need to know. I want to work for her and go home.” At that moment, it hit me this job was not what I expected. I was tired of the cattiness and the office gossip. I was tired of the backstabbing. I didn’t know it was like this in such a professional setting. These women were supposed to be educated. They spent a good part of their day worrying about what the other one was doing, or making fun of someone wearing something they didn’t agree with. To me, their time could be better used for working. I was shocked Elizabeth was the ring leader in most of it.
She walked closer to me stirring her coffee with a wooden stirrer and then sticking it in her mouth to lick it.
“This you might want to hear. It seems she was dating Fabrice back in France. They were caught dating while they worked together. I heard they screwed in his office. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
The image of throwing my coffee in her face crossed my mind. After our new found friendship in Paris, I thought we were friends. It was short lived after she saw me with Fabrice.
“That’s good to know. Maybe she can give me a few pointers on what he likes to eat. I never know what to cook for him. I’m sure she has some French recipes she can share.” I smiled at Elizabeth and walked out. What could I say? Whatever I said would’ve been wrong for that situation.
I was under siege by an entire office of women wanting my boyfriend. If it wasn’t Marin, it was now Elizabeth and the women I loved to work with when I started. Geeky Elizabeth, so awkward when she walked into Fabrice’s office and now she has assumed the title of head office gossiper and was trying to dress sophisticated. It didn’t quite fit her. I closed my eyes to get my thoughts together quick. I tried not to concentrate on the irritation coursing through me. It was hard to do. I could’ve lost my load like I normally do. I could’ve gone ballistic and called Fabrice, yelling at him. I didn’t and I couldn’t. I opted to keep my head clear and get my job done. That’s why I was there. I couldn’t worry about Fabrice and his past women. I sucked in a deep breath, closed my eyes again, counted to three, and walked to my office.
Later in the afternoon, General Morou and I had our private meeting and we went over what she expected of me. I sized her up better as I sat next to her. She was tall, about six feet. Very thin with hollowed cheeks and she looked like she needed to eat more. Her skin was pale and she had a hint of mascara on her eyelashes. The look suited her. The one thing I also noticed the size of her hands. She had such huge hands. Long spindly fingers and perfectly manicured nails on these enormous hands. I hoped she didn’t notice me staring. I showed her what I was working on and we got to know each other better. I liked her whether or not she used to date Fabrice, I didn’t care. I took a good look at her and knew she wasn’t Fabrice’s type. Nothing she said made any indication she was once his girlfriend. I couldn’t see him dating her, but then again, I couldn’t see him dating me and here we were.
~~~~~~~~~~~
If that wasn’t enough surprises for the day. When I was in a meeting with General Morou, my mother texted me that I needed to work at the restaurant. I decided to step outside on my break and call her pleading my case.
“For the love of God, Mom, come on. I have had a very stressful day today. What the hell?”
“Don’t talk like that
, Izzy. Your sister isn’t feeling well. She missed class and that isn’t like her. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need you terribly. Please, I promise it will only be but a couple of hours.”
Christ all mighty, this isn’t happening. All I wanted to do was head home, hide, and go out to dinner with Avery. This day couldn’t get any more insane. First, I lose my boss, second, I had to deal with more gossip that the man I love is possibly hiding more secrets from me. Now, I had to put on a happy face and work at the restaurant because Sophia went and got herself pregnant. Holy Fuck! I was pissed.
“Fine, I will be there. I’m coming over right from work and I have a grey sweater on. You and Dad have to deal with it. I don’t want to go home and change.”
“Isabella, that’s fine. Get in a better mood before you greet the people who pay our bills.”
I agreed to put in time at the restaurant. I texted Avery and then I sent Fabrice a message that I had to work and I was going right home. If nothing else, this gave me an excuse not to see him until I figured out his love life.
I have to work tonight. I don’t know how late. Sophia is sick.
I will come and get you after work. We can go into work together tomorrow. You have clothes here. I had them laundered last week.
I’m going home. I’m going 2 b exhausted.
I will come to you. I will come there.
I didn’t answer him. I didn’t have the energy anymore to tell him. I let it go. Suddenly, I remembered our conversation earlier about him needing me. I was too wrapped up in my own issues, I forgot how desperate he was this morning and how insistent he acted that I stay with him.
Tell me I can stay with u tonight, hold u against me, feel u breathe.
Oh my God. He did need me.
Yes, u can stay with me. Let yourself in.
I luv u baby. My heart melted.
I luv u.
I took a minute before I started working to go and visit Sophia. I had a key and let myself in the front door. She was in bed and thankfully no one else was home. Though I had moved out eight years ago, my room was still decorated the way I left it. My mom didn’t turn it into a sewing room, or a den. She left my personal items as I left them. She always said “Just in case”. I pray that “just in case” never happens. I loved my childhood and had a pretty good one, but there is no way I could move in there again. Sophia on the other hand, was perfectly content staying in her old room and living with my parents.
“Hey.” I said, and knocked on her door.
“Come in.”
I walked in to her immaculately clean bedroom. Even when we were little, hers was clean and mine looked like a crack den. I didn’t care. I was too concerned about going out, boys, and fashion to care what my room looked like. I sat on the edge of her queen-sized bed in her girly room still decorated in Shabby Chic from her high school days.
She had the lights off, the drapes pulled, and the fan on high. She always slept with the fan on no matter what time of year it was. That was how she fell asleep when she was a little girl and she still needs it now.
“Not feeling well?”
She shook her head on the verge of crying. I didn’t know what to say.
