The Cherry Blossoms (6 page)

“So then, what would you do if you were in my shoes?”

“Daniella, I do not think you should draw conclusions based on such little information.  When the show is behind us, ask him what his intentions are.  You spend many long hours in your office.  Left on his own, Michal may feel that your shop is more important to you than he is.”

She thought about what he’d just said.  Grant was right; she was jumping to conclusions on very little information.

Daniella laughed, “Grant, you may just be onto something.  I’ll see you in the morning.”  She gave him a hug and a light kiss on his cheek, before they left in opposite directions.

Daniella took a long walk contemplating her options with Michal.  They were not married nor were they engaged.  He had not invited her to live with him; instead she had wormed her way into his house.  He hadn’t seemed to mind, but there was a chance she’d overstepped their relationship boundary lines.  Perhaps she should return to living in her apartment after all; she was paying the rent and utilities on it.  If she’d made Michal feel boxed, it was likely he would follow his roaming eyes.  She considered returning to her apartment tonight and changed her mind.  There was no reason to upset the apple cart before the show.  She would act as if seeing him at lunch with a beautiful woman meant nothing to her, at least until after the show.

She stopped at a small grocery store where she purchased the items she’d need to prepare a decent dinner.  Daniella could not remember the last time she’d prepared a meal for him.  She and Michal ate out most nights.  He would arrive home this evening to find her cooking dinner as well as excited about the show. 

Before she started cooking, she took a shower after which she dressed in a pair of tight jeans that required her to lay across the bed on her back and suck her stomach in to zipper them up.   She chose a soft pale blue silk blouse and a pair of sandals.

For dinner this evening, she chose scallops.  She would sauté them in butter with garlic.  Once sautéed, she would let the scallops simmer in a white wine sauce.  Daniella would place them on top a pasta nest.  While they simmered, she’d prepare a fresh salad with dried fruit and nuts. 

Pleased with her choices so far, she set the table for two and watched the clock.  Dinner preparation would begin about one-half hour before Michal returned from work.  He should arrive no later than 7:00 that evening, so at precisely 6:30 Daniella lit the candles on the table.  She searched through his kitchen for a cork screw.  Once she uncorked the bottle of white wine she placed the bottle in an ice bucket to stay chilled.  She rummaged through his kitchen looking for a sauté pan.  When she found it, she lit the stove and sautéed her scallops and garlic.

Daniella was delighted with herself when the aroma filled the air.  She poured herself a glass of wine, using some of the wine from the bottle to create the sauce.  She would wait for Michal to arrive before she assembled the salad. 

At 7:30, that evening, Daniella, poured herself another glass of wine.  It was likely that Michal was working later than usual, but he’d be home soon.  She took her second glass of wine into the living room where she sat on the sofa.  At 8:00, Daniella turned the stove’s flame beneath her pan off.  She left her scallops in the pan; they would reheat quickly when Michal came in.  She blew the table candles out poured herself a third glass of wine and returned to her perch on the sofa.

She must have dozed off on the sofa.  When she woke, the clock told her it was 10:15 and still no Michal.  Daniella did something she’d never thought she would be capable of doing.  She went into the bedroom and sniffed the pillowcases.  There was a light scent of perfume on them.  The perfume she inhaled was expensive.  However, it was not her perfume.

At 10:30, Daniella left Michal’s house and drove to her apartment.  She left the food in the pan, and the dishes on the table, along with the scented candles.  That light whiff of perfume confirmed for her that Michal had been in that bed with another woman.  She did not bother to pack her personal belongings since she could retrieve them later.  She just wanted out of his house before he returned.

In her apartment, she let loose the tears in her heart.  Daniella felt like a fool.  Of course, Michal, a tremendously handsome man, would take more than one lover.  She had no claim to him.  He had played her and she suspected this was not recent behavior on his part.  As sorrow led to anger, she stopped crying.  She was no longer a child, so she needed to stop acting like one.  If Michal wanted to pursue other women, he was free to do so.  If she could not cope with his multiple affairs, the decision of what to do was hers and hers alone. 

She lay awake in her bed thinking about his outrageous display of affection for other women, most recently, the woman he had lunch with this very afternoon.  She told herself that she most certainly
would not appear angry when they spoke next.  Her self-confidence would not surrender itself to his actions.  Two can play this game.

When she drifted off to sleep, she heard children chanting in her slumber, “Fat Fanny Danny” repeatedly.  As a child, she had been squat and on the heavy side.  The children in school had a great deal of fun by picking on her.  She hated them.  When she escaped to Paris, she left them far behind her.  She hadn’t thought of them for years and now her subconscious had brought them back to life.

Daniella was in her office early the next morning.  She and Grant had dress rehearsals this morning, and they required her full attention.  She would deal with Michal later, much later.  She chuckled when she thought to herself;
I’ll deal with him when hell freezes over.
  She was not about to let him rain on her parade.

By the time Grant arrived, Daniella had managed to get her emotional state back in the box.  She greeted him with a chipper. “Bonjour Grant.”

“
Bonjour Daniella.  How are you this morning?”

“I must say that I’m getting excited.”

Grant clapped his hands together.  “I must confess that I am getting excited as well.”

“Grant I want to thank you for having lunch with me yesterday.  The advice you gave me was invaluable.”

“Are you referring to advice about tomorrow’s show or Michal?”

“I think both.”

“It was my honor to help you.”

“Did that young man you met yesterday call?”

Grant flashed a huge smile and winked at Daniella, when he told her, “Oui mademoiselle, qu'il l'a fait.”

“That’s wonderful.  I can’t wait to meet him at the reception after the show.”

