The scent

The movie began, and when Hugo saw the words "Hugo Lancaster" appear on the big screen, he didn't react immediately. Although he had completely adapted to his new name by now, the literal familiarity of seeing it didn't immediately strike him. It was only after the name disappeared that Hugo realized: the name referred to himself. It felt magical and subtle at the same time.

The school campus exuded a classical charm, with a tranquil and solemn atmosphere in every corner during early winter. When the bell rang, students in suits with ties filled the school corridors in an instant. Then, on the big screen, Hugo's tall and upright figure appeared in front of the bulletin board as he checked the Thanksgiving recruitment notice. He quickly confirmed his target.

With distinct features, intense gaze, red lips, white teeth, a strong nose, handsome and slender figure, and a refined and serene demeanor, Hugo captured the attention of many people as soon as he appeared.

Four carefree students sat chatting on a bench on the lawn, with one of them even smoking. When they saw the headmaster driving a Jaguar into the campus, they complained and couldn't believe it. They suspected that the headmaster obtained the luxury car by sucking up to someone, clearly disapproving of the headmaster's actions.

The leader of the group, Harry, planned to go on vacation for Thanksgiving. When they saw Charlie, who was looking for a job, they jokingly invited him on the vacation, as if it was a small favor from the rich during the holidays. Charlie, being a student relying on a scholarship, couldn't afford any vacation at all.

Following the information on the recruitment notice, Charlie found his destination at the Rossi family. He needed a job to earn money for a plane ticket to go home for Christmas. Soon, he met Lt. Col. Frank Slade, whom he would assist over the weekend. Charlie was frightened by Frank's irritable temper before even seeing him in person.

"Sir?" Charlie entered the room and knocked on the wooden board of the porch.

"Don't call me sir!" Frank's voice reminded Charlie of Mrs. Rossi's warning earlier.

Charlie became nervous immediately. "I, I'm sorry." His eyes wandered unconsciously due to the tension. "I mean mister, sir."

"Uh-oh, we got a moron here, is that it?"

Such straightforward words made Charlie uneasy. He turned his head to look at the front door, seemingly seeking help from Mrs. Rossi, who had already left. "No, mister... uh, that is..." Nervously, he took out the recruitment flyer from his pocket, trying to find the correct address. "Uh, Lieutenant. Yes, sir, Lieu..."

"Lieutenant Colonel. Years on the line, nobody ever busted me four grades before." Frank's reprimand made Hugo's gaze involuntarily droop, revealing a sense of confusion and helplessness. He slightly licked his dry lips, standing in place awkwardly, not knowing what to do. "Get in here, you idiot!" Frank's irritable voice prompted Charlie to step inside.

Frank, sitting on the sofa, had an ashtray in his left hand and whiskey in his right. Even when he was motionless, he exuded an aura of supreme dignity. It was evident that he wasn't an easy person to get along with. In fact, Frank used to be a war hero but unexpectedly became blind, which caused him to become eccentric. He was not only irritable, foul-mouthed, unpredictable, and cynical but also constantly taunted and yelled at Charlie, even showing no mercy to his own family, the Ross family. This left Charlie feeling at a loss.

Charlie didn't think he was capable of handling this job, but he was eventually convinced by Mrs. Rossi and decided to take it for the sake of the three hundred dollars.

That night, Charlie was working at the library, and right before closing time, George, one of the members of the group, stayed until the last minute to finish a report. After borrowing a book, George and Charlie left the library together. They unexpectedly saw the other three members of the group, led by Harry, hanging a white-painted balloon above the housemaster's parking spot, clearly intending to play a prank.

However, at that moment, Mrs. Hunsaker, a school teacher, approached, and upon seeing George and Charlie, George delayed her to prevent her from discovering their friends. But the noise made by Harry and the others as they left was still heard by Mrs. Hunsaker. However, George managed to deceive her again using his silver tongue.

The next morning, when the headmaster arrived at the school, he had just parked his car when a mocking announcement about him was broadcasted throughout the school, suggesting that he had sold himself out to get his Jaguar. This scene attracted the attention of the entire student body. Meanwhile, the balloon above the housemaster's parking spot had been inflated and was swaying above it. Enraged, the headmaster climbed onto his car and attempted to burst the balloon with his key. He succeeded, but the white paint inside the balloon spilled out, drenching him and completely ruining his Jaguar.