“Have you told Ben?” I asked quietly, not knowing what to say to her most of the time. She was so like Marco and could get pissed off at the drop of a hat.
“Yes, I told him last night. He was thrilled, happy, and crying. He wants to get married soon, Izzy. He wants to do this right, but his family will disown him, I’m afraid. I don’t know what to do.”
“You’ll figure it out. Remember what I said. Nothing happens unless it was meant to happen. If he loves you, he will see this through and his parents will come around. They always do. You obviously haven’t told Mom or Dad because they are still functioning like semi-normal humans.”
“No I haven’t. I want to do it with you here if you don’t mind, maybe Sunday?”
“Sure, I will be here. Let’s do it then. Are you going to invite Ben? “
“I don’t know. Should I?”
“I would. It may lessen the blow. You need to stop worrying. Have you made a Dr.’s appointment?”
“Ben made it for me with someone he knows. The perks of getting knocked up by a doctor, I guess.”
I reached down and hugged her. She looked so small and innocent lying in her bed.
“Thanks for covering for me tonight. I know you must be exhausted.”
“Not a problem. Take care of yourself. I’m going to be an Aunt. That’s too cool.” I smiled at her. I wanted her to know I was behind her no matter what.
“Hey, I wanted to tell you Marco was acting weird today.”
Oh wonderful, something else to worry about. Why was everyone losing their shit?
“What do you mean, weird? There’s Marco weird, and there’s fucked up weird. Which one was he?”
Marco always acted strange once in a while. He was a musician at heart so he tended to be a little out there. He was moody, quiet, and a loner. He and Sophia were a lot alike.
“I don’t know. On the verge of fucked up weird. He started growing some strange beard, he smells bad, and he was fighting with Dad earlier. I didn’t hear what they were fighting about though.” I noticed he hadn’t shaved when we were over Sunday. I didn’t think anything of it because he would sometimes have a scruffy face on Sunday.
“I will find out tonight, I guess. I hoped he showered. Mom is going to lose her shit if he smells in the restaurant.” When Marco was little, he hated to shower when he was upset. That was his way of fighting back. He would get pissed and go days without showering to get his way. It only worked once, but that one time was enough.
“Listen, I better run,” I said, as I checked my phone.
“Thanks for stopping by.” I hugged her again and this time she hugged back.
“Please know it will be okay. Mom and Dad will be pissed for a while but when Mom finds out there is going to be a baby in the family, she will lose her shit. You know how she loves babies.” I smiled at her and patted her on the head.
She nodded, wiping away a tear.
I found out quick what Sophia was talking about when she said Marco was acting weird. He was growing an Amish-style beard for whatever reason, and thankfully when I went up to him, he smelled okay.
“What is going on with this shit on your face?” I asked. Danny was cooking and laughed.
“He’s turning Amish.” Danny butted in.
“Izz, leave me the fuck alone and go do your job.”
“No, I won’t. What are you trying to do here? This isn’t going to get you laid unless you’re going down to Sunny Lane Trailer Park.”
He ignored me.
“Danny, what’s going on with him?” I yelled across the kitchen.
Danny came walking over to us, wiping his hands on his apron. He was looking good. He’s been dating a new girl and working out obsessively. Unlike Marco, he seemed to be okay.
“Tell her, Marco.”
“Somebody better fucking tell me before I have to go out there and wait on people.” The kitchen was busy with two new chefs and the waiters coming in and out and changing shifts. Most of them have been with us forever and they were like family. All of them were laughing and whispering between them. One of the oldest waitresses that has been there since I was five, Millie, was bent over laughing. I didn’t know what was so funny.
“Marco quit today. He is going on the road with his band. He told Dad, and Dad went nuts. He gave him his two weeks’ notice and a letter of resignation,” laughed Danny, barely able to get it out without laughing hysterically. Everyone in the back kitchen laughed.
Marco slammed down his knife he was using to cut vegetables. I jumped at the loud sound.
“So what’s with the beard?” I asked Danny.
“It’s his new look. They’re a new band under a new name. They’re calling themselves Product of the Environment. I don’t fucking know why. He says it’s a long story. He didn’t shower
in hopes Dad would slip him some money to fund it. Of course, you know how that went.”
My dad walked in not speaking or looking at anyone. His face was red like it always is when he’s pissed. Everyone shut up and Marco stormed out. With Sophia and Marco being stupid, this family should be on the brink of dysfunction if we weren’t already there.
“Hi, Dad.” I said. His jaw twitched like it used to do when he was mad. The night he got in a fist fight with the new chef he hired, his jaw twitched on both sides.
He grunted and I took it as a hello. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Remind me why I keep helping out here?” I asked whoever would listen to me.
Chapter 7
I was told I only had to work two hours which proceeded to turn into five. After my excruciating long shift was over I went home, showered, and fell into bed. Thankfully, Avery was at Cherise’s and I didn’t know when she would be home. I was too tired to worry about Anthony, my sister, Marco, my looks, or even Fabrice. I fell into a deep sleep without even watching television, checking my phone, or waiting up for Fabrice. He had a key, he could let himself in.
I woke to a warm body on top of me. My dreams are usually still muddled with flashes of Anthony and I still scream after a dream of him. The first thought I had, it was Anthony. I started to yell, kick, and fight.
“Get off me!” I yelled. Half asleep, I was pushing whoever it was off me.
“Isabella, stop. Baby, it’s me, Fabrice.” I instantly relaxed under him.
turned and looked at the clock next to my bed. The bright green numbers told me it was midnight.
