It was going to drive her crazy. “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.” She’d heard it where? She could hear the woman saying it, see the actress standing on a staircase in a black gown. It was the movie that had been on in the background while she was sorting out what she was going to do, if she was coming on this stupid trip just to show Hasnat she wasn’t down (even though she was). Bette Davis, that’s who the voice belonged to. “All the boys think she’s a spy, something, something, Bette Davis eyes.” Great, now that would be running around in her head for the rest of the night. And now Dodi had a new plan. He was going to have decoy cars and they were slipping out the back with this guy his father had pulled back on duty. She smiled slightly as she placed the voice; Bette Davis’ voice was certainly better than hers for drama. “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night,” Bette said again. Well, it had certainly been a bumpy night so far and she’d yet to fasten a belt in any of the cars she’d been in. She was ready to go home and see her boys, because Dodi was fast becoming a bore of the first level – he was starting to make Charles’ ‘green’ talk interesting. But Dodi (or his father) was paying, and she was getting some sun and some press and maybe when she got back, Hasnat would be ready to see reason about a future together.
Dodi was pressing her to stay in Paris; they’d met that summer and he said he didn’t want it to end. She did. She was more than ready to return home, even if she couldn’t see the boys right away. It really didn’t have anything to do with Dodi; she was just done with this summer, and Hasnat not calling, and her friends being everywhere else (often leaving her feeling without a friend to talk with), and the ever-changing plans Dodi made (and his ever-present phone with which he kept calling his dad, which made her wonder just which of them she was dating sometimes.) They were in the elevator down now, the bodyguard and Dodi fretting with other hotel employees about getting them out without a riot. Then it was out the back of the hotel (she felt like she was sneaking out without paying for some reason) and into the car. And then it was Bette again, “….it’s going to be a bumpy night.” To shut her up, she did what she always did in England: she fastened her seatbelt.
“You don’t need –“ began Dodi but she shook her head.
“I’m shutting up a voice in my head; she’s been telling me to buckle up all night,” she said with a smile. Dodi didn’t understand, but smiled back – but didn’t fasten his as the car pulled out only to discover the paparazzi were onto this new plan.
“Lose them,” Dodi ordered the driver before sitting back in his seat. The man, whose name Diana realized she didn’t know, replied:
“Oui.” And then they were out in the traffic.
Dodi was pressing her to stay in Paris; they’d met that summer and he said he didn’t want it to end. She did. She was more than ready to return home, even if she couldn’t see the boys right away. It really didn’t have anything to do with Dodi; she was just done with this summer, and Hasnat not calling, and her friends being everywhere else (often leaving her feeling without a friend to talk with), and the ever-changing plans Dodi made (and his ever-present phone with which he kept calling his dad, which made her wonder just which of them she was dating sometimes.) They were in the elevator down now, the bodyguard and Dodi fretting with other hotel employees about getting them out without a riot. Then it was out the back of the hotel (she felt like she was sneaking out without paying for some reason) and into the car. And then it was Bette again, “….it’s going to be a bumpy night.” To shut her up, she did what she always did in England: she fastened her seatbelt.
“You don’t need –“ began Dodi but she shook her head.
“I’m shutting up a voice in my head; she’s been telling me to buckle up all night,” she said with a smile. Dodi didn’t understand, but smiled back – but didn’t fasten his as the car pulled out only to discover the paparazzi were onto this new plan.
“Lose them,” Dodi ordered the driver before sitting back in his seat. The man, whose name Diana realized she didn’t know, replied:
“Oui.” And then they were out in the traffic.