Episode 9

HENRY’S POV

I spent another night searching the empty bed for someone I knew wasn’t there.

Dawn arrived, and it was the worst day of my life. My head pounded like never before. I felt dizzy, nauseous, and regretful. I shouldn’t have drunk so much.

I searched the house for Tania, who had told me there was a box of medicine in my room. And I had to climb the stairs again until I found it.

Soon I had to go back down to ask Tania for help with which medicine I should take. Damn, if Camille were here…

I stopped my thoughts; I’m tired of always remembering how much I miss her.

"Sir, some mail arrived, and some of it is for Camille. What should I do with it?"

"Bring it to me; I'll see what to do, Tania."

She brought it to me, and I ran to my room. I wanted to know if any of those letters would give me an idea of where Camille was.

Well, they were bills, nothing that would give me a clue where she went.

I saw that Camille was in debt, with charges on about three credit cards and bills from my college. I was confused, she was still paying for my college?

There was another interesting envelope; it was a notice that her severance pay was ready for her to collect. I read it without guilt; it seemed Camille had been fired the very day she left.

That made me even more suspicious. How could she afford my surgery if she was earning minimum wage, was in debt, and had just been fired? How?

I picked up my cell phone and called Robert. I invited him to have coffee with me.

I took him to a diner, exactly the diner where Camille worked.

We sat down, and I looked around. It was a precarious place, which matched the salary she earned.

"Why did you bring me to this dump, Henry? There's a much better place nearby."

"Do you know what this place is? This is where Camille worked."

"Are you going to talk about Camille again?"

"I am, Robert. You want to know the truth? I want her back. Maybe someone here knows something, and I want you to help me."

"Man, you have to move on. I told you Camille treated you badly."

"It's not quite like that. I was drunk, okay? Camille was acting strange before she left. I think she was hurt. Maybe if we talked, we could work things out. And you know what? I can only say if I care about her looks the day I see her."

"Oh, man… are you sure about that?"

"I am!" I waved to the waitress, who came to take our order. "I want a black coffee and toast…"

I placed my order, Robert did too, and soon our orders arrived.

As the employee served us, I asked:

"Miss, is the manager around?" The waitress looked startled, and I quickly corrected myself, "It's nothing about your service; I just wanted to ask about another employee."

The waitress said he was, and soon he appeared. He was a tall, bald man with a thick mustache. He had an unfriendly expression, as if he already disliked us both.

I ignored the man's unfriendly expression and asked:

"Sir, we're looking for news about a former employee here, Camille. Do you remember her?"

The man seemed to get even more irritated; his lips twisted, and it looked like he was going to growl.

"Are you another one of those who came here to bother Camille? As you know, she was fired. I won't tolerate employees who throw themselves at customers."

I was speechless, and Robert said:

"Oh, man! What the hell… I told you we shouldn't have messed with this. Clearly, Camille wasn't who we thought she was."

"That's right, she wasn't. She was an easy woman. Now that I've answered your questions, I'm going back to my office; I have better things to do!"

It seemed like Camille had done something to that man; it wasn't normal for him to be so irritated.

"See, Henry? I think it's best not to look for Camille. Who knows where she ended up? What if she's with someone else?"

"No, I don't believe Camille would replace me. Something happened. Try to find her for me."

"I'll do better; I'll find you another hottie."

"No, Robert! I already said, I want Camille!"

"Didn't you hear her ex-boss?"

"I don't believe much of what he said. His words sounded more like spite than truth."

"Oh, man! And the brunette from last night? What happened?"

"Nothing happened."

"What? She was beautiful!"

"She was, but… I didn't like her. I don't think she's my type of woman, okay? Just find Camille, okay?"

"Okay, I'll look, but on one condition."

Robert's condition was that I agree to meet other women, saying that I couldn't decide for Camille without having met others. So, he set up a dinner with another girl.

This time it wasn't at a club; it was at a restaurant. A tasteful and quiet place that served dishes signed by a famous chef.

Robert said that he got me a date with a woman on my level and that he was sure I would like her.

I won't say her name, as I find it irrelevant, and for that reason alone, I can already say it was another date that didn't work out.

At first, I was even amused. She was beautiful, blonde, dressed well, and seemed very intelligent.

She was a businesswoman who liked to talk about economics and business, something that was very interesting. I even thought we could schedule more dates and maybe even start a relationship until I complimented her. I said that I really liked her, that I liked that she was intelligent and had her own business.

That's when she started saying that since she was a little girl, she had this goal in mind, that she never imagined being a woman who lives a mediocre life (yes, she used that word) taking care of a husband or children. She boasted about her accomplishments while belittling other women.

She said that these women who give up their careers and dreams just to live a housewife life were backward and stupid.

I felt a little uncomfortable with her, remembering all the times I said that to Camille, and now, hearing those same words coming out of someone else's mouth, I realized how totally unnecessary they were.

Now, since Camille left and I started to miss what she did and see all the traces of her around the house, I realized how intelligent she was. She had three credit cards to manage her debts, and she had recorded many economics books in audio, which showed that everything I knew, she knew too.

Camille chose this life, not because she was stupid, but because she loved an idiot.

My mood suddenly soured, and I soon said goodbye and left, abandoning that failed date.

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