|
Post by Addie on Nov 25, 2006 18:47:55 GMT 3
Chapter 46
Of course, Marat was surprised to see Alexis sitting in Neil’s chair, but he was even more surprised at how she looked. He had never seen her look so beautiful. Maybe it was because he hadn’t seen her in so long, but either way, she looked gorgeous and angelic. Wearing a strapless, lavender dress with tiny Swarovski crystals decorating the top, her hair was swept up behind her head in a relaxed bun and her eyes twinkled brighter than the crystals on her dress.
Marat wanted to touch her to make sure she was real. But as his hand started to lift up off the table, he forced it back down. No matter how much he loved her, he wasn’t going to let her get away with the way she hurt him. Minutes passed when neither of them said a word. The silence became more and more uncomfortable as Marat figured that Neil wasn’t coming back. Alexis was his dinner date for the night.
“Are you going to say something?” Alexis asked.
“I’m a little perplexed at the moment.”
“What are you confused about? I’d be happy to answer any of your questions,” Alexis said smiling.
She was trying as hard as she could to be in control of her emotions. She wanted to jump across the table and fall into his arms. She wanted to cry on his shoulder and go on about how much she missed him and how sorry she was, but she knew she had to be calm.
“What are you doing here? Where is Neil?”
“Neil has gone back to his hotel. His job is done.”
“Then, this was all planned?” Marat asked raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, it was. I had to talk to you, and I knew you wouldn’t listen to me if I called or showed up myself at your practice.”
“You’re right. I don’t want to listen to you.”
“But you have to now. You don’t want to cause a scene in a public place, a nice one at that,” Alexis replied.
“You are as manipulative as I thought you were,” Marat sighed shaking his head.
“I only act this way when I want something. And I want you back. I know what I did was inexcusable. But you have to understand, what happened in that hotel hallway was an accident,” Alexis said feeling tears in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she held them back and continued. “I didn’t mean what I said at that night club. I was drunk. I don’t even remember half of what I said.”
“Well, I do. I remember every single word. You said you liked kissing him, that he was the reason you couldn’t love me.”
“I was drunk, Marat. I didn’t mean a word of it. Yes, Bryan was a part of the problem but only because he hurt me.”
“And you’ve hurt me.”
“Please give me another chance, give me a chance to show you how much I love you,” Alexis said softly resting her hand on Marat’s.
“I’ve given you enough chances,” Marat replied flicking her hand away from his.
“Marat, please,” Alexis whispered taking her hand back as if he had burned it.
“No, Alexis. I’m not going to go through this again with you,” Marat said getting up from the table and placing some money on the table.
“Marat, don’t leave.”
Marat said nothing in response as he walked away from the table and out of the restaurant. Sitting alone, Alexis told herself to stay calm. Everything would be alright. They would just have to come up with a different idea on how to get Marat back. But as she got up from the table and put on her coat, she felt an overwhelming sense of loss. Rushing out of the restaurant, Alexis ran in the direction Marat had walked off in. Her high heels hitting the hard sidewalks made her cringe in pain, but she had to find him.
People were all around her, but none of them were Marat. Despite the hopelessness of the search, Alexis ran on. Finally, she saw his head bobbing slowly among the crowds. Pushing past couples and ignoring evil looks, Alexis grabbed the back of Marat’s shirt and pulled him into an alley.
“What are you doing?” Marat asked angrily as he turned to see it was her.
“Marat, wait,” Alexis huffed as she tried to catch her breath. “Please, one second.”
“Why should I?”
“Because, because, I don’t know. Just because,” Alexis said still trying to keep her emotions in. She wasn’t going to cry. She was going to keep the composure she was famous for.
“That’s a dumb excuse,” Marat mumbled in disgust as he started walking out of the alley.
“No!” Alexis shouted grabbing his arm.
“Alexis, give up. It’s over between us. You said it yourself.”
“No, I’m not going to give up. I know what I want, and it’s you,” Alexis cried out. Tears were now dropping everywhere from her eyes. Forget composure. Her composure was getting her nowhere.
“Alexis?” Marat asked uncertain of an Alexis he wasn’t used to seeing.
“Yes, I’m crying. I’m a wreck. My life is in ruins, but you’re the only thing that matters to me. I should be looking for a new job, but I’m here. I need to be with you. You’re the only thing keeping me alive and fighting,” Alexis said wiping tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her coat.
“Alexis, what do you mean? Why should you be looking for a job?” Marat asked taking a step closer to her.
“It’s a long story, but Thomson found out about us. He fired me right after I lost you,” Alexis replied. “Please, Marat. I don’t, I can’t, lose you again.”
“Oh, Alexis,” Marat whispered wrapping his arms around her.
“And I’m so lost. My father is right about me. I’m just like my mother,” Alexis cried against his chest as he held her tighter.
“Don’t ever listen to your father. He’s wrong about you and your mother. He’s made you this way, and I’m going to fix you.”
“Ugh, I hate being this way,” Alexis muttered wiping away her running mascara.
“It’s going to be okay. I love you, Alexis,” Marat said looking into her eyes. “And you don’t have to return that sentiment yet, only when you’re ready.”
“Just by saying that, I think you’re making it that much easier for me to say those words to you,” Alexis said reaching up to touch his face.
Picking her up in his arms, Marat held her up to his face and gently wiped away any tears that were still left on her face. As he rubbed her cheek with the pad of his thumb, he moved her face closer to his. He started kissing her gently, but as the kiss continued, he became more and more eager by the moment. He wanted to do so many things to her, but they were in an alley and in public where people were walking past them and giving weird looks.
“Alexis,” Marat whispered, “I think we should go back to my hotel.”
“I agree,” Alexis replied.
“Let’s go then,” Marat said grabbing Alexis’ wrist and pulling her through the crowds of people.
Luckily for both of them, they were not very far from the hotel. Stepping into the lobby of the hotel, Marat and Alexis almost sprinted to the elevator doors. Pressing the elevator button multiple times, Alexis giggled at his haste. Hearing her laugh, Marat looked at her evilly. The elevator was taking too long, and he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Oh, no Marat. Not again,” Alexis half said, half laughed.
“Not the stairs. But some place, and quick,” Marat said grabbing her hand and pulling her down the hallway where the first floor rooms were. “Now, where to go?”
“To your room?”
“No time for that.”
“Marat!”
“Here we are,” Marat said pulling Alexis into an open doorway.
“Where are we?” Alexis asked looking around as Marat closed the door behind them.
“It’s a closet where they keep the cleaning supplies,” Marat replied reaching for her in the dark.
“Glass cleaner and brooms? How romantic can you get Marat?” Alexis laughed but kissed him anyway.
“God, I missed you,” Marat sighed as she gently nibbled on his ear.
“I’ve missed you, too.”
“We’re not going to fight anymore, got it?”
“Got it,” Alexis replied as he unzipped her dress.
“Jeez, I promise we’ll do this in a bed sometime.”
“I’m starting to like all these weird places. It’s kind of exciting,” Alexis whispered as Marat pushed her against a wall of shelves where cleaning supplies were stored.
“It’s a little tiring for me though,” Marat said as Alexis wrapped her legs around his waist. “I have to hold you up.”
“I didn’t think about that. But you were the one who couldn’t wait to get to the room,” Alexis teased running her hands through his barely there hair.
“True. Now quiet,” Marat said capturing her mouth.
“So manly,” Alexis laughed.
Matching his lips to hers once more, Marat drove his tongue into her mouth. He proceeded to make her melt with the feel of his lips and his skin on hers. She finally decided to be quiet.
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Nov 26, 2006 18:53:29 GMT 3
Chapter 47
Propping himself up on his elbow, Marat looked over at the sleeping form next to him. Alexis’ dark brown hair was tangled and splayed across her face as she slept peacefully. Every once and awhile, her lips would form a smirk and her face would brighten up. Moving the hair on her face to behind her ear, he waited for her to wake up. Somehow, they had finally made it back to his room last night. But since they were both exhausted, he had never gotten the opportunity to ask her the questions that were on his mind.
A few minutes later, Alexis’ long eyelashes parted and her silver eyes stared back at Marat’s green eyes. Stretching her arms above her head, she yawned loudly before moving closer to Marat in the bed. Putting his arm around her, he dragged her even closer as he rubbed her back.
“Are you awake?” Marat whispered kissing her ear.
“Maybe.”
“Is there any way I can help you wake up?”
“If you’re thinking what I think you are, I don’t think that will work. It only makes me tired,” Alexis giggled against Marat’s chest.
“What else can I do to entice you to wake up?”
“Let me sleep and I’ll wake up when I’m ready.”
“One more hour,” Marat whispered. “Then you have to wake up.”
“Hmmm, okay,” Alexis mumbled as Marat slowly got out of bed.
Walking out of the bedroom and into the sitting room, Marat strolled to the window. Looking out over Madrid, he stretched out his arms thinking about how lonely he had been just yesterday. Now, Alexis was back, and it made him appreciate the view more than ever before. Feeling a pair of slender arms wrap around his waist, he placed his hands on hers.
“I thought you were going to sleep another hour.”
“I couldn’t sleep once you left the bed,” Alexis sighed. “You’re my bed buddy.”
“That’s a new title.”
“Alexis, I have some things to ask you,” Marat said unwrapping her arms and turning to face her.
“I figured you would. There’s a lot to talk about,” Alexis replied walking to the loveseat near the window.
“First of all,” Marat said sitting down next to her, “why did you move out of Izzy’s apartment?”
“It was partly because of what happened in New York City and partly because of Sara.”
“Who is this girl?”
“Sara Holloway is the perfect example of what money can do to an individual. She’s been spoiled rotten her whole life by her father, that’s how she got her job. She parties way too much, and I couldn’t see that. I thought she was my friend. In reality, she was just using me to improve her career at the Times.”
“What happened?”
“When I moved in with her, she said she wished she could write like me. I offered to help her, and we wrote an opinion article together. Actually, I wrote the article, and she sat on her ass reading a magazine. She wanted to put the article in her own name, but I said ‘no’,” Alexis explained. “But that didn’t stop her.”
“She put her name on it anyway?”
“And sent it in to the editor. A week after we broke up, I went to work and everybody was excited about this new opinion columnist in the sports section. When Neil told me it was Sara, I was surprised but not as surprised when I recognized the article as mine. Neil and I immediately went to Thomson with my laptop where I thought I had the proof.”
“And she was fired, right?”
“It turns out she had deleted it from my computer. I had no proof. And then, she let the cat out of the bag. She told Thomson everything about us. But he didn’t fire me because of you, he fired me because of how I tried to ‘destroy Miss Holloway’s career’,” Alexis said rubbing her forehead.
“Alexis, there has got to be something you didn’t think about. Maybe I can do something. There’s no way she can get away with this.”
“There’s no way to proof she did what she did. She covered her tracks nicely.”
“Let me see your laptop,” Marat said. “I’m guessing you have it with you.”
“Always. But I don’t understand why you want it,” Alexis replied getting off the couch.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“We’ll have to go to my room. That’s where I left it.”
“I’m guessing part of your plan was to be in the same hotel as me,” Marat commented.
“You got me,” Alexis laughed. “I’ll go get dressed, and we can go down there.”
“I’m going to fix this, Alexis,” Marat said as she walked out of the room.
“Thank you,” Alexis said stopping before she left the room. “That means a lot to me.”
*****
Sliding her card through the lock of her hotel room, Alexis opened the door and walked inside. Following behind her, Marat closed the door behind them. Walking into the room, they found Izzy lying in bed watching TV still in her pajamas.
“Oh, hey guys,” Izzy said jumping out of bed.
“Sorry that I didn’t call before we came down,” Alexis replied.
“It’s okay. Hi, Marat.”
“Hi, Izzy.”
“It’s good to see you again with Alexis.”
“I could say the same thing for you.”
“Here it is,” Alexis said jumping into the conversation. “My laptop.”
“If your computer works the way I think it does, Sara didn’t really delete the file permanently,” Marat said sitting down on Alexis’ bed.
“What’s he talking about?” Izzy asked.
“I wish I knew,” Alexis replied watching Marat clicking through files.
“The recycle bin on your computer, it’s where files go when you delete them. Whether it’s a picture, or a video, or a story, it goes there. And as you’ll see,” Marat said opening the recycling bin icon, “it’s not lost. It stays in there until you clean it out.”
“Oh, my God!” Alexis and Izzy squealed at the same time.
“What did you name the story?” Marat asked.
“I called it something like ‘Random Opinion Column’,” Alexis replied as Marat scrolled down.
“Here it is,” Marat said. “All we have to do is click ‘Restore’ and it’s back in your computer files.”
“Marat, you’re amazing,” Alexis shouted jumping on Marat and throwing her arms around him.
“Well, to make things better, the file will still have all its information on it when you scroll over it. It tells you how long it is, its title, and oh, when it was written. You can prove to Thomson that you wrote this on that date and not some other time after you got fired.”
“Marat, you’re a hero,” Izzy said.
“Thank you, I try,” Marat laughed. “Now what?”
“As soon as we get back to London, we bring this into Thomson. He’ll be forced to kick Sara out on her butt,” Izzy replied.
“How sweet that will be,” Alexis giggled squeezing Marat tighter.
“Does that mean you’re going back to London immediately?” Marat asked.
“Well, Izzy and Neil still have to be here for work. I’ll go back with them.”
“So, you’re staying?” Marat asked.
“Yes, of course I am. I will be a dutiful girlfriend to you until then. I will go to all your matches and all your practices and cheer you on.”
“Are you being serious or sarcastic?”
“Serious, I’ll even dye my hair blond so I fit in with the rest to the tennis girlfriends,” Alexis smiled.
“I like your hair the way it is,” Marat said dragging his fingers through her hair.
“How adorable,” Izzy sighed walking to the closet and taking Alexis’s suitcase out.
“What are you doing?” Alexis asked.
“I’m helping you pack,” Izzy said placing the suitcase near the bed. “It’s obvious you won’t be sleeping in here for the rest of our stay in Madrid.”
“She’s right,” Marat replied.
“Well, if you insist that I move into your luxurious suite,” Alexis laughed.
“I insist,” Marat said kissing her forehead. “I have to keep you out of trouble.”
“I think I get in more of it with you.”
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Nov 29, 2006 14:52:39 GMT 3
Chapter 48
“I can’t believe this is the first time I’m seeing your place,” Marat commented as Alexis and him climbed the stairs ahead of Izzy.
“I can’t believe it either. I keep forgetting that I didn’t let you pick me up that one night we first had dinner together,” Alexis replied fumbling with her suitcase. “But I’m glad you could come with Izzy and I back to London after your loss in Madrid.”
“It’s too bad I will only be here for a day or two. Will you be my tour guide of London?”
“I have a feeling we won’t be leaving my bedroom much,” Alexis grinned devilishly.
“You’re probably right,” Marat said as they heard a loud “thump” from behind them.
“Izzy, would you like some help with your suitcase?” Alexis asked struggling with her own.
“No, you’re having enough trouble as it is,” Izzy huffed stopping on the step she had just climbed.
“Would you like me to take your suitcase, Izzy?” Marat asked.
“No, you have your bags as well.”
“How about I put my bags up in your apartment? After I’ve dropped mine off, I’ll come back and get both of yours,” Marat suggested.
“That could work, but you don’t know where our apartment is,” Izzy replied.
“I’m sure he can find it if we tell him the apartment number. I’ll give him my key,” Alexis said taking a ring of keys from her jacket pocket. “It’s apartment 3F. Once you get to the third floor, you’ll walk down the hall, turn a corner, and then you’ll see the door.”
“I think I’ve got it,” Marat said taking the keys from Alexis. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Thanks, Marat,” Izzy called as he climbed up the stairs away from them. “That was nice of him.”
“He’s a great guy,” Alexis sighed walking down the stairs to reach Izzy and wait with her.
“He makes me want a boyfriend,” Izzy pouted.
“I told you I could ask him to set you up with one of his friends.”
“I want to find a man on my own, not be some charity case.”
“You’re not a charity case,” Alexis said putting her arm around Izzy’s shoulders.
“I might take you up on it though,” Izzy laughed throwing her arm around Alexis’ shoulders as they sat down on the stairs.
“I hope Marat doesn’t go looking for my bedroom when he gets up there. I left it looking like a mess,” Alexis commented staring down the flight of stairs.
