Finding You Page 2

  “You will find your car there. All the documents are in the apartment.”

  A car? Of course. I will need one to get to Milan. I wonder how far it is from this fucking town.

  “Milan is about thirty miles from here,” he adds as if he’s reading my thoughts.

  Charon is the perfect name for him, especially now with that satanic expression on his face.

  “Thank you for the information,” I answer coldly, passing below a pergola before he opens a door. A quick elevator ride and we have arrived. He turns the key and puts my only bag on the floor. I shipped the other luggage ahead a few weeks ago.

  “This is the key to the apartment. On the table near the fireplace you will find everything you need.”

  He gives me a forced smile and, sounding like the hostess on the plane, he says the cliché:

  “Enjoy your stay in Italy.” Forgetting to add: “Thank you for travelling with Charon Airlines. Have a pleasant stay in hell. Please scream if you need anything!” He leaves, closing the door.

  I sigh. I put my briefcase on the floor and look around. All the furniture is whitewashed oak. Even the exposed ceiling beams and wood floor are the same colour. In the living room there are two white sofas in front of a big fireplace and on the other side there is a large glass table. While I dial a number on my cell phone I walk around. I open the curtains and see that not faraway there is a beautiful fountain surrounded by a park with an old villa beyond. I think it’s an Italian garden.

  “Hello!” Someone answers. I was in a trance.

  “Hi Eva. This is James.”

  “What area are you in?” Actually, it would be better to ask what city am I in!

  “The flight went well. Thank you for asking.”

  “Honey, don’t be a baby. I am only curious to know where in Milan you are staying. Let me guess: Montenapoleone or Via della Spiga.” Via della Sfiga2 maybe—

  “I am thirty miles outside of Milan in a small city called Varese.”

  “Are you joking?”

  “I am saying that I have been exiled to a small provincial town, I am very tired, I have a horrible headache and if you too want to break my balls, I can hang up now and we’ll talk tomorrow. I’m not joking!”

  “Ok, James, I’m sorry. But you can’t allow them to treat you this way!” Eva is shouting over the phone.

  “Do you think I like this situation? Of course not. It’s late and at this point I am going to sleep. I will think about it tomorrow.”

  “Love… you don’t know how sorry I am. I wish I was with you. I could lift your spirits in a second!”

  I can’t stand it when she calls me love. I can only bear it thinking of the good fuck I could have with her. But in this case, not even the good fuck!

  “Eva, let’s talk tomorrow. At the moment I’m too pissed to have a conversation.”

  “As you wish, honey. Get some rest.”

  Fucking rest! I am hungry. I didn’t eat much on the flight. I take off my jacket and throw it on the sofa, loosen my tie and head toward the kitchen in the hope of finding something to eat. I open the refrigerator and bless the person who filled it! After a shower I go to sleep. Tomorrow I must find a way to get out of this mess and fly back to New York as soon as possible.

  At 6 a.m. my cell phone alarm rings. I think I slept less than five hours, but strangely I feel refreshed. Perhaps it’s because I was so tired yesterday, or because of the deathly silence of this place. Where did I end up? I get up, go to the window and open the shutters. Last night I didn’t notice the mountains covered with snow. What a sight! They are all around… It’s not even cold. In New York it would be freezing. That beautiful garden I saw last night seems to be a public park. Tomorrow morning I will take my usual jog.

  I have everything. I put my coat on and look for the car keys. The key label says garage number three. When I push the open bottom a black SUV appears as if by magic. It is a brand new Cayenne. Wonderful! Inside I smell the fine leather. I find all the documents on the seat, including the pass for driving in the residential areas in the centre of Milan. There is also a letter addressed to me. I see that it’s from my father. Well, it can wait. I set up the GPS. Shit, thirty-five miles to Milan!

