Draw Me A Picture (14 page)

The phone rang as was putting away her purchases. Michelle stared at the phone, bewildered; it usually never rang. Perhaps her uncle was testing the line. She picked up the receiver.

“Hello?” she said uncertainly.

“Ah.... you’re there.” It was William. He sounded both relieved and happy to hear her voice. “How’s Thursday?”

“Thursday?” Michelle asked. “Oh, for the trip. This Thursday?”

“Is that too soon for you? I couldn’t get a whole week off. Have to be back at work Monday, I’m afraid.”

“No... no, Thursday’s great!” Michelle responded. “Thank you so much.”

“For what, sweetheart?” William asked. Michelle could hear amusement in his voice.

“For calling,” she replied, grinning. “I have not had a call in over a year.”

There was a small pause.

“You’re joking,” William said. Michelle laughed softly.

“Nope. Wasn’t sure if I remembered how to use it.” She heard William’s warm chuckle on the other end.

“Well, that surprises me, I must say,” he said. “This is a bit sudden, but would you like to eat dinner with me? Here at my flat? Alfred’s making lamb stew and it’s simply delicious.”

Michelle felt a bit unprepared for his invitation; dinner alone at his apartment? She didn’t know what to say. Would it give him the wrong impression if she said yes? “You don’t have to sweetheart...” William continued.

“Oh... I’d love to,” Michelle said, firmly. “I... just don’t want to barge in on your privacy.”

Another pause ensued. In the silence Michelle wondered if she’d offended him.

“Has it occurred to you that I might actually enjoy your company?” William asked. His voice seemed a little strange. Michelle closed her eyes and made a face at the wall. “Certainly over spending an evening with only my aging valet to talk to.”

“Please don’t be offended,” Michelle said, quickly; she did not wish to convey to William the wrong reason for her  hesitation. “I am sorry... I rely on myself a lot and I push people away. It’s a problem and I’m trying to deal with it. There’s no other place I would rather be than with you.”

The last bit tumbled out before Michelle could stop it; her face reddened and she bit her lip, wondering if William would snicker at her. To his credit he did not, or at least did so quietly.

“You don’t have to worry about me giving obligatory invitations, Michelle,” came William’s voice at last; his tone sounded softer. “I don’t do that. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to see you. I ask for exactly what I want.”

“Good.” Michelle let out a breath of relief. “I’m glad you are that way. It’s rare, so let me get used to it. I do learn quickly.” This time William chuckled.

“Yes, well you are doing rather well, having just been out with me.”

“Indeed,” Michelle returned lightly. “You’re very demanding of my time.”

“So, you’ll come for dinner? Shall I send a cab for you?”

“I can get a cab. I’m not destitute and ... if you protest I’ll take the subway.” Michelle had no intention of doing that at night… but William didn’t know that.

“You’ll do no such thing!” William sounded genuinely alarmed. “At night… are you insane? I know you think you’re quite independent but...”

He stopped talked as he heard Michelle’s soft giggles over the phone.

“Why... you little minx,” he said, his voice dangerously low. “You had no intention of taking the tube, did you?”

“Nope,” Michelle said, smiling. “But it’s nice to know you care. Oh!” She saw her uncle’s card sitting on the desk. “I saw my Uncle today!”

“Pardon?” William asked, not sure if he’d heard right.

“You know, my uncle. I was telling you about him, my Uncle Oscar.” Michelle could not keep the enthusiasm from her voice. “He found me as I was coming back to the hotel; he’s been looking for me these last two years at least. We had coffee and caught up...”

“Wait a minute,” William said; he sounded dubious. “Your uncle... that you haven’t seen in years... you just happened to see him, today?”

“Yes, it’s amazing, I know but... I am so glad. I have family again William! I can’t tell you how important that is to me right now.”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Michelle sounded so happy William did not want to bring up obvious suspicions, just yet. “How did that go?”

“Really well,” Michelle answered, smiling. “I’d forgotten how much he looks like my father. He sold his construction company years ago. He’s a lawyer now; he has several offices.”

“Really? That’s interesting...”

Michelle let out a small chuckle. William sounded very curious.

“That’s exactly what he said about you,” she informed him.