All the students who were watching applauded and cheered, finding it satisfying, but this infuriated the headmaster even more. He quickly learned from Mrs. Hunsaker that Charlie and George were witnesses to the incident, so he began questioning the two students. However, out of loyalty to their friends, both of them refused to cooperate. The headmaster threatened that there would be a school-wide meeting on Monday after Thanksgiving, and if he didn't get a result by then, he would expel Charlie and George.

After delivering the threat, the headmaster kept Charlie behind. In contrast to George's poor academic performance, Charlie was an excellent student with good character, so the headmaster offered him a tempting proposition. He promised Charlie a full scholarship to Harvard University, which directly held Charlie's fate in its hands.

On one hand, Charlie had the opportunity to win a full scholarship to Harvard, which would secure his future, and on the other hand, he had to choose between the rich kids who treated him with disdain and possibly being expelled if he revealed the truth. While the choice seemed easy, Charlie still didn't disclose the truth. The headmaster decided to let Charlie think about it over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Afterward, George immediately found Charlie and they made a pact: "We will never betray our friends, we won't tell our parents, and we'll keep our lips sealed. Most importantly, we will never abandon any of our partners." George asked for a few hours to come up with a plan, and then he asked Charlie to call him for further discussion.

With a heavy heart, Charlie returned to Mrs. Rossi's house. After bidding farewell to the Rossi family, he went to Frank's little cabin. However, Charlie received a series of incomprehensible instructions. Later, he was told that they were going to New York together, which startled Charlie. He had initially expected to spend the weekend at home, taking care of a grumpy blind man, but now he was being taken to the largest city in the world. This completely overwhelmed Charlie, and before he could react, he and Frank arrived at the airport.

Sitting in the first-class cabin, Frank sipped on his fine Jack Daniels and began demonstrating his exceptional skill of identifying women's fragrances. He could recognize all perfumes and even describe a woman's appearance based on her scent, accent, and more. This left Charlie dumbfounded, and the audience was equally astonished. Frank leisurely and somewhat wistfully said, "Women! What can you say? Who made 'em? God must have been

a fuckin' genius."

"Hair, they say the hair is everything, you know. Have you ever buried your nose

in a mountain of curls... and just wanted to go to sleep forever? Or lips, and when they touched yours were like... that first swallow of wine after you just crossed the desert. Tits. Whoo-ah! Big ones, small ones, nipples staring right out at ya, Iike secret searchlights. And legs, I don't care if they're Greek columns or secondhand Steinways. What's between 'em, passport to heaven."

Frank immersed himself in his monologue, while Charlie felt shy and awkward, and the audience blushed involuntarily.

"Yes, Mr. Simms, there is only two syllables in this whole wide world worth hearing: p*ssy." Frank's bold statement left Charlie utterly speechless, and all he could do was give an awkward smile. Charlie said, "I guess you really love women."

"Oh, above all things!" Frank confidently affirmed, "A very, very distant second is a Ferrari."

After arriving in New York by first-class, the two of them settled into a luxurious suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, which made Charlie feel particularly uncomfortable. Charlie thought he had accompanied Frank to the hotel and completed his task, and now he had to deal with the troubles awaiting him on Monday. So he voluntarily suggested leaving.

However, Frank insisted that Charlie go to the airport after dinner, and Charlie agreed. On the way to the Oak Room restaurant, Frank noticed Charlie's heaviness, so Charlie revealed his concerns to Frank. However, Frank dismissed it as a non-issue, showing no concern.

When Charlie noticed a hamburger on the menu priced at twenty-four dollars, he sensed that something was wrong and started questioning Frank. It turned out that Frank had deceived Charlie, and tonight Charlie couldn't catch his flight, forcing him to stay. Only then did Frank confess that he needed a guide to execute his plan. "It's sort of a... more like a tour, a little tour of pleasures: stay in a first-class hotel, eat an agreeable meal, drink a nice glass of wine, see my big brother. Nothing like family,

you know. And then, make love to a terrific woman. After that..."

"I'm gonna lie down on my big, beautiful bed at the Waldorf and... blow my brains out." After dropping the bomb in Charlie's mind, Frank continued ordering as if nothing had happened. However, Charlie couldn't remain calm. He looked at Frank with anger, fear, worry, and confusion, unsure of how to react.

Charlie finally realized the seriousness of the situation. This trip to New York was Frank's final indulgence before ending his own life, and Charlie couldn't do anything to change Frank's decisions. This left Charlie bewildered, terrified, and at a loss.

Unbeknownst to them, fifty minutes had already passed in the movie, and the audience in the theater was left shocked. Where would the story go from here?