The white kitchen table was perfectly set for three people. Every detail looked polished to excellence. Jo loved the contrast between the table: grey placemats under white plates and bright grey napkins accompanying them. In the middle, it was like a full-fledged feast had been arranged with all kinds of stuff like salmon, potatoes, green asparagus and spinach.
"Wild Atlantic salmon and organic vegetables. All steamed. No fat. No oil. No salt." Matthew informed. "Jo, try something. The food is light. I also have some steamed whole grain rice, if you prefer some."
"Where is my favourite white wine?" She asked looking around the table.
"Nooo… She looks like a ghost from a dark horror movie and still asks about Chardonnay!" Mike was really frustrated.
"Why Chardonnay? It doesn't go nicely with this meal! I was thinking more like Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling, something more suitable for fish. And who said that I will drink it?" As Jo was speaking, she showed Mike her tongue like a little child. "I only want to listen to Matt’s story!"
"My dear, I have all kinds of alcohol, but you are not drinking and this buddy doesn't know about wine, so no point in giving him to try. That will be a waste!" Matthew hesitated for a moment. He didn't know if he should tell her about their good relations with Mike. Actually they were best buddies for the past few years.
"He can't distinguish between the taste of vodka and cognac." She muttered under her breath. "It's not a secret."
"We all know that." Matthew continued slowly. "After a meal, he usually asks for a glass of whiskey, but he knows what is good. I taught him well." He added.
Jo didn't want to discuss Mike's alcohol preferences. When they were studying, he couldn't enjoy the flavours at all. Usually, the most important thing about alcohol was its high percentage. "Get drunk quickly and efficiently." That was his motto back then.
"Could I have a small piece of salmon, one potato and a few asparagus, please?" She wanted to ask for more, but when she was speaking, her companions looked at her like she was an alien.
When they sat comfortably at the table, Matthew, as their host, started to serve the food he had just prepared. It looked stunning, as usual. Everything that he cooked was always first class, no doubt. Jo wanted to try to taste it at least. She could detect the magnificent smell of freshly chopped dill and melted butter.
"May I also have a little of the white sauce and some dill on top?" She asked timidly.
Both guys were stunned upon hearing her words. She was so sick in the morning, was not able to drink even water, and now she was demanding some food. She wanted a real portion of it. They both stared at her in disbelief and did not dare to comment; they preferred to just eating in silence.
"May I have another piece of fish and one more potato, please?" A few minutes later, Jo asked for more food again.
"Jo, should I give you your pink bucket too?" Mike started to laugh when he saw her eating happily as if nothing was wrong with her.
"I think the food is excellent! No need. By the way, do you remember the trip from Château de Sully-sur-Loire to Paris, during our last summer together?"
"Should I remember that?"
"Yes, you should. That time we visited all the most famous castles of the Loire." Jo was explaining. "Château de Sully-sur-Loire is the one where Joan d'Arc was imprisoned." She looked at him. From his facial expressions, she knew he didn't know what she was talking about. "You were sitting for three hours in the back of the car with a bucket too! What about Château de Vincennes, the famous place for entertainment and leisure of the French kings, the one near Paris? Do you remember it?"
"Hm… what is so special about that place?" Mike had just a big black hole in place of his memory.
"Magnificent architecture. Very beautiful and interesting place. It was a factory of some sorts of the famous Vincennes porcelain. Leonardo da Vinci spent the last years of his life in the Château. In fact, Mata Haris' execution also took place there. You don't remember?" Jo looked straight in Mikes' eyes.
"Hm... When was that?" Multiple thoughts were racing in his head. He remembered that they had travelled extensively throughout France during their last vacation together. Unfortunately, he did not remember too many details from that trip, except that everyone kept constantly complaining to him for not mentioning them at the wheel.
"How could you? You didn't even visit the place with us because you were drunk. You spent almost all day in the parking or in the car when it started to rain, also with the bucket. So leave my pink bucket in peace, please!"
"Mike, you were with the bucket most of the time during our trips that summer. Haha… Mike, you used to have this motion sickness very often." Matthew couldn't stop laughing. Most of his funny memories from their common travel diaries were connected with Mikes' hangover shenanigans. He was the only person from their team, who didn't drive much.
"You never drove! Should I refresh your memory? You always played on our compassion. You were always tired or sick…" Jo added like she knew exactly what Matthew was thinking of.
"It's all the real truth, man. You have to admit to your sins. You were not alone there, but with us." Matthew was laughing again. "You can't deny it! We have evidence, lots of photos, even videos."
The three of them, plus Monica and Paul, all best buddies then, used to travel around Europe for almost five years when they were studying. Every holiday, even during short breaks, Matthew used to take his parents' car and they used to set out traveling. They didn't have much money back then, but that was the best time of their life.
"My dear friend, you were not an angel. You were well aware of this yourself." Jo told with a pain in her heart. He was the love of her life, but he screwed up everything he could. She summed up in her mind. There was no point in scratching the old, already scarred wounds.
Mike did not feel like talking to them. Yes. He wasn't an angel, but he had good intentions. His parents were very strict. Even when he was in his early twenties at the university, he had to behave himself. That was not his fault that when he was far from them he was tasting freedom. He was enjoying himself to the maximum.