  After forty-five minutes I arrive. I was afraid it would take much longer. I look among all the passes for the parking ticket…“Fuck!” I jam on the brakes because a stupid pedestrian suddenly jumps in front of my car. “Are you crazy?” I yell while he stops right in front of the entrance gate. The road is not well lit. The man was dressed in black and crossed without looking. Why don’t people use their brains? I honk. Scared, he runs away.

  I park the car and present myself at the reception desk.

  “Good morning, my name is James Spencer. I have an appointment with Mr Victor La Blanche,” I say in my perfect Italian.

  The girl at the reception is busy with some papers, but as soon as she hears the CEO’s name she looks up. She blushes. This happens to me so often I almost don’t notice it any more. Still, it makes me feel good to see that in Italy I have the same effect upon women.

  “I am…sorry, Mr Spencer. Mr La Blanche is waiting for you on the eighth floor. This is your badge. Embarrassed, she says, “Have a nice day.” Since she apologized and is very pretty, she deserves one of my smiles.

  When I get out of the elevator on the eighth floor, I notice a young woman behind the reception desk.

  “Good morning, my name is Samantha. May I help you?” Such a beauty! James, remember you are here on business. Try to behave. Don’t forget the mess you made in New York!

  “Good morning!” Actually, why not flirt a little bit? “I have an appointment with—”

  “James!” I turn. I recognize the strong American accent.

  “Hello Victor, long time, no see!”

  He shakes my hand vigorously.

  “You look great, boy. How was your trip?”

  “Some turbulence, but nothing serious. Thank you. You look good too. I thought you would have gained at least forty pounds after all the delicious Italian food.”

  “Initially I came close to it. Then I learned to eat less. Your father?”

  Dangerous question.

  “Let’s say he is healthy and in good shape, for the rest… Here I am!” Vic has known me since I was born, better to not lie.”

  “Yes, he was really upset when he called me,” he adds.

  “What’s new about this?”

  He laughs. “Come on boy, I want to explain several things to you.”

  I follow him to his office. After a few minutes another beautiful girl enters with a tray of espressos. Vic is observing me.

  “You will never change. Always the womanizer. I think you inherited your Italian charm from your mother.”

  My mother… Victor and my parents have been great friends since college. The difference is that my father never talks about my mother since she died, while Vic always told me everything. If I know how my parents met, fell in love and married, it’s because of him. In his cheerful memories I don’t recognize the person my father has become. And, unfortunately, I only have vague memories of her.

  “Who knows?” At the thought of my mother I suddenly become serious. “Victor, thank you for this job opportunity. I think being away from my father for a while will be good for me.”

  “Listen James, I know this is not what you wanted. You had other plans. But let some time pass and he will calm down. Yes, it is better you stay away. But let’s talk about work. I need you in the field. We are in deep shit!”

  “My god! What’s happened?”

  “Do you remember Mars? He was the ex CEO of the California branch.”

  “Mars, the one who always argued with my father?” I am focusing on that person.

  “Exactly. He was a ball-breaker, but he knew what he was doing. He always wanted to try new ways, while your father had a more conservative approach. But the problem is not him. His daughter has disappeared with a huge amount of money, deposits fr
om three contracts. Vanished. Nobody knows where.”

  “Damn it! What did the lawyers say?”

  “They said we can start a lawsuit against Ms Mars, but the contracts are legitimate. She had the power of attorney to draw them up.”

  “Isn’t there a way to rescind those contracts?”

  “We would risk a law suit for breach of contract and at this time losing contracts isn’t a good idea. The only solution to limit the damage is to forget the deposit and try to cash the balance. This way we at least break even. We will not earn anything, but we will contain the loss. We will say that Ms Mars took a sabbatical for personal reasons and that Mr Spencer will take over her position.” Vic leans back in his armchair.

  “Me? No, come on Vic, this is crap! You promised me the marketing director position, otherwise I wouldn’t have accepted.”

  “Unfortunately things have changed, James. One of your best skills is dealing with people in delicate situations and I may remind you the choice isn’t yours to make.”

  “I should have imagined the scam. Ok, but I keep the car!”

