Jo Goes To Paris

Chapitre Treize

“Johanna…” He gasped. “I… wasn’t expecting you.”

“No kidding.” She said, looking at the blonde, who seemed confused.

“Jo…”

“Good bye”

Johanna turned away infuriated, but Arturo followed her.

“Wait!” He grabbed her arm. She immediately pushed him away with an incredible strength he was clearly not expecting, and he fell off the ground.

“Don’t you ever touch me again.” She said, putting an extra cold emphasis on the “ever.” Her expression, her tone, everything, made Arturo freeze. “Don’t bother. Goodbye.”

“Johanna!” he screamed, as she turned her back again.

“Don’t look back, you imbecile…”

“Johanna, wait! Please! Let me explain!” He reached her again and touched her shoulder.

“There’s nothing to explain.” She replied, now laughing hysterically. “We agreed, didn’t we? No strings attached. No commitment. Just fun.  What a perfect deal we had!” She clapped. Arturo backed down, surprised with her reaction.

“Jo…”

“Well, it was fun, but it’s over now. Thank you for your services, Mr. Ferrero. Should I tip you now?”

For the first time, he looked at Johanna coldly. “Excuse me?”

“Well, isn’t that what you do? Work for tips?” She grabbed her purse and took off her wallet. “How much?”

“Stop it, Johanna!”

“Don’t play the innocent! I should have guessed… Why else would you date me? Why else anyone would date me if not for my money?!”

“I didn’t…”

“Why not? Rich lonely English woman on vacation, why not take advantage of it and have fun while getting some? Tell me, how’s the prostitution business around here?”

He grabbed her wallet and threw it to a side, angrily. His face was so full of fury that Johanna stopped talking. He got closer to her face.

“I dated you, Johanna, because I found you an intelligent, beautiful and strong woman. A woman who knew who she was and what she wanted. Different from every shallow and futile girl. I thought you were different.” His voice came out shaky and unstable. “But I see now I was wrong.”

Arturo picked up the wallet and gave it back to Johanna.

“I don’t want your money or anything. I never asked anything from you.” He said. “But now, I’m asking you to forget me.”

Johanna just stood there as Arturo walked away. Unlike her, he did not look back even once, and unlike him, she didn’t stop him from going.

“You… Did what?!” Amber was appalled. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“Don’t be  that way.”

Johanna grabbed the big Häagen-Dasz in the fridge, a spoon and wine. “I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to think about it, I want to eat and drink until I pass out.”

Amber didn’t insist. Johanna sat on the big sofa by her side, and Amber took the remote from her hands.

“No, we won’t watch ‘A Walk to Remember’ tonight. I think you need to talk about it.”

“There is nothing to talk!” Johanna spat, taking back the remote and clicking the shuffle button. The Music channel appeared on screen, again with Adele’s song.

“Oh, COME ON!” Johanna screamed. “I don’t want to find someone like you! I don’t wish nothing but the best for you! I want you to BURN IN HELL!”

Amber’s mouth was a perfectly shaped “o” as Johanna threw a pillow against the TV.

“Okay, wow.” She said. “We really need to talk about this.”

“What? What do you want me to say?” At that point, Johanna did not even try to hold back the tears. “You’re right, okay? I fell for him. I really did. Are you happy now? You were right!”

“Of course I’m not happy, Jo…”

“He… He has someone else!” Johanna sobbed, crawling to Amber’s lap like a child. “Why didn’t I see it coming? I was so stupid…”

“There’s something not right about this story…”

“It all makes sense. He had fun with me and that blonde too, and who knows how many more? I was the stupid one. We agreed from the beginning that we would have no commitment, no strings attached… I was so stupid…”

“There, there…” Amber stroked her friend’s hair. “Don’t worry… Things will be alright…”

Johanna cried in Amber’s arms, trying hard to fade away the image of Arturo stuck in her head.  It was too late for her, she was in love, and she had her heart broken, all in a matter of weeks in the so-called city of love.

“I’m so condemned to die alone…”