Daniella’s statement had Grant’s cheeks blushing to a deep rose.  How could anyone not love a man innocent enough to blush?  She thought it was a damn shame that he was gay.  If he weren’t, she’d have been tempted to make a pass at him.

Annette ducked her head into Daniella’s office, “Mademoiselle, the models are arriving.”

Daniella giggled, “I guess that means it’s show time.  Annette, is Charlene here yet?”

“
Oui mademoiselle, elle est.”

“Please ask her to help the models dress.”

Teaching their models how to walk down the runway, turn and walk back to the stage took up the bulk of the day.  Grant had laid out a course on the lobby floor.  He played the role of the presenter and announced the design category along with the outfit’s description.

Daniella was more than pleased with the models.  She told Charlene, “You’ve done a great job on the outfits.  Those custom sewn clothes will clinch the judges’ decisions.”

“Merci Daniella.”

“No, it is I who needs to thank you.  Have you seen any outfit that needs an adjustment?”

“No I have not, have you?”

“I have not.  Grant can you bring the models together for a moment?”

When the models gathered in the lobby, Daniella gave them a choice, “We can take a break for lunch and return to walk again, or if you are comfortable, we can call it a day.”

One of the models raised her hand.  “Mademoiselle McPherson, how well did we do this morning?”

“In my opinion, all of you looked as though you had been modeling for years.  I just want to make sure you feel confident before you walk the runway.”

Annette ducked her head in, “Daniella, Michal is on the phone.  He’d like to speak with you.”

Yeah, I bet he does.
  “Annette, can you please tell him I’ll call him back?”

“
Oui mademoiselle, je vais lui dire.”

“
Merci, Annette.”

The model who had spoken looked to Daniella, “I feel comfortable and confident; however, I believe we need to check with everyone.” 

Daniella asked her staff along with the models, what they thought.  One of the older models raised her hand, “Mademoiselle McPherson, I think walking once more would be best.”

Daniella smiled at her.  “It certainly can’t hurt.  Let’s take a lunch break.  It’s now noon, so why don’t we agree to be back in the shop by 2:00 at the latest.”

Daniella felt she needed some alone time, so she walked two miles to a small café, she referred to as her ‘thinking tank’.  She ordered a salad and a glass of wine.  She asked herself if she should return Michal’s telephone call today or wait until she was home that evening.  Daniella also asked herself if she should drive to his house this evening.  It was his choice as to how he chose to conduct his affairs; but, it was also her choice to choose how she conducted her own.

She sat in the café as she rehearsed a number of things she would say when she spoke to him.  Michal had a right to know how she felt about another woman’s perfume on his pillowcase.  Just as soon as she had that thought, she had to ask herself how she felt.  Was she jealous?  Had she expected more from him than he was obviously not willing to give her?  Maybe she had expected too much of the relationship.

Daniella’s Irish willpower kicked in.  Regardless of the outcome, she would never tell Michal he’d bruised her heart.  She’d call him when she returned to her shop.  She’d figure out what to say when she called him.

Her confidence grew in leaps and bounds with each step she took to return to her office.  He wasn’t going to turn her into a whiney little fat girl.  She didn’t give a rat’s ass what he thought, because she was a strong-willed Irish woman, and by the time she reached her shop, she was ready for whatever he said.

When she entered the shop, Annette stopped her.  “Daniella, Michal called twice while you were out.  He insisted that I ask you to please return his call.”

“Thank you, Annette.”

Daniella went into her office and closed the door to make the call.  His secretary answered the call, “Bureau de Michal Bagot.  Puis-je t'aider ?”

“Yes thank you, may I speak with
Monsieur Bagot?”

“May I tell him whose calling?”

The hair on the back of Daniella’s neck rose.  She had called Michal’s office on a number of occasions, enough that his secretary knew her voice.  “Of course you may.  My name is Daniella McPherson.”

“Mademoiselle, McPherson, can you please hold the telephone for one moment while I check to see if he’s available?”

Daniella’s Irish temper took over the situation, “Thank you, but I’m receiving another call.  Please let Monsieur Bagot know that I returned his call.”  That said; Daniella disconnected the call.

The models walked the fake runway once more.  Daniella told them that they’d all done well.  She went on to say, “The show starts at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon.  Please be there by 12:30 so that we can do one final check before you walk.  I do not have the lineup for the designers, so we could be first or last.  I’ll know more tomorrow.”

Daniella stopped in a small store to pick up a few groceries on the way to her apartment.  She’d have to deal with Michal at some point, but the night before the show wasn’t the right time.  Between the perfume and the tone of his secretary’s voice, Daniella had no desire to see or speak with him this evening.  If he called her apartment, she would tell him she was preparing mentally for tomorrow and needed the quiet her apartment afforded her.  Daniella let go of the anger as it turned into disappointment.  She knew Grant was right.  Daniella had no hold on Michal.  She had fabricated something in her mind that didn’t exist.  When she spoke with him, she would tell him that he absolutely had the right to sleep with any woman he chose.  She just couldn’t be one of the mares in his stable any longer.

When she parked her car, she told herself that after the show and reception tomorrow, she would gracefully bow out of this relationship.  If Michal felt the need to conquer women, so be it.  It just wasn’t her way of maintaining a relationship.  Daniella was comfortable with her decision, so she grabbed her grocery bag and walked around the block to her apartment.

She was fumbling with her keys before climbing the stairs to the apartment house door when she heard Michal, “Daniella, have I done something to offend you?”

Finding Michal sitting on the bottom step of her apartment house rendered Daniella speechless.  She stood in front of him looking like a cartoon stick figure.  Michal stood to face her.  He took the bag of groceries from her.