  “You can keep it. The car is a perk that your father wanted, not the company.”

  I wonder when my father learned of my passion for beautiful cars. I can’t believe this was his idea. I guess Beth, his secretary, organized everything.

  “Tell me where I should begin.” I am resigned to my fate.

  “Take all of Susan Mars’s contracts and find a way to minimize the agency’s loss. You are lucky. Susan’s assistant is very competent and efficient. She has been with us for several years and she knows all the clients.”

  “Maybe it’s like you say, but if she is so good, why didn’t she realize her boss was hiding something?” I know that sometimes I can’t restrain myself from being terse.

  “We talked to her yesterday. She seems unaware of what Susan was planning.” Victor says with conviction.

  “If you say so… I can’t wait to meet such an efficient woman.”

  Victor grabs the telephone: “This is La Blanche. Join me in my office immediately!” He thunders.

  1 Charon: Charon is the ferryman of Hades in Greek mythology. He carries souls of the deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. Dante Alighieri described Charon in his Divine Comedy, in the third canto of Inferno.

  2 Sfiga: Via della Spiga is an elegant street in the centre of Milan, Italy. Sfiga is slang for bad luck. It is a pun.

  Chapter 3

  Valentina

  I will have a new boss. Yesterday evening I called Marta to complain, but as usual she began to criticize me. She said: “I told you so. You wasted so much time becoming a slave to that witch! What did you gain? Nothing. Now you have to start over. You should have moved here to Lugano, or you should have accepted the offer of mom and Stewart to join them in Sydney.”

  Useless. My sister will never understand my need for solitude. I can’t even explain this to myself.

  I look in the mirror while I’m trying to get ready for work. My hair is a shapeless brown bundle. Last night I used a special smoothing shampoo which is supposed to do miracles, on the contrary, I am a disaster! Well, nothing I can do about it now. Thank god it’s long enough to tie up. It is my first day with my new boss. I would like to make a good impression, a bold and competent woman. I should have something appropriate to wear in my closet. God, there is not much to choose from! I believe I was born with something missing compared to other women: I hate shopping. I can’t stand buying clothes, shoes, handbags, and I hate jewellery. Now I am paying the price… I have only one choice: the black suit Marta gave me a few years ago. I can’t find anything better. Due to lack of sleep I have deep dark circles that match the colour of my brown eyes. Maybe a little foundation will help. I am so pale. A touch of mascara and I’m finished. I search for the shoes with low heels. I look in the mirror and feel satisfied. Almost.

  I catch the 6:35 a.m. train. I want to be at work early enough to organize things in the office before my new boss arrives. I need to clear out all of Susan’s personal stuff.

  The train decides to be late today, so I am running down the street in my very uncomfortable elegant shoes. I rush toward the entrance, almost frozen from the cold. I don’t see the big black car. Actually it looks more like a cruise ship and almost runs me over. The car is honking like crazy. Luckily I see the side entrance is open. I hear the man in the car yelling at me, but I can’t see him through the tinted windows. I just want to run away. I take the elevator to my office floor and I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s before 8:00 a.m. I am the only one in the office.

  Trying to relax, I go to the cafeteria and get some chamomile tea with a lot of sugar from the vending machine. While drinking it, I walk toward Susan’s office to see which of her things I can clear out. The day before I put several empty boxes under my desk. I start to fill them up with her personal stuff and I look around: framed pictures of her with her father, her Montblanc pen, business cards… I remove what seems to be her personal books from the shelves. I leave the folders related to our clients. Thank god she was an organized woman. Everything seems in order. I need to check the drawers of her desk. I hope they aren’t locked. They open easily. In the first drawer I find a make-up kit with hand cream and facial lotion. She always had beautiful skin. Tomorrow I’ll go to the drugstore to buy the same lotion. I find more: tampons, eye pencils, lipstick, and what? Condoms! In the office? Disgusting! With the tip of my fingers I throw them in a box.

