43 - Going to a Date

Henriette slogged through the Champ-Élysées's streets. The sight of the historical monument would wow anyone, but she wasn't feeling it that day. She wasn't interested in the designer perfume shops either. Flowers's scents made her think of girls. And she was avoiding thinking about girls because... Well...Making up with Nadine wasn't guaranteed.

She was trying to forget about her right now. She winced. Nadine, Ô Nadine... She could give up her badge if it meant they could interwind their hands again. Henriette shook her head. She mustn't think that way. Zheng Tai, the Prime Minister, wrote that great line in one of his numerous self-help books: 'Thoughts, positives or negatives, shapes our future reality.'

The surroundings seemed like they wanted her to be surrounded by undesired romantic thoughts. The universe sent couples of girls after couples of girls walking past her...The one sharing one scarf and walking hand in hand? Definitely lesbians. And the girls talking over there? Lesbians. Every single lesbian was in a couple, walking in front of her. Everyone but her. Ô Nadine...

Henriette looked straight into the window of a make-up shop and faced herself, "Come on Henriette. I just have one explanation to hear and that's it. We're going home straight after that." She pinched her cheeks, "Let's go!"

The automatic doors opened, and two girls came out of it. One had pink dyed hair, while the one walking with her wore a niqab and round nerdy glasses. She was holding her arms tenderly.

Those are only good friends, that's all. Henriette diverted her gaze. The problem was that human beings had peripheral vision. Henriette could see perfectly the two girls kiss.

Anger blinded her, "Fuck! I can't take it anymore. Can't you stop kissing in front of me!" She turned her back to them.

"Excuse me. Are you talking about us?"

She maybe spoke louder than what she'd want. Henriette swallowed and looked at the two women.

The girl with dyed hair put the other lady behind her back, "You want to fight?"

Of course not. Henriette would rather run. So she ran. The punk girl ran after her, letting her girlfriend all alone just to chase her across the city.

Great Henriette, great. She was one only one able to mess up like this.

Henriette headed to the place she was going to: the Trocadero. All she had to do was to avoid being murdered by the angry woman behind her. Henriette accelerated the pace and checked her watch: 7h30 PM.

When Henriette arrived at the Trocadero, it was full of tourists. How could she run past them?

Henriette had to slow down, letting her breathy attacker reach her, "I'll kill you!" She groped the back of her jacket.

Henriette then walked as far as she could in the place of Trocadero until she reached the place between the gate and the void. She walked so far away she could see the entirety of Eiffel's Tower when she raised her head, and she could see the void when she lowered it.

They were falling and heading straight for the ground. With that much height, they would be crushed to a pulp once gravity would do its job. And, cherry on top, they were falling headfirst. If Yoh Song-ho didn't lie about the date and brought Nadine here, Henriette would never get to talk to her again, "I failed... So close..." She glanced at the youngin falling with her. The poor girl was baffled. She would never see her lover's face back. All of that was her fault.

A pair of arms, belonging to a woman in smoking, held her from the gate.

Henriette raised her nose and met a face with dark circles below the eyes, and a top hat on her head. A brown ponytail got out of her hat. That could only be her big sister, "Grenadine!"

"Troubles?" She pointed at the other girl with her chin. She was carrying her too, unsurprisingly. Grenadine wasn't the head of her secret police division for nothing. The punk girl, poor thing, had lost consciousness.

Henriette nodded. Grenadine held her wrist tight and threw Pink Punk girl in the bushes.

The muscles on her arms contracted in dear, "Grenadine! What if something happens to her?"

She shrugged and adjusted her top hat, "At least, she won't bother you for months." She raised her back in the place. Nobody glanced at them.

Grenadine was the kind of woman who smiled for reasons nobody found funny, like the current situation.

"Why the long face?"

Henriette scrubbed her wrist. Damn, how strong was she? "I'll be in trouble if she's hurt."

"It was legitimate defense, Henri. And an outrage to an officer of the state etc...."

Henriette pointed herself, "But, I'm dressed as a civilian!"

Grenadine's smile showed up again, as she took out Henriette's gun from her own gray pants. She knew her sister lied.

Her skin became blue, "I...I!"

"A big lie, Henri! You know you don't have the right to pull out your gun without your police ID. It's specifically written in the article of..."

That's it, Henriette wasn't listening anymore. Grenadine always found a way to recite her missed law studies in any of her discussion.

"The L122 article etc... You wouldn't denounce your little sister, would you?"

She shrugged, "If the law says so, I would. We're representant of the law, remember?"

Henriette stuttered a 'yes', then reached her hand to her big sister, "I'm going to date. I met some cute girl on the net and I don't know if she's safe or not. That's why I need it. In case something bad happens.

Grenadine disposed the weapon on Henriette's palm, without releasing it, "You know what I think about internet dating." Her hand let the gun fall back into the hand of its owner, "Be careful. And you better tell me the truth."

"Why would I lie to you?"

Grenadine didn't answer, then left.

Perfect. Good riddance. She would never want to deceive her country and her sister for a mob girl, but she said something true. Half true. She was warry about her date.

Henriette hid between the trees, just to be sure. She pretended to walk, casting glances at her surroundings.

From the corner of her pupils, a brunette with a hat walked through the bushes.

Fuck! She knew it. But Grenadine couldn't catch her talking with Nadine!

She took out her phone. The screen showed her the current hour: 7H45 PM. Only fifteen minutes left. She held her cellphone and bit her lip, "I don't have time for these things !"

Henriette turned her head to her big sister (or so she thought) before finding a one meter high bush.

Her veins showed up, "She wants to play that game? She doesn't know who she's putting a fight with."

Henriette turned and ran straight toward the Champs Elysées. Immediately after, other steps followed. Henriette would probably be 20 minutes late to the date, but she'd rather be late than being on time and exposing Nadi to her heartless sister.

"Ah. Henriette, you're the dumbest of the dumbest. Chased by two women on the same day!"

Grenadine was working in the secret police for a longer time than Henriette. When she was a grade-schooler, she was bragging to everyone that her big sister was a superhero.

Henriette never had her strength or endurance. But she had her brain.

She entered the nearest off-the-rack shop, took some articles, and ran away in the nearest cabin. It wasn't long before someone else entered the same shop. Grenadine's steps were careful as she was searching in the whole place. She finally stopped before her box.

Fuck.

She pulled the curtains, "Henriette, I know you're in there!" And then she saw her sister naked, with a brown wig, trying to put on a pair of jeans. Grenadine did not recognize her.

"You pervert!" Said Henriette, "I'll call the police!"

When she heard that last words, she cringed, "No! Don't do that! Please forgive me, Miss..." She got out quickly, her face red.

Henriette laughed, "Here I come, Nadine!"