“Alexis, I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think you love him? I mean, I know you haven’t said it to him yet, but do you think it’s a possibility?”
“I think I do. But the words are so hard to say for me. I never thought I would hear those words from him, especially so soon.”
“He’s crazy about you. It’s obvious. He didn’t have to come to London. He could have gone straight to Lyon, but he came here to see you stop Sara in her tracks.”
“I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“It’s too bad Neil had to stay in Madrid. He really wanted to be here for the moment she falls.”
“But you’ll be there tomorrow, right?” Alexis asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You’ll have me, the munchkin, and Marat, the Russian giant.”
“Quite an entourage, huh?”
“Who’s quite the entourage?” Marat asked from behind them.
“Nobody,” they giggled as they stood up.
“Let’s get these bags upstairs,” Marat said grabbing Izzy’s suitcase and Alexis’ suitcase.
“Are you sure they’re not too heavy?” Izzy asked. “We don’t want you to get injured.”
“I’ve got it,” Marat assured them. “Cool place by the way, very eclectic.”
“Did you look around?” Alexis asked.
“Only the front room, with the living room and kitchen,” Marat replied as they stepped off the stairs.
“Alexis doesn’t want you to see her room till she cleans it,” Izzy teased as Alexis poked her in the side.
“It can’t be any worse than my apartment,” Marat said turning his head to wink at Alexis.
“True,” Alexis laughed but still stuck her tongue out at Izzy.
“Welcome home, ladies,” Marat said as they walked through the open front door of their apartment.
“Okay, hand me that bag,” Alexis said taking her suitcase from Marat. “You can stay out here. Keep him company, Izzy.”
“Will do,” Izzy replied passing out on the couch.
“Good hostess,” Marat commented walking into the kitchen. “Do you have any vodka or beer?”
“Yes. Would you like a drink?”
“No, I’m going to pour them down the drain,” Marat said as he searched through the cabinets for alcohol.
“Huh?” Izzy asked sitting up on the couch.
“We’ve already decided that alcohol is not helping Alexis. I’m getting rid of it.”
“Wow, you do love her,” Izzy sighed getting up from the couch and walking into the kitchen.
“Was there ever a question?”
“No, but I’ve never seen a man be so devoted before.”
“You can’t fall in love when you’re drunk.”
“I don’t know about that. Half of my boyfriends in college were better looking and acting when I was drunk,” Izzy joked.
“Well, I want Alexis to love me when she’s sober,” Marat said closing a cabinet. “Where do you hide your alcohol anyway?”
“Well,” Izzy said opening the refrigerator door, “let’s start in here. There’s a bottle of vodka in the vegetable drawer. And there are a few cans of beer under the sink. Oh, and I put some bottles of wine in the drawer near the oven.”
“You’re both alcoholics,” Marat laughed as he scrambled to take out all of the bottles and cans.
“Has Alexis taught you nothing about being a journalist? It’s stressful.”
“I believe you now that I’ve seen all these,” Marat replied unscrewing the top of the vodka bottle as he turned it upside down above the sink.
“Goodbye, old friend,” Izzy said holding a bottle of wine to her chest like a child.
“Oh, stop being so dramatic,” Marat laughed snatching the bottle of wine from Izzy.
“Are we going to have an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting once Alexis gets done cleaning?”
“No, Alexis and I have time to make up for.”
“I guess I will be turning up the stereo. The walls are thin, you know.”
“I didn’t think about that.”
“You guys have very little time together. I’ll let you have your fun,” Izzy said walking out of the kitchen and back into the living room.
“Finished,” Marat called from the kitchen as he emptied the last can of beer.
“I’ll take them out to recycling tomorrow morning,” Izzy replied as Marat sat down on the couch beside her.
“Izzy, can I ask you a question?”
“Depends.”
“Has Alexis said anything about us?”
“Marat, if this is about love, you should know by now that she cares for you a lot. She was a mess without you and fought to get you back in Madrid.”
“I know she does. But I’m getting older. I wouldn’t mind getting married, and I would like to think of Alexis as someone I could marry. But I just need to know if she is getting closer to feeling love, something strong.”
“Marat, when Alexis talks to me, it’s private. Best friends keep things between each other,” Izzy explained.
“I respect that, but can I have a hint?” Marat smiled.
“No way, but nice try. You’ll have to wait for the unpredictability of Alexis Moore.”
“I’m all done. Ready to see my room?” Alexis asked as she walked into the living room from the hall.
“Ready,” Marat said getting up from the couch. “Good night, Izzy.”
“Good night, Marat.”
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Dec 10, 2006 1:02:04 GMT 3
Chapter 49
It was the first time she had been back at the Times building since the incident almost three weeks before. Stepping out of her cab, Alexis straightened her blazer and smoothed the legs of her trousers. Marat and Izzy followed her out of the cab as Alexis took her first step towards the doors of the tall skyscraper office building. When she didn’t move after her first step, Marat placed his hand on her shoulder gently.
“You belong here, Alexis,” Izzy said from behind her. “You shouldn’t feel afraid to enter.”
“I didn’t leave on the best of terms, Izzy. He, and everyone else, has no idea why I am here. I will be lucky if I make it to the elevator before security carries me off,” Alexis replied bleakly.
“I’ll deal with them if that happens,” Marat said gently pushing her towards the doors. “Let’s go in.”
Grabbing the handle of one of the doors, Alexis pushed the door open and entered the lobby. Turning to her left, Alexis saw Linda sitting behind the computer at her desk. She was sorting files while typing at her computer occasionally. It felt like any other morning when she had walked into the Times but everything looked foreign to her, almost depressing. Stopping in front of Linda’s desk, she lightly tapped the surface.
“Alexis!” Linda exclaimed as her face brightened. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see Thomson. It’s sort of important,” Alexis replied.
“Not sort of, it’s very important,” Izzy corrected.
“It’s so good to see you,” Linda squealed getting up from her desk and hugging Alexis. “My mornings haven’t been the same without our talks.”
“Mine haven’t either,” Alexis said hugging her back.
“I hope what is going on involves Sara and your departure. It’s been hell since you left,” Linda said pulling away from Alexis.
“What do you mean?” Alexis asked.
“Ever since you left, Sara has been walking around here like she owns the place. Obvious to say, she keeps coming up with excuses why she hasn’t written another article yet,” Izzy explained.
“No one believes what happened, but none of us have proof to argue your case,” Linda added.
“We might have that proof now,” Alexis said holding up her laptop bag.
“I hope so, dear. I really do,” Linda smiled.
“We have to get going,” Izzy reminded Alexis as she started walking towards the elevators.
“See ya later, Linda,” Alexis called as Marat and she walked to the elevators behind Izzy.
Riding the elevator up to the floor of Thomson’s corner office, Alexis entwined her fingers with Marat’s and squeezed his hand. If she could help it, she wasn’t going to let go of his hand the entire time she was here. He was what kept her going after all. Stepping out of the elevator, the three of them walked to the desk of Thomson’s secretary. When she looked up from her computer, her face looked as if she had seen a ghost. It was obvious she hadn’t expected to see Alexis or Marat there that day.
“Mary, I believe Alexis has an appointment with Thomson,” Izzy spoke up for them as Mary continued to stare in awe.
“I don’t remember Mr. Thomson mentioning it,” Mary said looking through Thomson’s itinerary on her desk. “It’s not written down either.”
“Well, I have one now,” Alexis said placing her laptop carrier on Mary’s desk. “I believe that he’ll want to see what is on this laptop.”
“Let me page him,” Mary replied hesitantly as she paged his office. “Mr. Thomson, Alexis Moore, Izzy Harris, and Marat Safin are here to see you. They say they have something to show you. Yes, I said Alexis Moore and Marat Safin. Right away, sir.”
“So?” Izzy probed.
“He says for you to come in,” Mary replied.
“Thank you, Mary,” Alexis said leading them into Thomson’s office.
Opening the door and seeing the office looking the same way it had a few weeks ago, Alexis felt her stomach sink. She could remember every detail from the day she had been in here trying to fight for her job. Pulling Marat closer to her side, she stopped and stood in front of Thomson’s desk. His face had the same look that Mary’s had worn a few minutes before.
“Alexis, I didn’t expect you here today. I wish you would have called,” Thomson said greeting them.
“What? So that you could have had your security personnel on the look out for me?” Alexis asked. “It’s doubtful that I would’ve gotten in that way.”
“Alexis, I would never treat you that way.”
“You did two weeks ago,” Alexis snapped sitting down in a chair. Izzy sat in the chair next to her, and Marat stood behind Alexis’ chair with his hand rested on her shoulder.
“I see that you are back with Marat,” Thomson commented looking up at the Russian as he towered over Thomson’s desk.
“Yes, and we’re very happy,” Alexis replied taking her laptop out of her bag and placing it on Thomson’s desk in front of her.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Thomson said as he watched Alexis open her laptop and turn it on. “I have to say that I’m lost as to why you are here though.”
“I’m here to save my good name. Although, I’ve been informed that my name is still clean among many of my co-workers, and it is Sara Holloway’s name that is in shambles,” Alexis replied looking up from her laptop momentarily to smile at Thomson.
“You are very well respected here. That is true,” Thomson said.
“Except by you.”
“Alexis,” Thomson sighed.
“You didn’t believe me. You thought I would do such a thing as to set someone up. That is something so low that I’m appalled and hurt that you would ever think I could do something like that.”
“Sara had the upper hand. She was innocent, and you had made false accusations,” Thomson explained.
“We’ll see about that,” Alexis said turning her laptop around so that it was facing Thomson. “Have a look at this.”
“Is this Sara’s story?” Thomson asked.
“Yes, it is. Well, it’s not her story. That’s the whole point. And if you click on the file, you’ll see the date the story was created and even when it was deleted and restored.”
“Why wasn’t this here before?”
“She had deleted it off my laptop. But the thing about a Windows laptop is that deleted documents are sent to a recycling bin. And unless you clear it out, the files stay there. Marat found this out for me a few days ago,” Alexis explained.
“I can’t believe this. It’s here on your computer, even the date you wrote it,” Thomson commented staring at the computer screen.
“Too good to believe, huh?” Izzy asked. “You can get back your star reporter.”
“So, Thomson, what do you say?” Alexis asked smiling at her editor as he sat back in his chair in exasperation. “Do you believe me now?”
*****
Checking out her reflection in a window on her way to Thomson’s office, Sara smiled back at herself before gently knocking on Thomson’s door. She knew she looked good; she fit the role of the spunky, talented reporter perfectly with her sleek, new Versace suit. Everything about her had to communicate success and sophistication as she tried to keep the position at the Times that she had stolen from Alexis.
“Come in,” she heard Thomson call from inside his office.
“It’s a pleasure to see you on this fine Saturday morning,” Sara greeted with her patented smile.
“Same to you. Please, have a seat Sara. There is something I wish to speak to you about,” Thomson said pulling out a chair for Sara to sit down in.
“Thank you,” Sara said as she sat down. She smiled to herself knowing that she had Thomson under her spell. It made her feel bright inside to know that she had defeated the great Alexis Moore in this very office only weeks before.
“I had a few visitors this morning,” Thomson started to explain as he sat down in the chair next to Sara.
“And was that?” Sara replied faking interest.
“Izzy Harris, Alexis Moore, and her boyfriend, Marat Safin.”
“What did they want?” Sara asked immediately. “More importantly, what were they doing here?”
“They had something to show me,” Thomson said getting up from his chair. “It was quite interesting. It was a story that Alexis had written a few weeks before. Somehow, it had gotten deleted. But thankfully, it only went to the recycling bin of her laptop.”
“Oh, is that so? What does it have anything to do with her coming back to the Times building with her little accomplice, Harris, and her supposed boyfriend, Marat Safin?”
“Oh, he is not her supposed boyfriend. He seemed very much in love with her. He had his hand on her shoulder the entire time they were in my office,” Thomson said walking to the other side of his desk and turning a laptop to face Sara. “This is what they had to show me.”
Glancing at the story on the screen of the laptop, Sara swallowed hard before smoothing her hair and looking up at Thomson with a smile.
“You don’t really think this is proof that I stole her story, do you?” Sara asked. “She could have easily typed this out from the paper and called it hers.”
“True, but she already thought about that,” Thomson replied. “If you click on the file information, it says when it was written, even deleted and restored. Strange isn’t it? How this story is on her laptop and then deleted?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sara said clearing her throat.
“By the way, have you written any new articles yet?” Thomson said walking back over to where Sara was sitting.
“I’ve been busy. I’m still in shock from being excused of plagiarism a few weeks ago.”
“Is that so? I guess I will never be getting another article from you then.”
“Why is that?” Sara asked.
“You’re about to be fired for plagiarism. This time, there is no accusation because the proof is all here,” Thomson said gesturing towards the laptop.
“This is ridiculous!” Sara shouted getting up from her chair. “I did no such thing.”
“You guys may come in now,” Thomson called towards the door to his office.
Turning her head to the door, Sara watched as Izzy walked into the room followed by Alexis and Marat. Letting go of Marat’s hand, Alexis walked in front of Izzy and stopped an inch away from Sara’s surprised face.
“Game’s over,” Alexis said between clenched teeth. “You lose.”
“Well, I…,” Sara tried to say.
“Don’t even bother trying to get yourself out of this one,” Thomson said. “You’re fired, Holloway.”
“You’re all a bunch of idiots. Just wait till the media hears about this. I’ll drag this whole paper through the mud if I have to,” Sara screamed running quickly out of the room.
But as she walked around Alexis, something caught her foot, and she fell to the floor, her skirt ripping up the back as she did. Moaning in pain, Sara turned around to see what had tripped her. Alexis smiled down at her as she held her foot in the position it had been in when she had tripped Sara.
“Walk much?” Izzy asked as they all broke into laughter at Sara lying on the floor with her skirt ripped and underwear showing.
“I hate you all,” Sara screamed once more as she ran out of the office trying to cover her behind with her hands.
“That was very childish,” Thomson said to Alexis. “You should have been a bit more mature than that.”
“Oh, come one Thomson. It was hilarious,” Marat laughed.
“You’re right. It was,” Thomson agreed breaking into laughter.
“I’m glad this is over,” Alexis sighed resting her head on Marat’s chest.
“I am, too. I get my best reporter back,” Thomson said patting Alexis gently on the shoulder.
“We need to talk about that actually,” Alexis said taking her head off Marat’s chest. “I’m not coming back.”
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Dec 10, 2006 20:20:33 GMT 3
Chapter 50
“What?!” Izzy screeched from behind Alexis.
“Excuse me? I’m a bit confused, Alexis. What did you say?” Thomson asked with furrowed brows.
“I said that I’m not coming back,” Alexis repeated making sure each word was clear and concise.
“I don’t understand. I’ve fired Sara. You’ve been proven innocent. Everybody wants you to come back to work, including myself,” Thomson explained.
“It was the right thing to do, firing Sara. And of course, I feel honored that everybody wants me to come back, but I wouldn’t feel right coming back to this job,” Alexis replied holding Marat’s tighter.
“Is it an apology? Would you like a bigger apology from me? I’ll give you one,” Thomson said pleadingly.
“No, it’s not that.”
“You deserve a bigger apology. I questioned your honesty, and I have much to make up to you.”
“No, you don’t owe me anymore than what you have done by firing Sara. I’m glad that she can no longer mooch off of other people. That’s all that I ask.”
“Then, why are you leaving the Times?” Thomson asked. “You can be back to work by Monday morning.”
“There’s a lot you don’t understand,” Alexis said. “Over the past few months, I’ve found out a lot about myself with the help of the people I’ve met here in London. But I don’t feel like I’ve learned everything about myself. There’s a lot missing, and I need to find out what that is.”
“Can’t you find that out here on the weekends?” Thomson asked smiling.
“I can’t find out who I am if I’m stuck behind a cubicle, going back to my old workaholic ways. I don’t want to be that person anymore.”
“I can’t persuade you otherwise, can I?” Thomson asked leaning on the edge of his desk.
“Not this time,” Alexis replied shaking her head from side to side.
“Then I want you to know that your job will always be open. If and when you figure out who you are to your satisfaction, you will be welcomed back to the same position, and the same cubicle,” Thomson said getting up from his desk.
“Thank you. I hope I will be back soon.”
“Me, too.”
