7. AN OLD FRIEND
John was working over Satine's portrait when he heard the knocking on the door. He sighed and went to open it. The young woman was out for an hour for some shopping and he decided to use that time to make some details. There was no need to see her; her image was sealed in his mind so clear. A few days has past since they became lovers. John tried not to think of her mysterious past and she stopped talking about this. Everything was so simple and. just happy. Every inhibition faded away with the words: "I won't leave you." He opened the door and in front of him stood a young man with chestnut- brown hair, green eyes and black coat. His face was quite pale.
"Christian! So good to see you!" The artist exclaimed and let him enter. Then they hugged like brothers and sat on the chairs around the wood table.
"What are you doing back in London? I thought you are in Paris and enjoy the success of your play. James and I were planning to go and live there too."
"A lot of things happened there, John." Christian bit his lips and now his friend notice how worried the young man was. "Great, and not so great. At the moment I'm terribly confused."
"You sound quite serious, Chris. Is there something wrong with you?"
"A lot of things." The writer repeated slowly. "But, I'll tell you everything from the beginning. It started after I arrived in Paris. I met some local Bohemian from Monmartre. After I recited them some lyrics, they choose me to write the play, which would be released in the Moulin Rouge. I had to go to the show and talk with the courtesan, who would be lead actress and recite her some poetry. She. I can't find words to describe her - the most beautiful and fiery woman I've ever seen. When our eyes met I. went mad, like anything was possible and there was no salvation: a love at first sight. After the show I went in her room. Everything seemed so strange. I was terribly nervous and she - really advancing, trying to seduce me. All the words faded away from my mind. And then I just looked at the sky while the woman was throwing herself in "ecstasy" and everything just. arranged. I sang the best song I had just written in my brain. She seemed completely amused and stopped yelling, just listening to the words. Then we danced like we've been through the stars. In this moment I was completely sure this was love. But soon I understood she had mistaken me with someone else: the Duke. The financier who would make the play possible. Right in the moment I held her, he and Harold Ziddler, the owner of Moulin Rouge, entered. I could barely hide myself. And she tried to make the things right, dancing like mad in front of the man while they were left alone. She started reciting the words of my song and told him she had just found out the meaning of these lyrics and that they had to be together in the opening night. After the Duke was gone, the courtesan started yelling at me and fainted because of the nervosity. I placed her on the bed and while I was trying to wake her up, he came back and grew really mad about this scene. She regained consciousness and with all her artistic talent made him think it was rehearsal. The fact that the Bohemians entered in this moment convicted him a little more. Than I told what the play was about. Thank God, he believed the story and agreed to finance the play. And everyone was content of this denouement. The same night I saw her singing on the Elephant. I couldn't resist and went to her. I asked her if it was true that she loved me. She told me she was a courtesan and couldn't love. Then I started talking and singing about the real love and how we're made for loving each other. At first she laughed and mocked at me, but after that we cleared our feelings. Everything seemed so perfect, we had met every day and we've got a lot of occasions to see each other. She made everything to avoid the Duke who became quite angry with all this. And this game continued until the day Ziddler found out about our secret love. He told Satine she had to leave me.
"What?!" John exclaimed jumping from his chair. "Satine?"
"Yes." Christian said puzzled. "That's her name."
"No!" The artist's eyes became wider. "I met a woman in the park, completely wretched and fevered with French accent in her voice. Her name is Satine. She had amnesia. Now. I'm living with her."
"What?" It was Christian's turn to exclaim.
"John, I'm here." They heard a voice from the stairs. After a minute, the door was opened and Satine appeared. She was smiling but her smile got freeze when she saw the guest. The young woman grew paler and dropped the things in her hand, which wrapped up her throat.
"Ch. Christian."
With these words she fainted.
John was working over Satine's portrait when he heard the knocking on the door. He sighed and went to open it. The young woman was out for an hour for some shopping and he decided to use that time to make some details. There was no need to see her; her image was sealed in his mind so clear. A few days has past since they became lovers. John tried not to think of her mysterious past and she stopped talking about this. Everything was so simple and. just happy. Every inhibition faded away with the words: "I won't leave you." He opened the door and in front of him stood a young man with chestnut- brown hair, green eyes and black coat. His face was quite pale.
"Christian! So good to see you!" The artist exclaimed and let him enter. Then they hugged like brothers and sat on the chairs around the wood table.
"What are you doing back in London? I thought you are in Paris and enjoy the success of your play. James and I were planning to go and live there too."
"A lot of things happened there, John." Christian bit his lips and now his friend notice how worried the young man was. "Great, and not so great. At the moment I'm terribly confused."
"You sound quite serious, Chris. Is there something wrong with you?"
"A lot of things." The writer repeated slowly. "But, I'll tell you everything from the beginning. It started after I arrived in Paris. I met some local Bohemian from Monmartre. After I recited them some lyrics, they choose me to write the play, which would be released in the Moulin Rouge. I had to go to the show and talk with the courtesan, who would be lead actress and recite her some poetry. She. I can't find words to describe her - the most beautiful and fiery woman I've ever seen. When our eyes met I. went mad, like anything was possible and there was no salvation: a love at first sight. After the show I went in her room. Everything seemed so strange. I was terribly nervous and she - really advancing, trying to seduce me. All the words faded away from my mind. And then I just looked at the sky while the woman was throwing herself in "ecstasy" and everything just. arranged. I sang the best song I had just written in my brain. She seemed completely amused and stopped yelling, just listening to the words. Then we danced like we've been through the stars. In this moment I was completely sure this was love. But soon I understood she had mistaken me with someone else: the Duke. The financier who would make the play possible. Right in the moment I held her, he and Harold Ziddler, the owner of Moulin Rouge, entered. I could barely hide myself. And she tried to make the things right, dancing like mad in front of the man while they were left alone. She started reciting the words of my song and told him she had just found out the meaning of these lyrics and that they had to be together in the opening night. After the Duke was gone, the courtesan started yelling at me and fainted because of the nervosity. I placed her on the bed and while I was trying to wake her up, he came back and grew really mad about this scene. She regained consciousness and with all her artistic talent made him think it was rehearsal. The fact that the Bohemians entered in this moment convicted him a little more. Than I told what the play was about. Thank God, he believed the story and agreed to finance the play. And everyone was content of this denouement. The same night I saw her singing on the Elephant. I couldn't resist and went to her. I asked her if it was true that she loved me. She told me she was a courtesan and couldn't love. Then I started talking and singing about the real love and how we're made for loving each other. At first she laughed and mocked at me, but after that we cleared our feelings. Everything seemed so perfect, we had met every day and we've got a lot of occasions to see each other. She made everything to avoid the Duke who became quite angry with all this. And this game continued until the day Ziddler found out about our secret love. He told Satine she had to leave me.
"What?!" John exclaimed jumping from his chair. "Satine?"
"Yes." Christian said puzzled. "That's her name."
"No!" The artist's eyes became wider. "I met a woman in the park, completely wretched and fevered with French accent in her voice. Her name is Satine. She had amnesia. Now. I'm living with her."
"What?" It was Christian's turn to exclaim.
"John, I'm here." They heard a voice from the stairs. After a minute, the door was opened and Satine appeared. She was smiling but her smile got freeze when she saw the guest. The young woman grew paler and dropped the things in her hand, which wrapped up her throat.
"Ch. Christian."
With these words she fainted.