Trouble finding Blondie (43 page)

It was only a short drive from the hotel. The birthday party was in one of Prague’s best restaurants that transformed into a night club as the night progressed. It had been a while since they danced together.

She got out of the taxi, straightened out her dress, and walked in. The lights were dimmed, the music was playing, people were dancing. She stood in a corner to be able to scan the room and find him. She couldn’t. The uneasy feeling again. She could normally spot him anywhere. She scanned the tables again, then her eyes met with Stephan’s. He immediately stood up and walked over to greet her. The whole gang was there. Some were dancing, some smiled and waved. She was smiling and waving back, and there it was again, that uneasy feeling.

All this was going on in her mind just a few seconds before Stephan walked through the crowded room towards her.

“Hello, stranger. Andre said you couldn’t come.”

“I landed two hours ago. I wanted to surprise him. Where is he?”

She looked over his shoulder, still scanning with her eyes.

“Come, are you hungry? What do you want to drink?”

“Did something happen? Francois?” Simona was jumping to bad conclusions, and Stephan’s stress level was rising with her tone.

“No, nothing happened. Francois is at Adam’s. Andre is fine, too.”

“So, where is he?”

“He just had to go to help somebody. He will be right back. Come have a drink.”

Something is off, not right. What am I not getting? And why is Stephan so uncomfortable and sweating? What’s with my stomach? Am I hungry?!

And then it hit her. She tapped into that feeling. She grabbed Stephan’s hand and turned him towards her. Their eyes were almost at the same level.

“Stephan, look at me. Where is he?”

Stephan wanted to repeat the same sentence but couldn’t. The look in her eyes stopped him.

What is with this woman? I can never lie to her. She is like an x-ray! How did I get into this?! I’m going to kill him. I like her! Why am I the courier of bad news?! The bearer of...

Her eyes interrupted his thought process. He couldn’t stand to watch her transformation from excitement and smiling to distance and sadness. It was like a cliffhanger. He wanted to hold on to her and scream....NO,NO,NO, don’t fall down!

Simona pulled out a red box that she was holding behind her back. It had a giant red bow on it. She handed it to Stephan.

“What is it?”

“It’s the birthday present, it’s his favorite. Please tell him I’m sorry I couldn’t stay.”

“Simona, please don’t leave like this.”

“Would you like me to stay and get humiliated?”

Stephan was lost for words...

“Is it Vinciane?”

Stephan’s face went through shock, and the look said it all. Simona hated that look. The confirmation of a death sentence, the DOT.... The hopelessness. She knew she had to leave before all of it rose up to her brain.
 

“Please tell Robert 40 is magical. You know who you are and what you want. Well, at least most of us.”

“Let me take you home. Or call you a taxi.”

“No. I got this. You are his friend. Go take care of him. They don’t need to know.”

Is this woman for real? Did she just ask me to cover for HIM? And make sure HE doesn’t look like an asshole in front of the group? Am I the blonde one here, or is that really what she asked me to do?

Simona leaned over and gave him a hug. Human contact intensified her internal turmoil, even Stephan could feel her shivering.

There is that look again. I have to leave NOW!
 

She looked at the room one last time, smiled, and waved to the already impatient group.

She had high heels on and was mumbling prayers to be able to walk straight and for her knees not to buckle.

By the time she walked out of the club, she was in a full body shake. The fresh air knocked her breath out. She was gasping for air when both doormen jumped to catch her. When they realized she wasn’t drunk, they panicked and wanted to call the ambulance.

She knew she had to get it together to be able to leave.

“I’m so sorry. I have asthma, and stupid me, I forgot my inhaler. Could you just call me a cab, please?”

The story was believable. She wasn’t drunk, so the liability was off. They both looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“M’am, let us call you a taxi. Are you certain you don’t need medical assistance?”

“No, thank you. But I appreciate your concern.”

They waved at the taxi. The line of waiting people was protesting, but thanks to the two big guys, Simona was inside the car at lightening speed.

Stephan walked back with the red box and handed it to Robert who just came back from the dance floor.
 

“What’s that?”

“Your present from Simona. She sends her love and an apology.”

“What? Where is she? Where is Andre?”

“He left. She left, too. Excuse me.”

Stephan couldn’t make himself continue with any more excuses or stories. He had to walk away. Aurelie noticed something was off.

Robert didn’t understand Stephan’s strange reaction, but it was his 40th birthday. He was buzzing with a great mood, opening Simona’s present.

“Holy shit! My favorite whiskey. Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Single Malt Scotch DALMORE! And check out the label. No fucking way! ‘Happy 40th Birthday, Robert, from the Mackenzie family’. Holy shit. That is unbelievable. Where is that woman? I wanna dance with her.”

Aurelie walked out to see Stephan. He was outside on the patio dialing a number, leaving a message in Czech. She didn’t understand, but the expression wasn’t good. Then more people came out, and Stephan switched to English.
 

“Pick up the fucking phone, and call me back before you ruin your life,” he finally noticed Aurelie and hung up.

She got it. Didn’t even have to ask, and he didn’t have to explain. He finally didn’t have to bottle his emotions and felt some relief.

“Did you call Vinciane’s phone, too?”

“No. But you, you are brilliant!” Stephan dialed her number, but only reached her voicemail. He left a polite message to please call him back, that it was very urgent.

“Ok, so both of their phones are off. Do you know what hotel they went to?”

“Don’t be silly. They didn’t go to a hotel. They went to her place.”

“Stephan, she wasn’t feeling well. Maybe he really just took her home.”