Nodding to Izzy and Marat, she walked out of Thomson’s office with Marat’s hand still wrapped in hers. She could hear Izzy complaining behind them, but she paid no attention to her. Marat’s silence was more confusing and interesting than Izzy’s loud complaints. Looking over at him, Alexis studied his face but he gave away no signs has to how he felt about her decision.
Waving goodbye to Linda still at her desk, Alexis, Izzy, and Marat walked outside onto the street to hail down a taxi. But as they stood waiting, Alexis could feel the tension in her body mount. She had to know what Marat thought about all of this immediately.
“Hey, Izzy,” Alexis said breaking into Izzy’s rant. “Do you mind going in a different taxi than Marat and me? I think we have some things to talk about.”
“Sure, maybe he can talk some sense into you,” Izzy mumbled as a taxi pulled up to the curb. “You two can have this one. I’ll take the next one.”
“Thanks, Izzy,” Alexis said as she and Marat climbed into the taxi and closed the door.
Staring out the window as the car pulled away from the curb, Alexis waited for Marat to say something before she did. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Alexis figured that he wasn’t going to say anything.
“So, are you going to talk some sense into me?” Alexis asked and laughed nervously.
“No, I’m not going to try to make you change your mind.”
“Then, why are you being so quiet and stern?”
“I’m confused. I feel like I’ve been left out of one of the biggest decisions of your life.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I mean, you didn’t even tell me you were doing this. What next? What else have you decided without me?”
“Nothing, well sort of.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about us.”
“Don’t tell me that you’re breaking up with me to find yourself,” Marat said accusingly.
“No, it’s the total opposite,” Alexis explained turning to face him. “When I’m with you, I’ve found out more about myself than with anyone else. And now that I’m no longer tied down by a job, I can spend more time with you. Of course, only if you want me to.”
“Are you saying that you’ll travel with me to tournaments?” Marat asked.
“Yes, and you won’t have to see me in the crowd of reporters during your press conference,” Alexis said with a laugh.
“You’ll sit in my box, and I won’t have to hide you?”
“I’ll be right by your side. There will be no reason to hide me. I’m not working for the Times anymore after all. But that’s only if you want me to travel with you.”
“Of course I do. I didn’t think I would ever hear you give up your job to spend more time with me,” Marat said rubbing the palm of her hand with his fingers.
“So, I guess we’re off to Lyon, huh?”
“Are you excited?”
“It might be fun with you. I’ll get to see a lot of different cities after all.”
“I wonder how Izzy will feel about you leaving.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
*****
Opening the door to her apartment, Izzy set her purse on the small table near the door. Seeing Marat on the couch in the living room, she looked for around the room for Izzy but didn’t see her. Shrugging her shoulders, she sat down in a chair next to the couch. For the next few minutes, Marat and she watched a football match on the TV until it switched to commercials.
“So, did you talk some sense into her?” Izzy asked.
“No, it’s her decision, Izzy.”
“But she has no idea what she is doing. She’s worked her whole life to become a journalist, and now she has the opportunity to be one of the best sports journalists at one of the best newspapers in the world.”
“Thomson said her job would always be open.”
“It won’t be open forever. Eventually, he’ll need another tennis reporter.”
“Izzy, Alexis has made up her mind,” Marat said turning off the television set.
“What is she going to do with her life? She’ll lose every chance to prove her father wrong.”
“I don’t think she cares any longer about what her father thinks. It’s part of her change from who she used to be,” Marat explained.
“Where is she anyhow?”
“She’s packing.”
“Packing?”
“She’s going to travel with me from now. She’ll figure herself out as we go.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“He’s not kidding you,” Alexis said coming out of her bedroom and into the living room.
“You’re leaving with him?” Izzy asked.
“Yes, I don’t have a job after all to keep me chained here. It will be good for me. I need to have a vacation, relax, and ignore the real world for a while.”
“What about Neil and me?”
“We’ll keep in touch. Do you really think I would abandon you guys? You’ve been my family for the past few months,” Alexis said stopping in front of Izzy’s chair.
“I can speak for Neil and myself when I say we feel the same way,” Izzy agreed feeling tears in her eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry,” Alexis said kneeling down in front of her. “This isn’t goodbye. There’s only a few weeks of the tennis season left. I’ll be back in a few weeks.”
“You take care of her,” Izzy said referring to Marat.
“I always do,” Marat smiled.
“When are you leaving?” Izzy asked.
“Marat’s arranged for a plane tonight. He has to be in Lyon as soon as possible,” Alexis answered.
“Then you better get packing,” Izzy said getting up from her chair. “I’ll call you guys a taxi.”
“Thanks, Izzy.”
“That’s what friends are for,” Izzy said hugging Alexis before she left the room.
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Dec 16, 2006 22:54:33 GMT 3
Chapter 51
Sitting on the edge of their large king size bed, Alexis bounced up and down on the mattress until the back of her foot hit the bottom of the wooden bed frame. Reaching down to rub the sore spot, she spotted her cell phone on the floor underneath a chair in the small sitting room next to their bed. Getting off the bed and picking up her cell phone, she was surprised to see that her cell phone still had charge left. She had been neglecting it for weeks, forgetting to even call Izzy and Neil.
Walking back in forth between the sitting room and the edge of the bed, she stared at her cell phone and debated on whether she should call either of them. But noticing how alone and bored she was in the hotel room in Paris, she figured it was the best time to make a call to her friends in London. Tapping Izzy’s home phone number into her cell, Alexis sat down once again on the bed and waited for Izzy to answer.
“Hello?” Alexis heard a familiar voice answer the phone and break the silence of the large, empty hotel room.
“Izzy, it’s me.”
“I’m not sure I know a ‘me’,” Izzy teased over the phone.
“Izzy, please talk to me. You have no idea how bored I am right now,” Alexis whined flinging herself onto the mattress.
“I thought Marat would be with you of all the nights. I mean, he did just lose to Tommy Haas in the quarterfinals of his favorite tournament.”
“He will be, eventually. But like after every match he plays, he has to shower, get a massage, go to press conferences, and then make his way through Parisian traffic to get here,” Alexis sighed. “I’ll be lucky if we eat dinner by midnight.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie. Although, you had to know that life on the road with him wasn’t going to be perfect. You were, after all, one of those reporters that waited on him for his press conference match after match,” Izzy reminded her.
“You’re right, but I thought we would have more time together than this. I see him for a late dinner, kiss him before we go to bed, and then I wake up to him saying he’s off to practice.”
“Don’t forget, you also get to sit in his box next to Sasha and smile away at him while he’s playing,” Izzy said trying to lighten the mood.
“That’s the best part actually of my day. I love watching him play, thinking in my mind how I could set up a story all about that one match. I’m resorting back to my old ways.”
“As much as I want you back here, may be you should hang out with Marat a little while longer. You can take this time to vacation, see the world, possibly see Marat some more.”
“I feel like a need to be wearing my old match reporting clothes and shoving a tape recorder in his face to get him to talk to me for more than 30 seconds. I sound pathetic,” Alexis replied running her hand through her hair and exhaling loudly.
“Where are you two off to next?”
“The season is over, but the Davis Cup final is next in Moscow. So, I suppose we’re going there for the next few weeks.”
“I suggest you use that flight to Moscow as a time to talk to Marat about how you feel. He can’t walk out on you. Where’s he going to go? Hang out in economy class? Collect his thoughts in the cramped quarters of the airplane bathrooms?”
“It would be the perfect time to sort things out,” Alexis muttered biting one of her fingernails as she heard the door to the hotel room click open. “Izzy, I have to go. Marat’s finally home.”
“Okay, don’t be a stranger next time. Give me a call before the next US Open.”
“I promise to call you soon. Give Neil a hug for me. Bye,” Alexis said closing her phone and getting up from the bed as Marat walked into the room.
“Sorry, milaya,” Marat said wrapping his arms around Alexis and kissing her. “The press conferences took longer than I thought they would.”
“It’s okay. I understand completely,” Alexis replied squeezing Marat tighter. “So, what are we going to do for dinner? It might be a good idea to eat room service tonight, considering the hour.”
“No, we’ll go out to eat,” Marat said separating from her and walking into the bathroom.
“Marat, there is no way we’ll find a place to eat at this hour with traffic and other people scrambling to eat dine as well,” Alexis replied following him into the bathroom. “You can’t be serious.”
“I have everything under control. Why don’t you go get ready and trust me to take care of things?”
“Do you know who you’re talking to? It’s me, Alexis Moore. I’m the queen of controlling all situations.”
“Well, I believe you’ve met your match,” Marat said kissing her cheek and directing her back into the bedroom gently. “Now, go get ready.”
“This will be a disaster,” Alexis murmured as she walked into the bedroom and went through her suitcase for something to wear.
“It will not be a disaster. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how in control of things I am tonight,” Marat said as he started shaving.
“Hmmm, I’ll have to wait and see about that,” Alexis replied taking a pair of black slacks and a gray sweater out of her suitcase and throwing them on the bed.
“Maybe you should wear a dress, the new one.”
“I’m only going to wear that dress on special occasions. And the last time I checked, driving through Paris to find a restaurant is not a special occasion.”
“Tonight it is,” Marat said walking out of the bathroom and opening the closet. “Wear the dress and don’t ask questions. I will answer them all eventually.”
“You’ve got something planned, don’t you?” Alexis asked as he placed the dress on the bed and strolled back into the bathroom to finish shaving.
“Like you said, you’ll have to wait and see.”
Mumbling to herself, Alexis started to unzip the bag that her new dress was protected by. Inch by inch, the side of the bag opened and revealed her dress. Stepping back from the bed, Alexis had almost forgotten how beautiful the creation was in person. Staring at the Oscar de la Renta strapless dress with its sweetheart neckline, white tulle, and red and white dot embroidery, Alexis wanted to put on the dress immediately, even though she had no idea what was in store for her that evening.
A few minutes later, Alexis finished zipping herself into the dress and started working on the tiny buckles of her Giuseppe Zanotti heels. Nothing about her outfit was uncomfortable, but everything about it was elegant and exactly what Alexis loved. And if it hadn’t been for the fact that Marat paid for the whole outfit, she would have been ecstatic about wearing it. But as she looked herself up and down in the mirror holding her black clutch, she couldn’t help but feel dependent and maybe even like a gold digger for Marat buying her all these things.
“You look amazing,” Marat smiled as he placed his hands on her waist.
“But I feel terrible.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I didn’t buy any of this. I’m staying in a hotel room I didn’t pay for and I have no job to report to,” Alexis said walking away from the mirror and falling into a chair.
“I thought that was the point of you quitting your job, so that you had no one to report to except for us,” Marat replied placing his hands on her shoulders.
“But I didn’t want to become some economic burden for you.”
“You are not a burden to me in any way. Why won’t you let me spoil you for awhile? Believe me, buying you a dress and a pair of heels will not drain my bank account,” Marat said laughing softly.
“But what if it spirals into more? One day I’m asking for you to buy me a pair of shoes, and the next day I’ll be asking you to buy me a mansion on the French Riviera and a yacht to sail the Mediterranean in.”
“That won’t happen, because you’re not like that,” Marat whispered in her ear as he started to trail kisses down her throat.
“I don’t know. My mother became dependent upon my father. Who’s to say I won’t do the same? Marat, please stop. I’m trying to talk to you,” Alexis said brushing him away from her neck.
“Can we continue this discussion at dinner? We need to leave now if we’re going to make our reservations,” Marat said walking towards the door and looking at his Rolex watch.
“Reservations? Dinner reservations?”
“Maybe.”
“Marat,” Alexis said getting up from her chair.
“Stretch out your arms so I can put them into your coat.”
“Marat.”
“Alexis.”
“I want to know what’s going on,” Alexis said as she buttoned her coat closed and Marat put his on.
“You’ll have to wait,” Marat replied as he opened the door for her.
“This won’t end until you tell me what’s going on,” Alexis said as she walked past him and into the hallway.
“I didn’t think it would.”
“Please tell me,” Alexis said giving him her version of puppy eyes.
“Those aren’t going to work. Besides, when we get there, you’ll recognize it immediately. You might even laugh a little.”
“Now I’m confused.”
“Perfect.”
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Dec 17, 2006 20:36:00 GMT 3
Chapter 52
Sitting in the passenger seat of the car, Alexis watched Marat intently as he delighted in driving the Mercedes Benz CL-Class provided by the tournament for his use during the week. She couldn’t help but laugh when he would push one of the buttons on the dashboard just to see what it did. With his cheeky smile spread across his face, he resembled a little boy in a candy store. Leaning back in her seat, she looked through the windshield as she tried to predict where they were going.
“So, would you like to tell me where we’re going now?” Alexis asked after Marat had quit playing with the satellite radio.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“But I want to know now. Anyway, it must be someplace nice if you’re wearing a tie and jacket,” Alexis said folding her arms across her chest.
“Don’t fold your arms across your chest that way. You’ll wrinkle your dress,” Marat teased.
“It’s not my dress; it’s your dress.”
“Does that mean I own what’s inside the dress as well?” Marat asked with his cheeky smile still plastered across his face.
“Maybe. If you tell me where we’re going, you can own what’s in this dress for the rest of the night if you like.”
“I have a feeling I’ll own you either way when you see where we’re going,” Marat replied turning into a street.
“So why not tell me now?” Alexis asked.
“Because we’re here,” Marat said pulling the car up to the curb of a two-story building illuminated by lights.
“There is no way in Hell that you got reservations for this place. It has to be closed by now,” Alexis said as she stared at the restaurant from her car window and Marat got out of the car.
“For us it is,” Marat replied opening her car door.
“Marat, you must have had this planned forever,” Alexis said taking his hand and getting out of the car.
“A few weeks, but then I decided that I didn’t want everyone around us constantly asking for autographs. So, I moved our reservations back and paid a little extra to keep them open longer,” Marat said as if it was nothing.
“How much ‘extra’?”
“Don’t worry, you’re worth every penny,” Marat whispered in her ear as they walked into the restaurant.
“Bienvenue a La Tour d’Argent,” their waiter greeted them as they sat down at their table on the second floor.
As the waiter spoke about the specialties of the restaurant, Alexis zoned him out as she stared at the surroundings. To her left, a window showed off panoramic views of the Notre Dame and the Seine River below. Inside the restaurant, the window was framed by dark red, gold trimmed drapes. The cherry wood tables were covered by cream-colored tablecloths. And around the tables, giant porcelain, blue and white vases stood filled with red and yellow long-stem roses.
When the waiter had finished and they were left alone, Marat looked over at Alexis to find her staring out the window at the Notre Dame. Her eyes were opened wide, and her lips were parted in awe at the view. Smiling to himself, Marat knew he had gotten the reaction he wanted. Grabbing her hand from across the table, she suddenly came back to earth and settled her piercing eyes on him.
“Do you like what you see?” Marat asked.
“How could I not? You basically rented out an entire restaurant for us. There is no one here but us. The view is amazing, and from what I’ve heard, the food here is equally amazing. I’m speechless.”
“I didn’t mean the restaurant. I meant me,” Marat laughed.
“Oh, oops,” Alexis giggled covering her mouth with her hand. “I think you’re just as amazing as all this. Actually, you’re better than amazing. There’s not even a word to describe you.”
“I wanted to tell you how much I love you. I also wanted to thank you for coming with me on tour,” Marat said.
“It was my decision. And in reality, I should be thanking you. You’ve taken me so many beautiful places already. I have no idea how to thank you.”
“I know a way.”
“And what would that be?” Alexis asked.
“Say you love me.”
An awkward silence surrounded their table suddenly. Staring at the tiny lamp sitting on their table, Alexis let her mind settle before she said anything.
“Marat, I can’t say that to you yet,” Alexis sighed.
“Why not? Haven’t I given you every reason to trust me with your heart? Haven’t I made it clear that I will do anything for you? Even all this?” Marat asked gesturing around the restaurant they had all to themselves.
“I know you love me. I also know that I could trust my heart with you, even my whole life if need be. But I can’t love you, I can’t give myself to you, until I know what I am giving you. There’s still a big part of me missing,” Alexis explained.
“What is missing? You’ve gotten rid of your father, of being used by Sara, and of not falling in love with the right person. You’ve got friends who love you and care about you. What else could you want?” Marat asked starting to get irritated.
“A mother.”
Once again, silence took over their table and the restaurant. The waiter, with great timing, came to the table to deliver the wine selections and speak about each. Neither Marat nor Alexis heard any of his suggestions as they both stared at the tablecloth. After Marat finally agreed to a white wine, the waiter disappeared, and they were left alone again.