The rays of the summer sun streamed into the bedroom through the open window blinds. Jo woke up just before 6.00 am as she felt some warm light on her face. It was an amazing feeling to wake up without the after-effects of a great night with alcohol: a pounding headache, but most importantly, no burning sensation or stomach discomfort and nausea. She felt refreshed. "No more parties! No more alcohol! No more madness!" She decided.She could already hear some noise in the apartment which, she was certain, was coming from the kitchen. She heard the clinking of cutlery and dishes; she could feel the delicate aroma of freshly brewed coffee tingling her nose.Matthew didn't drink it in the morning so probably Mike was already here. She didn't want to see him. That wasn't a secret. So why was he here so early in the morning?Jo didn't feel sorry for him regarding what had happened years ago. She didn't blame him or herself. Why would she? They were not perfect h
As Jo entered the kitchen, she felt consternation. In the background, she heard the Zimmers' music score from The Dark Knight. That moment she knew for sure they were playing with her. That was the sophisticated game they've been playing for years: a game of words, music, lyrics and gestures. They expected her to be the foreground character so she would play along as they wished.She didn't mind their way of playing. She was good at it too. The only thing that surprised her was that they didn't take into account that she really felt bad. Today she should have been fasting because of the tests and visit to the hospital, but judging by the smell throughout the apartment, the two had prepared her favourite breakfast. Were these two friends of the seven sorrows so ruthless?"Good morning my handsome, heartless heroes!" She smiled.
More than a reset, Jo needed a proper rest. Right after graduating from university, she moved away, far from everyone she knew. She lived in a completely unknown environment and started everything from scratch. All she had achieved so far was due to her determination and hard work. She was very proud of herself but she had been working so hard over the past few years. She couldn't remember the last time she had allowed herself to a moment of weakness. When she had a cold or even pharyngitis or bronchitis, she continued to go to work unless she had a high fever and couldn't get out of bed, in which case she stayed home. Immediately after graduation, she had joined the corporate "rat race” in which she lost herself for several years, but that was the reality of the labour market when she finished university. There was no other choice. If you wanted a job, you h
She still couldn't believe that she was sitting on the plane and in less than three hours, she would be in her beloved Paris. Despite the fact that it was not so far away, due to her life plan being jam-packed to the limit, she could not pay the visit there earlier.She had to fall ill to have free time. In addition, friends had to use a trick to make her forget about work. It was really pathetic when she thought about what had happened to her life. There hadn’t been even a hint of spontaneity in the recent years.What happened to her? She became the person she swore not to be. Has she grown up? Is this what the life of mature people is like?Everything in her life had to be carefully planned. At work, she had a plan for any unanticipated situation. Seemingly impossible, but it was so. Working in public
They walked all the way from Rue du Bac and the D'Orsay Museum to the Notre Dame Cathedral, on the southern side of the Seine. The weather was absolutely stunning. A gentle breeze was blowing so they did not feel the heat.There were a lot of souvenir stalls, painters selling their paintings, various types of artists, musicians, dancers and mimes performing along the shore. Jo took a lot of photos, as usual.Matthew was very exhausted, but he didn't want to tell her. She looked radiant, and it seemed like her smile did not want to leave her face even for a moment. That was an extremely rare sight for him to admire.At that moment, he felt as if she was so happy, then he could be too. He just had to find a way to sit, even for a few minutes. He hadn’t had a proper rest and sleep since the reunion of their team on Saturday. His body was desperately demanding a little downtime to get back up."Jo, it's almost lunch time. We should look for a nice
The loud sound of the phone ringing woke her from deep sleep. The ringtone was really annoying. It just kept ringing and ringing. When she woke up, it was so dark in the room that she didn't know where she was. She forgot that last evening she had tightly closed the shutters to make the bedroom completely dark and more quiet. It took her a long moment to realize where she was. Finally, she found the source of the sound that disturbed her nap.When she picked up the phone, she heard a well-known voice. It sounded lively and fresh, even quite irritating."Hi guys! How are you? What did you do yesterday? Nobody called me. What did you do last night?" All in one breath, Mike recited."Damn, Mike! It is half past six in the morning. What do you expect?" Jo had already found her mobile phone and checked the time and to say that she was furious would be an understatement."Is Matthew around? Could I talk to him?""No. You can't!"She really w
As soon as Jo and Matthew had their breakfast, they packed up and got ready for the late evening flight so they could spend the day out. The weather was amazing with the blue cloudless sky and a nice cold breeze."Matty, let's go to one of the most amazing places in Paris." Jo piped up as soon as they arrived at the Esplanade de la Defense station."Hm…" Matthew just muttered in agreement. He wouldn't consider that place as amazing. He wondered why she wanted to come here. For him, it was just a business district like Manhattan in New York or The City in London. There was nothing interesting among tall skyscrapers."That's our goal!" She said pointing in the direction of La Grande Arche de la Defense.On the way, Jo stopped many times to take some photos of original skyscrapers and several dozen modern sculptures by artists such as Calder, Miro, César from the station to the Grande Arche. She also showed him interesting reflections in the gl
In a moment, they were at the central platform under the arch. From that point of view, this place looked amazing. A set of domed glass elevators lifted visitors from the platform to the gallery and observation deck on top. The elevator track was detached from the sides of the arch while the platform at the base formed a plaza in itself and was covered by a permanent tent anchored by cables to the sides of the arch. "Jo, I'm serious. Could we take the other way?" Matthew tried to find a solution, which would guarantee him not to use the glass elevator. Only the mere sight of them made him feel sick. ‘Good thing that I haven't eaten yet.’ He thought of a contingency plan, but nothing came to his mind. It would be tactless to stay on the ground and wait for her. "That's not easy. The public doesn't have access to the other elevators inside the building. Only people who work in offices inside the arch can use them. These elevators are one of the attractions. It will be