The theater

Chapter 9

Nancy had just arrived at Julie’s. The young girl bowed her parents and her dog before leaving. She threw her bag on the backseat of the car before the two girls set off to the place of their rendezvous. They remained silent for a few minutes before Nancy spoke in a voice reflecting all her impatience.

“Okay. Can you tell me what happened between you and Matthew or I’ll hit you until you answer me?”

Julie felt her cheeks turn red. She shrugged.

“You guys looked so… in love…! You were so cute together!”

Nancy turned to her, bombing her with very personal questions. But Julie refused to answer. She was unable to do so, in fact. She tortured her mind since yesterday. When she awoke, her mind was still confused. Her friend turned her attention on the road, preferring to remain silent until they reach the rallying point. Philip, Joel and Karen had just arrived, parking near Christopher and Matthew. Julie gave him a small smile, but he hastened to look away. She felt a little offended by this gesture. He’s probably very ashamed now. Great. I’ll have a fabulous week. She bowed her head before following her friends in the rows of the supermarket. Maxim joined them inside.

They did a lot of shopping to be sure not to forget anything. Then they divided all their purchases and they loaded everything into several cars before hitting the road. The ride was quite well and fast. There was no traffic. They arrived at the cottage around 2:00pm. The second home of Christopher’s family was located in a rather remote area, surrounded by trees. The rear of the building overlooked a nice volleyball court, a swing under a huge tree, a dock, a floating dock and a large lake. The landscape before them was breathtaking. Julie was speechless for a moment, in awe of the scene that presented itself to her. Then they unloaded their luggage and food. They went all inside. Christopher gave them a guided tour of the place before allocating rooms. Directly on the ground floor was a large living room with a fireplace on the left, a bathroom near the main staircase. On the right sat the huge dining room accompanied by an impressive and very spacious kitchen. They deposited the supplies there before going upstairs. Christopher came from a rebuilt family. His father had purchased the cottage after his remarriage, taking note of the six children implied by the new situation. Then there would be room for everyone, except a room that his sister wouldn’t let to a stranger. He also had an agreement with her about it.

A long corridor was to their left, dotted with closed doors and extended to a storage space for bedding, towels and toiletries. Maxim opened the first door near the stairs. It was a room with a double bed. He hastened to make it his room. The second door opened on a much more spacious bathroom than the one on the ground floor. Then there were five other doors distributed on each side. There were three on the right and two on the left. The first following the bathroom offered a great room with a double bed. Philip and Karen hastened to choose it. The door to the one on the other side of the hallway was a large room with two single beds. Christopher and Matthew quickly took possession of it. The other two rooms after Philip and Karen’s included a single bed each. Joel chose the one down the hall, away from the couple. The next from Christopher and Matthew was identical to theirs. Julie and Nancy took this one.

On the opposite side of the bedrooms and the upstairs hallway stood a small living room and a boudoir surrounded by tall bookcases.

They put their belongings in their rooms before descending the stairs to store all the supplies in the kitchen. Philippe went to the refrigerator. He opened it and frowned. He turned to Christopher.

“Don’t think I don’t like the idea, but did you know there was beer here?”

“We should have fun,” his friend replied, smiling. “We still have something to celebrate!”