Christian came to check on Toulouse the next morning. The sun was shining
bright and pouring through the windows of Toulouse's flat. It was about
noon and Toulouse was under the covers, blocking the sun, sleeping.
Christian sat on the bed and shook his friend's shoulders gently.
"Toulouse?"
There was a mumbling noise from under the covers; he was awake…well at least a little bit. He would be hung over the entire day, but that was the norm for the short man.
"Toulouse, wake up. It's nearly noon!" Christian said, tugging on the covers.
"I don't care!" Toulouse replied, holding the covers tightly.
Christian sighed and got up. Toulouse's flat was worse than his! It was filled mostly with empty Absinthe bottles, old newspapers, and other garbage that was never picked up. Christian started to clean a little, using the garbage can that was collecting dust. He picked up a ton of papers and you could finally see a patch of floor. It wasn't much but it helped a little.
"So Toulouse, what were you up to last night?" Christian asked while working.
"Went to the Moulin. The put on their first show in eighteen years."
"Yes I know," Christian said quietly. "And how was the old place?"
"Vibrant as ever," Toulouse said, finally emerging from the covers, and squinting his eyes to see Christian as clearly as he could manage. "Very good show."
"I see, and the new Sparkling Diamond, is she beautiful?"
"Oh, yes indeed. She was the best part," Toulouse replied, a little dreamily. "As a matter of fact, she reminded me of Jocelyn, they looked very similar."
"Toulouse, I think you had a bit too much Absinthe last night."
"No, it really did look like Jocelyn!" Toulouse said.
"That's impossible, she would never go near the Moulin, you know that," Christian argued.
"Why don't you come and see for yourself. There's another show tonight, come with me, it'll be like old times," Toulouse suggested.
"I don't know if that's such..."
"Come on Christian! Don't be such a hermit; you have to go back there some time or other. You can't stay locked in forever!"
"Fine. I'll go, only to prove you wrong," Christian said, giving up.
"Wonderful! We'll leave at 8 o'clock," Toulouse smiled.
"Can't wait," Christian said unenthusiastically. "See you later Toulouse."
"Good-bye Christian! See you later!"
Jocelyn saw him, standing on a ladder fixing one of the lights that had broke. She slowly walked over to the stage where the ladder stood, the skirt of her light yellow dress swishing as she walked. Peter saw her coming as he carefully descended down the ladder. She looked up at him but he avoided her gaze and continued packing up the tools.
"Can you forgive me?" Jocelyn asked, breaking the deafening silence. "Please. I tried to find you but they wouldn't let me. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, you're the Sparkling Diamond. Everyone wants you and paying customers always come before poor lowlives like me," Peter said, still not looking at her.
"No, I should've…"
"Please don't," he said. "It's nothing ok? Just forget it."
"We're still friends right?" she asked.
Peter finally looked at her. "You're the Sparkling Diamond. You can't afford to have friends."
The silence returned as they stood there. Jocelyn's eyes glazed over with tears, furiously blinking them back. Peter turned away, he couldn't watch her tears fall.
"Well, if that's how you feel, I have a job to get back to. Good-bye Peter," Jocelyn said and stormed off.
She broke out into a run until she got out of the building. The cold air pierced into her lungs even though the sun was shining at it's brightest. She walked around the block a few times to calm down. She must've looked ridiculous by not wearing a coat and passing by the same shops a few times but she didn't care. She was so angry at Peter. All she wanted was to apologize and hoped to still be friends, but instead she had lost him altogether. She knew that being the Sparkling Diamond comes with sacrifices but she had wished he didn't have to be one of them, but he was right. She couldn't afford to have friends.
After awhile she found a bench and sat down. It was later in the day and the sun was hiding behind a cloud. She shivered a little but remained on the bench. She wasn't so sure if she wanted to go back.
"Jocelyn?"
Charlie Bateson was standing behind her carrying a small bag. Jocelyn smiled.
"Hello."
"What are you doing here? And with out a coat? It's chilly out today," he said sitting next to her.
"Yes I know. I wanted to get a breath of fresh air and forgot my coat back home," she explained.
"Here take mine," he said taking off the black coat and placing it over her shoulders.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome," he smiled. He held her ice cold hands and placed a kiss. "Your hands are like ice! You better get back. C'mon I'll walk you there," he stood up, holding out his arm to her.
Jocelyn placed her hand on his arm and smiled. Together they walked back to the Moulin Rouge.
When they got inside, everyone was busy preparing for that night's show. Jocelyn handed Charlie his coat and turned to say good-bye.
"Thank you for walking me and for your coat. I'll see you tonight."
"Jocelyn, would you like to spend the evening with me again? I had a nice time last night and thought it would be fun to do it again, that is if you're not to tired."
