Chapter Nine: Old Friends
A.N. Thanks for the good review, IÕll try to keep it up. Also, I know that Taylor and Peter have kind of disappeared from the face of the earth. They may come back, they may not.
Christian heard a knock at the door. He opened it to find Harold, as well as Marie, Toulouse, the Argentinian, Satie, and the old doctor standing outside his door. Toulouse shoved his way through the group and hugged ChristianÕs legs.
ÒOh, Cwistian! We havenÕt seen you in so wong!Ó he exclaimed as everyone put their bags down in the entry hall. ÒBut tell me, how is Satine? In your wetter you said that she was not quite hersewf.Ó
ÒYes, Christian. Please explain what is wrong with my sparrow?Ó Harold spoke up.
Christian was unsure of how to begin. ÒWell, you all know about what happened with the Duke, right?Ó he asked. When they all nodded, he continued. ÒWell, Satine has gone into withdrawal. SheÕs been seen by a doctor who said no harm could come of this, but at the moment, sheÕs behaving like a small child. The doctor said it had something to do with her wanting to return to a time in her life when no one hurt her, and that she would snap out of it on her own eventually. Until she does, we just have to go along with it.Ó
The others still looked confused. The stood silently for a few seconds until Harold finally spoke up.
ÒCan we see her?Ó he asked.
ÒWell, when I left her upstairs she was sleeping, butÉÓ At that moment Christian heard Satine call for him from the bedroom. ÒWell, obviously sheÕs not anymore. Come onÓ. He led them up to the bedroom.
When he opened the door, the visitors stood in the doorway. It was shocking for them to see Satine, their sparkling diamond, in hysterics on the floor. Christian walked towards her and she reached upwards for him. He picked her up and turned around so she could see the company. ÒSatine, look whoÕs here!Ó he said. Satine looked a little surprised to see her old friends, but almost immediately reached towards Harold.
ÒI think she wants you to hold herÓ Christian said as he handed Satine to a reluctant Harold. Harold took Satine from Christian but was unsure of what to do next. He looked at Christian for support.
Christian looked at the clock and saw it was about lunchtime. ÒSatine, are you hungry?Ó he asked. Satine nodded. ÒLetÕs go downstairs and have some lunch, ok?Ó He led them down the stairs to the kitchen, with Harold still holding Satine. As everyone was sitting down, Christian brought out lunch and began making up plates for everyone. As he handed everyone their food, he noticed that Satine wasnÕt in any of the chairs. Just as he was about to go look for her, he felt something grab his leg. He looked down to find Satine holding his leg and looking up at him like a lost puppy. He smiled at her. This was not the first time she had done this. Christian lifted her off of his leg and put her in the chair between ToulouseÕs and his own.
ÒCould you watch her for a minute while I finish this?Ó he asked Toulouse, who agreed to watch Satine. As Christian finished serving lunch to everyone, Toulouse tried desperately to keep her attention. He had not been around very many young children in his life. No matter what he did, she kept turning towards Christian and whimpering.
ÒAlright, does everyone have what they want?Ó Christian asked the group. Everyone nodded and began to eat. About midway through the meal, Toulouse looked at Christian and said ÒI think we have a pwobwemÓ, gesturing to Satine who seemed a bit confused as to how to use a fork.
ÒOh, yes. I forgot that little Satine needs me to help her eat.Ó Christian half said, half laughed at the sight of Satine staring at her reflection in her fork. He took the fork out of her hand and began to feed her lunch. By now, most everyone else had finished, so they watched. By now, they had come to find her behavior endearing rather than strange.
After lunch, the entire group went into the living room. Satine was placed on the floor, while Christian went over to talk to Toulouse. The two men caught up on each othersÕ lives, and for once, Christian was not watching Satine like a hawk. However, after about ten minutes, Christian felt a tug at his pant leg. He lifted Satine onto his lap, knowing she wanted nothing more than his attention. She had been very clingy to him since going into withdrawal. Christian then got an idea.