The look explained it all, Aurelie didn’t continue her thought process.

“Do you know where she lives?”

“Not exactly. But that’s something I wouldn’t do anyway.”

“What does that mean? You wouldn’t go and help your best friend when he has a brain freeze to save him?! I’m not saying to go help him cover it up.”

“Cover it up? Are you nuts? I couldn’t even make myself lie to Simona. She didn’t let me anyway. I hate him right now. He ruined my evening, and I have to watch how he is going to destroy his life.”

“You have to do something. She is your friend, too.”
 

“Who? Simona or Vinciane?”

“Well, I guess both. But I meant Vinciane.”

“And that makes it easier how? I love her. We have been friends forever. Is our friendship going to go down the drain with this, too? Aurelie, we have to go home. I’m sorry. The good time is over for me tonight. I’m so furious. If somebody asks me about Andre now, I will start screaming.”

“Stephan, calm down. We can’t just leave.”

“We are leaving. Please, get me out of here.”

❖ ❖ ❖

Simona was in a cab, focusing on her breathing…

Just breathe. You can’t faint. And you can’t lose it. Get it together. This is no time for any relief! This is no time for pain or whatever is happening. Just focus, and for Christ’s sake, calm your body so that it stops the shaking.

“Excuse me, can we go to a store where I can buy Becherovka?”

“Sure. Everybody buys Becherovka. It’s better than any souvenirs.”

“Yeah…”

“Do you like it?”

“Excuse me?”

“Becherovka.”

“Oh, I use it as a medicine for upset stomach. But I haven’t had any for years.”

How many years? Four years? More? No, I had one shot with Josef on Andre’s 40th, but that doesn’t count. Hmm, I wonder if it still works…

❖ ❖ ❖

Stephan and Aurelie walked back in. Robert’s wife Radka was waiting for them. They both looked at each other with, ‘Shit, we are screwed.’

“Where did you two go?”

“We went outside. I wasn’t feeling well, I guess a little too much of your good wine.”

Stephan was trying to be funny. She wasn’t buying it, and because she didn’t speak French, she couldn’t quiz Aurelie, which would have been the easier target.

“Where is Simona?”

“She flew in from New York a couple of hours ago. She only dropped the present off...”

Please God, be that the end of her quizzing. Yeah, yeah...wishful thinking.

“And where is Andre?”

“Radka, do I look like his wife? I’m not his keeper.”

The little hesitance in his voice gave her room to dig deeper.

“I saw you talking to him when he was leaving…, with Vinciane. His wife shows up unannounced. He said she was in New York. That means he had no clue she was coming. And you are telling me that it’s all ‘okay’??! Is that what you are saying?”

This woman is an interrogator! She must be CIA! She is not going to let me off the hook. How does Robert do it? How does he shut her up? I want to tie her down and stuff dirty socks in her mouth now.
 

“She is not his wife.”

“What?” Radka was thrown off which was a good strategy for Stephan. He suddenly sensed a little glimpse of an exit.

“Simona… you called her his wife. She is not.”

“Oh, you want to talk technicalities? Really? Well, at least, now we know why.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, he probably wouldn’t or couldn’t do his stupid ass shit if she was. Although I don’t think a ring would stop him anyway.”

“You are jumping to conclusions, insinuating serious accusations. Let me remind you that this is none of our business anyway.”

“It is my business! It’s my husband’s 40th birthday party that I spent a lot of effort and money on for everyone to have a great time. Anybody that tries to ruin that, I do have a problem with.”

“They are all adults. All we can do, Radka, is just watch and hope for the best.”

“Why? Because you are having a hard time choosing sides?”

“What do you mean? Between Simona and Andre?”

The discussion between them was getting heated, but the passion and honesty were electric. They forgot about the rest of the world, and the rest of the group was observing them with fascination. Nobody dared to interrupt them.

“Simona and Andre, that’s easy for you. Your loyalty is with Andre.”

“You are wrong. I love Simona, too.”

“The two friends you have known for decades. It’s time to grow up and to pick your team.”

Stephan finally understood where Radka was going with this. He was mad at both Vinciane and Andre, and yet his heart was on Simona’s side. She was the innocent, poor creature in this mess. But where is his loyalty really? You are supposed to stand by your friends in good and bad, in tough times, especially.

“I’m not going to pick teams, Radka. As I said, I love them all. They are all adults, and we are still operating on an assumption, a theory.”

“Well, if our dear friend Andre can’t keep his pants zipped up, then next time put a leash on your other friend not to ruin my party ever again. And as far as Simona goes... That woman has been nothing but kind to all of us, our children, too. And tonight, with all due respect to all of you, she brought the best present. Not because of the price, but because of the effort. She had to pull some serious strings and connections to have the Dalmore factory put a special label on the bottle and have the family sign a certificate specially for Robert.”

The silence was unbearable. The circle was finally starting to get the picture. Everybody sobered up, and Radka finally realized that she had had an audience this whole time.

“I’m sorry, Stephan. You are right. It’s none of my business. Otherwise I would drive over, scratch his eyes out, and beat the crap out of ‘your’ friend.”

Radka was done and walked away. Stephan wasn’t humiliated; he just got more than he bargained for.
 
Aurelie didn’t understand a word, but somehow felt the same.

She grabbed him and said, “Allons-y. Je t’aime.”

❖ ❖ ❖

Simona was sitting in her hotel room, drinking Becherovka out of a wine glass. She was staring at the label.

What is it about this drink that holds the magic for me? I love everything about it. The old bottle, the name, the history. What year was it?