“Did he? You told him about me. Hm.” Michelle thought he still sounded dubious. “Well, that is amazing, Michelle but I am very happy he found you. Did he see you in the hotel?”

“No. He remembered that I favor the Good Will and had been staking out the local ones hoping I’d show up. That’s where he saw me.”

“The Good Will? What were you doing there?” Michelle rolled her eyes a little.

“Shopping,” she said. “I figured I’d need something more than this outfit if we were going to go visit your mother next week.”

The ensuing pause was very long.

“Don’t get me wrong, love… but, the Goodwill is hardly the place to go for proper attire. Mother isn’t arrogant or anything but you deserve to dress better than that.”

Surprised, Michelle let me mouth hang open a little. She collected herself quickly.

“You didn’t seem to mind where I purchased my attire at dinner,” she said, her voice taking on an unusually brisk tone. “Were you ashamed to be seen with me then? What about today?”

William sensed he’d made an error.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” he said, firmly. “I’m just saying you should let me take you shopping...”

“No, thank you,” Michelle said, perilously close to tears. “I would never use you that way. I’m not
ashamed of my appearance. It’s clean and neat. Anything more is just... extra.”
 

“That’s a nice ideal Michelle, but that is not how the real world functions!” William’s voice sounded flat. “You are a sweet girl but perceptions do mean something. You were lucky to find that gown and the coat but I’m not taking you to my mother’s in shabby, thrift-store clothes. It’s not proper.”

Tears threatened to show themselves in Michelle’s eyes. A feeling of shame washed over her, however, lending her momentary calm.

“Please don’t trouble yourself.” She tried to say it coolly, but her voice grew more unsteady by the second. “I am certain you could find someone else higher up in society that would make you look better.” The phone slipped out of her hand, bouncing on the carpet. Michelle knelt down, trying to keep from sobbing out loud. She groped for the phone receiver and quickly hung it up. Something precious was slipping away from her and it couldn’t be stopped.

Blindly, Michelle made her way over to the shower and turned it on. Disrobing quickly, she stepped into the hot stream of water and sat down, her head bowed onto her knees.

Staring at the phone in his hand William blinked, wondering what the hell had just happened. Setting the phone down on his desk, he stared at the wall; it occurred to him that he’d just told a girl who made her entire living selling drawings on a street corner that her clothes weren’t good enough to be seen in. Only an arrogant ass would say that. Michelle had looked fantastic last night; she certainly knew how to dress. He couldn’t keep his eyes to himself half the time... and his mother, well, she’d loved Michelle immediately.

“What have I done?” he said, out loud. The heavy sounds of pelting rain outside made for a lonely answer. Reaching for the phone, he re-dialed the hotel’s number and asked for room 203. No answer. It rang and rang; William tried again, same result; six more times and still Michelle did not pick up. “Bollocks!” William exclaimed, tossing his phone down onto his desk. He got up and paced around the office, trying to calm himself. He halted by the window, raking his hand through his hair. As if to compliment the situation, the clouds outside looked dark and threatening. “I’m an idiot,” he muttered, going back to his desk.

Pressing the intercom, the irritated voice of his secretary came through.

“Sir?” Mabel was never in a good mood; neither was he at the moment.

“Get me a florist on the line!” William barked. “A good one… and hurry.” He didn’t let her reply but paced until the call came through. Michelle’s last words came back to him; she’d sounded on the verge of tears. Her words repeated themselves in his mind: “someone else higher up in society”.

William knew he didn’t want someone else; he wanted Michelle.

“THANK GOD for boiler systems,”
Michelle thought, with a sigh. Leaning back against the shower wall, she let the steaming water pour over her. Closing her eyes, Michelle imagined she was back in Denver at a certain hot springs; it has been her favorite place, a large pool where hot water cascaded down in a fountain, cooling off just enough to be bearable and infinitely relaxing. “Minus the smell of sulfur...” she mused, wrinkling her nose. Michelle tried to think of anything other than William but soon melancholy feelings overwhelmed her. Sniffling, she rubbed conditioner into her hair.
 

“Oh, grow up,” she told herself.