“Alexis, I knew you wanted to find your mother, but I never knew that she was such a part of you,” Marat said.
“She’s my mother, Marat. She is half of me. I look exactly like her, except for the nose and height maybe. I have to find out who she is.”
“I’m not like my mother. Who my mother is doesn’t make me who I am. Why can’t you just let her go? She let you go after all.”
“I don’t think she had any other choice. My father was a tyrant. You met him. You know how he can be.”
“Alexis, this will never end. You’re letting your past determine your future,” Marat sighed.
“It will end, Marat. I’ve been thinking a lot actually about my mother. All those hours spent in our hotel suites while you’re doing press conferences and practicing, I’ve been thinking about my mother.”
“And?”
“And I’ve decided to go find her. I’m going to do whatever it takes. I’ll take what I have left of the money I earned at the Times and use it to find her,” Alexis explained as her eyes began to noticeably twinkle at the prospect of finding her mother.
“What if she doesn’t want to be found?”
“I don’t want to think about that. I’m thinking positively from now on.”
“Alexis, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Then come with me. I could use your support. We can go find her together. It’ll bring us closer together.”
“Alexis, I have to go to Moscow. The Davis Cup final is coming up. It is very important to me and to my country. I can’t go traveling to the States right now. And to be honest, I wouldn’t want to go if I had time. I don’t support what you’re doing. I think you should leave your mother alone and start your own family with me.”
“I wouldn’t be able to give my all to you if I didn’t meet my mother first,” Alexis replied starting to feel exhausted by the conversation.
“Then we’ve got a problem,” Marat said leaning back in his chair as the waiter arrived at their table.
Opening the bottle of wine, the waiter filled their wine glasses before taking their orders. They both ordered the lobster with lemon vinaigrette. Staring across the table at each other, Marat and Alexis weren’t really looking at each other but into their minds. They wanted to come up with a solution, but all the solutions they came up with were not what they were looking for.
The smell of your skin lingers On me now You're probably on your flight Back to your hometown I need some shelter Of my own protection baby Be with myself in center, Clarity, peace, serenity
“I think I know what you’re thinking,” Alexis said sipping her wine.
“I had a feeling you did.”
“Marat, this isn’t how it was supposed to be. You were supposed to come with me, find my mother, I would tell you I love you, and then we would fly to Moscow for you to play Davis Cup,” Alexis sighed.
“It would have been nice if it hadn’t been for the fact that I need to practice, and it would take longer than a week to find your mother.”
I hope you know, I hope you know That this has nothing to do with you It's personal, myself and I We got some straightening out to do And I’m gonna miss you like a child Misses their blanket
“Marat, I don’t want this to be goodbye.”
“Neither do I,” Marat said feeling his walls coming down.
“I don’t want you to be stalled by this. I want you to go on to Moscow and win,” Alexis said squeezing his hand.
“Me, too. Go find your mother. And you can call me if you ever need me,” Marat replied not wanting to let go of her hand.
“Same to you. Call me if you ever need someone real to talk to. I won’t lie to you or sugarcoat anything.”
But I've gotta get a move on with my life It's time to be a big girl now And big girls don't cry Don't cry, don’t cry, don’t cry
“I could always count on you for that,” Marat smiled.
“Should we just forget about dinner?”
“No, let’s stay. We’re still friends after all,” Marat replied hating the word “friends” as it came out of his mouth.
“Exactly,” Alexis whispered letting go of his hand and sitting back in her chair.
The path that I'm walking, I must go alone I must take the baby steps Till I'm full grown
“So,” Marat said.
“So,” Alexis repeated rocking back and forth in her chair.
“This isn’t going to work, is it?”
Fairy tales don't always Have a happy ending do they And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay
“Probably not,” Alexis replied trying to smile. “I better go.”
“You can take the tournament car. I’ll walk back to the hotel.”
“No, it’s your car,” Alexis said shaking her head and getting up from the table.
“Alexis, it’s not safe for you to be walking around alone in Paris at night. Besides, you’re wearing heels,” Marat said trying to lighten the mood.
“True. Okay, I’ll see you at the hotel then,” Alexis replied putting on her coat.
“Yeah,” Marat muttered playing with his fork.
“Goodbye,” Alexis whispered as she kissed his cheek and walked out of the room.
I hope you know, I hope you know That this has nothing to do with you It's personal, myself and I We got some straightening out to do And I'm gonna miss you like a child Misses their blanket But I've gotta get a move on with my life It's time to be a big girl now And big girls don't cry Don't cry, don’t cry, don’t cry
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Dec 23, 2006 0:02:19 GMT 3
Chapter 53
Taking the strap of her laptop carrier from the floor, Alexis threw it over her shoulder, feeling the weight of the bag and her laptop on the side of her thigh. Looking around where she had been sitting, she made a final check to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Satisfied with the empty chair in the terminal of the airport, she walked to the ticket stand and gave the attendant her ticket. Like most flight attendants and ticket checkers, the lady smiled at her amiably as she ripped the end of the ticket off and handed her the rest. Following suit, Alexis pasted a fake smile across her face before taking the ticket stub and walking through the tunnel to her plane.
As she entered the plane, two flight attendants greeted her with the same smiles as the ticket checker. And like before, Alexis smiled and hurried to find her seat. Walking through the aisle of the plane, she was relieved to see that the plane was almost deserted. Everywhere she looked, there was only a person in each row, with a few exceptions of two per row. And to her joy, she found the row of her seat empty and welcoming. Throwing her laptop carrier under the empty seat next to hers, she sat down in the seat closest to the aisle and prayed that no one else would arrive to inhabit the row.
And as the last passengers of the plane arrived and the attendants closed the door of the plane, Alexis sighed in relief that she would have the entire row to herself. For the long flight to New York City, she would have the entire row to stretch. Also, she wouldn’t have to deal with someone trying to make uncomfortable small talk with her. As one of the flight attendants came on to instruct everyone to turn off their cell phones, Alexis took hers out of her coat. Opening the phone, Alexis was disappointed to find the screen empty and that she had no missed calls.
But what did she expect? Did she really think that Marat would try to stop her? No matter how lenient and unlike her stubborn self she had been lately, he had to know that there was no stopping her. But somewhere deep inside herself, she wished he had tried. She couldn’t help but blame herself for this. Maybe she was cursed to spend the rest of her life alone. She had done it with Bryan by always working and keeping herself locked away behind brick walls and padlocks. But this time, she had lost Marat by opening up and wanting to find her mother.
Turning off her phone, she put it back into her coat pocket and stared straight ahead over the rows of passenger-less seats. This would be an easy flight. She would use it to get her head straight. After all, she did have to see David when she got into New York. Even though she doubted he would help her, she had to try. There would be no missed opportunities in finding her mother. Once she found out who her mother was, maybe she would finally know who she was.
Suddenly, she felt the plane pick up speed on the tarmac. She hadn’t even noticed that the plane was about to take off until then. Looking out her window at the blurry tarmac below, she switched her gaze to the part of Paris she could see from the airport. It was almost impossible not to think about the first time she had arrived in Paris seven months before. In the first trip to Paris, she had met Marat. Back then, she had hated him. And now, as she left Paris, she was so deeply in love that it was killing her to be on this plane. She wanted to break the window open with her fists and jump out of the window, as improbable as the idea was.
And then the familiar feeling of tingling began to happen in her tired eyes. Leaning her head back, she tried with all her might to push the tears back. But try as she might, the accumulation of tears grew bigger and bigger. Urging herself to be strong, she grabbed onto the armrest and squeezed it hard with her fingers. She wasn’t going to cry. She never did this before, but now she was doing it all the time. But it was a useless effort. The tears spilled out of her eyes as the front of the plane lifted into the air. Feeling them fall and hearing her sobs, she took her hands off the armrests and covered her face.
The sobbing made her body wretch. Leaning forward, she rested her covered face on her knees as the tears continued to stream down her face. Nothing in the world could make her stop now, except for Marat being back by her side. Crying for her loss, she also cried for the loss of her control, the composure and strength she was infamous for.
“What’s happening to me?” Alexis asked herself between sobs. “What is happening to me?”
*****
Sitting in the same airport, but in a different terminal at a later time, Marat slouched deeper into his seat. Bringing the rim of his baseball cap further down his face, he tried to hide himself behind it. So far it seemed to be working as nobody had noticed him. Waiting for Sasha to come back with some coffee, he stared across the waiting area at a young family. The family was composed of a mother and father, in the late 20s, and a little girl. The girl couldn’t have been more than three years old.
It was evident from the proud smile on the father’s face and the excited glint in the mother’s eyes that being parents to the young girl was the highlight of their life at the moment. Cradling the chubby-cheeked girl in his arms, the father and the daughter listened to the mother as she read from a children’s book. It was the ideal family, a perfect Hallmark card image. But as he continued to stare at them, he wanted to scream. He wanted to puke.
What he was staring at was what he had dreamed about only yesterday. Actually, he had been dreaming about that image as he went shopping a few days ago without Alexis knowing. He had left for practice early for that reason, to be alone when he went. It was going to be a surprise. It was going to be a surprise for Alexis, and even to the rest of the world that wouldn’t believe he could ever make a commitment to anybody or anything.
Sliding his hand into the deep pocket of his hooded sweatshirt, he clasped his fingers around the smooth exterior of the box. Taking it out of his pocket, he held the light blue Tiffany’s box at his side. Flipping the ledge of the top off with his thumb, he looked at the sparkling object that shined back at him. It was a round-brilliant diamond showcased by a delicate melee diamond border on a diamond encrusted, platinum band. But most importantly, it was his engagement ring for Alexis.
The night before, he had had everything planned out. He surprised her with the extravagant and expensive dinner at La Tour d’Argent. And if everything had gone to plan, he would have revealed the ring and his promise to her sometime between the main course and dessert. But it hadn’t gone to plan, and instead, they left the restaurant alone. And by morning, she was gone and had left him while he slept in the bed they had shared. Now, he was in an airport terminal waiting for his flight to Moscow with his coach. Nothing about life made any sense to him.
When he had first fallen in love with her, he knew he would have to break through her walls, and he had. And he wasn’t the least bit disappointed that she wasn’t as hard as she pretended to be. A person didn’t have to be aggressive and harsh to be opinionated. He had never expected something such as a missing relative to end their relationship. But maybe he should have been more understanding, he should have supported her decision to go find her mother. If he had, maybe his ring would be on her finger now.
Seeing Sasha walking towards him with two thick paper cups of coffee, Marat closed the box and put it back into his pocket. Sighing as he handed Marat one of the cups, Sasha shook his head at Marat and sat down in the chair next to him.
“Marat, you didn’t have to throw the box back into your pocket. I was with you after all when you went to buy the ring,” Sasha said taking a sip from his cup.
“I didn’t want you to see me looking at it,” Marat replied taking a sip from his cup as well.
“I know it’s hard, Marat. You have the right to be sad. I can’t even imagine how it felt to be rejected like that.”
“She didn’t reject my proposal. She didn’t even reject me. She wanted to find her mother, and I couldn’t get over my stubbornness and help her look,” Marat said becoming angrier at himself.
“You’re both stubborn. I couldn’t even imagine the hell you two would have gone through if you had had kids. The teenage years would be enough to kill you both,” Sasha laughed.
“We could have handled it. We would have been a great team.”
“I never said you wouldn’t have been a good team. It was evident to everybody in Moscow during Davis Cup that you were in love, even Alexis.”
“Alexis wasn’t in love with me. She shuddered at the mention of those words,” Marat mumbled.
“Just because she never said the words, doesn’t mean she didn’t love you more than I’ve ever seen another woman love you,” Sasha explained.
“Right, whatever you say.”
“Her actions spoke louder than her words. She flew to Madrid to find you and win you back. She had her friends devise a plan. And when you wouldn’t take her back, she ran after you, in heels no less, to catch you and tell you she needed you more than anything in her life,” Sasha reminded Marat. “If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“And let us not forget, she also gave up her job to travel with you. To be honest man, she’s beyond in love with you. She’s gone.”
“Then why aren’t we together now?”
“Well, love is great, but you have to support the one you love no matter what,” Sasha replied.
“I guess I didn’t do that very well.”
“No, you failed miserably. I mean, you didn’t have to go search with her, but you could have given your blessing.”
“And that’s why we’re ‘friends’ now, and I have an engagement ring and no fiancée,” Marat said wanting to hit his head against a wall.
“You’ve got some problems to deal with, but I would leave those here until after the Davis Cup final,” Sasha suggested.
“How can I just forget her?”
“You only have to do it for a few weeks. I’ll even hold onto the ring for you if it reminds you of her.”
“I can’t. I can’t forget her even for a second,” Marat said shaking his head.
“What’s up with you? You’re known for your indifferent attitude.”
“I’ll tell you what happened. Love happened to me,” Marat responded.
“And to think, it all started with hate.”
“Strong hate that turned it stronger love.”
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Dec 23, 2006 23:12:59 GMT 3
Chapter 54
Holding onto the handle of her rolling suitcase, Alexis adjusted the strap of her laptop carrier on her shoulder. As she walked through the airport to the nearest exit, it kept creeping down her shoulder, threatening to fall off and crash to the floor with her laptop in it. Balancing her carry-on, jacket, and suitcase, she finally made it to the automatic sliding doors that led her to the outside world.
As the cold, icy air of the New York City winter slashed across her face and exposed arms, Alexis wished she had an extra arm to put her jacket on with. Looking down the line of people waiting for a taxi, she sighed to herself as she stopped behind the last person in line. Standing her rolling suitcase up next to her legs and setting her laptop carrier next to it, she unfolded her jacket from its resting place draped across her arm and put it on. Feeling a lot warmer, Alexis shoved her hands in her pockets as she waited for the line to move.
As her right hand rested in the bottom of her coat pocket, it brushed against cool metal. Remembering her cell phone, Alexis took it out of her pocket and turned it on. As she expected, she had a missed call flashing on the screen of her phone as she opened it. She had forgotten that she had promised Izzy a phone call the night before. Glancing at the long line she waiting in, she started to dial Izzy’s number knowing that she would have plenty of time to tell Izzy the whole miserable story.
“Hello?” Izzy asked answering her phone.
“Hi, it’s me,” Alexis said.
“There you are. I thought you had disappeared on me again.”
“Sorry, I had to turn my phone off for the flight,” Alexis explained.
“Oh, I forgot all about that! So, how’s Moscow? Cold?”
“Well, it’s cold where I am, but it’s not Moscow,” Alexis replied biting her lower lip. Maybe this was going to be harder than she thought it would be.
“Where are you? What’s going on?”
“Oh, Izzy. It was so romantic. He took me to this amazing restaurant, rented the whole place for the evening. It was just us. And then it happened,” Alexis gushed. “He wanted me to tell him that I loved him, and I couldn’t do it. I told him I couldn’t do it until I found my mother first.”
“And he understood, right?”
“I wouldn’t be alone if he had,” Alexis said wiping a tear from her cheek. “He said it was an awful idea for me to go looking for her. He said he didn’t support me in that endeavor. It was such a blow to my heart. I understood he couldn’t go with me because of Davis Cup, but he could have given me his blessing.”
“Alexis, I’m so sorry. I know how much it means to you for you to find your mother.”
“But I guess he didn’t know,” Alexis replied fighting back tears. “So we broke it off, our whole relationship. We promised to be friends and wished each other the best, but we both know we’ll never talk to each other again.”
“Alexis, don’t cry. Oh, I feel terrible I can’t be there for you right now,” Izzy said. “So you’re in London now? I’ll come pick you up. Which exit are you at?”
“I’m not in London, Izzy.”
“Then, where are you?”
“I’m in New York City waiting for a cab at the airport. I’m going to see my dad. I’m hoping he will steer me in the right direction.”
“You honestly think he’ll help you find your mum?”
“No, but I have to try.”
“Alexis, searching for your mother while you’re in this state is not the greatest idea,” Izzy sighed.
“I can take care of myself, Izzy. I did it before, and I can do it now.”
“But remember what that attitude got you? It got you a bum boyfriend, a tireless, unhealthy work ethic, a controlling father, and a terrible outlook on life.”
“I’ll be back in London soon. I’m going to find my mom, get to know her, and come back to work. I have to do this first.”
“There’s no stopping you.”
