Zoe - Part 2 of 3
2260 Words
Rachel is panicking. The car is parked nearby a small scruffy building, knited over time with about any disparate material. Hooked on its facade, a small sign hangs sadly having had its day. Zoe is not convinced either.
- Come on, Etienne says while opening his car door. It’s very good, you’ll see.
- Yeah if we don’t die poisoned! I don’t want to go in there! Zoe?
Zoe rases her shoulders. She is starving, but the place seems slightly disgusting.
- Well for my part, I’m so hungry, I’ll eat anything, Tristan answers as he opens his car door. Even a sewer rat stew!
- Yuck!
Rachel heaves a long sigh then, as her turn, opens the car door, resigned. Zoe follows suit. The place is tiny and smells musty. In front of them, a petite lady in her sixties is standing near the cash register, focused on bills. To their right stands a few half-empty shelves, on which are placed canes, handkerchiefs and other products that can be found in a convenience store. To their left stands small empty tables and benches.
- I hope there is a free table left for us, Tristan jokes. The place is crowded today!
Zoe and Rachel laugh while Etienne approaches the lady. This one looks up from her screen and gives him a big warm smile.
- Hi there! May I help you?
- Yeah, we would like to order pizzas.
- Of course, the lady answers on a cheerful tone. Here’s the menu. Have a seat, I’ll come see you in a moment!
She gives him the menu and points at the tables. Etienne takes it nodding to her then sits on a small bench, followed by Rachel who, obviously, sits next to him and by Tristan and Zoe who share the other bench. Etienne drops the menu on the tables and leans his arm on the top of the bench.
- Go ahead and take a look. I already know what I want.
- You’ve already read everything?
- No need, I know the place. I’ve been here before, the food is insanely good.
- And it’s now that you say it, Zoe answers, slightly annoyed.
- I wanted to tell you before, but when I saw your face, it was too funny to stop there.
- So… no rat stew?
- Nop. But there's a Big Mac pizza if you want to try something unique Tristan.
- Sold!
- It seems very good indeed. Is it what you take Etienne, Rachel asks as she blinks her long eyelashes.
- Nop, I’ll take the Special meats. We can share if you want.
Rachel nods, delighted.
- That’s a very good idea! Zoe, would you like to share a Big Mac pizza with me?
- I love pizza and I love Big Mac. How mixing those two things can go wrong?
- I love how you think! So let’s go for a PizzMac!
The lady comes at their table and takes their order with a big smile, then heads to the kitchen to prepare their meal. Etienne and Tristan talk about football while Rachel posts some pictures of their trip on i********:. Zoe gets up and heads to the washroom. It is set between the kitchen and the tables. The room is tiny and only illuminated by a neon which blinks from time to time. Like the restaurant, a little musty smell permeates the walls. Otherwise, the room is very clean and even decorate with a small paint above the toilet. As she flushes the toilet, Zoe hears bursts of laughter coming from their table. « Tristan and Etienne must have tell some stupid jokes. I hope it’s not about me. » She washes her hands and quickly restyles her hair before getting out of the washroom and returning at their table. The pizzas are not ready yet, but the lady have served their beverage when she was in the washroom.
- Here you are, we were just talking about you, Etienne says smiling as Zoe sits next to Tristan.
- And what were you saying about me?
- Me? Nothing, but Rachel was telling us about your last rafting descent.
- Rachel!
- What? It was kind of funny! Luckily, we had though of bringing a map.
- Is it true that you got lost on the river, Tristan mocks.
Zoe nods, embarrassed while the two men starting to laugh loudly. Rachel rolls her eyes to the sky, half insulted, half amused.
- Telling like this, yes it’s sound stupid! But there was a junction and…
- Don’t even try Rachel. Whatever the reason is, you got lost on a f*****g river!
- We weren’t thaaaat lost, Zoe answers still embarrassed. We just weren’t where we were supposed to be. The problem was to come back after.
- It was a living hell, my legs still hurt just thinking about it!
- It wasn’t that bad!
- Not that bad? We walked for two hours to finally found the checkpoint! And we had to pay compensation for the canoe!
Tristan and Etienne look at them, giggling. Zoe can’t take it any longer and starts to laugh too, followed by Rachel. After a while, they come to their senses.
- So, the moral of the story is : never let the maps to you, girls.
- Exactly.
- Noted for tomorrow!
- By the way, Rachel starts while leaning towards Zoe, did I mention you what my brother did before I leave this morning? I was seriously pissed off! You know how he can be an ass sometime, well figure you that…
Zoe only half listens to her. She looks at Etienne who has start talking football with Tristan. « He’s so beautiful… it wouldn’t bother me to get lost in the wood with him. He could warm me up with his strong arms and his chest so… mmmm. »
- That’s crazy don’t you think?
Zoe gets back to her conversation. Rachel looks at her, insistent, waiting for her to respond.
- Yes! Yes, that’s crazy.
- I know right! And then, he had hide my makeup bag, can you imagine if I had left without my makeup what I would have looked! And that’s not the worst! The other day….
