The Intern Affair (37 page)

“Sure, I went for dinner on the Champs Elysée and I had a glass of wine with my meal.”

“And you did that without me! I hope you’ve enjoyed it, Princess, because that will be the last time I will let you out of my sight to go and have a meal anywhere.”

“Samir, it feels so good to be sitting here beside you
.
I can’t believe how you make me feel. Why do you think that is?”

“I think we both know the answer to that question. But only when we’re in
Africa
will we speak those words, as you made me promise.”

“Yes I know, I know.
But that won’t prevent me from telling you that I don’t believe what I feel is real.”

“And that is the very reason why we’re going to
Conakry
at the last of our journey.”

“Do you really think I will remember?”

“Not only do I think so, Talya, but I’m absolutely sure that, when you remember, you’ll be able to love freely and you’ll be able also to recognize the one who truly loves you.
And on that day, you’ll play in harmony like Ebony and Ivory on the keyboard of life.”

“Can you play?”

Samir burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, Princess, I don’t mean to offend you with laughter, but yes, I can play.
And if you get dressed we’ll go down right now and I’ll play for you.”

Without a word, Talya was gone to her room like a shot. She put on her blue dress that she had left unpacked in her suitcase—she had wanted to keep that memorable evening buried for the time being.
When she reappeared, Samir was standing by the door, smiling.
He was dressed in a double-breasted, navy suit; he looked mysteriously princely.

They went to the piano bar where only a few patrons were still finishing their evening pousse-café. Samir went and sat at the keyboard, smiling in complicity.
Talya sat at a table near him. In
Paris
, love is celebrated at any time and at any place. Tonight was no different.
The three or four couples standing at the bar, or lounging about, clapped and cheered when Samir sat down.
They knew very well he wasn’t an entertainer, just a man who wanted to express a deeply felt sentiment of love.

Upon hearing the first chords, Talya knew the song, ‘
Unchained Melody
’
. She sang some of the words silently.

God speeds your love to me

Lonely river’s flow to the open arms of the sea

I’ll be coming home, wait for me

Oh my love, my darling, I hunger for your love

Time goes by so slowly

Time can do so much

I need your love, wait for me…

51

In the morning,
Talya luxuriated in bed and cuddled the pillows for a while. Although she was not one to demand anything more out of life than what she was able to earn from it honestly, it was pleasurable to taste the fruits of wealth as she did then. She was making plans to stay where she was until noon, when she heard a disturbing knock at the door.

“Yes, who is it?” She was expecting Samir to answer.

“Votre petit déjeuner, Madame!”
My what
?

The lady behind the door was bringing her breakfast in bed.

“Please come in, the door is open.”

Talya sat up and arranged the eiderdown around her in a hurry. The young lady who came in was tiny and very pretty. Her blue uniform, white apron and small bonnet pinned on her lovely braided black hair, made her look like the morning maid of Talya’s childhood dreams. Her deep blue eyes were so vivacious and sparkling at the sun’s reflection from the rays streaming through the windows that Talya couldn’t help staring at her.

“Shall I bring you something else?” She deposited the tray across her lap.

“No, I don’t think so.
Everything looks lovely
.
” Her eyes travelled around the tray. On it, there was a pastry basket, a
Limoges
cafetière, a cup and saucer, and a glass of orange juice. “What is your name?”
Talya looked up at her once again.

“Françine, Madame,”
she said
with a candid smile. “I’ll be coming back in a half
-an-
hour to help you bathe and dress.”
‘Bathe and dress’…Oh, what the heck, why not.

“That will be fine, Françine.
Don’t worry, I’ll be here.”

Françine giggled at the rejoinder and scuttled out.

Talya devoured her croissants avidly. She was famished. Her stomach had completely forgotten the chic
ken
breast that she had savoured the previous night. The juice was freshly squeezed and the coffee strong.

She hadn’t noticed it before, but beneath the saucer, there was an envelope. She instantly felt apprehensive. A sense of foreboding intruded on her thoughts immediately. She replaced the cup in the saucer and slid the envelope out of its hiding place. She opened it and pulled out the small note, which read:

Good Morning Princess,

Please don’t fret if you don’t see me when you wake.

I won’t be long to return; I went to the airport to check on my aircraft.

I will also make the last arrangements for our departure.

I will be with you soon.

Your devoted servant,

Samir.

She breathed a very audible sigh of relief.
Not only does the man surprise me at every turn, but he knows how to frighten me as well.

A few minutes later, there was another knock at her door. Françine was returning, carrying towels, and a basket filled with small bottles and jars.

“Would you like to have a bath or a shower, Madame?”

“I prefer a shower, Françine, but this morning, and since you have brought what seems to be the entire perfumery with you, I’ll indulge in a bubble bath.”

Françine tittered shyly and trotted into the bathroom directly. While she was drawing a bath and preparing the bathing oils, Talya got up, wrapped herself in the robe and went to sit in the chair by the window. Françine re-appeared a moment later, asking which of her suits or dresses she would wish to wear.

