Passages in French language are underlined.
A little disappointed, Padmé went up to her room and put on a conference call with her friends, explained what happened and that he left without asking for a date. They comforted her, said that there must be reasons for this and that she needed to be patient.
They wanted to make her mood brighter and arranged to meet at The Edith on Friday evening. Why The Edith of all lounges, when there were so many clubs and bars and lounges in downtown? They didn't know ...was the lounge recommended by someone, or was it just the fate...? They had no idea that Anakin worked there as a barkeeper.
Padmé spent two days until Friday with her parents. They had a large apartment at 612 Flower St, which they purchased after renovating the building in 2003.
Padmé never liked downtown L.A., preferring to hide far away, for example with her grandmother in The Summit. She would have preferred to be in Boston, but staying there after studying was not an option. She would be far away from family, far away from her friends, yes and there was also her father's law firm in L.A., which she will take over one day.
Now she went to her parents' office, wasn't working yet, she was on vacation. She didn't want to work until September, so these summer months were perhaps the last free, carefree time before the seriousness of life.
On Friday afternoon, Padmé began to prepare for the evening. She showered and stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself and wondering why Anakin was hesitant to ask her out, he was single and so was she. Was she not beautiful enough for him, was she even his type? He had shown interest, it must be something else.
She dried her hair and blow-dried big curls, letting them fall over her shoulders. She put on a lot of makeup and thought about what to wear. Everything she bought on Monday stayed with Grandmother, so it would be something she had already worn. This won't bother her friends and she's never been in The Edith. So: the little black one? …No, too formal. The Red dress? ..too obvious. The sequin dress?...too slutty. The dark purple sheath dress that reaches four inches above the knee? Yes!...and the black Louboutins...and the jewelry...is with the grandmother. Damned.
"Mom, my jewelry is at grandmother's, can you lend me some?!"
"Sure, Dear. Amethyst set would fit, I think."
"I'll just take the ear studs and the ring."
She looked at herself in the mirror and was satisfied with her own appearance.
Padmé and her friends didn't want to sit there all evening and half the night, so Dormé came with her Range Rover at eight and they wanted to pick up Sabé. With Friday evening traffic, it could easily take two hours to cover the eight miles. When they finally entered the lounge, it was already half eleven. They first looked at the beautiful interior and were led to the reserved seats.
"What could we drink, girlfriends?" Dormé wanted to order.
"Caipirinha…perhaps?"
"Oh yes. Let's go to the bar and take the drink. I love watching it being done...cool drink mixed by a hot barkeeper...holy shit, Padmé, it's Anakin!"
"Oh-my-God, he'll think I'm chasing him. Now this is embarrassing. I'll stay here."
"Stay cool, I'll get it done."
Dormé went to bar with the intention of saving the situation. "Hi Poster Boy, what would you do with the four girls who didn't know you work here?"
"I would wish them a nice evening and serve them as often as they wish."
"Not that you think we...thank you, Anakin. OK. , then four caipirinhas…please."
"Coming soon."
He mixed the cocktails and brought them to the table where the friends were sitting.
"Ladies, four caipirinhas. Enjoy." He smiled at Padmé but remained with professional manner.
In the course of the evening, several unaccompanied men approached four young, beautiful women, flirted, and one or the other perhaps wanted more. Rabé and Dorme responded to the attempts with humor, but it stayed that way. Nobody could get through to Padmé, she sat between Rabé and Sabé... and drank her Caipirinha No. 2 or No. 3….
Here and there, Anakin would glance over at her with a smile, just for a millisecond, always catching her eyes on him. She was allowed to do that, she was the guest.
After midnight the barkeepers changed. Anakin strode across the floor to piano. He was dressed entirely in black, which suited him even better than the summer outfit on the evening of the party. However, she noticed that he was still wearing a discreet adjustable pearl bracelet with mint, silver and white Miyuki beads. A friendship bracelet. Who gave this to him? This someone must definitely be important to him. A woman, girlfriend, his ex?
He sat down at the piano and started playing light, slow music...for dancing, but perhaps only two or three couples had moved to that rhythm.
Padmé chatted with her friends, but her eyes were mostly glued to Anakin. They understood her.
Just before two o'clock, before the lounge was supposed to close, Anakin got up from the piano stool.
"Dear guests, those of you who could be considered regulars, know that I play the piano for your enjoyment, but today there will be a premiere, I have a song that I would like to sing for one wonderful young lady."
He looked over at Padmé and she felt an eerie uneasiness. Dormé, Sabé and Rabé's eyes moved back and forth, they knew that who the wonderful young Lady was.
He sat back down and started. The piano tones and his deep baritone filled the room, no one was talking anymore, everyone was listening.
I don't know if you know
But I feel you in me
….
