Chapter 12
Finally Oscar arrived at Marie`s place. After telling Marie the situation, Marie promised her that she could stay there. As long as she needed.
"Thank you, but I need to find my own place. "
"Well, Sean´s room is available"
" But what about Dianne? Where does she sleep?"
" She and I share a room here, down stairs."
"How do you get along?"
"We get along just fine. She´s been so helpful with the bakery. And customers like her. I am actually considering something more permanent. She could stay here as long as she´d like to " She answered and then lead Oscar upstairs to a garret room.
"Here we are. This is Sean´s room"
Oscar put her luggage onto the floor and looked around. The room was quite small, much smaller she had used to, but at the same time it was kind of a cozy with its small skylight window and a rustic look.
"This used to be just an attic" Marie explained "but after the renovation of the building, the attic was changed into a small apartment. And by the time we moved here, the room was already like this."
"This is nice. I like it." Oscar smiled.
"I am glad" Marie smiled back, and just as he was about to leave, Oscar told her about the story from her sister; about the strange picture and the initials on it.
" X. and F." Marie repeated…"Well…"
Oscar waited patiently for her explanation.
"Sean´s full name is Sean Xavier François…"
"François?!" Oscar was surprised. "Are you sure?!"
"Of course I am. But why are you so shocked?"
"François…but that´s my middle name…"
"Really?!"
Oscar just nodded.
"That´s weird" Marie seemed thoughtful "Xavier and François are both names that have been passed on in our family, for centuries…"
"Excuse me?!"
"Yes…" Marie was about to continue when she suddenly changed her mind "I guess my brother haven´t told you…"
"About what?!"
"With the names like that and the precious medallion…Your family is not an ordinary one, is it?"
"Look, Oscar, I don´t want to mess things up with you and my brother. It would be better if you would ask him about it. I´m sorry…"
"No, I´m sorry about everything…"
"What are you talking about?!" Why would Oscar have to apologize?
"It was because of me that Sean had to stay so long in prison. I would have been able to get him out there sooner, but I knew that the task at Versailles was going to be dangerous and I just wanted to protect him. So I thought that he would be safer in prison for that night…"
Marie took Oscar´s hand into hers…"Stop it. Stop blaming yourself"
"…but Sean got hurt…"
" Sean wanted you to be safe, and that´s why he came there. For you. I don´t know what he would have done if he had lost you…"
"…And now I'm shoving in here… "
"That´s ridiculous! I am only happy to have company. Our parents passed away and I only have my brother" she smiled "I'm so glad that he found someone like you. Besides, I don´t think he´ll mind lending his room for you…" she winked.
"Thank you"
"But I don´t understand your father at all! How dare he abandon his own daughter just because she had fallen in love?! I really would want to give him a piece of my mind!"
"Say that again!" They heard a familiar voice saying. When they turned to look, they saw Alan…
"…he really don´t understand the happiness of his own daughter" he continued.
Oscar was surprised" Alan. What are you doing in here?"
"I was here visiting Dianne, when I heard you coming. So, I came to say hello."
"Dianne?!"
"Hmm, that´s right. She´s…a friend of mine"
Marie explained to Oscar "Alan has been supporting Dianne for these past few days. He´s been so wonderful towards her."
"Really?!"
"Well, I better get going. It´s late already. " Alan said "Oscar, say hi to Sean for me!"
"Sure"
" By the way, when will he get out of the hospital?"
"Soon."
"That´s good to hear!" he smiled and left.
" Alan has his eyes on Dianne" Marie whispered.
Oscar only smiled. Right at that moment Oscar's phone started to ring. It was Sean.
"I`ll just go downstairs." Marie said "Goodnight, Oscar"
"Good night, and thank you, Marie. You are so kind…" she said and then she answered the phone…
Oscar told Sean about her situation and about her search for an apartment, after which she admitted that she was in his room. For the night.
"Marie is happy to have you" he laughed "She really likes you. "
"And I like her. She´s so nice. And I like this room of yours. It has some kind of appeal to it…"
" You do? Well, in that case… I just happen to know the right place for you. One guy is moving out from his apartment and he´s looking for a tenant. I´ll give him a call now"
"But it´s late, already"
"Don´t worry. He´s a good friend of mine"
"Oh, well in that case"
"I arrange so that you can see the apartment tomorrow. I´ll send you a message where to go and when."
"Thank you so much…" Oscar said. Only then she remembered the conversation she had with his sister. She needed to know more about "Sean…Xavier François…"
"What?!"
"That´s your name, isn´t it?"
"Yes, but I do not like to use them. Sean is fine."
"Why?"
"It´s a long story…"
"Then it´s lucky that I have time on my hands…"
"Well, alright. My grandparents gave those names to me, when I was born."
"Marie said that those names were…"
"…used in our family for centuries. Yeah, I know…"
"But…"
"I don´t know much about it. I was still very young, when my grandparents got into an argument with my parents …over something old, ancient grudge or something between our family and some other family…"
"Wait a minute, you don´t think that the other family is my family?! Just like in Romeo and Juliet?"
"Romeo and Juliet…I never thought you´d like the story…"
"I don´t know about liking it, but…everyone knows it"
"…oh…" he said "I never thought about it, about the argument, because since that day I haven´t kept any contact with my grandparents. I have no idea of what was it about. Nor do I care."
"But why?"
"Because my parents were so tired of hearing about the old grudge. And so they argued with my grandparents, but the argument didn´t lead anywhere, and so my parents decided to leave. And that night they left feeling angry, and that´s when the accident happened…" his voice became saddened, almost as if he was crying.
"Sean…" she felt sorry for him.
"…and my parents died. Ever since then I have had no contact with my grandparents or I do not want to even remember my own roots."
"Sean…" she cried "I´m sorry…"
With her eyes wet Oscar walked to the window of Sean´s room and looked out of the window. A beautiful view over the city of Paris opened in right in front of her. The moon was shining, casting a beautiful silver framing on the city´s historical monuments and rooftops…
That beautiful, historical Paris
"You know, Sean…This view from your window is so amazing…"
Sean walked towards the window if his hospital room and looked outside. He saw the same moonlight as his beloved one…"I see it too from my window. And you know, Oscar; it´s so amazing to share this beautiful view with you."
"Oh, Sean…"
"I miss you, Oscar"
"Well, I'll visit you in the morning" Oscar managed to smile.
"Oscar," his voice had turned more cheerful "tomorrow I will get out of the hospital"
Oscar felt so happy. Hearing Sean´s voice saying those sweet things to her, opening his heart to her and sharing his painful memories with her- No one has ever done that…
"Sean…I love you"
"I love you, too"