We had to leave at nine so that we could at least reach Paris till seven to make it in time for a late dinner in some swanky restaurant where we had reservations.
We reached the private jet a little past ten and settled inside on comfortable seats whereas it took a little time until we took off. Once high up in the air, I couldn’t help but marvel at the world down there. Everything look so small yet the world looked so gigantic.
I would’ve never dreamed that I would be sitting in someone’s luxurious and spacious private jet with all that I would ever need presented to me on a silver platter. It felt so surreal that I wanted to pinch myself every now and then just to make sure I wasn’t in some kind of a dreamland.
A few flight attendants were present to tend to our needs and I ordered some juice as I was feeling extremely thirsty. There were books and magazines on the table right in front of me and with Olivia sitting on its other side. I picked up a book randomly and it happened to be? Nights? In? Rodanthe. I wasn’t much of a reader but Olivia was and a hardcore one at that. She told me that it was a good book so I settled myself into my seat and opened the first chapter, reading and occasionally glancing down at the world beneath me. I could say that I felt like I was on cloud nine.
After about five hours of continuous reading, with my butt feeling flat and numb despite changing positions various times I finally put the book down, having gotten through a little over half of the book and stretched in my seat. The girls who had previously been in this compartment had mysteriously disappeared and upon inspection I found some of them in a bedroom, a nice one at that. The theme was gold and just looking at the décor made me sleepy. So I walked further and found an empty bedroom and plopped myself down on the bed. It felt silky soft and I lied down on it, closing my eyes.
I didn’t know when I fell asleep but when I woke up the room was still empty and everything looked just like the way it was so I assumed that I had been sleeping for no more than fifteen minutes probably.
With a yawn, I walked out of the room to search for Olivia and found her with her head buried in a book.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” she replied, not looking up to see me.
“What time is it?”
“Six.”
“What?!” I screeched at Olivia. “Don’t tell me I slept for like five hours!”
“You did.”
“Wow really? Time does fly away quickly. I thought I only slept for fifteen minutes.”
I looked out the window and indeed, it was getting dark outside but I could see the world below lit up. It was a beautiful sight.
“When will we reach?”
“After half an hour I suppose.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
I didn’t feel like reading so I ate something as I was really hungry and the food smelled and looked delicious.
Heather, Amelia and Rachael with Rebecca on her lap were watching a movie. Alistair and Charlotte were nowhere to be seen and Antonio was probably video chatting with his girlfriend because it was the only convenient time for them to talk. Audrey was a very busy supermodel and she was even going to walk Rachael’s last piece on the night of her show. I couldn’t wait for it. I was excited. It was my first time seeing such a show in real life and I wanted to know how it felt like to be sitting in the audience dressed in your finest and looking your prettiest while watching a fashion show.
We landed after forty five minutes and were driven straight to our hotel. Although Alistair Jenson owned another mansion here but we weren’t going to stay there as it was far away from where the show would be held in a few days so it wouldn’t have been convenient. Rachael had various rehearsals she had to coordinate and manage these days so she wouldn’t be free at all until after the show. She was the main reason we’d be staying in a hotel but I wasn’t complaining because it was resplendent. Everything in the hotel screamed out at me that it was meant for the rich and only the rich who could afford such kind of luxury.
Our rooms were so big, it almost was the size of my room in the mansion. Everything was spotless and clean and I had the whole room to myself. I was sure that Alistair Jenson had booked about two floors of the hotel for a few days for all of the members of the family.
After freshening up, I started to get ready for dinner. Although it was going to be in a nice restaurant, it was still going to be with family and a few of Rachael’s model friends so I didn’t mind dressing up too magnificently.
Ethan with his parents had landed here a little before us. I only saw him at the restaurant when I walked in. He was escorting his mother to a seat at a big rectangular table. I sat next to Olivia and the others settled around us. The dinner was scrumptious and the chatter was lively and entertaining. I was introduced to a few mutual model friends of Rachael and Audrey. We talked for a while after which they just maintained conversation with Rachael.
At one point Eleanor, Ethan’s mother seemed too interested in talking to me. She couldn’t attend my birthday party for some reason but she did send a nice pair of stilettoes.
“Did you like your gift?” She asked.
“Yeah, I loved it. The shoes were really beautiful.”
“I’m glad you liked it. You’ve always loved footwear so I knew exactly what to give you on your birthday. And I’m so sorry I couldn’t attend your birthday, I was too busy.”
“It’s fine.”
“So tell me, is Ethan still a pain in the butt? Do you still fight like kids?”
I chuckled. “Oh, well initially we were, I admit but recently we decided to try being polite and friendly towards each other and so far we have made great progress.”
“Oh!” Eleanor looked surprised. “That’s wonderful. I thought you two will never grow up.”
“Didn’t Ethan tell you?”
“Oh, no he isn’t a big sharer, especially with me.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he never tells me anything that goes on in his personal life. He didn’t even tell me when he got together with Heather. Lovely girl she is. I just hope he’s really serious about her. I was starting to wonder if he was gay-”
“Mom!” Ethan intercepted her, giving me time to control my laughter.
Eleanor ignored him completely. “-because his head was always buried in his books. Not that I would’ve had any problem if he really was gay.”
“Mom. Stop talking.”
“Oh shush, Ethan. I haven’t talked to Juliet in ages, let me catch up with her.”
“Can you at least not gossip about my sexuality!” Ethan whispered sharply. “I have a girlfriend. That should be enough to clear up any doubts you have about my preference.”
“I don’t have any doubts about it. I’m just telling her what I previously used to think.”
“Can’t you find any other topic?” He whined.
“Fine.” Eleanor said, irritated. “It’s your fault you don’t tell me anything.”
“I tell you everything that’s important,” Ethan retorted.
“Really? Then tell me if you’re going to marry Heather? When will you marry her? When will I be a grandmother?”
Ethan groaned. “Please, don’t talk about this.”
Eleanor scoffed. “You tell me everything important? This is important for me.”
Ethan looked extremely uncomfortable and although I was enjoying seeing him like that, I felt bad for him. I wouldn’t want to be in a situation like that with my parents, that is, if they were still alive.
“So uh… what were you busy with on my birthday?” I asked Eleanor to distract her from the topic of Ethan’s future wedding with Heather, their kids and their rainbow of a future.
It worked as she instantly launched herself into telling me all the problems with her company. Apparently she was the CEO of a major food company which dealt with all sorts of foods – healthy, unhealthy, processed, packaged and naturally grown.
Ethan looked relieved to see that his? mother’s attention was now occupied by something else. He silently ate his food while making little conversation.