“There isn’t.”
“Just promise me that you’ll call me if you ever need someone to talk to. I don’t care what time it is here. Don’t become the person you used to be, okay?”
“I promise. I gotta go, Izzy. The line is starting to move quicker,” Alexis said picking up her laptop carrier and grabbing the handle of her suitcase.
“Okay, call me.”
“I will. Bye,” Alexis said hanging up the phone and walking forward.
Ten minutes later, Alexis was finally at the front of the line and her taxi. Throwing her rolling suitcase into the trunk, she opened the door to the backseat and slid inside with her laptop carrier still attached to her thigh. Giving her father’s address to the driver, Alexis sat back in her seat. Her feet were killing her from standing on the sidewalk all that time in heels.
After her feet regained circulation, she opened her eyes and looked out the window of the taxi. Staring at the sidewalk as the taxi came to a halt in front of a red light, Alexis watched as the last leaves of a tree fell from the branches and landed on the concrete. Sitting there for a while, they were finally stirred with by the wrath of the winter wind. Glancing up and out her window, Alexis watched as the leaves flew up into the cloudy, gray sky.
I looked at your face I saw that all the love had died I saw that we had forgotten to take the time I, I saw that you couldn't care less about what you do Couldn't care less about the lies You couldn't find the time to cry
As the car started to move again along the streets of New York, Alexis sighed as she saw couple after couple holding hands in the crowds. No matter how crowded the sidewalk, Alexis kept finding the couples. They were an assault to her eyes. Marat and she were those couples only two months before. It should’ve been them walking down those streets with their hands clasped together and their eyes locked on each other.
We forgot about love We forgot about faith We forgot about trust We forgot about us Finally, the taxi pulled up to the curb in front of David’s penthouse building on Park Avenue. Even in the gray, November day, the building seemed to shine and brag about David’s accomplishments in the journalistic world. Maybe it paid to be heartless. Shaking her head, Alexis tried to rid herself of the idea of becoming her father as she paid the driver and got her bags out of the car. But the thoughts wouldn’t leave her mind. She was after all alone like her father again.
Now our love's floating out the window Our love's floating out the back door Our love's floating up in the sky in heaven Where it began back in god's hands She was becoming so lost that she couldn’t distinguish any longer between a healthy, happy life style and her father’s life style. Walking into the building brought back so many images of Marat looking out for her. His love the catalyst for all the changes she had gone through these past few months, but now it was gone, like the leaves that flew into the sky in a whirlwind.
“Alexis?” a voice asked from behind her as she opened the door to the lobby.
“Bill!” Alexis squealed as she hugged the aging doorman.
“I never thought I’d see you here again after the story your father told me,” Bill said as they pulled apart.
“Well, I guess life is unpredictable.”
“It certainly is. Is your boyfriend here with you? Marat, right? How is he?”
“He’s fine. He’s in Moscow at the moment actually,” Alexis replied leaving out the part of the story that they had broken up.
“Oh, well that’s good.”
“I hate to talk and run, but I have something very important to talk to my father about,” Alexis said as she walked to the elevators.
“Do you need any help with your bags?”
“No, I’m good. Bye,” Alexis called as the elevator doors shut and left her alone in the small space of the elevator.
Gathering her composure, the elevator arrived at David’s floor and Alexis walked down the hall to his penthouse. Knocking on the door, she waited patiently for David to answer. It was only a few minutes before he opened the door with his white button-down shirt, navy blue slacks, and silver-rimmed glasses. His face changed instantly from its indifferent, aloof look to a look of surprise, and maybe even excitement. Did David actually miss her?
“Alexis? I didn’t expect to see you here again,” David greeted in his cool tone.
“I have a few questions to ask you and then I’ll be gone,” Alexis said pushing past him and walking into his penthouse.
Adding to the dramatic entrance, she made sure to click her heels loudly on the marble floors of David’s entrance room before stepping onto the hardwood floors of the living room. Sitting down on one of David’s uncomfortable, modern-designed couches, Alexis waited for him to sit down as well. He looked surprised by her pushiness and the way she was carrying herself.
“You certainly have a different way about you,” David commented.
“I’m going to get answers out of you. If I have to take control, I will.”
“You thought you were taking control with that entrance? I know you, Alexis. That walk in here wasn’t very graceful. You tried too hard. You never had to try like that before. You’ve always just had that self-control by instinct,” David replied. “You got it from me, but I think you might have lost it.”
“I’m still in control of myself no matter what you think.”
“Whatever you say. But I can see it, something’s not right about you. You’ve lost something in your eyes. A will to fight perhaps?”
“I have all the fight I used to have and more. And I want answers from you. You can make this a short visit. All you have to do is tell me what you know about my mother’s whereabouts.”
“You’re looking for her, aren’t you?” David asked getting up from the couch and walking to the window.
“Yes, I am. And you can save me some time and money and tell me where she is. For once in your worthless life, you can do the right thing for your daughter,” Alexis said getting up from the couch and following him to the window.
"I’m not telling you anything. You can do it yourself if you want to find her so badly,” David snapped as he looked over at her.
“I bet you don’t even know where she is. That’s what it is. You don’t know, but you’re trying to act like you own all and see all. Well, I’m calling your bluff,” Alexis screamed.
“Oh, I know where she is. Think about it, Alexis,” David said turning his body to face hers. “I work at the New York Times. That is better than any detective agency. We can find anybody we want. It took me less than three weeks to find out where your mother was when I started my search.”
“Then tell me. Prove to me that you are as great and in charge as you say.”
“I don’t have to do that. And you used to not have to do that too. I don’t care if you don’t believe me.”
“Yes you do. You need control. You need to know that I’m here waiting for the truth. Do you have any idea how much this is killing me to not know where my mother is? Or who she is? Do you have nay idea?”
David was quiet, almost deadly quiet. He turned back to face the window that overlooked Central Park below. His face went dead of all emotions, and Alexis predicted that this is what she would see when she looked into his coffin during his funeral. It was sad that she would never be able to cry over him at his funeral. Shaking her head, Alexis walked back to the couch and started to gather her bags.
Taking a final look at her father, Alexis started to roll her suitcase back toward the entry way. As she reached for the door knob, she heard his footsteps on the wood floors and she turned around. But when she looked back, he was no longer in the living room. Rushing out of the penthouse building, Alexis didn’t even say goodbye to Bill.
There was too much going on inside her head. Besides the fact that her father wouldn’t tell her where her mother was, he had pointed out something she already knew in the back of her head. She was losing it. She had lost that attitude she had had once. Maybe it was a part of her softening up, or maybe Marat’s love was truly making her lose whatever mind she had left. As she stood outside the building, her cell phone began to ring. Not even bothering to look at who it was, she answered the phone.
“Hello?” Alexis said answering her phone absent-mindedly.
“She’s been living in her hometown. Ithaca, New York; it’s where Cornell University is,” David said without even saying goodbye as he hung up the phone before Alexis could say a word.
Taping in the phone number for the airport, Alexis prepared for her trip up north. For the first time in her life, her father had done something almost fatherly. And even though he would never say it or admit it, Alexis knew he loved her somewhere in the black pit where his heart should have been.
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Dec 29, 2006 23:45:49 GMT 3
Chapter 55
Sitting down on a park bench in Central Park, Alexis placed her laptop carrier on the seat next to her. The sun was starting to set behind the gray, ominous clouds that covered the sky. Opening up her cell phone, she tried to call the airport again. The last time she had called, she had been put on hold for an ungodly amount of time. After ten minutes of standing in the middle of the sidewalk outside her father’s building with her cell phone plastered to her ear, she had lost all patience.
And now, she was sitting on a bench in the famous New York City park with no plane reservations and no place to stay for the night. Tapping her fingernails on the back of the bench, Alexis tried to figure out a safe and cheap place to stay for the night. She had already spent half of the money she had saved up on her flight from Paris to New York City. From here on, she would have to budget herself if she wanted to make it back to London on her own cash.
Getting up from the park bench, she swung her laptop carrier over her shoulder and grabbed the handle of her rolling suitcase. Strolling out of Central Park onto the sidewalks where the taxi cabs raced by, Alexis started walking aimlessly toward an unidentified location. She had never had any relatives, and most of her friends from college had moved to new cities for work. She was stranded in a busy city that was growing darker and more dangerous by the minute.
Passing by a run-down Chinese restaurant, Alexis saw a group of college students waiting in line to order food. It reminded Alexis of the long hours Bryan and she had spent walking from their apartment to the nearest Chinese restaurant every night to wait in line at the restaurant so they could eat. Because, truth be told, Alexis couldn’t even boil water back then. It wasn’t until Bryan surprised her with cooking lessons one Christmas that Alexis finally learned how to cook.
The memories of Bryan sparked a thought in her brain. As crazy as it seemed, Bryan and her old apartment were her only hope for shelter that night. Hotels were too expensive but staying with him would be cheap. Besides, he owed her after all the hell he had created for her the past few months. Taking out her cell phone, Alexis found his number still in her phonebook. She sighed at how pathetic it was that she still had it after all this time. It was a good thing Marat had never known about it.
“Hello?” Bryan said answering his cell phone on the second ring.
“I’m guessing you saw my name on your caller ID,” Alexis greeted sensing the trepidation in his voice.
“I answered it as soon as I saw it.”
“Well, I’m glad you did, especially after the last time we were together,” Alexis said trying to soften the conversation with a laugh.
“We can’t seem to say goodbye without a scene. But I blame myself for all those encounters.”
“They weren’t your fault alone. I was weak and stressed by work. You had no choice but to cheat with that other woman, and even kissing me in the hallway of that hotel I can understand.”
“I never thought I’d hear you say that. Your friend looked really upset. I was worried about you. I wish you would have called me,” Bryan sighed. “I didn’t bother calling you, because I figured you wouldn’t take my call.”
“You’re probably right. I had a lot to sort through when I got back to London, but that’s all settled now, almost.”
“So, how are you? I’m glad to hear everything is fixed.”
“Well, I’m in New York. I went to find my father and get him to tell me where my mother has been hiding all these years,” Alexis replied.
“You’re in New York City? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to. It’s one of the main reasons I called you. You know that I don’t have any relatives or friends here anymore. And now that I’ve gotten the information out of my father that I needed, I’m done with him. But now I need a place to stay for the night.”
“Are you asking to stay with me at our apartment?” Bryan asked.
“Well, it’s your apartment now. And you don’t have to let me stay. I can find somewhere else, but I would appreciate it,” Alexis said looking around as the cars in the street turned on their lights.
“Alexis, of course you are welcomed here. Do you need me to pick you up?”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll walk. It’s not too far away actually. I’ve been walking in that direction for awhile now.”
“Good. I’m going to start cleaning this place up. It’s a mess.”
“Okay. Thank you, Bryan.”
“Anytime, Alexis.”
Closing her cell phone and placing it in her coat pocket, Alexis crossed a busy intersection quickly. She must have been quite the sight for drivers with her suitcase, large coat, and laptop carrier. Within the next ten minutes, she could see the familiar ten-story, brick building that she had lived in with Bryan since their freshman year of college. It was still as dingy and hopeless looking as when she had left it months before. Staring up at the windows that climbed into the sky, Alexis saw the window air conditioning unit hanging out of their apartment. It had taken them a week to install that contraption, and it had never worked.
To Alexis’ surprise, she spotted Bryan on the front stoop of the building waiting for her. He was leaning against the thick, cement railing casually as he fidgeted with his cell phone. He was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a New York Mets sweatshirt, reminding Alexis of their debates over whether the New York Yankees or the Mets were the best team in the league. It was all familiar territory to her, from Bryan’s old Reebok sneakers to his short, sandy-blond hair.
“You didn’t have to wait out here for me. I still remember what floor we’re on,” Alexis said surprising him.
“I didn’t want you to carry up your suitcase alone. Those stairs can be hell if you haven’t climbed them for awhile,” Bryan said smiling as she climbed the stoop to where he was.
“Well, Izzy and mine’s place in London doesn’t have stairs either, but we’re only on the third floor,” Alexis explained handing him her rolling suitcase.
“Wow,” Bryan said as she turned to face him. “You look the same.”
“I know, I know. I should get a new haircut or something. I’m becoming predictable,” Alexis laughed as she pushed one of her long bangs out of her eyes.
“No, I’m glad you haven’t. I said that because you look exactly like I remember, absolutely beautiful,” Bryan said as they walked into their apartment building.
“Bryan, I have a boyfriend, actually nevermind.”
“Huh?”
“We broke up a few days ago. It was so weird. Everything was going great, but he wouldn’t support my endeavor to find my mother and I couldn’t love him the way he wanted me to,” Alexis replied shaking her head from side to side.
“I’m sorry about that, Alexis. But when I said you were still beautiful, I wasn’t trying to hit on you.”
“Oh, I’m sure you weren’t. I don’t know what I was thinking,” Alexis said as they started to climb the stairs.
“I feel like there’s so much I don’t know about you. What’s been going on with your life lately?”
“How tired do you feel?” Alexis asked.
“Not really tired. Why do you ask?”
“Because if I start telling you all that’s happened to me lately, we’ll be up all night.”
“I think I can handle that. No offense, but you look like you could use someone to talk to,” Bryan said with a hesitant smile.
“That bad, huh?”
“It’s pretty obvious something’s not exactly right with your mind at the moment.”
“But I still look beautiful, right?” Alexis teased.
“Gorgeous façade to cover up a confusing interior.”
“Here we are,” Alexis sighed. “My old home.”
“And it still has its original green, scratched door. It’s quite the rage at the moment for New York City apartments,” Bryan joked unlocking the door and flicking on the lights. “After you my dear.”
“Thank you,” Alexis giggled walking into the apartment.
The apartment hadn’t changed at all, and neither had Bryan’s cleaning skills. The old couch they had salvaged from a Good Will store was still covered in a flowered slipcover and a red throw blanket was draped across the back of the couch. In front of the couch, Bryan’s laptop sat on the coffee table with his medical textbooks and notebooks. Glancing into the kitchen, Alexis saw a few dishes stacked up in the sink unwashed.
“I know what you’re thinking, but I did try to clean. This was the best I could do in the time I was given. Maybe you could give me a hand. You were very good at cleaning, except for organizing the closet,” Bryan teased as he shut the door behind him.
“Oh, not a chance in hell. I’m on hiatus from work, and I’m going to relax,” Alexis laughed falling into the couch. “Ugh, this thing still smells like wet, dog hair.”
“Do you remember how many bottles of Febreeze we wasted on it trying to make it smell better?” Bryan asked sitting down next to her.
“Too many.”
“So, tell me everything. What’s been going on with you? Why are you on hiatus from work?”
“And the never-ending story begins. Are you comfortable?”
“As comfortable as I can on this couch,” Bryan laughed.
“Right, bad question. Here goes nothing.”
The next few hours passed with Alexis telling Bryan everything that he had missed. She started from when she left New York for London the first time. And slowly but surely, with a few interruptions by Bryan, she traced her way along the path of her career at the Times and her relationship with Marat. It got uncomfortable a few times when she had to mention her time in New York City for the US Open and Bryan’s actions, but laughing through those moments, Alexis managed to end her long story as the clock struck midnight.
“You weren’t kidding when you said it was a long story. I’m afraid to say nothing like all that happened to me. I went to class, came home and did homework assignments, and ate and slept. I’m boring,” Bryan said as she finished.
“No, you’re not boring. You’re lucky. I wish my life over the last six months had been so quiet.”
“Alexis, I know this seems impossible at the moment, but everything will come into place eventually,” Bryan said laying his hand softly on Alexis’ hand.
“No, I agree. As soon as I find my mother, I think that my life will suddenly start to make more sense,” Alexis replied enjoying the warmth of Bryan’s hand on hers.
“Alexis, you never told me in your story. Do you love him?”
“Bryan, I don’t know. That’s why I didn’t tell you,” Alexis sighed. “It’s all so confusing.”
“It’ll be alright. Now that we’re on speaking terms, I want you to know how much you mean to me. I’m always here for you,” Bryan said as his light blue eyes stared into Alexis’ silver eyes.
“Thank you,” Alexis whispered feeling her head lean closer to his.
This was the moment that Alexis had expected to happen. There was so much history between them. She couldn’t ignore how much she wanted to touch him and be held by him. But as their faces drew closer together, something made Alexis stop. It was more evident to her now that Bryan was her past, a comfort zone. But Marat was her present and future. He had made her realize how much she needed to change and learn to love.
