Chapter 12: Vacation in Spain October 2004
Thursday, October 19, 2004
Clarisse had summoned Joseph to her office this morning. Since he was leaving for vacation in Spain in the afternoon, she wanted to see him before he left. Besides, today was a special day. It was Joseph's birthday.
"Good morning, Your Majesty. Are you well?" He began.
"Yes, very well, and you?"
"Well too. I can't wait to see my family again, but at the same time you know how much I hate being away."
"I wanted to see you before you leave. Today is a special day."
"Oh Your Majesty, not so much."
"Joseph, don't be so modest."
Joseph gestured to the camera, indicating to Shades to turn it off. They heard the camera click and Clarisse continued.
"I wanted to get you something before you leave."
"Clarisse, my dear, it really wasn't necessary."
"I wanted to get you something meaningful." She said, handing him a small square box.
"Thank you, my dear." He said before kissing her tenderly on the lips.
"But you are only allowed to open it on the plane." She clarified in her Queenly manner.
"Understood, Your Majesty." Joseph said before kissing her again.
Nearly an hour later, Joseph was sitting aboard Genovia One. The Queen used to provide the Royal Private Jet to some of her loyal employees. He opened the pretty box. First, a handwritten letter written by Clarisse. As he opened the letter, he felt a slight draft. Clarisse's perfume invaded his nostrils. She had taken care to perfume her letter. He brought it to his nose and sniffed it a few times before reading it.
My dear Joseph,
On this birthday, I wanted to share with you the extent of my feelings for you. I know that you find it difficult not to be able to live our love every day, but I want you to know that I love you with all my being. I know that one day, we will finally be able to be happy together. I look forward to that day.
In this box, you will find a record. On this record, only one song is recorded. I appreciate this song greatly, because it is a magnificent cover that Celine Dion sings divinely, but also because it expresses so well how I see and how I feel our situation, our love. It may not be my voice on this record, but it is just as good.
Through this letter, I want you to know how much love I feel for you. You told me 6 years ago that your heart had been mine for years, but know, Mr. Romero, that you have mine too, from San Francisco.
Enjoy this day and we'll see you when you get back.
With all my love,
C
Joseph felt tears welling up in his eyes. She had written him a love letter. She had taken that risk, just to tell him that she loved him, even though she knew he knew it. She had wanted to do something special for his birthday. He saw the famous record at the bottom of the box. He quickly rummaged through his carry-on luggage to take out his portable record player. On the record, there was was written, in Clarisse's handwriting, ''The Power of Love''. He put the record in the player and put on the headphones. He heard the first notes.
The whispers in the morning
Of lovers sleeping tight
Are rolling by like thunder now
As I look in your eyes
I hold on to your whole body
And feel each move you make
Your voice is warm and tender
A love that I could not forsake
'Cause I'm your lady
And you are my man
Whenever you reach for me
I'll do all that I can
Lost is how I'm feeling
Lying in your arms
When the world outside's too much to take
That all ends when I'm with you
Even though there may be times
It seems I'm far away
Never wonder where I am
'Cause I am always by your side
'Cause I'm your lady
And you are my man
Whenever you reach for me
I'll do all that I can
We're heading for something
Somewhere I've never been
Sometimes I am frightened but I'm ready to learn
Of the power of love
The sound of your heart beating
Made it clear suddenly
The feeling that I can't go on
Is light years away
'Cause I'm your lady
And you are my man
Whenever you reach for me
I'm gonna do all that I can
We're heading for something
Somewhere I've never been
Sometimes I am frightened but I'm ready to learn
Of the power of love
The power of love
The power of love
Sometimes I am frightened but I'm ready to learn
Of the power of love
The power of love
As I look into your eyes
The power of love
He understood exactly the message that Clarisse had made him understand through that letter and through the song she wanted him to hear. She had just made him understand that she belonged to him, that she wanted a future with him more than anything. She had just made him understand that when the time came, she would agree to marry him. It was the first time she had given him the certainty that she would agree to be his wife one day. He just had to be patient and wait for the right moment.
That evening, Joseph's entire family was gathered around the table on the outdoor veranda for a birthday meal. Much to Joseph's dismay, Valentina had been invited by Joseph's brother. Since he was unaware of Joseph's situation with the woman, he thought he was helping his brother develop a relationship with her.
"So Joe, do you think you'll be with us this year for the holidays?" Sandro, the son of one of Joseph's cousins, asked.
"I don't think so. I know you'd like me to be there, but it's not possible."
"Even for the holidays?" One of Joseph's cousins asked.
"Especially for the holidays. Actually, the royal family meets at the winter castle in the Libet mountains. I have to make sure everything goes smoothly. There are parties to organize and many people are invited. I have to protect the Queen, her family too. It's my job. And I love being there. It's a beautiful place."
"It sucks to work at Christmas though." Sandro added.
"I don't really feel like I'm working. And I get paid well, too." And then on Christmas Eve, the remaining employees all participate in the meal and we have a big gift exchange with the royal family."
"Wow, so you're telling me you're celebrating Christmas with the royal family? I admit I understand why you're not with us for Christmas." Sandro said, visibly impressed.
Joseph laughed at Sandro's words.
A few moments later, Joseph noticed Rafael heading inside the house, he followed him for a private conversation.
"Hey Rafael. I wanted to say thank you for Puerto Rico."
"It's okay Joe, you already thanked me. I told you, it really made me happy. And I got my money's worth too." Rafael replied with a laugh.
"Still, I wanted to thank you in person." He said.
They gave each other a quick hug, patting each other on the back, and went back to join the others.
Later that night, Valentina came and sat down next to Joseph.
"You know Joe, I could give you a wonderful birthday present." She said as she placed her hand on Joseph's thigh and cheekily mounted it.
"No thanks Valentina." He exclaimed as he pushed her away.
Joseph went to sit on a chair further away. Valentina got up and headed into the house to freshen up in the bathroom. As she came out of the bathroom, she noticed the door to the guest room was open. She opened it to take a look. She noticed the suitcase lying open on the bed. Joseph's suitcase. She went into the room to have a look and snoop around a bit. She noticed on top of the pile of black clothes, an envelope containing a record and a letter in a pretty envelope with Joseph's name written on it, obviously written by a woman. She sniffed the envelope and noticed that the paper smelled of perfume. Women's perfume. She looked behind her, towards the door, to make sure no one was there, then opened it.
"With all my love, C." She read aloud to herself.
C, who was C. She put the letter back in the envelope and put everything back in their original place. This woman Joseph had already told her about was obviously in a relationship with him. They were in love with each other, it was obvious, just by reading this letter. But who could this woman be? Valentina could feel the jealousy rising in her. Damn, she loved Joe and at least she was available and ready to be with him. Besides, Joe and they had already been intimate a few times in the past and they were an excellent match in that respect too. No, she had to know the identity of this mysterious C at all costs, and push her out of her way. Valentina left the room and returned to the others around the large garden table.