Chapter Text
S.S Albee looked like a gentle giant looking down at the passengers ready to set foot on the ship. Rosy cheeks lit up the port of Manhattan, the cheerful smiles washed away the chilling cold. Excitement was in the air and Therese Belivet was the only person unable to feel anything.
Her whole body was freezing, she couldn’t feel her hands and wished to be anywhere but here. She never wanted to come yet here she was. Standing in the middle of giggling strangers while Richard went off to say goodbye to his parents. He asked her if she wanted to come with him to his parents but turned him down. She wanted to enjoy the last minutes of alone time before their trip to Paris.
She had no desire to go there but Richard was too enthusiastic and she couldn’t turn him down. She didn’t really say yes to the trip. Richard just bought the tickets and she had no excuse to get out of this mess she got herself in. Tears threatened to fill up her eyes as she blamed herself for not standing up to herself. She would do anything to disappear from this place and leave Richard here. It was too late now.
She turned around to look for Richard but he was nowhere to be found. She examined the people around her. Couples saying goodbye to relatives, friends embracing each other, children sobbing, and parents trying to calm them unsuccessfully. The passengers were mostly couples, ready to enjoy their times in the City of Love. She felt numb thinking about it. She didn’t feel like she belonged there. These couples adored each other and all she wanted from Richard was for him to leave her alone.
Before she could fall into another endless stream of self-blaming someone bumped into her from behind.
“Oh, Gosh, I am terribly sorry!” A husky voice said. Therese turned around and felt at loss for words for a second.
It was a woman. Small black hat on top of gorgeous blonde hair. Her eyes were gray, cold, but it was igniting to look into them. Her cheeks and nose were rosy from the cold, her lips painted red with lipstick. She was wearing a fur coat, her neck was covered with a cyclamen scarf. Her gloved hands touched the side of Therese’s arm lightly and looked into the brunette’s eyes. Therese felt warm all of a sudden, her arms even burned.
Therese realized she should reply before she’d make a fool of herself and smiled:
“Don’t worry about it.”
The woman smiled back. Therese feeling drawn to the stranger all of a sudden asked:
“Are you coming to Paris, too?”
The woman hasn’t looked away from Therese’s eyes. Grey eyes bore into the brown orbs. She slowly removed her hand from Therese’s arm, the latter already missing the contact.
“No, no. I just dropped off my friend. Abby invited me but I didn’t feel joining.” She smiled sorrowfully. Even in the ocean of strangers, she looked lonely. Therese wanted to comfort her. She wanted to tell her she knows how she felt, how lonely it gets sometimes, especially with Richard. She felt less alone with herself than with him. She even felt less alone with this woman than him.
“I understand, I don’t really want to go either. I mean, I am going to Paris but I’d rather just get out of here.” Therese rambled, surprised at her honesty.
The older woman lifted her eyebrows.
“And what’s stopping you from that?”
Therese froze. If she really thought about it, nothing was holding her back. Richard wasn’t here at the moment. She could easily disappear. Richard could look for her. She could say she went on board to look for him. She could say she went after him to say goodbye to his parents. It could just be a silly accident. Her right hand gripped her suitcase.
As if the woman could sense the gears turning inside of Therese’s brain she said in a low voice:
“Do you want to get out of here?” Her eyes were sparkling and had a playful grin on her face. She was like a teenager planning a prank on a teacher.
Therese forgetting all her worries chuckled. “Please.” And felt a light grip on her left arm. The woman’s gloved hands glued to Therese’s black coat’s sleeve as they quickly walked away. They walked to the opposite side where Richard’s parents were. The crowd started to disappear as they walked next to the water. They haven’t said a word to each other; they were too busy concentrating on disappearing and walking far, far away from the ship. Therese threw glances at the woman who was leading her away. The older woman looked determined, focused on the goal only.
Then out of the blue, she turned to Therese:
“I’m Carol by the way. Carol Aird. I realized I forgot to introduce myself before kidnapping you.” She chuckled and looked at Therese. Their walk slowed down, the gloved hand never leaving Therese’s sleeve.
Therese giggled at the joke, her dimples stayed on her rosy cheeks. Carol. She felt like Carol matched the woman next to her.
“I practically asked myself to be kidnapped, it’s like I’m kidnapping you to kidnap me. I’m Therese Belivet.”
Carol made an amused face and Therese understood it before Carol could ask.
“It's Czech. It was changed, so it’s not really original.”
