This week I had a very upsetting incident concerning this story but, as a reader told me, 'haters will hate...'
Alas...
Here it is, the (first of many in this story) thrilling chapter.
To read the whitened lines, select them.
Enjoy!
As always, if you haven't already, read the story's front page before diving in. Tks.
BOOK 1
FRIENDS
Previous chapter
CHAPTER 8
It's useless to resist
Elizabeth
tried to not let her beliefs cripple her life.
She
believed in God, went to church regularly, was devoted to the Blessed Virgin
Mary and occasionally prayed the rosary. Eventually she even read the horoscope
and checked her astrological chart, but nothing like her teenager years when
she read her daily prediction before leaving the house for school or asked
people’s birth dates as soon as she was introduced. That passion was left
behind as she grew older and life proved to be unpredictable.
Her dear
father died early, her mother couldn’t control her three younger sisters, Jane
and her had to take care of the six of them. It was in the midst of this familial
maelstrom that horoscope lost its appeal and she acquired the comforting habit
of fingering the rosary’s tiny balls when things seemed lost.
Elizabeth
believed in Divine Providence. A grown woman, a professor and researcher,
mother, wife, sister, daughter and employer; she summoned Special Providence every
now and then when she found herself in an impossible situation.
Darcy was a major impossible situation.
He had been a dear friend in her younger
years, someone that existed only in letters, weak radio transmissions and
scarce photos; a friendship that only dallied with the best in (young) human
interaction: they read each other’s doubts and gave advices to help each other go
through the difficult insecure years of early adulthood, they flirted raising the
battered teenage ego and ended up forging a strong bond.
This bond seemed purer than a pet’s love
since there was no material gain between Darcy and Elizabeth. A pet expects its
beloved owner to at least feed him; their pen friendship was ethereal, dreamy,
guileless, perfect in its impossibility.
Fate had juggled pieces to put them
together, push them apart and when their lives had settled, threw them together
again – for Elizabeth was sure that thinking about searching Darcy’s name on
Google after decades of using the internet was fate’s twisted work.
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Darcy didn’t fit in. He was part of her
past, back when life was carefree and full of possibilities, when Elizabeth
dreamt of studying abroad, backpacking the world, refusing to settle for the
less thrilling choices - which she ultimately did. Darcy brought back her
dreams, her selfish urge to live adventures.
Before Paris, she managed to see in Darcy a
friend, but after, she saw a lot more in him. His cousin’s presence last time
they met helped cool her foolish eagerness to talk openly and discuss with
Darcy this mislead view that was taking over her.
He had thrown her eloquent hints - or was
she fooling herself?
Darcy intrigued her, seduced her, melted
her. She was curious about him, she couldn’t figure him out. Why would someone
keep trapped in a miserable marriage?
Incoherently, Elizabeth wanted what she
couldn’t have. Very ashamed she admitted to herself how she felt when his wife
took him from her during that lunch: jealous. How could she feel that way?
On the flight back to Europe two months
after the last time they met, Elizabeth once again summoned Divine Providence
to point the way. One long night, a mini bottle of wine, a light in-flight breakfast
and twelve hours straight later, she landed in the City of lights to face whatever fate had in store.
Darcy confirmed he was going to join her
for her last days in Paris, again occupying the penthouse grand suite in the
same hotel – so Elizabeth decided to play as her planets laid. The last module
of classes of the year was starting, Christmas was just around the corner and the
season in Paris increased the dreamlike atmosphere for Elizabeth. It was cold
and the city was already lighted for the Holidays, a sight to be seen.
‘Are you sure you don’t want to go to the
concert with us?’ Elizabeth asked her friend Charlotte sipping coffee, hoping
to have a chaperone. ‘It’s the opportunity of a lifetime…’ She wiggled her
brows making Darcy chuckle.
‘Like the singer is walking the green
mile…’ Charlotte rolled her eyes. ‘I want to do some more Christmas shopping.’
Elizabeth pulled a funny face. ‘God forbid.
The stores will be crowded at night and then carrying bags in this cold weather…
You must be crazy.’
‘And you won’t bring anything else for your
family?’ Charlotte raised one eyebrow defying her.
‘Of course I will, for all of them. That’s
why I jump out of bed early!’ Elizabeth winked at her friend.
‘I thought it had been to have breakfast
with me, since I arrived early.’ Darcy hid his smile the best he could on the
rim of his teacup.
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Darcy was surprised.
‘Happy birthday, Fitz.’ Charlotte said
blushing. ‘I forgot to say when you arrived here.’
‘Thank you very much.’ Darcy smiled with
closed lips. ‘It’s been a month already.’
‘Elizabeth could argue something about zodiac
hell, but I beg her not to!’ Charlotte glued her palms in plead.
‘Ha, ha, Charlotte.’ Elizabeth scrunched
her nose. ‘Zodiac hell finishes on one’s birth date.’
‘Not mine…’ Charlotte sighed miserably.
‘Mine started the day I fell in love with a guy whose mother coincidentally is
my birth date twin… Years apart, of course.’ She snorted. ‘The woman has pleasure
in tormenting me; now she’s into giving me her clothes. Imagine that… I shop
for her something I’d like to wear so when she hands it down to me, I’ll
actually like!’
Both Darcy and Elizabeth chuckled.
‘Do her clothes fit you?’ Darcy asked
sipping his tea while the ladies had coffee.
‘To my chagrin, yes!’ Charlotte widened her
eyes desperately. ‘She’s shorter than me but rounder in the middle so the
clothes hang a bit loose. I use it anyway, out of guilt… When she shows up unexpectedly;
I like her to see the clothes in the hamper.’
Elizabeth snorted. ‘She could just keep the
damned clothes in the clean laundry hamper, but she likes to suffer. I would
never wear my mother-in-law’s hand-me-downs!’
‘Well, I’m a good girl.’ Charlotte smiled sweetly
making Darcy chuckle. ‘Elizabeth is a good girl too; she just likes to hide it.
Don’t you think, Fitz?’
‘Absolutely.’ Darcy nodded solemnly while
Elizabeth showed her tongue to her friend.
Charlotte clicked her own tongue. ‘You’re
so polite… You don’t deserve to hang around her, she’ll pollute you!’
‘Shut up!’ Elizabeth scolded. ‘And finish your
breakfast; we have classes in twenty minutes.’
‘Soon you’ll start dieting all the time and
swearing.’ Charlotte warned him.
Darcy chuckled and Elizabeth slapped his
arm.
‘You tried to convince us that you snub the
gifts your mother-in-law gives you.’ Charlotte shook her head. ‘I know that
woman has unbelievable good taste because I remember a black and blue watch
from last year…’ She snorted.
‘My mother-in-law is a gem.’ Elizabeth groaned.
‘Lucky me, Mrs. Young lives in São Paulo and is busy pestering her husband…’
Darcy pressed his lips together and looked
down.
‘His mother-in-law is a delightful woman as
well. Right, Fitz?’ Elizabeth asked and he nodded. ‘Was she really sick that
day?’
‘What day?’ Charlotte sipped her coffee.
‘Last time we met, he was called to take
her to the hospital.’ Elizabeth explained. ‘Is she fine now? Because you are pretty
far to rescue anyone…’
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‘My mother-in-law has the same thing! Sadly
there is no cure and no drugs known to men.’ Charlotte nodded sadly. ‘It’s called
shrewdness.’
Darcy had to laugh because that was exactly
what he meant.
“… I'm giving up, before the night is gone!
I'm giving in, giving up strong!... ”
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