« And there she goes again. » Zoe loves Rachel, from the bottom of her heart, but sometimes, she just talks to much to say nothing. But she is who she is and that is why the two of them seem to get along so well. Rachel to talk and Zoe to listen… or at least pretend to listen.
- Here’re your pizzas, the lady says a few minutes later, bringing their orders to their table.
- Thank you so much, Rachel answers while sniffing the food. Mmmmm, it’s smells good!
- And it’s tastes good to, Tristan reply, swallowing a slice in a few bites.
Zoe takes a slice and tastes it too.
- Wow! Really good! Who’d have thought that we could find a wonder like this in such a hole!
- I’m agree, Rachel answers. It’s really good!
- Yeah, exactly like I remembered!
The four of them savour their food with appetite, pay the lady who seems happy to see some money coming in and then, return to the car that Etienne unlocks.
- Hey dude, do you want me to drive the rest of the road, Tristan asks.
- Yeah, you know the way to the cabin?
- Basically, yeah!
Tristan sits in the driver’s seat and Etienne sits behind him. Rachel heads for the passager’s back door, but Zoe arrives before her.
- You didn’t want to be in front for your motion sickness?
- Yes, Rachel answers, pursing her lips. That’s true, Thanks.
The women take their seat and the car hit the road. They all stay quiet for a moment. Rachel seems sulky next to Tristan, Etienne looks at his phone while Zoe watches the buildings go by, each shabbier than the other. Suddenly, a light comes in her head.
- Hey, I heard you two talk about a cabin. Weren’t we supposed to go camping?
- Yeah that’s true, Rachel continues. We were suppose to take two tents!
- Utimately, I tought that it would be funnier if we were all in the same cabin. Why split up when the four of us can be together, right Tristan?
- Well say dude!
- You can thanks me later ladies, there is hot water to showering.
- I admit, it’s rather tempting, Rachel answers. A good hot shower after a day in cold water, that’s brilliant Etienne!
- You’re welcome.
Etienne winks at Zoe before going back to his phone. « Well, I’m sure I wasn’t dreaming this time. I maybe have a chance with him finally. » Zoe smiles as she continues her contemplation of the town who suddenly seems less gloomy. At the end of the town, the car turns on a dirt road, perpendicular to the main road, which goes deep into the forest.
- Hey dude, just a reminder, it’s the next one or the other one that I need to take?
Etienne looks up from his phone and scans the road.
- The second one.
- Ok.
He looks back to his phone without another word. After a few minutes, the vehicule enters a road even more chaotic than the previous one. Etienne turns off his phone, unable to see anything as the car is shaking too much. Another few minutes and they arrive at their destination. The cabin is bigger than what Zoe expected. On the ground floor, there is a tiny kitchen with a small kitchen island, a small round table big enough for four person, a large living room with a large stone fireplace and near the kitchen, behind a door, a bathroom with a shower. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms, one small with two single beds and two bigger with double beds. Once their luggages are inside the cabin, the negotiations begins.
- We need intimacy, us girls! So we should have a bedroom each. You, boys, will sleep together in the bedroom with single beds!
- You kidding Rachel! We are six feet tall, Etienne answers. We can’t sleep in a single bed, their are too short for us!
- He is right Rachel, it would be most fair if we let them have the big beds.
- Yeah! And you can have a slumber party, Tristan adds.
Rachel sighs, then accepts. The room is very small. There is only three feet between the beds. With all of Rachel’s luggage, they barely have space to move around.
- We got screwed, Rachel says with a sigh.
- Definitely.
After they finally succeeded to put all of their stock in the tiny closet, the two women come down to find the men in the kitchen.
- You took your time, Tristan laughs at them.
- If you’d saw Rachel’s suitcase mountain you’d understood why it was so long.
- Before you came, we were thinking to go the the grocery store right now, Etienne cuts them. I have my fake ID for the alcohol. Who want to come with me?
- Me, Rachel answers immediately while taking her handbag.
- Good! See you soon folks!
Etienne gets out of the cabin, followed closely by Rachel who stops just before she reaches the door to whisper to Zoe.
- Wish me good luck!
Then, without waiting for her answer, she gets ou and, with her elegant gait, joints Etienne and slips into the car. Zoe closes the door, thoughtful. « I’d love to be as pretty and gracious as she is. » She turns to Tristan who is sitting at the table. He invites her to join him and she complies.
- They’d made a cute couple, don’t you think Zoe?
- Yeah, sure.
Tristan gives a little laugh then sighs.
- You know, I’m not stupid. I saw how you look at him.
- I don’t know what you’re talking about.
- Yeah, sure…
He taps the table with his fingertips then sighs.
- Well, they probably gone for a while. Do you want to help me with the route for tomorrow?
- Are you sure it’s a good idea? You know what happened last time!
- Nonsense, you were with Rachel, it’s normal that you got lost. Don’t worry, I’m far from being a Rachel!
Zoe giggles, imitate by Tristan who handing her a map and a pen. They work on the route for an hour or so, exchanging jokes every now and then. They just finished when Rachel and Etienne walk inside, hands full of bags of alcohol and food.
- Writer