He looked at her and caught her glance. Padmé felt something like a punch in the pit of her stomach...did he mean her? He continued to sing...
…
I could swear that I knew you before
And maybe on another night, we were lovers in another life
…
…and looked at her again. Now tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to blink them away.
…
And you were just a ghost that stole my heart away
…
…he looked at her again. With a shaky hand, she placed her glass on the table. Sabé noticed her distress and grabbed her hand. The tears streamed down her cheeks and she couldn't hold them in anymore.
…
And now if you need me, you know where to find me
I'll always fall under your spell
…
Dormé took her purse, found a tissue and gave it to Sabé, whispering to her "Here, she can wipe the tears, she'll smear all the makeup."
…
Like maybe on another night, we were lovers in another life
Or maybe we were always strangers on mystery trains
And you were just a ghost that stole my heart away.
Padmé wiped away her tears, but her friends noticed that she was going through an emotional earthquake. They grabbed and picked her up to take her out and drive home. She turned her Head back to Anakin, who was bowing to the guests, and then she left, supported by Sabé and Rabé.
Anakin walked over to Bar.
"Just five minutes, Harry."
"It is OK., just go."
He stormed out the back door and into the parking lot.
"Padmé, wait!"
She stopped and her three friends walked a few steps further to give them a bit private space. He took her face in both hands.
"Why are you crying Padmé?"
"You play with me."
"No. This song was for you, I need to tell you somehow… how I feel. I'm sorry for making you cry. …we will meet on Thursday. Goodnight." He kissed her lips very briefly and let her go, watching after her.
Her friends supported her by walking, together they went to the car.
Padmé let her head fall on Sabé's shoulder and was completely calm, withdrawn. It was quiet, none of her friends commented or made fun of her, which they usually used to. They witnessed Padmé's emotional turmoil, which she had never experienced before.
They said goodbye at the entrance to the building at 612 Flower St.
"Shall I accompany you up to your apartment?" Sabé offered.
"It's nice of you, Sabé, but no. I can do this alone. Thank you for your support."
"Anytime Padmé, that's what friends are for." Came from her three friends.
Even though all the lights in the apartment were off, it wasn't dark. Facing the street through the glass front, the lights of the megacity penetrated in all the colors of the vibrant night. Walking slowly, she found her way to her room. She went in and closed the door. Now she was alone with her troubled mind. What happened? Was that a declaration of love? It looked like it. He didn't say I love you, but he wanted to express what he felt...and the lyrics of the song said it clearly. He must love her, after just a few days... just like she loves him. Crazy.
Someone knocked on the door and it slowly opened.
"Padme?"
"Mother, can't you sleep?"
"I heard the front door and... you're standing at the window, why don't you go to bed, what happened?"
"Nothing."
"It is something, one mother can feel it, tell me. Is it Rush…or Palo?"
"No, I didn't even see them."
"Then is it…maybe that pool boy?"
"Mother please! Don't call him like that. He is an intelligent young man with a master's degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering, a PhD student… please don't be so condescending."
"I'm sorry...what was his name?"
"Anakin."
"Yes, Anakin. Did he hurt you …somehow?"
"No, he didn't do anything to me, no he didn't...he sings a love song for me in front of all the people in the lounge...and then he doesn't even ask me for a date."
"Oh, my poor little girl."
"Mother, I'm not a little girl anymore."
"I know. If you were a little girl, I would put you on my lap and comfort you, but…..come…" she hugged her daughter and kissed her hair. "You fell in love, didn't you?"
Padmé said nothing, just nodded slightly in her mother's embrace. "I don't know why he doesn't want to date."
"He certainly has his reasons."
"That's what everyone says, Grand-Mère and my friends."
"Hm? Could it be that he thinks he's not good enough for you, if he doesn't come from a wealthy family, if he has to work hard to survive... maybe he thinks he can't afford such a spoiled rich girl as a girlfriend, Hm?"
"I'm not a spoiled rich girl... I had other priorities than having a lot of money and throwing it out with both hands."
"If you have a lot of money, you don't give it any importance, but if you have to work hard for it, you do. Show him what you really are."
"Thank you, mother."
"You don't need to thank, that's what a mother is for. I only have one more difficult mission to bring your father down from the clouds of his unrealistic ideas. Now go to bed. Good night, Dear."
"Good night."
Padmé went into the bathroom, wiped away her smudged makeup, took off her clothes, and got into bed. She thought about her conversation with her mother and couldn't remember the last time she spoke to her so matter-of-fact. Mother was right about many things. She had to think about how she could get to Anakin to see if her mother was right.
Tomorrow is also a day.
.
Best regards from Germany
Brian Fallon: You stole my heart
watch?v=dAPk6yZgBMU