Thinking over William’s words, she considered their meaning carefully. What did he say that wasn’t true? Certainly she tried her best to dress appropriately; even William had acknowledged that fact. Perhaps she had been used to lesser things for so long she didn’t see how shabby they really looked. There was a time that she had worn sharp dress skirts and crisp business jackets. It was true her things were used.

Still, Michelle thought William’s objections to her favored shop sounded overly elitist; his mother hadn’t said a word about her clothes. William had cast her several rather appreciative glances throughout the day. Michelle knew she was a bit naive but even so she was able to recognize attraction. William didn’t exactly hide his thoughts, either.

Maybe it was just the idea of getting clothes at the Good Will that had so repulsed him. Michelle reasoned that he was probably brought up with the finer things and now he most likely bought things selectively from very good stores. She had no such luxury... surely William could see that. Perhaps they were just too different. That thought made her tear up again and she sighed. Eventually, Michelle shut off the water; she was starting to feel spent and sleepy. She slowly dried her hair and brushed it, sitting cross-legged on her bed in her favorite yoga pants and Stanford camisole. Michelle had never done yoga, but the pants were so comfy she wore them anyway. Feeling depressed, she picked at a ball of fuzz on the surface of her pants.

“Shabby,” she whispered. Biting her lip, she got up. The silk robe she bought hung on the back of the door. Fingering it, Michelle managed a small smile. This was a good robe; a quality item, though a little used. Rich folks must have used things they like enough to keep around. “I bet even William has an old t-shirt he throws on when no one is around,” she thought. Thinking about him hurt, so she stopped.

Moving swiftly, she straightened up her room, made the bed and hung up her towel. Spraying a little apple blossom spray in the room she hopped into bed, reveling in its warmth and comfort. As Michelle reached up and switched off the light she glanced at the clock; 4pm. Early, even for her.

“Ah well...” she said out loud. “At least I won’t have shabby dreams, sleeping in one of the most prestigious hotels in the world.” She smiled bravely but tears glistened in her eyes. Closing them against the dark, Michelle marveled at how many tear one was able to cry out. “I didn’t know I had that much water in me,” she thought. Sighing again, she turned over.

It seemed to Michelle that she was just drifting off, when a soft knock came at her door. Lifting her head from the pillow, she squinted in the dark at the door. At first she thought she’d imagined it; the knock came again, louder. Flipping on the light, Michelle got up, drew on her robe and peered out the peephole. She was instantly awake. Standing outside her door was William, looking agitated and pale.

Unlocking the door, Michelle slowly drew it open, wondering what to expect. William looked surprised at her appearance.

“You were asleep?” he asked, his brows drawing together. “I am sorry… I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I wasn’t asleep… yet,” Michelle replied, softly; she kept her hand on the doorknob. She did not dare look William in the eyes. Instead, she studied his shoes; they had raindrops on them.

“Look, Michelle... I...” William had practiced various apologies during the whole way over; none of them were right. “Please pardon me for speaking to you that way. I don’t know what came over me. I’m so sorry.” The words just came spilling out.
“Bloody hell,
” he thought.
“I went to Cambridge. Is that the best I can do?”
 

To William’s surprise Michelle covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. Dropping the flowers, William stepped forward and folded her into his arms. They stood several moments in the doorway as Michelle cried against William’s coat.

“You’re... sorry?” she mumbled, trying to get a hold of herself. “You were right. My clothes are kind of shabby. Maybe I live in a Utopian dream world...”

“Hush,” William said, gently. “Don’t say such things.” He tried to look at her face but she turned away into his shoulder. He struggled not to smile; her sniffles were adorable. Digging in his pocket for his handkerchief William brought it out and held it up to Michelle. She gazed at it a second and pushed gently away from him.

“No, thank you,” she said, quietly. “I have tissues in here.” Michelle disappeared inside her room but left the door open. William took that as a good sign; he collected the fallen roses from the landing and let himself in.

Stepping inside he was impressed with the comfort of Michelle’s room, despite its miniscule size. The whole room would fit nicely in his guest bathroom, but it looked very neat and homey. He could faintly smell apple blossoms again. Michelle emerged from her tiny bathroom, looking a little better; her fingers fidgeted with the sash of her robe.