In the boutique once again Vincent was greeted with condescending eyes. He could not only see it, he could also feel it; deep resentment resting in the heart of the staff as they saw him strolling behind Marie.
"Hey, who let you in here?" One internal security guard hallowed in a thunderous tone at Vincent who paused like a man frozen in time.
"He's with me." Marie said, touching Vincent by the shoulder. A mere touch from her was enough to make him melt inside.
"But Madame, look at his dressing. He looks like a street urchin. Why would you let him here?" The security guard's eyes were still focused on Vincent.
"Because this is a boutique and I can bring anyone I want inside here," she said, her tone like a fiery sword made from the coldness of ice.
"No, you don't—”
"If you have further complaints you should take it up with my mother."
The security guard kept quite and decided to leave, but he gave one look at Vincent that made his blood freeze.
Vincent has decided in his mind that apart from old men, security guards were now one of his new genre of men to fear and be uncomfortable with. In the past few days, he has been maltreated and insulted by not just one, not two, but several security guards.
"If I am harassed by anymore security guards today, I swear I am going to die." He jokes aloud, making Marie giggle.
"Wow, I wonder just how much problems you've gotten yourself into to be this skeptical and wary of them." She said to him, her eyes were as green as every garden he had seen, and as he looked at it, he imagined that somewhere there a flower might just pop out and he would not be surprised. She was that beautiful.
"Oh,” he immediately snapped out of his beauty induced trance. "Quite a lot to tell that I don't like security guard."
She giggled once more. Her laughter was music to his ears. He could listen to it all day.
"Well, don't worry about any of that for now. This is my mom's boutique. The staff will do anything I tell them to just as long as you don't cause any trouble and get what you intend to get."
"Of course I will not.” He said crossing his heart with one hand.
"Okay, I am afraid I have to go now, Vincent," she said. "I intend to go see my mom. She is usually copped up in her office somewhere at the highest floor and probably would stay there and starve if I do not get her something to eat. She is such a workaholic."
"Fare well then," he said.
She extended her hand to him as a gesture. He held it, looking at her eyes and kissing it. She giggled once more. The scene caused the workers around them to look at Vincent with so much scorn.
She walked away in a slow and soft fashion, turning back every now and then to spare a look at the tall handsome but almost rag wearing man she had brought in her mom's boutique.
Vincent was sure that he was inlove. His heart beat so fast that he thought that he might die if it continued to do so. This was different from what he felt when he was with Rory. In his life, he could count the number of girls that have treated him good irrespective of his class and how he dressed, and they would surely round up at two. Only her and another girl from six to seven years ago when he was in High school.
He could have stayed there staring at the space that she had left just before him, but all of a sudden he was reminded that he was at a boutique that he wouldn't have been let in if it was not for a girl when the voice of a staff blasted far Into his ears.
"Get out of the way urchin!" The staff said, wheeling past him with a cart.
"Oh, sorry," he said in a rushed tone.
"Say sorry to yourself."
Well that was it; one minute he was being treated like a prince by a woman whom he could easily refer to as some fairy-like princess, the next moment he was being treated as trash again. That was the cycle of his life now, and he really couldn't complain. He had learnt to live with it.
He moved on with his life towards rows of clothes and other items one is sure to find in a boutique. His eyes danced around the place. There were just so much he could buy, and the most exciting thing about it, was that he had the money for it.
He went on a shopping spree, taking everything that caught his eyes, putting them on his cart, and repeating the cycle in every row of goods he went to till he was finally satisfied.
He took it to the counter. The attendant looked at him as well with terrifying glares, but that he was so used to now that he did not let it bother him.
"Okay sir, the entire cost of your goods rounds up to 250,000 dollars" the cashier said, staring at him blankly, waiting to see where he would bring the money from.
He dipped his hands into his pocket to bring out the premium card that was afforded to him and did not find it, prompting the cashier to look at him questionably with her eyebrows raised. He checked his other pocket and winded up with the same results.
"I am sorry, I can't seem to find my card." He said, staring back at the cashier.
"What! What do you mean by that?" She thundered at him.
"I cannot find—"
"Shut up! Does this place look like your regular garrage sale to you? How on earth can you come here, looking so dirty, take for yourself a number of items that you know you cannot afford, just to make a joke? Or were you going to steal them? Tell me, you disgusting piece of shit before I call the security!"
He knew this time he really had messed up. He really had forgotten to take the card with him and wondered how he could get out of this particular mess.
The voice of the cashier was heard by Marie who walked up to them, wondering what might be going on especially when she saw that Vincent was involved.
"What's going on?" She asked in a soft tone.
"Can you imagine that this urchin had the guts to come here, taking stuff with no means of payment?"
"Vincent!" Marie exclaimed, surprised. "Is this true?"
He did not say a word and even refused to look her in the eye. He had truly embarrassed himself in front of everyone plus her.
"Okay," she said with her voice hushed and her words concise. "I would pay for this. Just make sure it does not happen again. I do not want my mom to know about this."
The cashier stared at Vincent with disgust, thinking about how his plan had worked as Marie paid for him.
