Danny Osipenko "Miranda Sparks’ wonderful life"

– Francis, excuse me, but can I step outside for a minute, I need to make one principle call?

– Yes, of course. The seminar doesn’t start for another half hour, so you can go about your business in the meantime. If there’s anything else you need, come to me right away. I’ll be sitting in that corner over there.

We both looked at the lastВ row.

– Thank you.

– You’re welcome.

I found Señor del Pozo’s number in my phone book rather quickly, and immediately dialed it.

– Hello? – After a short ringing tone, I said. – Is this Senor Francisco Salido del Pozo?

– Señorita Violet?

The detective’s voice had a pleasant accent that swallowed some consonants.

– That’s me!

– Monsieur Moreau told me about your trip to Algeria. Where are you at the moment?

SeГ±or del Pozo referred toВ Mr. Moreau inВ the French manner because he was, inВ fact, aВ native Frenchman.

– I’m at the Olympic Plaza.

– Where?

Apparently he didn’t hear me, so I said it louder:

– At the five-star Olympic Plaza Hotel.

AВ small silence ensued.

– Mr. Norland is at this particular hotel at the moment, senora.

My heart was beating at aВ frantic pace.

– Where exactly? Can you tell me?

IВ looked around toВ see Mike at last.

– He’s currently on the 46th floor.

It’s going to be very hard, kind of an accident to be there.

– What about you? Where are you at the moment?

– I am currently in room 303 in the same hotel.

– Then, may I come up to see you, Señor del Pozo?

Once again, aВ short-lived silence.

– Si, senora, you can.

– In that case, I’ll be with you shortly.

IВ reset the call and walked toВ the elevator, not understanding why my hands and feet were shaking so much. IВ heard the sound ofВ the elevator arriving, and when its doors opened, IВ stepped inВ with the other people and pressed the third floor.

В«Welcome toВ the operation Miss Spikes!В»

ChapterВ 11

What was IВ experiencing?

Love?

Resentment?

Disappointment?

Or maybe IВ was trying toВ realize what Mike had done?

I don’t know. I didn’t want to think about it. In my life, there was a lot of that going on together. At this point, I wasn’t smiling or sad or even bursting into audible laughter or crying. I was just a bystander, my realization that Mike was alive and that he was actually a regular crook. Yes, I adored him, but that love was a deception that transformed my wounded heart into a punching bag. My feelings were swinging from side to side like a pendulum. I sat in a seminar and tried to figure out what it was that I was feeling. No matter how hard I tried, it wasn’t like that.

– It’s mind-boggling, isn’t it?

Eric’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. I’d completely forgotten that he was sitting next to me.

– Uh-huh.

It really is mind-blowing! I don’t know myself and my feelings.

– In the past year, this young man talked about the newest online game.

IВ looked at Mr. Davis, who was giving us aВ presentation on new developments inВ the web environment. He was aВ tall man, thin, with narrow-rimmed glasses on his eagle nose and aВ bald head. His voice was quite sonorous, but even he could not shout out my thoughts.

And so again IВ came back toВ my thoughts.

How should I behave when I see Mike? What would I say to him? Would I feel the feelings I’d been harboring all these years again?

But there was no answer. I honestly tried to imagine our meeting with Mike, his face, and the likely environment. I couldn’t get myself in the mood, so I sat and fidgeted in my chair.

– Not interesting for you?

IВ turned toВ Eric, and the suffocating scent ofВ his cologne made me shiver.

– Why is that? I just don’t like to sit in one place for a long time.

– Ah, I see. Same problem.

– The truth?

IВ had toВ act surprised.

– Especially when I have to wait for a long time at the airport. This is the height of my patience.

Mrs. Hughes, sitting in front of us, turned halfway around to face Eric and shushed him softly. I don’t know why, but it made me smirk. In my head, I said, «Thank you,» to Diana. Because I wasn’t in the mood to have a conversation with Eric at the moment.

AВ few minutes later an SMS from the detective arrived.

В«Mr. Norland inВ the elevator.В»

I nervously tucked the phone into my purse on my lap and looked around confused. I needed to make sure I didn’t miss my own chance to meet Mike, but how was I supposed to do that when I was sitting in a seminar? In truth of the matter, this event was just a cover, but I still felt bad for the speaker. Damn the upbringing!

My phone vibrated again.

«Are you there yet?» – I read and quickly dialed the answer, «Not yet.

IВ bit my lower lip and glanced toward the door.

«It’s now or never!»

As I got up from my seat, the look on Eric’s face spoke volumes for him. He certainly didn’t approve of my behavior, but I didn’t care anymore. I cautiously, ducking a little, walked around the rows and quickly made my way to the exit, hiding behind the door.

