Mr. Sheffield's business partner was already seated inside the limo when the chauffer opened the door for her to get inside. Ada knew the woman was not very friendly and expected her to be angry about being kept waiting but to her surprise, she didn't say anything.
The lights inside the limo were on when Ada sat beside Ms. Babcock. Ms. Babcock sat near the opposite window with her legs crossed, the slit on her evening gown revealing her silky leg, her organizer opened on top of her leg as she talked on the car phone. Her small evening bag that sat between them was open, exposing the contents inside.
The items inside were neatly arranged. She noticed a small bottle of perfume, her wallet, compact powder, a lipstick, and a small brush. The vacant space must have been the slot of her organizer.
Ada was not the type who was easily intimidated. She ran her unit at the hospital with precision, and doctors consider her as one of the most efficient and reliable head nurses in the hospital but seated next to Ms. Babcock who looked like a model on her towering height of five feet nine inches and her great physique, she felt mousy seated next to her even if she had won third runner up in a beauty pageant back in college.
Ms. Babcock was systematic and organized as she jotted notes on her organizer during the conversation with the person on the other end of the receiver whom Ada believed was French since Ms. Babcock spoke a few words, and a sentence or two in French before hanging up the receiver.
She turned to Ada as she ended the phone conversation.
"I hope you don't mind the light on. I'm working," she said, looking directly at Ada.
With the interior lights shining brightly like lights on a theater dressing table, Ada gasped as she stared into CC's blue-grey eyes, and it all came back to her… one of Niles' final letters…
I was gasping for breath amidst the tumultuous ocean, I could feel myself being swept away in their stormy depths until I had no strength to fight, and just let myself drift among the shadowy tide.
Was it a metaphor? She shook her head to dispel her suspicion. The woman was just lucky to be born with greyish blue eyes. She was not the woman Niles had fallen for. Of course, it was a dream and not a metaphor.
"Not at all," smiled Ada.
"Well, even if you did mind, I'd still keep it on. It wouldn't matter what you feel. I have tons of work to do," stated Ms. Babcock, flipping the pages of her organizer.
What an unlikable woman, thought Ada.
She couldn't help but utter the adage Niles ones said in one of his letters. The literal meaning of the statement just suits this woman.
"There's no rest for the wicked…"
To the surprise of both women, they blurted the same words at the same time.
While Ada was left stunned with her mouth open, CC let out a little laugh, flipped her hair and went back to her organizer.
"I always say that in jest to stop myself from getting overwhelmed with work," said CC without looking up from her organizer.
Ignoring, Ada, she made another overseas call to discuss the theater they will lease when their touring group have a show in London.
"Mr. Hartwick, we decided to go with the London Palladium. No, we don't want the Prince of Wales Theater…. too small. We want to hold the show for fewer days with a larger audience, no… we won't play for more than 3 performances… we're not interested in that theater, that one is too deep. We're good with the Palladium."
Touching her eyelashes with the tip of her finger as she spoke on the phone, Ada once again noticed the greyish blue eyes.
Ada was getting a sick feeling at the pit of her stomach, but she was not prepared for the shock of her life when their limo almost run over a teen-ager in a bicycle that suddenly came out of nowhere, prompting the chauffer to hit the breaks hard, causing them to lose a little balance and CC's Chanel bag to topple over, scattering the contents on the car floor.
"Watch it, Nelson! You reckless chauffer. Are you trying to get us killed!" screamed Ms. Babcock.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Babcock! A kid appeared out of nowhere," explained the Chauffer.
CC ignored him, turning back to the man on the phone, her tone changed dramatically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hartwick, there has been a slight accident. Everything's fine now. Yes, we will come over on the 2nd, of August, a few days before the performance schedule. Yes, we'll wait for the contract in our email. Thank you."
Speaking with an associate on the phone, she had not immediately picked up the contents of her bag, giving Ada a view of its contents on the floor. She debated whether to help Ms. Babcock retrieve them or not, but her manners got the better of her, she picked up the long, slim lipstick that lay beside her shoe, Yves Saint Laurent. She smirked, her lipstick cost almost the same as her hotel room.
CC bent over and started collecting her things on the floor when the phone rang, she sighed and sat back on the seat before taking the call, inadvertently leaving her bottle of perfume on the floor.
Dumbfounded, Ada's shaking hands picked up the small perfume bottle that looked all-too familiar. She saved up for it and wore it before meeting Niles, remembering how he wrote about loving the scent of this perfume, he got all the top notes, medium notes and base notes down. Burberry Weekend.
Oh my god! Her scent... her eyes...
Ada stared at Ms. Babcock intently, scrutinizing every single thing about her. What was so special about her that Niles left me for this woman?
After listening to the caller for a few minutes, the caller enraged CC, turning her into Mr. Hyde.
