“Well, and?”
“And I hear the elevator. It stopped on our floor. I jumped out of bed. And I thought ‘He couldn’t wait. He’s coming for me.’ And Dorika is sleeping next to me. How will we…? We can’t in our room, get it…?”
“I get it, and?”
“I got to the door to tell him to wait while I got dressed… And the steps went past my door… and they weren’t men’s steps. I mean, its carpeting so you can’t hear heels… but I guess I know what men’s steps are like and what women’s…”
“And?”
“And I heard, it seemed to me like the person was crying… weeping. Quietly… but I heard it.”
“OK, OK, cut to the chase. You think that Svetlana was crying last night?”
“I don’t think so, Jin. I know so. I pried open the door and see her unlock her room. And she noticed me. I don’t know how. I was absolutely quiet. She felt me, I guess, in that deserted hallway and she looked at me.”
“And?”
“Eyes red, makeup smeared. Distraught… she looked distraught. I mean not only physically, because of the makeup. But… how should I describe it… psychologically, mentally… desperation in her eyes, desperation on her face… you couldn’t recognize her. You know yourself what she’s like. Beautiful, dignified… all important next to her Pascal.
At that moment Margot walked towards the two of them, on her way to the toilet.
“Margot!” Jin rose from her seat.
“What’s wrong with you, Jin?” Gloria got scared when Jin called her boss. “I told that only to you.”
Margot had already come up to them.
“Yes, Jin?”
“What are you hiding from us?”
“What do you mean? We’re not hiding anything.”
“Gloria saw Svetlana last night, all in tears and distraught.”
“No… it was dark… I’m not sure… Jin, really… Margot, please…”
“Is it possible?” Margot was surprised and concerned.
“No, no… I probably thought I saw something…” Gloria stuttered.
Margot wasn’t listening anymore. She also didn’t continue to the toilet. She briskly turned around and with vigorous fast steps went towards the first row, towards Raul.
Chapter 25
The shortest street in Capital City, only a hundred and twenty meters long, was not only referred to as Short Street — it was also its official name. It was located in the very center of the city. It connected Cypress Avenue and Olive Avenue, in the part where the two streets were closest to each other. This is why Short Street was always full of pedestrians and cars.
It was also narrow. It only had one lane going in either direction. The sidewalks were not very wide either. The few restaurants and cafes could only put two small tables outside.
Shops selling the most exclusive and most expensive were the norm on Short Street. Anyone who bought anything in any of the shops on Short Street could be certain of seeing envy in the eyes of people they knew. This is why Prince Kaella kept the highest price of rent in all of Capital City for offices on Short Street.
Short Street also had another characteristic. Motorcades carrying important individuals from the State or the Company very often took it, in order to shorten their route, and therefore the time that they were exposed to potential attacks. It was not always required to cheer and wave these motorcades and the important individuals in them. Only on State Day, on Company Day and of course on the birthdays of Mr. Kaella and his son Prince. Of course, there were exceptions. Today was such an exception, due to the electoral speech. It was necessary to wave to President Xing’s motorcade.
Short Street was ideal for this purpose. The television crew needed only one crane to shoot the crowd of excited admirers which looked even larger in this small space, with wide and sincere smiles, children on their fathers’ shoulders waving balloons painted like the planet Earth, two young people happily handing hands, a grandpa holding his arm around grandma’s shoulder, while the love for the important individual sparkled in her old wise eyes. And of course, unavoidably, in a space specially cordoned off for them in the middle of Short Street — the pupils from one of the elementary schools.
Chapter 26
Having reached Raul, Margot said:
“Liam, please give us some privacy.”
The head of security got up from his seat and went towards the middle of the airplane.
“Why did you lie to us, Raul, that Svetlana had left Pascal and that he had gotten drunk because of her?”
“I didn’t lie, Margot. That is what Pascal told me.”
“What is happening, Raul? Something much more serious is going on.”
“No. That’s it,” Raul looked away.
“Gloria saw Svetlana in tears and distraught last night. And you’re lying to us that she left Pascal.”
“Every breakup is difficult.”
“What are you hiding from me, Raul, from us? What right do you have? Why do you think that you have that right?”
“This is getting torturous,” Raul thought. “What am I actually waiting for? To land, and for all of them to disappear somewhere and not see that…”
“Let me by,” said Raul, passing by Margot who also got up. He then turned to the staff and said loudly
“Pascal is not with us!”
Chapter 27
Atop of Babe’s head, with the nape shaved high, created out of her remaining hair, which spanned from a strong deep blue to the light blue color of the sky, without the unnecessary frills on the yellow-green continent, stylized, ultra modernly, and crystal clear — was a depiction of the planet.
Around here eyes, too. Two Earths, created in a thick layer of blue eye shadow, the poles of which touched her cheekbones and her forehead above her eyelashes, which were completely removed specially for this occasion.
From the piercing through her… from this distance Prince could not clearly see, but somewhere there… just beneath the corners of her beautiful large blue eyes, dangled two little chains, at whose ends, two little Earths were swinging, lined up with her full, tempting upper lip, covered in thick black lipstick.
The third little Earth swayed at the end of a little chain hanging from a ring pierced through the center of her massive, heavy lower lip, with blue-gray lipstick which extended towards the protruding, defiant chin.
“On the mark,” Babe congratulated herself in her mind, blinking once again with the blue and black eyelashes at the stunned Prince.
She rushed over, with emphasized care, to the old Mr. Kaella, and gently lowered him into the armchair prepared for him, like any good daughter-in-law would.
“Thank you. You are very kind, Miss Babe,” the old man said while sitting down. “And you look wonderful today. Like our flag. Wonderful.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kaella. That’s how I feel. Proud, inspired, honored, because you choose precisely me for your interview, out of all the excellent television hosts.”
“Excellent, excellent… and none of them can hold a candle to you, Miss Babe,” Mr. Kaella sincerely complimented her.
And while she had her backed turned to Prince, he watched that cascading blue-dyed hair of another woman, which started from the very bottom of her shaved skull, like from the edge of some tall mountain cliff, cascading down her back, along her metallic black leather short-sleeved jacket, and covering the upper hem of her short skirt, it reached the beginning of her strong, femininely protruding provocative spherical buttocks. And a sliver of lace from her fishnet stockings, remissly revealed by her slightly raised light fluttery blue-black skirt.