Trouble finding Blondie (48 page)

There were no tears, but the pain took his breath away.

The girls came out to say good-bye. She hugged them both, telling them that they have her number, and to text her anytime. She thanked Mateas for taking care of his little cousin and gave Monique a hug, without saying a word.

She looked around that room, the famous messy house filled with love where everyone feels home. Where they always greet you with open arms no matter what hour, day or night, you show up.

“You are all amazing. I love you very much,” Simona breathed as if saying good-bye forever. She finally grabbed Francois by hand, and Adam opened the door. She looked at him one more time. He almost couldn’t bare to look back at her.

“Where are you going?”

“Where he will never find me.”

....which Adam translated to himself as…'where he can’t ever hurt me again.’

That was the moment that took him over the edge, and he got tears in his eyes. They were looking in each other’s eyes, hers filled with pain, his filled with sorrow.

One tear came rolling down his face. She wiped it off, and kissed him on that cheek.

“Take care of him. I will always love him.”

28

"SILENCE IS A DEADLY KILLER. IT'S THE WORST NOISE WHEN YOUR WORLD IS COLLAPSING."

MONIQUE AND THE kids were standing by the window, watching Simona walk slowly with Francois, matching his tiny steps. Adam was standing frozen by the door.

Did this really happen? Am I going to wake up from this bad dream?! This is not a bad dream. This is a full-blown nightmare!

“Dad, come here!”

Adam finally snapped out of it and walked to the kitchen. He was the tallest. He stood above everyone, holding his daughters and his wife as if he wanted to protect them. Simona was waving with Francois’ little hand, pointing to the window until he saw them. Then he blew them a kiss, and she turned around and handed him to someone inside the car. The driver was patiently waiting until Simona got in, too. She held the door open, had one last look at the window, got inside, and closed the door behind her.

“Mami, whose car is it?”

“I don’t know, Mateas. It’s probably something like a better taxi.”

Of course, it’s not a taxi. Simona wouldn’t do anything like that. She is too smart for just getting a cab and going to the airport to get on a plane. Too easy, too predictable. That is not this woman’s description…

“Adam, snap out of it! We have to do something,” Monique pleaded with her husband.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. We can’t just let her leave.”

“We just did.”

“Yes, but we had Francois in our care. Andre trusted us with his well-being. He is going to come, and we say what? We let your son walk out of here?”

“Are you serious? You can’t be serious?!”

“Now it’s going to be our fault that he screwed up? Are you mad?!”

“That’s not what I’m saying. It just doesn’t feel right. I hate this hopeless feeling.”

“Well, let me call the idiot again.”

“Adam!”

“What?”

“What do you mean what? The kids are here.”

“That’s why I said idiot and not a F….. moron!”

“Adam! Kids, leave us alone for a moment, please.”
“He is still not picking up. What else do you want me to do?”

“Leave him a message.”

“Good morning, asshole! Call me! It’s urgent!”

“Nice. Mature. Constructive. Really?”

“Moni, I want to kill him myself. I hate him right now. What do you want me to do? Sugarcoat it?”

“You have to go to the airport or something. You have to stop her. I feel guilty. He trusted us with his son, and we just let him go.”

Adam was finally getting where Monique’s guilt was coming from. He felt it, too. As a father, he would be trusting someone with his precious possession, his child and… Comes back less than 24 hours later, and doesn’t find him where he left him. He would blame the caretaker.

“It’s different. She had the right to do it.”

“And he has the right to explain and be heard.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Just go after her. Keep calling him.”

Adam wasn’t convinced about this mission’s success, but it was better than doing nothing.

“Simona is too smart. She wouldn’t make a beginner’s mistake like going to the airport.”

“You are smart, too. Think like her.”

“She probably chartered a plane. Our best bet is the Vaclav Havel Airport private plane terminal.”

“Great. You go. I will keep calling Andre to meet you there.”

Adam was dressed in a heartbeat, still with his morning hairdo. He was barely out of the door when ‘auntie’ from downstairs showed up.

“Who’s car was that?”

“Morning, auntie.”

“Morning. You guys made so much noise this morning. I knew somebody was here, but I didn’t want to intrude.”

“Listen, auntie. Was the car there the whole time?”

Adam knew that she would have been glued to the window spying on everything, and would have a precise answer.

“No, first the lady and the driver carrying presents, many trays. Then the car left, and came back, waiting for about 10 min.”

“Great, thanks.”

Adam was already running down the stairs when she yelled behind him.

“Someone else was in the car besides the driver. Francois said, ‘Bonjour!’”

“Auntie, I didn’t know you spoke French.”

“The little devil taught me ‘Merci! Oui!..... and ‘Bonjour!’”

“Haha. Auntie, go have some breakfast upstairs. We left you some.”

Monique rolled her eyes as if to say… Thanks a lot! Now I have to deal with her?

Adam was speeding on the highway. His head pounding. His mind overloaded with a million thoughts, firing in every direction. Then the phone rang.

“Bro. What the hell is going on?”

Adam wanted to yell, scream, take his frustration out on him. But that wouldn’t help right now, he needed to stay calm.

“Where the hell are you?”
“I don’t understand. Why are you so mad? What is the emergency?!”

Silence. Andre was immediately out of the bed, on his feet, with his heartbeat through the roof, afraid to ask...

“Francois? Something happened to Francois?! Adam!!!”

“Francois is ok. Where are you?”

“What the hell does that matter? I’m in a hotel room.”