Talya was startled. As far as she knew there were jeans, a pair of slacks, a jacket and
one
suit hanging in the wardrobe, and
one blue
dress still abandoned on the chair facing the dresser.
She got up with a jerk, went to open the wardrobe, and sat on the bed behind her in shock. There were
four
dresses and
four
suits, which had been added to the collection. Françine didn’t lose a beat on this one.
She knew (or had been told) what to expect.

“I am so sorry, Madame, but the capitaine had the evening maid bring these clothes up for you last night when you were out.”
At eleven o’clock in the evening! That must have been some devoted night maid
.

“He did? I mean she did?” Talya stood up to take a closer look.
She thought of how Pygmalion must have felt when clothes were brought to her.
There were dresses from
Michel
Balmain, Christian Dior and suits from Coco Chanel—none was off-the-rack such as Talya was used to wear. On a hunch, she opened the lingerie drawers … and yes, they had been filled with lace and silk underwear.
That man is impossible,
she said to herself while grinning and shaking her head at Françine.

Françine giggled. “So, which one shall we choose for this morning?”

“I don’t know, Françine.
The burgundy suit perhaps?
But I don’t have the shoes—”

“Oh yes you do, Madame.” She opened the drawer at the bottom of the wardrobe.
There were a dozen pairs of shoes in the drawer.
Good God! How am I going to carry all of this where we’re going?

As if reading her thoughts, Françine said, “And you don’t have to worry about packing these if and when you leave, Madame. The capitaine said to leave everything here for when you return!”
For when I return?
I dearly hope I will.

“All right, Françine, let’s get on with it.
That bath of yours must be getting cold.”

52

Once he arrived
at the airport, Samir decided to call
Ghali
.
A pang of anxiety had disturbed him when he thought of
Charles
; his voice had been uneasy when he was on the line the night before.
It was the middle of the night in
Vancouver
and Samir would have to wake
Ghali
, but that wasn’t important, something was definitely in the offing, and Samir was convinced the boy knew what it was.

“Doctor
Defray
,”
Ghali
answered his voice slurring with sleep.

“
Ghali
, I am extremely sorry to wake you, but I need answers.”

“Samir!”
Ghali
exploded over the line.
The boy needs to be taught to control his voice as well as his manners
. Samir smiled inwardly.

“Quiet down,
Ghali
.
Everything is fine at this end.
But I need to satisfy my curiosity.”

“At this time of night? You want to
satisfy your curiosity.
Samir, have you got any idea what time it is here?”

“Yes I do, and what’s more I wanted to reach
you
—and no one else—at a time when I knew you would be alone and free to talk.”

“All right, I’m here and wide awake thanks to you.
So, what is it?”

“Where is
Charles
?” The suddenness of the question took
Ghali
by surprise and he knew the answer wasn’t going to be an easy one to give.

“Well…, I don’t know if I should tell you this, but since you would find out anyway, knowing you, here it is.
Charles
and
Thomas
Gerald
took a flight to
London
last night.
They’ll be in
Africa
by tonight, your time.”

Silence.

“Samir, are you listening, I said—”

“Yes,
Ghali
, I heard you.
Tell me why, if you know, did they decide to do this?”

“The decision came after you phoned us yesterday about Talya. But her escapade was not the main reason behind their departure…”
Ghali
then told Samir what had prompted
Charles
and
Thomas
to leave
Vancouver
and where they planned to stay once they reached
Dakar
and
Bamako
.
All the while listening to
Ghali
, Samir was pensive and getting worried.
What if Talya learns of this?
How was she going to react?

“I am very grateful to you for telling me this. I’ll have to deal with it in my own way.
Obviously, you know I can’t relate this information to Talya.
She’s liable to do something we’ll both regret. So, I will tell you now where we will be landing and what I plan to do from there. From now on, I will call you only when it is necessary.
We will be out of reach probably for a couple of weeks.
You will be the only person I will call and I’ll do so at the same time every time.
Is that clear?”

“Crystal clear, Samir. I suppose I should keep your destination unknown to every one else?”

“You’ve heard my thoughts,
Ghali
. And please don’t let anyone, not even
Carl
or Talya’s colleague’s sway you in to revealing where we are, that would be not only dangerous for you, but for all of us.”

“What about telling
Alhassan
? Or if
Charles
phones me and—”

“No,
Ghali
. No contact whatsoever.
Again, the least
Charles
knows, the less he is liable to tell.”

“I understand. I am ready.
Tell me.”
Samir did, elaborately so.

When he finished,
Ghali
had only one question on his mind. “Will she be able to do this?
How will she cope?”
His voice was full of anxiety.

“Yes, she’ll do it all; please have faith in her. She’s capable of much more than what you give her credit for. Again,
Ghali
, I don’t want you to give it all away when you show a worried face around the office, especially in front of
Carl
. The man is extremely perceptive and he’ll unmask you the minute he sees your eyes.”