Chapter 8
- The days passed for Giselle, between papers, meetings, and fruitless calls to her father. It's almost noon, her stomach growls, and she can no longer concentrate on work in that way, so she decides to stop and go eat before her stomach consumes her completely.
- She saves the documents on the computer, tidies up her desk a bit, and grabs her bag. As she walks towards the exit, she takes her phone to call her father again, to see if he answers this time. When she exits, she gestures to Tomy and he smiles at her. It's also his lunchtime.
- Since no one answers on the other end, she puts her phone in her pocket and waits for the elevator, swaying on her feet with her right index finger between her teeth, thinking about how peaceful her life has been these days.
- And by peaceful, I mean without any setbacks.
- The doors open, she steps inside, presses "1", and three more women get on the elevator, chatting animatedly about their plans for the night.
- "Today is Friday and my body knows it!" the three laugh, and the blonde continues, "Tonight I'll wear the red corset, the black miniskirt, the stilettos with a chain, and I'll go out to have fun."
- "You mean to enjoy."
- "Yes, that too."
- "Why go out to annoy?"
- "Because I'll go out to provoke, but I won't accept anyone."
- The women continue their conversation, while Giselle thinks that Max would love to be annoyed by the blonde.
- "Stop thinking about him, silly."
- But she can't, not as long as she keeps getting into that car, keeps seeing the note she keeps between the pages of her notebook... and keeps seeing him in the newspaper, in the gossip section.
- When the doors open, Giselle rushes out, craving a good pasta, maybe ravioli. Her phone rings and she answers without seeing who it is.
- "Hello?"
- "Miss Sparks," the calm voice of the senator surprises her, and, as a strange event, she smiles. "I apologize for the audacity of calling you, but I would like to know if you are free at the moment."
- "I'm leaving the building to eat."
- "That's great news because I'm waiting for you outside." Giselle steps out into the pleasant weather of the city and stands still when she sees the senator leaning on a black Audi A5 Coupé, with one hand in his pocket and dressed in a dark gray suit, but without a tie.
- They hang up, Giselle walks towards him, swallowing nervously, and when she reaches him, she looks around before greeting him.
- "Senator..."
- "Evan, please," he says, stepping away from the car and extending his hand to greet her.
- "If you want me to address you informally," she says, accepting his hand, "then stop calling me Miss Sparks."
- "You're right, Giselle," he says her name as if he wanted to caress her with his voice, and that sends a shiver down Giselle's spine. "I invite you to eat, wherever you want."
- "That sounds perfect," she looks around again. "What's with not having bodyguards with you?"
- "I escaped," he smiles and opens the door.
- Giselle gets in, wondering why he hired her if it's obvious that he has no communication problems with the rest of us common mortals. She watches him pass by with elegance, unbuttoning the suit jacket, and when he gets in, she forces herself to put on the seatbelt to stop staring at him.
- "Any special place?"
- "I want pasta."
- "I know the perfect place, I warn you it's simple."
- "I don't care, I just want to eat."
- "Are you hungry?"
- "Very," she replies, playing with her fingers. "My breakfast was poor today, I overslept."
- "You shouldn't skip meals because of work," he says seriously. When he stops at a corner, he reaches into the glove compartment and takes out a chocolate. "Here, eat it."
- Giselle jumps a little, feeling like it's more of an order than a recommendation. And that makes her react as she normally would.
- "Well, thank you very much, but I was taught not to eat sweets before lunch," she says challengingly, leaving the chocolate in the glove compartment.
- "It's not a treat, it's a trick on the stomach. Do you have any idea of the consequences of walking around like this?"
- "I can imagine them," Giselle crosses her arms and looks out the window.
- "I see, you're very spoiled when you feel like it."
- "You don't know how spoiled I can be," she gives him a warning look and Evan just sighs before continuing on the way.
- "We're almost there, I just hope you don't faint before we sit down at the table."
- She tries to stifle a laugh, because it's obvious he's exaggerating. She doesn't say anything else, the silence is becoming uncomfortable for Evan, so he puts on some music.
- As soon as the first chords of "Highway to Hell" play, Giselle looks back at the senator and he smiles.
- "Sorry, but my musical tastes are still inappropriate for a doctor or a senator."
- "No, not at all, this is the best music in the world."
- "Do you like it?"
- "I love it, so much so that the other day I messed up my hair in the car and arrived like that to a meeting with very important clients."
- "I'm relieved to hear that, or our friendship would end here."
- "Are we friends?" Giselle's question comes with all the surprise she feels at the man's words.
- "Do you go out to eat with all your clients?" Evan responds with a smile as he turns at an intersection and slows down.
- "Of course not..."
- "Then we're friends," he stops in front of Maccheroni Republic, an Italian restaurant, turns to her and offers his hand. "I'm Evan Troy Smith, I'm thirty"four years old, a senator, a doctor, a Marvel fan, and a lover of rock, metal, and classical music.""
- Giselle accepts his hand again, letting out a contained laugh, because that introduction was strange.
- "I should put that on Tinder..." Evan looks at her with a furrowed brow and she looks down. "That was wrong, I suppose you must have a wife or girlfriend."
- "No, I'm single and I would never use Tinder. My character is not for that," he shrugs and gets out of the car.
- He helps Giselle out, offers his arm and she accepts. They walk into the restaurant, the host asks them where they want to sit and Evan looks at Giselle.
- "Inside or outside?"
- "I don't like being seen eating... especially when I'm so hungry."
- "You should have eaten the chocolate," he scolds her. "Let's go inside."
