RED 2: A Trick of Mirrors [#Wattys2017]

10. Prelude to the End

For the first time, Marisa actually saw Marco and understood the meaning of the shadow she would detect on his face at certain moments. The same shadow shrouding his gaze now.

"Marco, I had no idea..."

Marisa squeezed his hand. Marco stirred uncomfortably and stared at the ceiling. His voice became impersonal, as if he was telling the story of another man.

"Lorena was raised in a countryside town and moved to São Paulo to study letters. She joined my study group and, for me, it was love at first sight. We became friends, but I repressed my feelings. At the time I dated a girl and Lorena had a fiancé named Rafael in her hometown. They had been together since their teen years and he was the heir to a fortune in farms. Lorena came from a wealthy family, and her parents pressured her to marry and merge fortunes. Rafael was extremely jealous, though. To escape his pressure and that of her family, Lorena moved to São Paulo. The following year she gave in and the wedding date was set. When I finally declared my feelings to her, Lorena's reaction was brutal."

Lost in memories, Marco glanced at the darkening sky. He suddenly came down to earth and checked his watch.

"Half past seven. We need to get dressed. Eliana asked us to have dinner with her and the husband so to dilute their tension. We arranged to meet in the lobby at eight." Marco stamped a kiss on Marisa's lips. "We still have time for a quick shower."

She held his arm.

"Promise you'll tell me the rest afterward?"

"I promise."

They arrived at the lobby ten minutes late. Eliana appeared in a long white dress, halting in the middle of the wind rose like an apparition. Her smile betrayed anxiety.

Marisa evaluated Marco surreptitiously—the imposing profile with a straight nose and eyes framed by thick lashes, the white short-sleeve shirt revealing strong arms—and questioned if Eliana wasn't attracted to him. Relieved to be presentable before her, Marisa fixed the straps of her blue minidress in a subconscious gesture, congratulating herself for her choice of high-heeled sandals: gaining stature and hearing the sound of her own footsteps instilled her with more self-confidence.

Eliana signaled to a man coming in their direction.

"Robert forgot his cell phone charging in the cabin and went back to get it," she clarified.

"We left ours in the safe. We decided to live reality face to face without the interference of a screen," said Marco.

"Me too. My husband swore to quit the cell phone starting tomorrow. Tonight he's waiting for a patient's call."

Robert approached them, nodding a salutation when Eliana made the introductions. He presented himself as impeccably as his wife: a designer navy blue polo shirt, short hair lightly styled with gel and a symmetrical face redolent of quality aftershave lotion.

That circumspect man was far from resembling the impertinent drunkard that had tripped Marisa into the pool. She stared at him agape while he widened his blue eyes for a fraction of a second before averting them. Still digesting her discovery, Marisa felt sorry for Eliana—it didn't come as a surprise she wanted to divorce from such a scumbag. Marisa couldn't wait to be alone with Marco to tell him everything.

As they crossed the atrium toward the restaurant, she heard someone calling her name and came upon Zoe and her new friend Jean-Philippe Arnaud, the percussionist of the band Subversion featured on Deck 11. They strolled hand in hand, she still in the notorious lilac dress and he in the tie-dye tunic worn at the show. Glad to see her friend, Marisa invited them for dinner and the group headed to the restaurant.

The Emerald Cascade comprised two levels interconnected by a double staircase embellished with a cascade. The mezzanine sat on Deck 4 and the opulent main room expanded across Deck 3 with its white columns, art-nouveau luminaires and a stained-glass panel in the background. The tables by the window were already taken, and the friends installed themselves in a central table with elegant green chairs

Marisa hurried to slip between Eliana and Marco while Zoe and Jean-Philippe took the seats opposite to her. Examining the wine list, Zoe recommended the Cinsault she had tried with Marisa. A brief debate ensued. Marco preferred a Beaujolais. Jean-Philippe, a Pinot Noir. Robert proposed a Carménère.

Zoe eyed the three men.

"I get it. You guys think rosé wine is a girly thing." She winked at Marisa.

"You don't know what you're missing," said Marisa. "This wine—"

"I'll order mineral water," Eliana cut her off, laying one hand on her husband's. "Maybe Robert wants some water too, huh, love?"

As much as she tried, Marisa couldn't overcome her antipathy toward Eliana. There was a certain deliberation in her ways that got on Marisa's nerves. Perhaps Eliana and Robert deserved each other after all. Marisa decided to ignore her and leaned forward, the slim strap of her dress sliding down her shoulder.

"You guys need to protect your manliness, right? But the masculine ideal is nothing more than a cultural fabrication and not even Freud was able to define what masculinity is. Let's stick to the facts." Marisa's languid gesture made the strap of her dress slip further down. "This Cinsault is delicious. It has thick tears, structure and smoothness. The taste is sweet yet refreshing. It envelops the sense of smell with the aroma of freshly harvested strawberries and warms the body with the Provence sun. Then the Cinsault spreads across the tongue like velvet and deepens with a hint of blackberry, raspberry and cherry. The flavor gets more intense and lingers, it rolls and plays inside the mouth in a long caress..."

Marisa purred the last sentence, rounding it with a sinuous smile. There was a silence with various connotations.

"So?" Zoe asked the men.

"Let's try the Cinsault." Robert spoke first, his eyes fixed on Marisa.

"Perfect," approved Jean-Philippe.

Marco agreed drily. He rested his hand on Marisa's shoulder and straightened the strap of her dress.

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Sooo... Did you expect to find a certain someone in the lobby? ;)  I'd love to know, and if you comment, please don't mention any names!

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Ah, from now on the plot will thicken :)