“I’m sorry, Bryan. I can’t,” Alexis said moving away from him.
“It’s okay. I understand,” he said moving away as well.
“You’ve been amazing though. I want you to know that.”
“I feel partly responsible for all that has happened to you in the past few months. If I hadn’t cheated on you, maybe you would have stayed here and avoided meeting Marat.”
“I would never want to reverse what has happened to me or my relationship with Marat. He was the catalyst for my change, and the more I think about it, he might have been the first man I ever really loved.”
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Dec 30, 2006 22:44:04 GMT 3
Chapter 56
Arriving back at his apartment from the gym, Marat unlocked the door and walked into the construction zone that was his living room. The room hadn’t changed much. The furniture was still covered in white tarps splattered with paint and paint cans spotted the floor accompanied with wet paint brushes. Throwing his keys on the one piece of furniture not covered by a tarp, an antique side table, he strolled into the kitchen and went immediately to the refrigerator. Peering down into the cold abyss, he found an unopened water bottle.
Opening the bottle with his hand and closing the refrigerator with his foot, he stared moodily at the newspaper lying face up on the kitchen counter. It was a copy of the London Times. He remembered ordering a subscription to it, but he wished he would have remembered to cancel it. It was a sorrowful, almost haunting, memory of Alexis, like the lonely engagement ring sitting in its light blue box near his bed.
It wasn’t the fact that she wasn’t here with him at one of the biggest events of his year. He would have been supported if she was in London working, writing witty tennis columns that he could read in the British paper sent to him daily. But instead, she was chasing after something that would inevitably hurt her, searching for love that she should be giving to him. It made him smile to think of her typing away at her desk in London with his engagement ring shinning on her left ring finger. Unfortunately, the ring was there with him and she was in the US.
Grabbing the newspaper, he rolled it into a large ball with his fists and threw it into the trash can that waited nearby. Walking down the long hallway to his room, he banged his fist underneath each picture that he had framed and shared with Alexis. He should have never brought her here. Now every part of his home reminded him of Alexis. He even thought the pillow cases still carried traces from the smell of her shampoo.
Falling onto his mattress, Marat glanced over at the clock lying on the floor next to his bed. It was 2:30 in the afternoon, and if she was on the east coast of the States, it was 7:30 in the morning Alexis’ time. Almost on cue, he noticed his cell phone in the pocket of his sweatpants. Taking it out, he stared at the screen before starting to dial her number. Pausing to decide if he wanted to push the send button, Marat weighed the pros and cons of calling her. They did say that they would call each other if something was bothering them, which something was. She was.
*****
Stirring in her sleep, Alexis heard the faint sound of her cell phone ringing. It sounded like it was miles away, but then she noticed she was still half asleep and it was really in her coat pocket. Opening her eyes slowly, she was greeted by a ray of light peeping through the make-shift curtains Bryan and her had created a year before. Feeling the hardness of her pillow, she looked behind her to see what she had been sleeping on. Surprisingly, she had spent the night with her head rested on Bryan’s shoulder.
The phone ringing hadn’t woken him up, because his eyes were still closed and his arm was still lying across her shoulders. After all the talking last night, they must have fallen asleep on the couch. Smiling at the image of Bryan with his mouth wide open as he slept, Alexis remembered the reason why she had woke up. Feeling for her cell phone, she extracted it from her pocket. Noticing Bryan twitch from the sound of the cell phone being brought into the room, she gently moved his arm off her shoulders and walked into the kitchen.
“Hello?” Alexis whispered not wanting to cause anymore unneeded sound.
“Hi, Alexis. It’s me,” Marat replied casually.
“Marat?” Alexis asked clearing her throat.
“Yes. You did say we could call each other.”
“Yes, I did. But Marat, why are you calling me?”
“I wanted to check upon you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Alexis said peering into the living room to make sure Bryan was still asleep.
“I wanted to,” Marat said still as casual as ever.
“Well, then let me rephrase. It’s none of your business. If you wanted to know what was going on with my search, you should have come with me,” Alexis snapped, surprising herself with the sting of her words.
“I couldn’t go. I only have so much time to practice. And this search of yours will take longer than a week.”
“Oh, really? I’ll have you know that it will take me less than a week. I got all of my answers out of my father. It’s only a matter of getting there now,” Alexis replied defiantly.
“You’re lying. Your father would never help you. Just admit it Alexis: you made a mistake.”
“I have nothing of the sort to say. I’m going to find my mother and everything will be perfect.”
“So you find your mother, then what? Are you going to marry her? Who are you going to love, Alexis?” Marat shouted into the phone.
“I’ll find someone. I’ll finally be whole, and it will be easy.”
“Bullshit! Whether you want to admit it or not, you love me!”
“No, you love me and can’t get over the fact that my life does not revolve around your needs and wishes!” Alexis screamed knowing she had woken up Bryan.
“You’ll realize the mistake you’ve made soon enough.”
“I realize the mistake I made with you!” Alexis said letting her anger control every word that came out of her mouth. “Do you know where I am? I’m in New York City with Bryan. I’m completely happy.”
“Fine, take your perfect boyfriend in your little apartment and shove it! I have no idea why I ever loved you!” Marat shouted as he hung up the phone.
“Asshole!” Alexis called back into the phone as she closed it.
“Alexis?” Bryan asked as he walked into the kitchen.
“I think I just ended everything,” Alexis whispered with blank eyes.
“Ended what?”
“Everything. My life.”
*****
Gazing out the passenger side window, Alexis watched as Bryan drove them out of the city. Soon the buildings turned into trees and suburbs, and Alexis felt an eerie calm take over her body. After losing it in the kitchen to a spill of tears, she hadn’t felt quite the same. She felt empty and drained of all emotion. It was a familiar feeling, the way she had felt before she met Marat.
After asking Bryan if he would take her to Ithaca, New York in his car, she hadn’t said another word. She just sat there letting the old Alexis fill her up again and take over. She figured that the best way to face the world now was without feelings or connections. It had worked before.
Sitting in the driver’s seat with his hands on the wheel, Bryan’s posture was noticeably rigid. Looking over at Alexis every once and a while, he was uncertain on how to approach her. After the scene in the kitchen that morning, he didn’t know what he was dealing with. He recognized the Alexis that had emerged from the bathroom to leave for Ithaca; it was the one he had dated. But for all he knew, she could be any of three types of Alexis: the battle-hardened one he had dated, the quiet and lost one that had showed up at his apartment the night before, or the confident and happy one that he had seen in New York with Marat Safin.
“Would you like to tell me what that was all about?” Bryan asked as he turned onto the fast-paced highway.
“What was what?” Alexis asked turning her head to stare at him with piercing, untrusting eyes.
“Well, you were unemotional one moment and crying all over the kitchen floor the next moment. And now, you’re not talking to me. You’re staring out the window. And I know that the housewives of the suburbs cannot be that interesting.”
“It was, it was nothing. How much of the phone conversation did you hear?” Alexis asked warily.
“Not much. I was still half asleep when I walked in there.”
“Well, it was nothing, don’t worry about it. Just drive,” Alexis said folding her arms across her chest and staring straight ahead.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re lying to me?”
“Just be quiet and drive.”
“And you’re also being very pushy. I forgot how bitchy this Alexis could be,” Bryan sighed.
“This Alexis? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“From what I’ve seen, there are three of you now-a-days.”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re not a philosopher, Bryan. You’re a doctor, a scientist. There’s no philosophical genius in there.”
“Ooo, now that hurts. Sharpening your claws for ‘mummy dearest’, huh?” Bryan teased.
“I wouldn’t talk to my mother that way,” Alexis said softening.
“Am I about to see the other Alexis?”
“What?”
“The pensive and lost one.”
“You’ve really lost it.”
“No, you have my dear,” Bryan replied.
“Can you just be quiet for the rest of the trip?”
“Yes, sir.”
Driving along in silence, the four hour drive t Ithaca from New York was undeniably uncomfortable and tense. Finally, they arrived in Ithaca. Spotting a phone booth as soon as they entered the city, Alexis made Bryan stop the car. Getting out of the car, she slammed the door shut and stepped into the phone booth. Opening the phonebook, Alexis looked under the letter “M”. Coming to the end of the list, she never found her mother’s name.
“Shit!” Alexis said banging the phonebook against the telephone.
“What is it?” Bryan asked from outside the phone booth.
“She’s not in here.”
“What did you look under?”
“Moore.”
“I doubt she would keep her name as Moore.”
“Then what else would she call herself?” Alexis asked huffily.
“Her maiden name, perhaps? Do you remember what it was?”
“Cavanaugh.”
“Got for it,” Bryan said as Alexis looked for her mother under Cavanaugh.
“Here it is! Madeline Cavanaugh!” Alexis said wanting to jump for joy.
“Okay, write down her address so we can get out of the cold,” Bryan said pulling his jacket tighter around his shoulders.
After jotting down the address on an old gum wrapper, Alexis and Bryan jumped back into the car. Driving along the scenic roads of Ithaca in the late fall, Alexis fixed her makeup and brushed her hair. Silently, she rehearsed what she was going to say to her mother. This was going to be both a surprise to her mother and to her.
“Here we are,” Bryan said pulling his car in front of a one-story, pale yellow house with a large front porch and a brick chimney on the side of the house.
“We’re here,” Alexis sighed not moving from her seat.
“Do you want me to go in there with you?”
“No, that’s okay. I got it,” Alexis said opening the car door and getting out.
“Wait! Alexis,” Bryan said before she could shut the door.
“What is it?”
“I heard more of the phone conversation than I let on. And as flattered as I am at the prospect of you being happy with me, I know that won’t happen. I think what you said to Marat was in anger. He’ll figure that out as well. You haven’t lost him yet.”
“Thank you, Bryan,” Alexis said taking the words to heart.
“I’ll be waiting in the car if you need an escape route.”
“Thanks,” Alexis said shutting the door.
Walking up the cobble-stoned path to the front porch, Alexis straightened her coat and smoothed her hair. She was just a few feet from her mother, and in her mind, finding out who she was for the first time since her mother had left her with her father.
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Dec 31, 2006 20:39:46 GMT 3
Chapter 57
Setting the heel of her boot on the wooden planks of the front porch, Alexis almost jumped at the loud sound it made. She wanted her mother to know she was there, but she didn’t want to make a sound at the same time. Resting her hand on the wooden column that supported the porch roof, she set her other foot on the porch and stared at the front door. The white door seemed to taunt her with its curtained windows on the side and gold knocker in the center.
Stepping lightly across the porch, Alexis stretched her arm out to grab a hold of the knocker but her arm wouldn’t move from her side. Stopping in front of the door, she listened to the sounds of the neighborhood. She could hear cars driving by on the street and kids getting off the bus from school. Smells wafted to her nostrils, like smoke coming out of the chimney and the moist earth in the vacant flowerbeds that framed the porch.
Looking over her shoulder, Alexis glanced into the car to find Bryan waving back at her. Smiling at him, she turned back to the door. She could see a package from FedEx on the floor next to the door. It was little stuff like that that Alexis noticed when she was nervous. Grabbing the handle of the knocker, Alexis lifted it up and down, making a quiet knocking sound. Putting her hand back at her side, she waited for a sign of life from inside the house.
Waiting and waiting, Alexis wondered if her mother was even home. Then suddenly, she heard footsteps inside coming towards the door. Feeling her heart beat faster, she could swear she could hear it now. This was almost more than she could take. Maybe she should have let Bryan come with her. That way, he could stop her from making a break for it.
From inside, Alexis could hear the sound of a female calling “I’ll be there in a second” as she continued to wait. And then it was time. The door clicked open and revealed the woman inside the house. The woman’s hair was the same dark brown as Alexis’ but there were stripes of gray around the temples. The eyes were a mirror image as well but with wrinkles framing them. The resemblance was so uncanny that Alexis thought she was looking into the mirror at an older version of herself.
“I’m sorry about your wait. I was fidgeting with one of those new coffee machines in the kitchen,” Madeline greeted not noticing who was towering in front of her.
“It’s okay, Mom,” Alexis whispered letting the word spill out of her mouth.
“Huh?” her mother asked staring at Alexis’ face before a spark of recognition hit her eyes. “Alexis?”
“It’s me,” Alexis said trying to smile as she moved her bangs out of her eyes.
“I didn’t expect this when I woke up this morning,” Madeline said looking at her daughter. “Come in, come in.”
“Thank you,” Alexis said walking into the foyer. “You have a package from FedEx by the way.”
“Oh, thank you. I’ll get it later,” Madeline said closing the door. “Here, sit down in the living room. Is that your car out there?”
“No, it’s Bryan’s car,” Alexis replied sitting down on the couch overflowing with throw pillows.
“Is he your boyfriend?” Madeline asked with a smile like Alexis remembered her friends’ mothers asking when she was a teenager.
“No, he’s just a friend who drove me up here.”
“So in New York now?” Madeline asked sitting next to her on the couch.
“No, I work in London. I’m here to find you.”
“I saw that,” Madeline said gesturing to a pile of newspapers in the corner of the room near the fireplace. “I’ve been getting the newspaper since your father told me you were writing for them.”
“You talk to my father?”
“As little as possible,” Madeline replied. “I only talk to him to keep up with you. I’m so proud of you, Alexis. You’re an amazing sports reporter.”
“Thank you. So, you talked to my father but not to me?” Alexis asked.
“He wouldn’t let me talk to you.”
“Who cares? You were my mother! Why didn’t you take me with you?” Alexis asked raising her voice.
“Your father would have taken you in court.”
“But you were my mother! The courts always give mothers the children.”
“What court would have given me a child to care for? I had no job, never finished college, and was a housewife. I had no way of supporting myself when I left your father, let alone you,” Madeline explained. “You have no idea how much it killed me to let you go.”
“But you left me with him. I was miserable my entire childhood. I actually thought it was my fault for years after you left,” Alexis said wanting to cry but not being able to.
“It was never your fault. I want you to know that,” Madeline said squeezing Alexis’ hand. “I was so afraid that you would become your father. That you would be unemotional, self-centered, and brash, but you didn’t.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Alexis whispered remembering that morning and how she had acted in the car.
“What is it, honey? I can see something is bothering you. I know I haven’t been the mother you need, but I wanted to be so badly. And as much as it hurt, I knew you would have a better future with your father. Maybe I can be the mother you needed now, if you’ll let me.”
“I guess I might as well tell you the whole saga. I’ve told everybody else, and it hasn’t done me any good. Maybe you can sort some sense out of me,” Alexis said taking off her coat. “I met this guy when I moved to London, well I met him in Paris, but that doesn’t matter. Before I met him, I was an independent, unemotional, and brash individual. Unfortunately, I was my father’s creation.”
“Oh, I knew I should have tried harder to get him to let me talk to you. You needed a better influence than him.”
“I did need it; I just didn’t know it. I thought I had everything figured out, until I met him. His name is Marat, and he’s a tennis player. He had a bad reputation, and I believed it, which is why we didn’t get along in the beginning. But then I interviewed him. He was so charming, so different.”
“I remember that interview. He didn’t come off as I bad guy at all.”
“He’s not. And I eventually saw that, and we started dating. It was perfect. Even through the fights and struggles, we were still happier than ever to be together. But then the topic of love came up. As you can understand, I didn’t really get that as a child and my previous boyfriend hadn’t acted the way he should.”
“And you couldn’t say it,” Madeline said finishing Alexis’ thoughts.
“Exactly. I couldn’t and it tore him apart. And then finally, we broke up for good, a few days ago actually. He wouldn’t support me when I needed it most, and that was when I was trying to find you. And then, I arrived in New York City, got my information from David, and ended up staying with my friend, Bryan.”
“The one in the car, right?”
“Yup.”
“Maybe we should let him come inside.”
“Naw, let him freeze. He was my previous boyfriend after all,” Alexis laughed.
“He’s the one that hurt you and you’re letting him drive you around?”
“He apologized. We’re friends now, strictly friends. Anyway, Bryan said some interesting things on the way over here. He commented how there were three of me these days: the bitchy one, the depressed one, and the happy one. I was happy when I was with Marat. But I couldn’t let it go, my insecurities, so I let him go. How much sense does that make?” Alexis asked shaking her head from side to side and looking down at her lap.
