ÈGOÏSTE |18+ [English Version]

Chapter 7. "Alluring Fragrance."

People can close their eyes and not see greatness, horror, beauty, and shut their ears and not hear people or words. But they cannot help but succumb to fragrance. For fragrance is the brother of breath.

© Patrick Suskind

From Joanna's face:

I kept standing like a pillar, I was really scared, it felt like I was in a horror movie. The night. There's no one around. I could hear wolves howling in the distance, and the kind of terrain where you'd be dismembered and no one would help you anyway, and that Uncle Andrew was gone.

I kept winding my thoughts, until I realized that footsteps became very close audible, I looked into the reflection and saw a male figure walking toward me.

Say goodbye to life, Joanna Morris today you will surely die... - I said to myself as he spoke.

- If I hadn't heard your voice, I would have realized that there was a man standing in front of me," Mr. Wright leaned against the window sill, which squeaked dully and smiled a little at the corners of his lips.

- You frightened the life out of me. - I was in my heart," said Mr. Wright, "have you gone completely mad? - I said, and he smiled.

- I felt the adrenaline when I saw you freeze on the spot. - He said, and it was only now that I noticed him; he was as well dressed as he had been this morning, only the suit was different, and he was wearing a very delicious scent of expensive perfume.

- Were you following me? - I asked him, ignoring the fact that he'd called me a man, because I was okay with that.

- No, why would I do that?

- I wrecked your car for a second.

- It amuses me that you're talking to me in a "you" way, no man would allow that to happen to me.

- Oh, excuse me, sir, I don't even know your name, then what are we talking about?

- Are you really playing the part of a fool or are you really such a fool?

- You're insulting me...

- Are you? I didn't notice that...

- I don't have gas in my car... and it looks like I'm here for the long haul.

- What a coincidence I have the same thing.

- I wonder if you're a rich man, what have you got to lose in the middle of nowhere?

- My driver brought me here, said he used to get gas here, and he went looking for that Uncle Andrew.

- I'm sorry, it turns out you don't even pump your own gasoline... - I said with my arms folded across my chest.

- Why are you so rude?

- I grew up in the streets, the yard brought up, have you ever heard of that?

- I would not say that you are a street girl...

- What can you say about me?

- You're an overprotective, closed-minded girl who holds grudges against the world.

- Oh, yeah? Now you make me sound like a girl, how strange. I thought you were gonna call me grandma.

- Are you cold? - Watching me try to warm myself, he asked.

- You got the pronoun "you" mixed up with "you." - I noticed that he came closer to me and hugged me, which made my heart race, I had never been hugged by a man before, except when I was walking down the school corridor and carrying a huge stack of library files and magazines that the principal asked me to carry, and then my enemies threw me a banana peel and I slipped on the tile with my heel, of course we were photographed and then hung these photos around the school for six months, saying that a fool and a fool had found each other. ..

- Are you better now? - The dark-haired man brought me out of my thoughts, his strong hands and hot body instantly brought me to my senses, his menthol breath drove me crazy, and he looked into my eyes, waiting for an answer.

- Yeah, I'm fine now. - I pushed him away and stepped away.

- Don't men ever understand you?

- Since when did we start using the word "you"?

- Well, you were on a first-name basis with me.

- And now I want to speak on "you"! And anyway, why am I talking to you? - I looked at him and headed back to my car.

I sat behind the wheel and just watched the dark-haired man; he didn't even move, he just kept staring at me.

But the good news was that two figures appeared from across the room, just one of them was Uncle Andrew, and the other was probably the driver.

- Uncle Andrew! - I got out of the car and started calling out to the man.

- Oh, Joanna, darling, it's good to see you. - He shook my hand.

- And me, where did you disappear to?

- I was in my house, no one has been coming here lately, so I even wanted to close this gas station. - Going inside he said.

- Can I get ten liters? - Handing him the money, I said.

- Sure, no questions. How are your parents? - Pressing some buttons, he asked.

- They're fine," I said, and thought about their entertainment.

- Tell them hello and tell Alfred I'd like to see him.

- I will. Thank you. - I thanked the man and glanced askance at Mr. Wright standing there and walked to my car.

I looked somewhere in the distance and waited for the gasoline to stop pouring, but it did not, and when I looked up at the scoreboard I saw how it was already more than twenty liters.

What's going on? - I didn't understand, and then I saw Mr. Wright go back to his place.

- Is this your doing? - Pointing to the table, which was still spiking the gasoline, I asked loudly.

- You really don't have any money, at least let this full tank be my gift to you. - He winked and sat in the back seat.

Did he just say that to me? Did he think I was a moneyless wench?

I wasn't confused, and I pulled out my lipstick from my bag, and yes it was red, I walked over to his car and wrote on the glass.

"Go to hell, Mr. Wright" I wrote and after pointing my tongue through that tinted glass I was satisfied with my work, finally the gas stopped pouring, I closed the tank and drove out of the place, hitting the gas...

On Edmund's behalf:

She made me laugh, I looked at her writing on the glass and couldn't contain my laughter.

- First time I've ever seen you laugh like that, Mr. Wright. - Said my driver.

- You're right...I can't even remember the last time I did it myself.

We drove out and headed to Sean's club, but all the way I thought about her, about Joanna, who was such a clumsy little kid who needed a good whipping with a belt on her sweet ass...I think my thoughts went the wrong way.

What was I even thinking? - I wondered, she's nothing, I'm surrounded by so many beautiful girls and she's just basically a kid in a cap who has a scary and rude personality...

From the author:

Hello everyone, my good ones. What do you think of this chapter?

What do you think about Edmund and Joanna meeting?

Hurry up and write your opinion in the comments. ❤❤❤