ÒDo you want you make another picture, Satine?Ó he asked. She nodded, and sat patiently while Christian retrieved the crayons and paper from the bedroom. ÒAlright, now you sit here and let me know when you are finished, ok?Ó Satine nodded and began to work on her picture. Meanwhile, Christian continued to talk to Toulouse. He looked up when he heard Marie laughing on the other side of the room.
ÒToulouse, I think you have some competition:Ó she said as she carried Satine over to the couch. Satine handed her picture to Christian. Once again, it looked, at first, like scribbling. But as he continued to look at the drawing, it became clearer. While this drawing had no setting, Satine had drawn all of the people in the room. Of course, they were all portrayed as differently colored scribbles, but it was easy to tell who was who. ÒAnother Satine masterpiece. IÕll put this upstairs with your other drawingsÓ Christian said as he kissed her forehead.
The next morning, Christian noticed that they were in desperate need of groceries. The doctor was coming the next day to see how Satine was doing, so he knew he wouldnÕt be able to go out then. He went upstairs to find Toulouse on the floor playing with Satine while the others looked on.
ÒI have to go grocery shopping. Can you guys keep an eye on her while IÕm gone?Ó he asked. They agreed to watch Satine. Christian, who couldnÕt believe heÕd just gotten a babysitter for his girlfriend, knelt down on the floor next to Satine.
ÒSatine, I have to go out for a little while. You stay here with everyone and IÕll be back soon, ok?Ó Christian knew it wouldnÕt be ok. Satine grabbed his arm and screamed. ÒNo! No leave! I go! I go!Ó
Christian slowly pulled her off of his arm. ÒSatine, you know you canÕt come with me. Little Satine has to stay home. I wonÕt be gone long, I promise.Ó His attempts to comfort her were in vain. She kept screaming, but Harold gestured to Christian to go ahead, that they would take care of her. Reluctantly, Christian left. Toulouse tried to regain SatineÕs interest in the game they were playing before, but it was to no avail. Marie walked over and picked her up. ÒI know, darling. ItÕs alright. HeÕll be back soon.Ó She said softly as she rocked Satine back and forth. By now her screams had become whimpers. Marie sat down in the chair with Satine on her lap. ÒI know, lovie. LetÕs do what we used to do when you were younger and got scared. Do you remember our story?Ó
Satine nodded. When she first came to the Moulin Rouge, she had been only twelve years old. While she was forced to behave as an adult onstage, she was still very much a child backstage. Some nights she had a hard time getting to sleep, so Marie had made up a sort of bedtime story to help her calm down on especially hard nights. Eleven years later, Marie still remembered the story.
ÒOnce upon a time, there was a princess. She was incredibly beautiful, and everyone in the kingdom loved her. Do you know what her name was?Ó
Satine nodded. ÒSatineÓ she said.
ÒThatÕs right.Ó Marie continued ÒHer name was princess Satine. Now, princess Satine had all the toys and riches in the world. She had a diamond bed, and a gold table, and a silver armoire. She had more servants than she could count at her beck and call. And every night, many suitors would come, trying to buy her love. But princess Satine was not happy.Ó
Although somewhere deep in her mind she already knew the answer, Satine looked at Marie and asked ÒWhy?Ó
ÒWell, princess Satine didnÕt really want the diamonds or gold. She didnÕt want men trying to buy her love. She wanted to find someone who loved her for herself, not because she was rich. But man after man came, and no one fulfilled her wishes. Everyone wanted her for her money.Ó Marie was now embellishing the story a bit.
ÒWhat happen to pwincess?Ó Satine asked. Marie found it hard not to laugh at her toddler accent as she continued the story. ÒWell, one day a poet came to the castle. LetÕs see, his name was, um, his name wasÉÓ
ÒCwistian!Ó Satine exclaimed, suddenly getting excited. Marie chuckled and continued the story. ÒYes, thatÕs right little one. His name was Christian. And he did truly love the princess. Once princess Satine saw him, she loved him too. She knew he was what would make her happy. So the two of them flew away together and lived happily ever after. The end.Ó
By the time Marie had finished telling the story, Christian returned with the groceries. He was very curious to know how Marie got Satine calmed down. Marie promised to teach him the story later.