“Well, I’m on my way to the airport, private terminal.
 
Get a cab and meet me there!”

“I don’t fucking understand. What is going on?”
“I don’t have the patience or the will to explain. Just do it!” Adam hung up.
 

Andre looked at the phone in disbelief. Then he finally realized that he had 10 missed calls from Adam and Monique. He decided to call Monique while getting dressed.

“Moni, what is going on?”

“Are you ok? Did you talk to Adam?”

“Yes. But he didn’t tell me anything. Except to meet him at the airport.”
“For the love of God, hurry up, Andre!”

“Why is everybody talking like the world is coming to an end? Without telling me what the fuck is going on?!”

“Simona came. She took Francois.”

Silence. A lightening strike. Electricity on death row. It wasn’t like anything he ever felt before. The knife in his stomach from last night was a bee sting compared to this. This ran straight through the heart. It physically knocked him down. The phone fell out of his hand, and he didn’t think he could take another breath.

Monique was screaming on the phone...

The time stopped. The world had a dot. Finished. Is this how death feels? Why is your brain still functioning? Why is it not dead, too?! You can’t move, can’t breath, your heart is paralyzed, but your brain is there to remind you that NO, NO, you are not dead yet. You are in a state of shock. The pain is gearing up her weapons. It’s coming.

Shock is kind. It has a sarcastic satisfaction in the moment of surprise. In return it gives you numbness until the bitch Pain comes at full throttle.Then HE will go home and let HER have it…
 

Monique’s voice was getting hysterical by now. Andre finally picked up the phone from the floor.

“Yes.”

“....ok, thank God. You don’t have much time, Andre. You need to get it together.”

“Get it together? Which part?”
“Well, right now, yourself. Then the rest. Hurry up!”

Monique’s commanding voice brought him to his feet, and his legs resumed their function. His brain was shut, but he was following orders.

“Get in a taxi, and meet Adam at the private plane terminal. Okay?”

“What did she say?”

“Not much. I’m really sorry, Andre.”

“I’m afraid I exhausted sorry, Moni. I really fucked up this time.”

“Stick to the truth. That’s all you can do right now. No bullshit is going to save you.”

“Moni, I love her.”

“I know. Now, you just try to get her to wait and hear you out. Call her up.”

“Thank you, Moni.”

Andre was in a taxi, giving instructions to the driver to go as fast as he could. Squeezing his phone in his sweaty palms, he dialed her number. It rang, but it went into voicemail.

“Blondie, I’m on my way to the airport. Could you just wait please? Please!”

Then he texted her…’PPP’..., their code for Pretty, Pretty Please.

❖ ❖ ❖

Adam arrived first. He pleaded with the desk person to check names and the morning flights. Andre arrived eight minutes later, out of breath. Adam didn’t greet him. All he could muster was to barely look at him. He wasn’t important right now. They needed to find HER.

“Ok, could you check Adamec? Andree? Hmmm, maybe even Zatopek?”

“It’s Bouchard,” Andre bellowed from behind.

“Who is Bouchard? She couldn’t have an alias.”

Andre didn’t have the patience to explain. He was staring at the front desk lady with encouragement.

“Philippe Bouchard, please.”

She was getting nervous. She felt like they were ready to jump over the counter any second.

“Yes, his plane landed at 5:15 AM this morning. And then it left at 6 o’clock.”

“That makes no sense. Are you sure?” Andre looked at her incredulously.
 

“Yes, sir.”

“That means she is still here,” Andre sighed.
 

“Well, that is a good news, I guess,” Adam said.

“She is bluffing. She just wants to punish me.”
 

Andre almost looked relieved. Adam looked at him in disbelief.

“You think this is a fucking game?”

Andre felt stupid and embarrassed. This was an awkward, unusual position to be in with his younger brother. They finally stepped away from the desk. Adam thanked the lady who was relieved to see their backs. They walked outside together.

The private planes were a fascinating scene, and their minds wondered off for a minute. The little planes were a symbol of elegance, and a little mystery, but also a definition of wealth, the announcement of ‘You made it’ to the world. A world that many took for granted. A world that should be sacred and appreciated. Sadly, only a few did.

A phone beeped. They both looked at their phones. It was Andre’s, and it was from Blondie. He was so nervous that he had to punch the password twice to open it. Adam was standing over him with anticipation. It was a hotel name, a room number, and nothing else. They both looked at each other and started to run to the car.

“Give me the keys. I will drive.”

“I have three children. You are a lunatic. No way, Joseeee!”

❖ ❖ ❖

The minute Simona got into the car it was clear to Philippe that she had used up her tank. She was on zero again.

I should have gotten the stretch limo, not this! Maybe we can switch it on the way…
“Excuse me, driver. Can we switch this limo for the stretch one?”

“Right now? Let me check for you, sir.”

“What are you doing, Philippe?”

“I want you to sleep. And I don’t think you will be comfortable on just three seats.”

“This is totally fine. I don’t need more room. This is more than enough. Time is of the essence here.”

It was one of the limo cars with three seats on each side, facing each other.
 

“Alright, alright,” Philippe relented. “Lie down. Here is your pillow.”
 

He covered her with a blanket and bent down to kiss her when he noticed her silent tears. He wiped them off and hugged her. She was shivering, so he took his jacket off and covered her some more. Then he turned to Francois.

“Mama is going to sleep. You are all mine, mister. Brace yourself! I got games, and you are going down!”

“Computer?”