“You’re just confused. That’s easy to understand when you know what kind of life you’ve led with your father,” Madeline said raising Alexis’ face by lifting her chin with her fingers. “I know where you’re coming from. I made some bad mistakes in my life, just look at your father.”
“But why did you marry him? You had to know what kind of man he was.”
“I was young, stupid, and I thought he was my best chance. He had an education and a future. I guess I looked up to him in a father-figure like way. You don’t know this, but my father died when I was young and my mother raised me. I looked at David and thought ‘Wow, this guy can take care of me’. But what I should have done was run in the opposite direction,” Madeline said laughing softly.
“Running and screaming,” Alexis laughed softly with her. She noticed how identical their laughs were.
“You know what I think you should do?”
“What?”
“I think you should talk to your grandmother.”
“My what? I have a grandmother?” Alexis asked in surprise.
“I’ve lived with her since I ran away from your father. Come on. She’s in her bedroom,” Madeline said leading Alexis down a hallway and into an open doorway. “Mother?”
Sitting in an old chair next to the window, a gray-haired woman rocked back and forth in her chair as an antique radio played 50s music. Sprinkled through the gray, Alexis spotted some strands of dark brown that she determined was a trademark of the women in her family. Hearing her daughter’s voice, the woman stopped rocking long enough to open her eyes.
“What is it? I’m trying to listen,” the old woman said glancing over at Alexis. “Who’s this?”
“As you see, attitude runs in our side of the family as well,” Madeline said to Alexis as she led her over to her grandmother’s chair. “Mother, I’d like to introduce you to your granddaughter. She made her way from under her father’s fist to come find us.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Alexis said outstretching her hand to shake with her grandmother’s.
“A handshake? I haven’t seen you since you were six and that’s the greeting I get?” her grandmother said staring at Alexis’ hand. “Give me a hug.”
“Oh, of course. Sorry, I’m not used to this grandparents thing,” Alexis said leaning down to hug her grandmother.
“She’s beautiful, Madeline. You look just like your mother. So tall, too,” her grandmother said smiling at her.
“Alexis and I were talking out in the living room,” Madeline added from behind Alexis.
“Why didn’t you bring her in here sooner? The first time in 18 years, and you’re hogging her to yourself in the living room. What a daughter I raised,” her grandmother sighed shaking her head.
“Anyway, Alexis told me about a little dilemma she’s having. I thought you would have some sound advice. I always go to her nowadays,” Madeline continued to say looking at Alexis.
“Now but she didn’t when she decided to marry your father.”
“Alexis is very happy with a guy, but she can’t bring herself to say she loves him. And because of that, they broke up,” Madeline explained.
“Is this true?” her grandmother asked looking her up and down.
“Yes,” Alexis said biting her bottom lip.
“Do you love him?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Then why the hell are you standing here?”
“What?”
“Shouldn’t you be with him, telling him you love him?”
“I wanted to find my mother. It was important. She was a part of me that was missing,” Alexis replied trying to make sense of her reasoning.
“Wrong answer. Your mother has always been apart of you. I mean, look at the two of you. The way you two walked in here, the way you look, the way you bite your bottom lip when you’re nervous,” her grandmother noted as Alexis bit into her lip but stopped when it was made known. “And your obvious struggle with the opposite sex is also the same. You’ve been living with your mother inside of you.”
“You should hear her laugh,” Madeline said putting her arm around Alexis’ shoulders. “We sound identical.”
“Can’t you see, honey? Your mother has always been there. But giving up the love of someone who means everything to you is not the way to go about life.”
“Ugh, you’re right. I’ve made a huge mistake, haven’t I?” Alexis groaned covering her face with her hands. “I’ve got to fix it.”
“Well, I know this is a lot to ask, but could you stay around for awhile?” her grandmother asked.
“I think that’s a good idea, as long as it’s not an inconvenience. I know you have to get back to work and find this guy of yours.”
“No, it’s fine. I would love to stay,” Alexis said smiling at the two women.
“Ah, yes. You’re a reporter. Madeline showed me your articles. Witty, straight-forward,” her grandmother said as she got out of her chair. “There may be a bit of you in me after all.”
“Ooo, if I’m going to be staying, we better get Bryan out of the car,” Alexis said remembering him.
“Bryan?” her grandmother asked as they walked down the hall.
“A friend who drove me up,” Alexis explained.
“An ex-boyfriend,” Madeline added.
“Mother!” Alexis said laughing.
“You can tell her to shut up. She is your mother after all. Mothers are very annoying.”
“That’s okay,” Alexis said letting her grandmother walk ahead and placing her arm around Madeline’s shoulders. “After everything I went through with my dad, I think I can handle her.”
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Jan 3, 2007 7:48:37 GMT 3
Chapter 58
“And this is when your father bought you this expensive doll house,” Madeline said handing Alexis a photograph from a cardboard shoe box. “I told him that you had no interest in that sort of thing when you were two, but he wouldn’t listen to me.”
“If it makes you feel any better, he still doesn’t listen. Everything he does and says is right,” Alexis replied rolling her eyes.
“I’m not surprised,” Madeline said smiling. “Anyway, he buys the doll house, and it comes in a huge cardboard box that we had to haul out of FAO Schwartz and to our apartment.”
“Please don’t tell me he made you carry it?”
“No, for once he did the work,” Madeline answered.
“I think he did it himself because I was there. He was always on his best behavior when I was around,” Alexis’ grandmother commented from her armchair near the fireplace pointing her knitting needle at him. “Popped his ego, I did.”
“She’s definitely your grandmother,” Bryan chuckled from the other end of the couch.
“So, we got home and he spent the next few hours unpacking it and getting the little lights inside of it to work. It was quite extravagant, too much for even me to handle as a housewife,” Madeline said continuing her story. “Finally, he finishes it and sets you down in front of it and tells you to play. You look at the doll house, up at him, over to the cardboard box, back at the doll house, and then waddle over to the cardboard box and spend the next week inside of it.”
“Your father’s face was bright red, but your mother did warn him. But you wanted to play in the box, so your mother cut out little windows in it and made it look like a little house,” her grandmother added. “I loved the look of defeat on his face.”
“That must have been the moment he decided to hate me, all over a damn cardboard box,” Alexis laughed almost dropping her cup of hot tea.
The room erupted into laughter. From her grandmother’s cackle to her mother’s familiar laugh, it felt like home to Alexis. She never thought she would find happiness like this. With the fire burning in the fireplace and the darkness outside, she couldn’t help but squeeze her mother’s hand. For the first time in a long time, she had achieved clarity beyond her wildest dreams. She had a family now, a friend in Bryan, and she was going to get Marat back. That is, if he would take her back.
“What are you thinking about, honey?” her grandmother asked.
“It’s nothing,” Alexis said snapping back to reality.
“It didn’t look like nothing. Your face went blank. It looked like something important,” her grandmother continued to press.
“You should have been a reporter,” Alexis laughed trying to change the subject on her grandmother.
“Changing the subject on me does not work,” her grandmother replied as she continued to knit. “Now, what’s bothering you?”
“I’m worried about Marat,” Alexis sighed.
“What about him?”
“I’m scared that he might not take me back.”
“That’s ridiculous. He’ll take you back in a second.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re my grandmother. No, you didn’t hear the last fight we had over the phone. It was terrible. We said some horrible things to each other.”
“I’ve only been your grandmother a few hours. I’m telling you the truth when I say, that if he really loves you, he’ll take you back. He won’t let love escape him.”
“I hope you’re right Grandma,” Alexis smiled bleakly.
“It’ll be fine, sweetheart,” Madeline said hugging Alexis.
“Just as time goes by, I get more and more anxious.”
“I hope staying here for the past few days hasn’t made you regret being here,” Madeline said.
“Not at all, I wouldn’t replace it for the world. I’ve had so much fun looking at baby pictures, eating family recipes, and hearing stories about your life. It’s more than I could ever ask for,” Alexis replied.
“It’s been fun, but we do really need to leave tonight. This pair of underwear I’ve been wearing is starting to smell,” Bryan joked getting up from the couch.
“Yes, we can smell,” her grandmother commented as Alexis and Madeline followed Bryan to the door.
“Thank you Mom for everything,” Alexis said hugging her mother tightly.
“Of course, and I will be expecting your call when you get into London,” Madeline smiled.
“You’re on speed dial. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Madeline said hugging Alexis again.
“I’ll be here for Christmas,” Alexis said as they broke apart.
“I can’t wait. And Bryan, you take care as well,” Madeline said hugging Bryan. “You’re also invited here for Christmas, along with Alexis’ boyfriend.”
“If I can get him back,” Alexis said opening the door.
“You’ll get him back. No one is stupid enough to deny my daughter,” Madeline said smiling as Alexis and Bryan walked out to their car and drove away.
*****
It was five in the morning when Marat opened his eyes to the darkness of his bedroom. The only thing he could see in his room was his alarm clock with its fluorescent red numbers. It had been like this for the past few nights, him waking up to darkness in the early hours of the morning no matter how late he went to bed. He knew it was because of the fight he had had with Alexis three days before.
Reaching for the box next to his bed, he felt his way across the surface of the carpet until his fingers came in contact with the box. Grasping onto it, he brought it up to level of his face and flipped the lid off of the top of the box. Even in the darkness, he could see the shape of the ring and every carat of the diamonds. He had it memorized, burned into his brain. Feeling for the discarded lid on his chest, he put it back on the box.
Placing the box on the floor next to his bed would be too much. It was too close. It kept haunting him of all the mistakes he made and the things he should have done instead. Throwing the box in the direction of the other side of the room, he heard the box crash against the wall and fall to the floor in a soft thud. With the ring safely away from him, he closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep, but the image of Alexis’ face was even stronger when he closed his eyes.
Kicking the covers off his body with his feet, he rolled out of bed and fumbled through the darkness to find the door out of the bedroom and into the hallway. Switching the light on in the hallway, Marat walked down it until he arrived at the doorway for the kitchen. Leaning inside the door frame, he looked on the counters for the wireless phone. Spotting it near the refrigerator, he walked into the kitchen and picked it up. He knew it was early too be calling anyone, but he needed answers now. After five rings, a familiar voice finally answered the phone.
“Hello?” Izzy answered the phone with a scratching throat.
“Izzy, it’s Marat.”
“Marat, do you know what time it is here?”
“I know it’s late.”
“It’s three in the morning! I have work tomorrow!”
“Oh, it’s Friday. You can sleep during the weekend,” Marat said trying to make a joke.
“If you’re trying to get me to stay on the phone, it’s not working. I like sleeping, and I don’t like to be disturbed by Russian tennis players.”
“I’m sorry, Izzy. Please don’t hang up on me.”
“What do you want, Marat?” Izzy sighed sitting up in bed.
“It’s about Alexis.”
“Oh God, Marat. I’m so tired of dealing with you two! Will you both just grow up and get hitched?”
“I might just do that if I can’t get her out of my head soon. I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s driving me nuts.”
“She told me about what happened in Paris. I have to say, denying her dream of finding her mother wasn’t the greatest decision.”
“I’m just worried about her. We got in a fight, and she said she was close to finding her mother. We got in a big fight, and she hasn’t called me since.”
“You weren’t supportive, so why should she call you?”
“I know I don’t make sense right now. But I’m trying to make sense of Alexis.”
“And that my friend is a high order,” Izzy said. “But I understand that you’re doing it out of concern. I’ll tell you this much: she found her mother, spent a few days at her house, and told me she was on her way back to Europe.”
“You talked to her?”
“Momentarily. She sounded so excited to be there that I didn’t want to keep her long. Apparently, she’s a carbon copy of her mother and grandmother in more ways than one.”
“She met her grandmother?”
“Yes. She told me she finally found the family she never had.”
“Wow, I’m happy for her,” Marat said smiling dimly at the prospect of Alexis being happy without him. “That’s what she wanted.”
“It can’t be fun hearing this, knowing what you said about it being a bad idea.”
“No, it’s okay. I’d rather her be happy than me being right.”
“Marat, there’s something more you’re not asking me, the real reason you called me. I have a feeling it’s what’s keeping you up at night.”
“Izzy, I need to know. You wouldn’t tell me before, but I need to know. Does she love me?” Marat asked.
“I should have known that was coming.”
“And you’re not going to answer me, are you?”
“No, I’m answering you. I want to go back to sleep. I’m tired of this dance you and Alexis are playing. She loves you. She couldn’t say the words but she does.”
“You’re not just saying that to shut me up, are you?”
“No, and even if I didn’t tell you, you would have to know she does. Look at the ways she’s changed because of you, the look in her eyes when she sees your face. It’s nauseating how much she loves you and how much you love her.”
“Thank you, Izzy.”
“No worries. Now let me sleep. Good night, Marat.”
“Good night, Izzy.”
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Jan 4, 2007 0:58:44 GMT 3
Chapter 59
Waking up to the smell of Bryan’s cologne in her nostrils, Alexis stretched her legs and arms underneath the warmth of the sheets and duvet cover. Enjoying the big bed and being alone in it, she almost felt bad for Bryan who had to sleep on the uncomfortable couch in the living room. Glancing over at the clock on the nightstand, Alexis was relived to find out that she hadn’t overslept. Her flight would leave in three hours, and she had to be ready to go in less than an hour.
Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, she walked across the hallway and into the bathroom. Taking a quick shower, she hopped in and out of the shower stall and into a pair of sweatpants and a zippered hoodie. After brushing her teeth and putting on a little lip gloss, she put her semi-wet hair up in a ponytail. Walking out of the bathroom and into the living room, she found Bryan still asleep on the couch.
Smiling at the fact that he would be out for the next few hours after driving all night to get back to New York City, Alexis grabbed the phone and went into the kitchen. Not wanting to wake him up for the tedious task of driving her to yet another place, she called for a taxi and was told it would be there in the next fifteen minutes. Going back to the bedroom, she put her toiletries in her suitcase and zipped it shut. A few minutes later, she had her tennis shoes on and her suitcase and carry-on waiting next to the front door.
“We’re you even going to wake me up?” a sleepy voice asked from behind her as she checked the bathroom for anything she might have missed.
“Of course I was, Bryan. But I wanted you to get some sleep at least,” Alexis said smiling.
“Well, I need to wake up so I can drive you. The car doesn’t start up as easy as it used to,” Bryan said as he ran his fingers through his messy hair.
“You won’t have to do that. I called for a cab. It should be here in the next ten minutes. Ugh, I need to get my stuff down the stairs.”
“Can I do that for you? I mean, I would have driven you. You didn’t need to spend your money on a cab,” Bryan said as they walked into the living room.
“As long as you want to. You’ve already done so much for me these past few days. I’m really glad I can call you my friend,” Alexis said hugging his shirtless frame.
“I’m glad I can say the same thing,” Bryan said as they separated. “Well, we better get this stuff downstairs. I want you out of my apartment.”
“Whatever. You love sleeping on the couch and seeing my makeup on your bathroom counter,” Alexis teased as Bryan grabbed her bags and she opened the front door.
“Oh, yes. It’s heavenly to sift through CoverGirl and Revlon products when I’m trying to find my razor,” Bryan said as he started to descend the first flight of stairs.
“Well, if you wanted to wear some, all you had to do is ask,” Alexis continued to tease as she followed behind him.
A few minutes later, they opened the door to the outside world as they saw Alexis’ cab pull up to the curb. Smiling at each other at the perfect timing, Bryan and Alexis walked down the stairs with her bags and placed them in the trunk of the cab. Walking over to the door to the backseat, they stood motionless on the sidewalk not knowing what to do or say.
“So, it must be a sign for you to take this cab and make this a painless goodbye for us,” Bryan said breaking the silence.
“Man, life is made up of these. Awkward goodbyes and even worse silences,” Alexis replied.
“I think you better go. I don’t want you to miss your flight,” Bryan said giving her a quick hug.
“Thank you.”
“Give me a call when you get back to London.”
“That could be awhile. I’m going to Moscow first.”
“You are?”
“Yup. I’m going to find Marat and see what I can do to save our relationship. I’m going to tell him I love him,” Alexis said smiling widely.
“I’m really happy for you. He’s good for you; you’re good for each other.”
“Thanks, Bryan. I’ll talk to you soon,” Alexis said sliding into the backseat of the car.
“Bye,” Bryan called waving as her car drove down the street and out of his view.
*****
“It’s nice to see you in the gym, Marat,” Shamil said as he walked into Marat’s view as he ran on the treadmill.