«What am I doing?» – I didn’t really hit myself on the head as I huddled against the cold wall as I walked out of the conference room.

«He’s on the first floor,» came from the detective.

Everything was very fast-paced. I felt sick at the thought of Mike. I tried to pull myself together and move forward, but it was like my legs wouldn’t listen.

В«So Violet! This is your only chance toВ find out the truth. So get it together already!В»

After I told myself off, I had to take one last deep breath and walk unsteadily to the hotel lobby. Now that I knew the detective’s face, I had no trouble finding him out at once. He was standing near the front desk, flipping through a magazine.

To be sure, I imagined Mike’s face in my head, so familiar and my favorite. I was so caught up in my ideas that I didn’t see the lady walking toward me. A collision was inevitable, because I was in the clouds, and at the same time the lady was rummaging through her own bag, not noticing where she was going. Her belongings flew a few meters forward after our collision, which left even me with a small tube of lipstick on my cheek.

– Oops! Sorry…

My cry was answered inВ French, and so quickly that IВ could barely catch aВ word or two. My French was not as good as my German, so IВ had toВ jog my memory and remember aВ few phrases.

– Excuse me. – I said in French and started running around the lady picking up her things that were scattered on the floor.

Her grumbling lasted until she stepped away from me, casting a hateful glance in my direction. Here’s a thank you for you! It’s not my fault she doesn’t look where she’s going! After all, I’m on a mission of principle.

В«Oh right! Mission!В»

I turned around to go to a safe place where I could see my ex-boyfriend, but before I could take a step I ran into someone. I looked up and faced the eyes that hadn’t left me in years.5

– Mike!?

And that was it, the abyss. IВ collapsed right inВ the middle ofВ the crowd ofВ people, into the arms ofВ an ex-lover. It was the same feeling as if IВ had sat on aВ stained bench, and not anywhere, but inВ the middle ofВ town.

So, now let’s take our seats according to our purchased tickets and watch the mentor movie «How to Get Attention or One Bad Day by Violet Spikes»!

ChapterВ 12

I like to dance, especially when I’m cooking for Mike. There’s a soft clang of the knife on the wood chopping board. Pasta and vegetable salad are coming up for dinner. I stand in the kitchen wearing a reddish apron and slice tomatoes. From the living room comes the voice of James Blunt. I catch the beat and start dancing. The chorus comes on and I sing along:

– You’re great. You’re great. You’re gorgeous, it’s true. I saw your face in the masses. And now I don’t know what to do, since I’ll never be with you.

It’s already6 on the clock. Mike’s not due back from work until seven o’clock. I dump the sliced tomatoes into the frying pan and turn down the heat.

– Okay, now noodles…

It is a moment of my happiness, my love and boundless joy. I’m bustling around the kitchen with a glass of Chardonnay and enjoying the hustle and bustle. Everything is so perfect, it feels like a dream come true.

What else can IВ wish for? IВ love and am loved, IВ have an excellent job, aВ comfortable apartment, and every day IВ smile and am truly happy.

I dance out of the kitchen and through the living room to the bathroom to get the laundry out of the washing machine. My thoughts are occupied by my father and his words. He didn’t want me and Mike together. I remember the days when I went against my father’s vision, principles and standards. Nothing’s changed, I’m still the same. If only he could accept Mike into the family, I think that idyll would scare me. There’s no such thing as the perfect one. When everything is so great, at some point there’s going to be a breaking point.

I take out my own boyfriend’s black T-shirt and hang it lovingly on the dryer. This love is very crazy, very powerful for me. I’m ready to tie Mike down and not let him go anywhere, just so we can be together all the time. I miss him even when he goes to another room. Apparently I’m a «Mike addict,» it’s mind-boggling how he hasn’t run away from me yet.

Early eight o’clock, dinner is ready, and I’m sitting on the couch in the living room, watching Kevin Paris’s cooking show and taking another sip of wine from my glass. As the door opens, I jump out of my seat and run to meet my lethargic boyfriend. As usual, he opens his arms for me and presses me firmly against him. At this moment I am happier than ever. There he is – my man. I will never give him up to anyone.

– I missed it.

Mike kisses me on the top ofВ my head.

– I’m a baby, too.

We stood inВ the hallway with our arms around each other toВ feel like we were together again. IВ could have stayed like this forever, but Mike was tired and hungry, so IВ had toВ let him go first.

– Guess what’s for dinner now?

IВ smile with all my two30 teeth and take the bag from him toВ put it back.

– Pasta.

He guessed, as usual.