He arrived home that day with all the goods he had bought. His hands full, his pockets empty, and his heart full of shame, thinking about what had happened and how he could have been so stupid and careless.He remembered the face he saw on Marie as the Cashier told her everything. She was not just disappointed, she was also embarrassed. He made way to his room and crashed on the bed like a meteorite crashing into the depths of an ocean. He could feel the stress at that point in time dissipating out of his body. He had sweat all getting drenched out of him and being soaked by the bed sheet.One move of his head to the side and he saw the so-called premium card lying just right next to him. His head spun around as he thought about the problem he had gotten into just for forgetting itHe got up, picked it up, stood up from the bed, grabbed his bag and shoved it into one of its many pockets. "That would do it,” he said to himself. "I would never let this out of my sight again." He had l
The party was on full swing as the students flooded into every room in the house. Neon lights fluttered through the air in their luminescence as heavy music boomed out of the speakers.Vincent and Denis were seated on a table. Both of them were silent, watching each other's back, totally convinced that somewhere somehow, Henri must have made up a plan to embarrass the both of them."So what are we going to do now?" Asked Denis to Vincent who had his palms clasped together right before his face as though he was deep in thought."We just have to wait it out here till whenever the blasted party stops," said Vincent. "I'm tired already."Henri came around with Rory holding drinks on their hands. They dropped a cup each with Vincent and Denis while laughing silently as though there was some inside joke that they were not telling anybody else. To Vincent there was an inside joke. He was the joke. But he did not want to give the impression that he cared. His eyes danced downwards to the tab
Once more, Vincent dipped his hands into his pockets as though by chance or by some magical luck he would be able to grace some cash in it. Cash that he knew for sure he did not have. But again. Again and again. He shoved his skinny fingers returning back up with nothing but air and dust. A cry almost escaped from his lips as he looked right up to the ceiling.His eyes flickered down, casting a gaze on the mirror that stood before him. His reflection looked at him accusingly."What on earth are you looking for?" He asked, speaking to himself. His hand slid up covering his face in a face palm. "This is stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"No it's not," he said once again to himself with a mouth full of conviction, clearing his palm off his face to stare at it with much scrutiny. "You look good. Remember you're going on a date. A date with the most beautiful girl in school. You're dating a total baddie for god'sakes. Be proud. Stand tall. Don't disappoint her. She is, after all, Rory McIlroy. The R
The VC of Matisse University de Paris was an old man. Vincent and nobody that he knew could ever confidently say that they knew his real name. Everybody referred to him as Vice Chancellor Mattise, and if Vincent did not know any better, he might have thought for certain that even his son, Henri, did not know the name of his father. That would have been a terribly comedic thing if it were really true, Vincent thought within himself, having once again one of those inner monologues that he usually had as he was held on both arms to the office of the VC by two security guards.He nearly let out a chuckle as he got thrown into the office immediately, with the view of the old VC staring at him with a face full of scorn; his son just standing beside him, quiet, his lips and parts of his face still swollen.Vice Chancellor Mattise was said to be in his fifties, but his head was already so crowded with white hair, his face, always with a frown reeking of wrinkles, had people guessing that he
Vincent did not offer to fight back. He promptly let himself swing on the hands of the security guards as they strolled out of the premises.With one final swing of his head backwards, he was able to steal for what he felt was the last time, the view of the University. ‘So just like that,’ he thought within himself, he was about to lose the only shot he had at gaining an education and making it out of the pitiful penniless life that he had been leading right untill now.He fought back tooth and nail against the tears that were about falling right across his face. He wished for a second that his eyes had the suction power possessed by his nose to pull back on whatever it had excreted. He has worked hard in getting an admission there. He had to work twelve hours doing multiple jobs everyday in order to pay for his bills. Now everything had gone down the drain and all for what? All for nothing but a girl who was ready to betray him at the mere sound of money.Again, he let his head dan
On a windy evening the next day around the school premises, another luxurious car came parking just close to the school's gate. A Rolls Royce. It brought forth the attention of students who all crowded around it with their eyes all lit up in awe of its beauty.The door was flung open and a bald man with pitch black glasses, well framed cheekbones and jaw line and a muscular build, stepped outside of it wearing a white suit.He looked around, as if selecting for a student. His demeanor was nothing short of intimidating, but this did not stop the students from admiring from the distance that they were perched on."Hey you," he called out, pointing at one of the students, a tall lanky boy with glasses and a bulb haircut. The boy walked foreward although his eyes were filled with uncertainty."Take me to the Vice Chancellor of this school," the man demanded, his voice was hoarse and as intimidating as his looks were."Y-yes." The boy replied, his tone shaking.In a few minutes there were
It took them thirty minutes to get to their destination. At that time, Vincent finally broke out of the surprise bubble that he had found himself. He was finally back in the real world, in a car with a one-eyed bald stranger that had just paid a huge amount of money to the VC like some sort of trade to get him.His chest vibrated with the thumping of his heart. For all he knew the man in question could be some sort of organ trafficker that he had just been sold to. Sweat dripped down his face as he bit his lip."I'm sorry, Monsieur driver, sir—""The name is Frank." Frank cut his sentence short, his eyes still focused on the road attentively. "Frank Guillaume. But just call me Frank.""Okay, Frank. I'm genuinely happy to have met you. You took me away from jail so I infact am very happy. But where are we going to?" Vincent sounded unsure and nervous. He had every reason to. Frank was still very much just a stranger to him."Well, no need to panic. It seems you have had a little encoun
Monsieur Dubois stood waiting with a scowl on his face in front of Vincent's apartment waiting for him. He finally saw him with a look of happiness on his face. His eyes possessed what Monsieur Dubois would casually call a fool's glimmer.Today was the day the rent was supposed to be due, why on earth did he look so happy? Monsieur Dubois asked, his hand grasping hard to the walking stick that he held, shaking with tremendous annoyance at the young fool's behavior, prancing into the hall way like he owned the place.Once he got closer, Monsieur Dubois fired off with his question. "Where is my money?" It caught Vincent off guard, but in no time, he returned the scowling look on Monsieur Dubois with a smile.His behavior was shocking, but not any more than it was annoying and provoking to the man's anger. But before he could say any other word, Vincent was with a wad of cash that Monsieur Dubois' eyes were not fast enough to see from where it was that he pulled the money."Take," Vince