“It’s very original. Unique even.” Carol’s eyes turned silver. Therese blushed under the intense stare. Carol stopped on her track. Therese was confused first then noticed the car in front of her. She turned her head back and noticed how far they’ve gotten from the port. The crowd seemed like busy little flies in front of a ship that seemed quite small now. She wondered whether Richard was there looking for her. She wanted to feel guilty but she couldn’t. All she could feel was freedom. She felt light. Her thoughts swam away when Carol spoke again:
“Do you have any plans now that you’ve gotten away from that awful trip you never wanted to go to?” Carol joked, her lips turning into a teasing, yet kind smile. Her question sounded honest, it wasn’t fake curiosity. She was genuinely interested and Therese beamed at that thought.
“My only plans were trying to survive two weeks with Richard in Paris, so I suppose no more plans.”
Carol’s eyes didn’t show surprise at the mention of Richard.
“I felt like someone was accompanying you. Should I feel guilty for helping you in your own kidnapping?” She tried to joke but a slight worry drained her voice.
Therese’s eyebrows knit together. She didn’t want Carol to feel guilty for anything.
“Don’t, please. You offered and I accepted. If anyone, I should be the one feeling guilty.
“Do you feel like that? Guilty?”
“No. I feel free. I’ve never felt this free however ridiculous it might sound. Thank you, Carol.” She got her right hand out of her pocket and put it on the side of Carol’s arm. The fur felt soft under her fingers.
Carol sighed, letting out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. She smiled tenderly which quickly turned into a frown. Therese wanted to ask what was the problem but Carol cut her off:
“Therese you’re freezing, I can see you trembling, quickly get into my car.” She put her hand on the lower side of Therese’s back and motioned her towards the car. She opened the door for her, took her luggage, and gently motioned her inside it.
Therese didn’t realize how icy the weather was until she got inside Carol’s warm car. She melted into the seat and closed her eyes. She heard the door opening and Carol flopping down next to her. She lifted her eyelids and saw Carol gazing at her affectionately.
“If you have no plans, would you care to accompany me to breakfast? I’d kill for a hot cup of tea.”
“Now that you mention tea, I’d gladly be the partner-in-crime then.” Carol whipped her head back and laughed. Therese couldn’t tear her eyes off the view.
“Well, that’s that. Let’s go get that tea.” Carol’s eyes flashed as she gave Therese a large smile. She put her elegant hands on the wheel and started driving.
Therese loved gazing at the city during car rides. She always found new details in New York whether it was the buildings or the people. During this ride, her gaze sometimes fell on the woman next to her. Instead of studying the strangers wrapped in coats, she studied the side profile of the driving ex-stranger. She was most likely in her thirties, with small, but noticeable wrinkles around the eyes, and the lips could be seen. Most women wanted to hide the “scars of aging” but Therese found them remarkable. They told stories of Carol, moments of happiness forever burned into her skin.
The car ride was shorter than Therese expected. Traffic in New York was always busy but for some reason, this chilly morning fewer cars drove around the streets. Or maybe Therese was too busy looking at the woman next to her.
Carol got out of the car and Therese followed her suite. It was a tiny but glamorous place. The sign above the window read “All About Tea”. Therese smirked at the pun that was obviously referring to the iconic “All About Eve”. She remembered Dannie watched it four times, once with Therese.
Carol walked into the place first, the golden bells jingling above her head. Almost all seats were taken except for one next to a window. As if it was waiting for them to arrive.
The walls were painted dark green, the Thonet chairs looked used and brand new at the same time. It was a cozy place. Therese suddenly remembered she had her camera hidden under her coat. She quickly unbuttoned it and took her camera in her hands. She mentally thanked Dannie for fixing it. She was about to take a picture of the empty chairs when she remembered what Dannie had said to her. Right. Take photographs of humans.
Carol walked past her, the smell of her perfume intoxicating Therese. She approached the table and Therese took the photograph. Carol looked up at the noise and lifted her eyebrows.
“Instead of taking photos of the Eiffel tower are you taking photos of me?”
Therese blushed: “I’m sorry, I should’ve asked. It’s just that my friend told me I should be more interested in humans. The photos I mean.”
Carol sat down and Therese followed her suite. Carol pulled down her gloves, revealing perfectly manicured fingers. It was an unusual color, almost orange, some sort of cadmium. Therese thought that this color was made for Carol and Carol only.
“Are you a photographer? Is that what you do?”
“I’d like to be. I’m actually planning on putting together a portfolio for The Times. I work at the department store, at Frankenberg’s.”
“Do you enjoy working there?” Carol pulled out a cigarette from a box then offered one to Therese.
“Not really.” replied Therese and held her cigarette towards the lighter. “There’s not much happening at the dolls’ section besides from small children either crying or laughing.”
“Oh, you work there? I’ve been there a few weeks ago to buy a doll for my daughter. It was out of stock, sadly.”
“Let me guess, Bright Betsy?” Therese teased.
“Well, well, someone sure knows her way around her job.” Carol teased back with a smirk.