- They are led to a table away from the door, offered the menu, but Giselle takes less than a minute to choose.
- "I want bruschetta di panzanella, ravioli di zucca, and panna cotta. To drink, lemonade."
- "I want the same as her, but for a drink I want a soda," Evan hands over the menu and looks at Giselle. "You're the first woman I've seen in a long time who doesn't care about her figure."
- "I kill myself exercising between work and the gym twice a week, I'm not going to restrict myself to avoid gaining weight... if a pair of pants is too small, I'll buy another one."
- "But for your height, you shouldn't gain much weight..."
- "Are you calling me short?"
- "No!" Evan waves his hands and she laughs.
- "If there's something that doesn't bother me, it's my body. I know I'm small, I'm five foot three, but that doesn't diminish the power of my character and professional image. The people who admire me and seek me out know that I'm worth it for what I have here," she points to her head and Evan can't help but smile.
- "A confident woman, quite a discovery," their drinks are served and he takes a sip of coke. "It's not easy to find women who aren't self"conscious about their figure... or rather, people who aren't self"conscious about their bodies."
- "What you see," she says pointing to her body. "Will turn to dust when I die. We don't remember Einstein for his body, but for his achievements."
- "What about Marilyn Monroe?"
- "She sang to the president... in front of his wife, that's admirable, not everyone can do that."
- Evan laughs, while Giselle furrows her brow, this is her chance to find out the mystery of Senator Smith.
- "Evan... you hired me to help you improve your relationships with the media and the rest of humanity, but I don't see that you have trouble relating. Will you tell me why you came to SPR?"
- "Believe me, the only person I behave like this with is you, because I feel like I can relax with you."
- "Why?"
- " Because you put your accident in my face as a challenge you had overcome and left me feeling like a clown."
- " It wasn't like that..."
- " For me it was. I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I saw you, you came in as if nothing, defiant, with your gaze telling me "here I am, idiot"."
- " I wasn't thinking that... more like "he's not as old as I expected"."
- " Did you think I was old? Why?!"
- " Because on the phone your voice is serious, like that of an older man... and since you're a senator " he shrugs " I didn't think a man so young would love the nation so much to throw himself into the lion's den."
- " I don't do it out of love for the nation, I do it because I want to make changes, I couldn't do them as a doctor."
- " But doctors save lives... isn't that a good change?"
- " Believe me, not being able to treat a woman with her children because they don't have insurance is not being part of the change " the appetizers arrive and Gisella attacks hers as if she won't eat anymore and Evan smiles " What finally pushed me over the edge was seeing a mother bury her eight"year"old daughter because of peritonitis that wasn't detected in time, because of bureaucracy and lack of empathy."
- " It's... very sad... " she says with her mouth full, Evan gives her his bruschetta and leans his elbows on the table " It's not necessary..."
- " You didn't eat much in the morning, my last meal was Greek yogurt with berries three hours ago."
- " And tell me " she says accepting the plate, because it's delicious " Have you achieved those changes?"
- " Well, it's been hard, but right now we're working on a bill to improve the health system and its coverage. Some colleagues are only there to make money, fame, and power. They sit in their chairs waiting for businessmen and other politicians to flatter them a bit to do their job."
- " Now I understand your problem " she says sucking her finger and setting the plate aside " It's not a lack of communication, your problem is that you don't reach the people you should, because you're not cynical. Your problem isn't with the common people, but with those who are by your side."
- " The thing is, Giselle, that I isolated myself many years ago, because of a bad love experience. That's why I don't get along with the whole world."
- " But that can't isolate you..."
- " Have you ever fallen in love?"
- " Nooo! And I hope that never happens to me " she says horrified ".
- " Then you can't tell me that it's not a reason to isolate yourself. When you fall madly in love with a man who lies to you saying he loves you as much as you love him, but then leaves you for his professional life overnight, you'll know why I distanced myself from everyone."
- " That won't happen to me, I'm smarter " she says with a wink and Evan smiles weakly "."
- " I hope so, because I wouldn't want to see you suffer for anyone, it's something I wouldn't wish on anyone."
- The waiter clears the empty plates and brings the ravioli. Giselle's face lights up like a child's, she takes the first bite, emitting a slight moan of satisfaction.
- " Mmm... this is delicious, thank you for the invitation."
- " It's a pleasure."
- They eat amidst conversations of anecdotes, so Giselle learns that Evan had a rock band in his adolescence, where he played the drums, while he learns that she loves to sing.
- By the time dessert arrives, Giselle feels very comfortable in Evan's company, who can't stop laughing at her antics.
- " One day I went to a store, I was wearing my headphones and one of my favorite songs started playing, Immigrant Song... I'm one of those who, if she wants to sing, she sings, so by the time I realized it, everyone was looking at me."
- " And you were praying for the earth to swallow you up " he says laughing "."
- " Well, yes! But I stopped caring when a little girl approached me and asked for an autograph " Evan almost spits out his drink and bursts into laughter that Giselle finds youthful and carefree, she takes a breath and continues " There I already wanted the Martians to abduct me."
- " And did you sign it for her?"
- " Obviously, I'm not one to crush a little girl's dreams. Although she probably doesn't have it anymore, because she must have realized I'm not famous " she shrugs and finishes her dessert "."
- "You are an amazing woman," Evan covers her hands with his, looking at her intensely. "You have a strong character, you don't do anything you don't want to even if they force you, but you are empathetic, you don't overlook anything, you are very intelligent. I don't understand how you're still single."