In the corner of her eye Jocelyn saw Peter helping some of the stagehands. She felt his eyes watching her, well he was of no concern now. He made that perfectly clear earlier.
"Yes, I'd love to."
"Toulouse?"
There was a mumbling noise from under the covers; he was awake…well at least a little bit. He would be hung over the entire day, but that was the norm for the short man.
"Toulouse, wake up. It's nearly noon!" Christian said, tugging on the covers.
"I don't care!" Toulouse replied, holding the covers tightly.
Christian sighed and got up. Toulouse's flat was worse than his! It was filled mostly with empty Absinthe bottles, old newspapers, and other garbage that was never picked up. Christian started to clean a little, using the garbage can that was collecting dust. He picked up a ton of papers and you could finally see a patch of floor. It wasn't much but it helped a little.
"So Toulouse, what were you up to last night?" Christian asked while working.
"Went to the Moulin. The put on their first show in eighteen years."
"Yes I know," Christian said quietly. "And how was the old place?"
"Vibrant as ever," Toulouse said, finally emerging from the covers, and squinting his eyes to see Christian as clearly as he could manage. "Very good show."
"I see, and the new Sparkling Diamond, is she beautiful?"
"Oh, yes indeed. She was the best part," Toulouse replied, a little dreamily. "As a matter of fact, she reminded me of Jocelyn, they looked very similar."
"Toulouse, I think you had a bit too much Absinthe last night."
"No, it really did look like Jocelyn!" Toulouse said.
"That's impossible, she would never go near the Moulin, you know that," Christian argued.
"Why don't you come and see for yourself. There's another show tonight, come with me, it'll be like old times," Toulouse suggested.
"I don't know if that's such..."
"Come on Christian! Don't be such a hermit; you have to go back there some time or other. You can't stay locked in forever!"
"Fine. I'll go, only to prove you wrong," Christian said, giving up.
"Wonderful! We'll leave at 8 o'clock," Toulouse smiled.
"Can't wait," Christian said unenthusiastically. "See you later Toulouse."
"Good-bye Christian! See you later!"
Jocelyn saw him, standing on a ladder fixing one of the lights that had broke. She slowly walked over to the stage where the ladder stood, the skirt of her light yellow dress swishing as she walked. Peter saw her coming as he carefully descended down the ladder. She looked up at him but he avoided her gaze and continued packing up the tools.
"Can you forgive me?" Jocelyn asked, breaking the deafening silence. "Please. I tried to find you but they wouldn't let me. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, you're the Sparkling Diamond. Everyone wants you and paying customers always come before poor lowlives like me," Peter said, still not looking at her.
"No, I should've…"
"Please don't," he said. "It's nothing ok? Just forget it."
"We're still friends right?" she asked.
Peter finally looked at her. "You're the Sparkling Diamond. You can't afford to have friends."
The silence returned as they stood there. Jocelyn's eyes glazed over with tears, furiously blinking them back. Peter turned away, he couldn't watch her tears fall.
"Well, if that's how you feel, I have a job to get back to. Good-bye Peter," Jocelyn said and stormed off.
She broke out into a run until she got out of the building. The cold air pierced into her lungs even though the sun was shining at it's brightest. She walked around the block a few times to calm down. She must've looked ridiculous by not wearing a coat and passing by the same shops a few times but she didn't care. She was so angry at Peter. All she wanted was to apologize and hoped to still be friends, but instead she had lost him altogether. She knew that being the Sparkling Diamond comes with sacrifices but she had wished he didn't have to be one of them, but he was right. She couldn't afford to have friends.
After awhile she found a bench and sat down. It was later in the day and the sun was hiding behind a cloud. She shivered a little but remained on the bench. She wasn't so sure if she wanted to go back.
"Jocelyn?"
Charlie Bateson was standing behind her carrying a small bag. Jocelyn smiled.
"Hello."
"What are you doing here? And with out a coat? It's chilly out today," he said sitting next to her.
"Yes I know. I wanted to get a breath of fresh air and forgot my coat back home," she explained.
"Here take mine," he said taking off the black coat and placing it over her shoulders.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome," he smiled. He held her ice cold hands and placed a kiss. "Your hands are like ice! You better get back. C'mon I'll walk you there," he stood up, holding out his arm to her.
Jocelyn placed her hand on his arm and smiled. Together they walked back to the Moulin Rouge.
When they got inside, everyone was busy preparing for that night's show. Jocelyn handed Charlie his coat and turned to say good-bye.
"Thank you for walking me and for your coat. I'll see you tonight."
"Jocelyn, would you like to spend the evening with me again? I had a nice time last night and thought it would be fun to do it again, that is if you're not to tired."
In the corner of her eye Jocelyn saw Peter helping some of the stagehands. She felt his eyes watching her, well he was of no concern now. He made that perfectly clear earlier.
"Yes, I'd love to."