  I move to the second drawer. Old contract proposals, various drafts and general office supplies.

  Last drawer. Such chaos! This is the junk drawer: old cell phone chargers, notepads, three kinds of headphones, two small loud-speakers and a USB drive shaped as Sylvester the Cat… Wait! This is mine. So that’s where it went! Carlo gave it to me two years ago. Now I remember. I worked on a document for a whole weekend, then one morning Susan was late for a meeting so she grabbed it and never returned it to me. I looked everywhere for three months, but not having the Sylvester USB drive in front of me helped not to think of Carlo. Best to forget him completely. I wasted two years of my life with that nerd!

  I look at poor Sylvester and put him in my pocket. I continue with my inspection: white and coloured A4 format paper. As I move it, a bunch of small keys drops to the bottom of the drawer. I assume they are for the file drawers. I try all four. Only one doesn’t work. I keep it and put it in my pocket with the cat. My telephone rings. I pick it up and hardly have time to say a word. “This is La Blanche. Join me in my office immediately!” The big boss growls.

  “I’m coming.” This time I do not stammer. I look around. Everything seems in order. I fix my jacket and my hair, I move the closed boxes under my desk. Better that no one sees the condoms!

  I take a deep breath and I head toward the elevators.

  Chapter 4

  James

  Victor answers the phone.

  “Please, let her in.” He abruptly hangs up, then he looks at me. “Your assistant has arrived.”

  “Good. Don’t make her wait.”

  Someone knocks on the door.

  “Come in,” Victor says, getting up. Seeing this gentlemanly gesture, I think it’s better to do the same. I will be with this woman every day for a while.

  The door opens and I hear a shy voice: “Good morning, Mr La Blanche.”

  Fuck me! I can’t believe it. Where on earth did they find this woman?

  “Good morning Ms Harrison. I want to introduce you to our newcomer, Mr James Spencer.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr Spencer. My name is Valentina Harrison,” she says extending her hand. I remain still for a few seconds, then I look at Vic smiling. Maybe it’s a joke. But looking at his serious expression, I don’t think so.

  The girl’s hand is still extended toward me. She’s blushing now. Perfect! Before she just looked like a drab woman, now she looks like a drab red pepper.

  She quic
kly pulls back her hand and starts to look down at her feet. God! Look at her shoes! Not even a grandma would wear them. I’m afraid this is my father’s trick. The story about Linda made him so angry that now he is paying me back with this unattractive assistant.

  “James!” Vic scolds me, bringing me back to reality.

  “Yes?” I mumble.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to give such a negative impression of New Yorkers here in Europe!” His look is not promising.

  I groan. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” I say extending my hand to Harrison. Harrison? It seems more a given male name than a surname. Somehow it’s right for her. At least she has a strong handshake. She doesn’t look at me.

  “Well, I will leave you to your work. James, please!” Victor gives me the evil eye, so I smile to reassure him.

  “Don’t worry, Vic, I am in good hands.” But my smile dies when I look again at my assistant. Harry.

  I tell her to go ahead. “Please, after you.” She still keeps looking down.

  The elevator is crowded. Harry is in a corner and I am forced to get close to her. I worry she may also have an unpleasant smell. Actually, no. On the contrary, she smells good. A delicate fragrance. I think it is jasmine. As soon as the elevator door opens, she rushes out. I follow her towards my new office. I sense all eyes on me. From everywhere. I feel like an endangered species, an exotic animal. Without saying a word she opens the door to an office full of light with large windows. And the view isn’t bad: old buildings face the interior courtyard. Better like this. I hate traffic noise when I am working. I look around and notice with a sense of relief that the only feminine touches remaining in the office are two decorative plants near the window. The desk’s black leather chair, contrasting with the white guest chairs, seems more like a masculine selection. Bravo Susan! Harry is staring at me and she’s saying that, if I need her, I just have to dial one. Then she leaves very quickly. It’s time to call Matthew.

  “Hello?” He answers with a voice that seems to come from the underworld.