"What do you mean she quitted, and you couldn't find a replacement Ophelia?! We are starting rehearsals in a week; I don't care if you swim the Pacific Ocean or climb Mt. Everest but get me a damn great actress that can play Ophelia!" she screamed over the phone.
Her blue-grey eyes darkened in anger like a tropicalstorm raging in the horizon, looking ravenous, ready to swipe everything on its path…
Niles' words haunted her again.
I can feel myself being swept away in those stormy depths until I had no strength to fight, breathless I clung onto the cold, misty night.
Remembering Niles' letters, she thought he was ranting about a dream of drowning in the stormy ocean literally… but he was talking about his feelings whenever he looked into her blue-grey eyes which remind you of the raging ocean in a storm.
Rage, envy, misery, melancholy were all the mixed emotions that were gradually building up inside her. This woman was only going to hurt Niles. She didn't deserve his love. She wanted to hurl words of anger and resentment towards Niles. Why would he choose to love someone like Ms. Babcock?
I am swimming in a pool of unrequited love but I'm happy.
"Don't get me just anybody, make sure she can damn well speak Shakespeare. We are getting a forty-year-old big star to play Hamlet so make sure you get an actress that's got acting skills at par with his, and not young enough to be his daughter. I don't care if all you can find are old actresses that can act Shakespeare then do something about the make-up to make them ten years younger for heaven's sake."
Ms. Babcock disconnected the phone, her temper still in hot pursuit. She blew the hair falling across her forehead with a big exhale to dissipate her anger and calm her nerves, not saying anything for the next few minutes.
Ada wanted to humiliate her. She wouldn't care if they had a fight in the car. Neither of them will see the other after today anyhow. Most arrogant individuals can't really do what they expect from their subordinates. They ask someone to do things perfectly but they themselves can't do it.
"Can you do it?" Ada dared Ms. Babcock.
CC turned to look at her, unsure if she heard her correctly. Her expression was unreadable, void of any emotion as though deciphering her message or debating whether to take her dare.
"I mean it's not easy doing Shakespeare but I'm sure there are actors who can, yet you think they are not good enough. Since you have a concept of how the part should be played. Can you, do it?"
Ada hated Ms. Babcock's expression. Nothing seemed to unsettle her. She always looked so confident and put together. She was sure the woman must be cold in bed and would definitely not satisfy Niles.
Without warning, she made a sudden shift from being CC Babcock to being Ophelia in the snap of a finger. She delivered the lines so well it gave Ada goosebumps. Was she an actress herself, thought Ada. From what she knew Ms. Babcock was a producer, not a director, not a trainor and certainly not an actress, but she was truly superb, her delivery was full of emotion and even her British accent was a natural.
"Good my Lord!
How does your honour for this many a day?
I have remembrances of yours
That I have longed long to redeliver,
I pray you, now receive them.
My honored lord, you know right well you did,
And with them words of so sweet breath composed
As made the things more rich.
Their perfume lost,
Take these again, for to the noble mind
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.
There, my lord."
Ada was left tongue-tied in awe, her heart breaking more and more by the minute. If she could deliver Shakespeare impressively then she must have been that fairy Titania with the lyrical tone that Niles talked about.
"Act 3 Scene 1 of Hamlet. It's where Hamlet and Ophelia broke up. Hamlet told Ophelia he loved her not, even if he did love her once..."
Ada could not hold back the tears. This must be how Ophelia felt when Hamlet told her he did not love her anymore. Her conversation with Niles in the kitchen kept playing in her head over and over. Forgive me, I love you not.
It was like rubbing salt to her wounds the way Ms. Babcock superbly delivered the lines of the heart-broken Ophelia. It was like mirroring her own emotions.
"Excuse me I'm getting off here," said Ada, informing the chauffer.
Ms. Babcock was surprised to see her dabbing her wet eyes with a tissue.
"What's the matter? I can't be that good that I got you in tears with just a few lines," said Ms. Babcock.
"We're almost at your hotel, Miss. It's just on the next stop in about two minutes," said the chauffer.
"It's okay. I can manage to walk. It's not very far," she insisted.
Suddenly her head was spinning, the scent of Ms. Babcock's perfume was stifling her, her poetic voice deafening her, with her heart breaking in pieces, she just wanted to get as far away as possible from this woman, whom by just the sight of her was a blatant reminder that she had lost Niles.
As Ada was stepping out of the limo, she paused and turned back to Ms. Babcock who was trying to make another call.
"Please don't hurt him, Ms. Babcock. He loves you very much. I hope you find it in your heart to love him even a little."
Ada smiled forlornly and closed the car door.
Sheer confusion painted CC's face. What was that woman talking about? Just who was she going to hurt?
She shrugged her shoulders and went back to her organizer, checking out their appointment tomorrow. She had a lot more important things to worry about than who that woman was talking about.