Therese thought about what might have happened if they met before. Would Carol have been wearing the same coat? Would she have been wearing gloves? Her nails may be a different color then? Would she have even approached her? If so, how would their conversation have gone?
The cloud of thoughts was interrupted by a young waiter. Carol asked for black tea with eggs, spinach, and chicken sausage. Therese not knowing what to ask for all of a sudden said: “I’ll have the same.”
“What did you get for your daughter?” Therese steered back to the earlier topic. She wanted to know more about the woman sitting in front of her. Having mentioned her daughter, Therese jumped at the occasion.
“Another doll named Joyful Jenny. A coworker of yours recommended it. Rindy liked it, of course, that sweet child.” She took another drag of her cigarette. “I wonder what would you have recommended to me.”
Therese thought for a moment. She never really liked dolls that much as a child. Instead of braiding the thin hair of the toys, she played with trains.
“There was a train set, wonderfully made, hand painted, in our shop, it was new. I adored these as a child, it made me think of my childhood if I’m honest.” Therese added shyly. She didn’t like talking about her childhood much, but she felt safe with Carol.
“What a strange girl you are,” Carol said, mostly to herself. She threw her cigarette under the lid on the table.
“What do you mean?” Therese asked, not knowing what Carol was referring to.
“Flung out of space.” The blonde replied in a dreamy voice. Her eyes were open, but she wasn’t looking at anything. She was wrapped in her thoughts.
Therese not knowing how to reply to the odd comment shifted in her seat. The waiter came up to them with their breakfast and tea and Carol snapped out of her bubble. She gazed into Therese’s eyes with the same intense, silver eyes and her husky voice murmured: “Bon appétit.”
Therese didn’t realize how hungry she was until she took a bite from her fried eggs. She closed her eyes in delight and groaned. Carol chuckled at Therese’s reaction.
“Amazing, right? It’s simple fried eggs, but Gosh, I swear they put something in it.” And took a bite from her sausage.
They ate their breakfast in silence, hunger completely taking over both of them. The gentle voice of Jo Stafford and chatter mixed in All About Tea, creating a completely different world. The smell of tea, garlic, and toast fused together. Carol’s perfume hit Therese’s nose from time to time.
Carol took her last bite of her breakfast and reached for the napkin. Marvelously she managed to keep her lips red, the lipstick stain only visible on the white cloth if someone squinted. Her long fingers gently held up her warm cup of tea and took a sip before turning to Therese.
“Do you have any plans now that you’ve got away from Richard? Isn’t he going to look for you?”
Therese forgot about him ever since she mentioned him to Carol. All her thoughts had been surrounding the woman in front of her.
“He surely will, he wouldn’t go without me, but I can come up with excuses. It was a little accident. I lost track of him and went back to my place. Not like I’m looking forward to him storming into my apartment but it’s better than Paris.” Therese sighed and put down her cutlery. Her tea was still hot, the liquid warmed the inside of her body.
“What if…” Carol started but stumbled for a second. Therese nodded, non-verbally saying that she’s interested in what Carol wants to say. She could listen to her all day, she wanted to know everything, and she wanted to ask so many things.
Carol cleared her throat and put down her cup. She looked at the dark liquid in her white cup. She took a deep breath and looked into the brunette’s eyes and tried again:
“What if you went to Paris without Richard? Your tickets were with you, weren’t they?”
“Yes, they’re in my pocket but… I don’t really understand.” Therese furrowed her brows.
“What I’ve been meaning to say is what if you don’t go back to the apartment and leave for the exact length you were supposed to. You won’t be found there, therefore Richard will assume you left without him.” Carol stopped here, waiting for Therese to catch up. Therese opened her mouth to ask ‘where am I supposed to go’ but Carol silenced her by putting her hand on Therese’s.
Therese felt hot all of a sudden. Carol’s hands were soft and hot from the cup. She looked down for a second at their hands before looking back into the eyes of the older woman.
“I’ve been planning on going on a trip. To be more specific, my goal was to leave after I dropped my friend off at the port, I even have my luggage in the car.” Carol confessed. Her whole aura seemed to shift, she didn’t seem like the self-confident woman Therese met. Carol took her hand off of Therese’s and started fidgeting with her bracelet. She was unable to look into the younger woman’s eyes and Therese was unable to speak. When she gained the courage to speak Carol looked into her eyes again and finally said:
“Would like to accompany me? For this trip?” Her grey eyes turned almost blue, her eyebrows slightly raised. She had a gentle, yet tight smile on her lips. She almost seemed afraid.
Therese stopped breathing for a few moments. She gazed into the eyes of Carol like it was her soul. And after few moments of silence she confidently said:
“I would love to.”