“I would have to say the same for you. It’s changed a lot since 1975, hasn’t it?” Marat asked still able to make a jab at his Davis Cup coach even when he was out of breath.
“I’m glad to see you’ve gotten your sense of humor back. Sasha told me about your let down in Paris.”
“How many people know now? This wasn’t supposed to get out to everybody and their mother,” Marat said gruffly turning off the treadmill and stepping off of it.
“I’m sorry, but I need to know what’s going on with my players. We have a big final ahead of us.”
“When will the rest of the players be here?” Marat asked grabbing his water bottle.
“Dima will be here tomorrow, as well as Misha. Kolya will be here after Shanghai,” Shamil said sitting on a plastic chair as Marat gulped his water bottle down.
“I’ve had a lot of time to prepare this week physically,” Marat said putting his empty water bottle on the floor.
“I see that, and I’m proud.”
“And we’re not even going to start hitting until next week.”
“No, probably not. What are you getting at?” Shamil asked narrowing his eyes.
“Shamil, I’m leaving in a few hours,” Marat said throwing a towel over his shoulder and walking towards the locker room.
“Why? Where are you going?” Shamil asked following behind him.
“I’m going to London. I’m going to get Alexis.”
“Marat, please don’t do this. It’s a bad idea. You need to focus.”
“You know, the last time I said something like that to someone, to not go follow their heart and find love, I lost them. I’m not doing it again,” Marat replied placing his hand on Shamil’s shoulder and looking him straight in the eye. “I’ve found what makes me happy, and I’m not going to let it go. I’ll be back in time for practice, with Alexis on my arm.”
“I hope for your sake that you do come back with her on your arm. For the sake of Russia, I do hope you do. I doubt you’ll be happy any other way.”
“Smart man. Now you get it,” Marat laughed patting him on the shoulder. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Sooner rather than later,” Shamil called as Marat disappeared into the showers.
*****
Sitting in the back of her cab, Alexis watched the city of New York fly past her once again. She was on her way out of New York and to Russia. This was a part of her life she had never imagined would happen, flying across continents to be with the man she loved. It was beyond her wildest fantasies and the stories she read in books as a teenager searching for love she thought didn’t exist.
In the front windshield, Alexis could see the building of the New York Times looming in the distance. It reminded her of her father and the questions that were raised about him in her mind. She still wanted to believe he helped her out with finding her mother because he loved her, but it was almost too far-fetched for her to believe. And as the building grew closer and closer, the temptation of having a final confrontation with her father became unbearable.
“Excuse me. I need to stop in at the New York Times before I go to the airport. I’ll pay for the time you wait,” Alexis informed the cab driver.
“Yes, ma’am,” the cab driver said as he turned the cab down the street that the New York Times building inhabited.
As soon as the driver pulled the car to the curb of the sidewalk, Alexis grabbed the door handle and opened the car door. Climbing out of the car and walking into the building, she was instantly hit with a feeling of uncomfortable familiarity. It was the first place she had worked, and it had been a hectic, stressful job. It was nothing like the Times in London. Here, you were just another reporter scurrying through the hallways.
Making her way through the elevators and hallways, Alexis took the familiar route to her father’s corner office. She couldn’t believe how much she had grown since the last time she had visited her father’s office. It was like night and day for her, and to be honest, she wouldn’t have changed one thing. Slipping past David’s flighty secretary as she filed her nails at her desk, she spotted her father in his office.
Knocking on the door once, Alexis walked into his office and closed the door behind her. At first glance, her father did not look surprised at all to see her. He smiled at her briefly and sat down at his desk. He seemed to waiting for her to say something, something that he never did before. He was always the first person to say something. It was his way of controlling every situation.
“Hi, Dad,” Alexis said.
“Hello, Alexis. May I ask how I got the pleasure of this visit bestowed upon me?”
“I’m leaving for Moscow. I was actually on my way there when I saw your office building. There are some things I have to ask you, things that have been bothering me for the past few days,” Alexis replied.
“Well, sit down. I suppose I can be the one answering questions for once,” David said gesturing to the chair in front of his chair. “But as always, make it quick. I have a job to do.”
“I’m used to talking fast. I was actually relieved to sit down with my mother and grandmother and have conversations that were allowed to last for hours. It was something new that I loved,” Alexis said sitting down.
“So how’s your mother?”
“Why don’t you just call her? You’ve been talking to her for years,” Alexis said as calmly as she could but could feel the anger show in her eyes.
“I can see that that upsets you. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not sure if you are; I’m not sure about a lot of things about you. Why didn’t you let me talk to my mother? Why did you keep her from me?”
“I thought you were better off. Your mother was not a good role model. She was weak. I wanted you to be strong and have an education. And look at what I’ve done,” David said gesturing toward her. “You work for the London Times, went to Columbia University, and have a promising a career ahead of you. And to my chagrin, you’ve got your presence back, a fight that I saw when you came in here.”
“And you know how I got that back? I got it back once I found out I had family that loved me, along with a man I love deeply. You have let hate rule your life, as well as mine. But I’m not going to live on that anymore.”
“That’s quite a New Year’s resolution.”
“One that I’m keeping. The last question I have to ask you before I leave is this: why did you tell me where my mother was? Why now?”
“I don’t have an answer for that,” David said leaning back in his chair. “Maybe I thought you needed to know.”
“If that’s what you want to end on, then fine,” Alexis said getting up from her chair and turning towards the door.
As she did, her eyes fell upon the shelf where David stored his prized Pulitzer. For the first time, it was not alone on its shelf. Sitting next to it, in a gold frame, was Alexis’ first story that she wrote for the London Times. It was the story she had written the first day she had arrived at Roland Garros and saw Marat. It was a sign Alexis couldn’t ignore.
“Someday Dad,” Alexis said stopping inside the door frame of his office, “I hope you can learn to love and say it.”
|
|
|
Post by Addie on Jan 4, 2007 20:59:32 GMT 3
Chapter 60
Walking onto the plane, Marat found himself greeted by flight attendants as they showed him to his first-class seat. Throwing his carry-on in the overhead compartment, he sat down in his gray leather colored seat and stretched out his legs. He kept running his plan through his mind as passengers walked past him to get to their seats. Once he got into London, he would go to Alexis’ apartment and find her. And if he had to he was prepared to knock down the flimsy door of the apartment to get to her.
Seeing the attendants closing the door to the plane, Marat found the ends of his seatbelt and clipped them together. The sooner this flight got going the sooner he would be with Alexis. It wasn’t going to be easy, but he was going to get a confession out of her. And as soon as he did, he would personally pack her bags and take her to Moscow with him. This time, there would be nothing to get in his way, not even Alexis herself.
He remembered vividly the first time he had laid eyes on her. She had been interviewing a few people who were watching the practice courts near his at Roland Garros. He could remember staring at her as she placed her dark brown hair behind her ear and stared at her interviewee with piercing gray eyes. And being his usual self, as soon as he had the opportunity to talk to her, he acted like a smart-ass. The one thing that he had learned by being with Alexis was that presenting love and affection as hate did not work.
“An ‘excuse me’ would’ve been nice,” she mumbled continuing to walk to the bathroom door.
“What was that?” Marat asked turning around. “It’s you again.”
“I should’ve known it was you,” she said turning around.
“Why do you have to be so ornery?” Marat asked.
“Why do you have to be so rude?” she returned. Of course, Marat hadn’t been the only one with an attitude. Alexis had had an even bigger chip on her shoulder. But somehow, someway, they had managed o finally see something different in each other. When they were together, they could scare the bravest person with their straight conversations.
“And one last question. What do you think about me?” Alexis asked and gave him an evil smile.
“I’m afraid to answer that question.”
“Chicken. And you call yourself a man.”
“Okay, you asked for it,” Marat said leaning in closer to Alexis. “You can write, really write. I’ve read your pieces, and you seemed really involved. But when you’re not writing, you seemed cut off from the world on purpose.”
“You’ve read my columns?” Alexis wheezed from the close proximity of Marat.
“Yes, I have. Are you surprised?” It was that same night that they had had that conversation that Marat knew there was something between them. Standing on the curb of the street, they couldn’t say goodbye to each other. There were so many things he could have done and said to her during those awkward silent moments. For once in his life, he had been a gentleman and not pushed himself on a woman. That was how he knew they were different, that she was different, and he couldn’t let her escape without trying to figure out what was so different about her.
As the plane started to stop ascending into the sky, Marat looked around to see other passengers taking out there headphones to listen to the radio station plug-ins in their armrests. Finding his own pair under his seat, he plugged them into the armrest and flipped through the stations to find a good song. About to give up between all the soft rock music, he heard a song start to play that stopped him. It made him smile at the mention of “American baby”.
If these walls came crumbling' down Fell so hard, to make us lose our faith From what's left you'd figure it out Still make lemonade taste like a sunny day
Stay, beautiful baby I hope you Stay, American baby American baby Tapping his fingers on the armrest, Marat stared out his window. Hopefully, Alexis was on a plane as well at that moment on her way to London. And more so, he hoped they hadn’t completely lost their faith in each other. Their faith in each other was the reason they were changed for the better.
Nobody's laughing now God's grace lost and the devil is proud But I've been walking for a thousand miles One last time, I could see you smile
I hold on to you You bring me hope, I'll see you soon And if I don't see you I'm afraid we've lost the way
Stay, beautiful baby I hope you Stay, American baby American baby
*****
Alexis had been on a plane while Marat had been daydreaming of her but not on a plane he would have expected. A few hours after Marat’s plane had lifted of from the tarmac in Moscow, Alexis’ plane landed on the same tarmac. The flight had been an easy on for Alexis. She had slept most of the way over, dreaming of Marat. Letting the swarms of passengers rush out of the plane before her, she waited in her seat sorting through her wallet for Russian money she had exchanged previously and not used.
As soon as the last hurried passenger scurried past her for the equally hectic airport, Alexis grabbed her laptop carrier and coat and exited the plane calmly and rationally. There was no need for her to rush. She was about to accomplish one of the most spontaneous and romantic things she had ever done in her life. She had to stay calm, or she would surely start crying and faint in Marat’s arms when she saw him.
Arriving at baggage claim, Alexis was disappointed to see that Moscow was like any other city with a terrible, satanic-looking baggage claim that people huddled around as if they only had one chance to get their bag before it disappeared forever. Watching the frantic rush for bags, Alexis remembered Izzy’s baggage claim speech she had made to Alexis only a few months before.
“I wasn’t trying to change the subject. I really hate baggage claim. I swear, people spend half their lives standing in front of this thing, watching as bags fly by in a relentless circle,” Alexis explained staring at the baggage carousel as it began to move.
“Maybe it’s a simile for your life,” Izzy shrugged.
“What’s that supposed to me?”
“Okay, I’m not a philosopher but here goes. When you’re standing in front of the baggage claim, you’re waiting for your bag. You want your bag, just like you want something in life. But if you stand there and watch it fly by, you’ll lose your chance. But if you get in their and fight for it, you’ll get your bag, you’ll get what you want or who you want.”
“Yeah, but when you go for your bag, you get hit by other people trying to get their bags. Sometimes you back off without your bag, and you’re bruised and disappointed,” Alexis said sighing to herself.
“What’s the point in being alive if you don’t live life to it’s fullest?”
“You know, I’m tired of this philosophy crap. We’re so tired we’re trying to analyze the meaning of waiting in baggage claim,” Alexis groaned. A few months ago, Alexis didn’t understand Izzy’s simile for life. But now that she was going after her “bag” and was not afraid to get elbowed, it made a lot more sense to her. It was scary how love could change a person so much just by loving them whole-heartedly. After waiting for the crowds to thin, she retrieved her bag from the carousel and went outside to find a cab.
Waiting for a cab, Alexis remembered the fact that she was in Russia and couldn’t speak the language. Somehow, she would have to navigate the cab driver to Marat’s apartment using hand signals and street names that she could recall. Getting into the cab, she set her laptop carrier beside her and got ready to move her hands in as many positions and directions as was needed to get to Marat. Although it took longer than it should have, the cab finally pulled up to the curb in front of Marat’s apartment building.
Walking into the building with her suitcase and carry-on, Alexis could feel her heart beating faster. And as the elevator climbed the floors to Marat’s, she could feel it jumping out of her chest. It got harder and harder to breath as she stopped in front of Marat’s door. She had completely forgotten what she was going to say to him, how she was going to greet him. She was no longer on auto-pilot as she knocked on his door and waited.
The minutes went by slowly and tediously. Alexis could hear nothing coming from inside the apartment. Was he home? Had she just drove a cab driver crazy for no reason? Knocking harder and longer on the door, she switched her carry-on bag to her other shoulder and massaged the raw spot of her free shoulder. Soon enough it became clear to her that he wasn’t home and she had no idea where to find him in a city as large as Moscow.
Grabbing her suitcase, Alexis walked back down the hallway. As she walked to the elevator, she passed the door to the stairwell. Unlike the last time, she wasn’t plagued by the sight of a stairwell. It made her smile and gave her an idea on how to find Marat. Quickly walking to the elevator and going through the lobby downstairs, she found the landlord’s office. If the landlord knew as much as he did before, including Marat and Alexis’ encounter on the stairs, he had to know where Marat was.
Knocking on the plain wooden door to his office, Alexis stepped inside. Considering the clean and organized look of the building, she was surprised to find the landlord’s office in disrepair. Old lamps and clothes hangers stuck out of cardboard boxes stacked on shelves, and the floors were covered in dark stains that resembled oil. Fighting her way through the room, she finally spotted a clearing in the back of the room where a small desk and chair were occupied by an even smaller man.
“Hello, I’m sorry I barged in. I knocked but there was no response,” Alexis greeted tripping on the leg of an upholstered ottoman.
“No, it’s my fault. Sometimes I get so distracted with my calculator that I forget that there are tenants in my building who need me,” he said getting up from his desk and helping Alexis step into the clearing.
“Well, I’m not exactly a tenant, but I’m looking for one of them I went upstairs and knocked on their door, but they didn’t answer it.”
“Oh, okay. Who are you looking for?”
“Marat. I came to surprise him and now I can’t find him. Maybe a surprise visit wasn’t the best idea,” Alexis said with a laugh.
“I’m so sorry,” the landlord said shaking his head. “Marat left a few hours ago for London. But he said he would be back soon.”
“London?” Alexis asked not sure if she was hearing right.
“Yes, London.”
“Ummm, okay. Thank you,” Alexis replied turning around to exit the room.
“Is there anything I can do?” he called as she walked through the rubble.
“No, thanks for the information,” Alexis said waving as she exited the room and walked out to the lobby.
Stepping outside into the cold, Alexis stared up into the sky and wanted to scream. Why was this happening to them? Someone up there did not want them to be together, and they were starting to make that very clear to Alexis. Running her hand through her hair and biting her lip, she felt her cell phone vibrate in her coat pocket.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Alexis. I’m happy to hear from Izzy that you found your mother,” Thomson greeted.
“Yes, I did. Thank you.”
“I know that you still haven’t decided to come back to work, but I got an interesting call a minute ago.”
“Interesting how?”
“It was Roger Federer’s agent. They want you to do an interview with Mirka. Apparently, you approached her with the idea at Wimbledon,” Thomson explained.
“You have got to be kidding me! I gave her my card months ago and thought she would never call,” Alexis said shaking her head in disbelief.
“Well, you appealed to them and now we have the interview that everybody wants but can’t get. If you’ll take it, and I’m not giving you any other choice, I need to get you on a plane to Shanghai immediately.”
“I don’t know. I’m not exactly in the best place at the moment. I just had a huge letdown,” Alexis replied staring back at Marat’s apartment building. “I have no idea what kind of reporter I would be when I’m confused.”
“Alexis, this is a major opportunity. I can’t just send Neil; I need you. Now, tell me where you are so I can get you a flight.”
“I’m in Moscow,” Alexis sighed.
“Moscow? What are you doing there?”
“It’s a long story. And the more I think about it, I have to get out of here. When can I leave?” Alexis asked flagging down a cab.
“As soon as you get to the airport, your ticket will be ready at the desk.”
“Thank you,” Alexis replied as she threw her suitcase in the trunk.
“And Alexis?”
“Yes?”
“Whatever is bothering you, you have to leave it behind for now. This is your time to shine.”
“I won’t let you down,” Alexis said hanging up the phone and climbing into the backseat.
|
|