The blind date - Chapter 8 - Fiction
Olivia woke up with a bang when her alarm went off at four o clock. She slept like a baby and even though she had quite a few hours of sleep she was still tired. She got up to make herself a cup of coffee, and walked past the shelf with the dolls. She still had no idea who that doll came from, but it excited her to see all the dolls sitting there in their rightful places. For a second she laughed at herself, and thought that most people would think she is batshitcrazy to get excited about dolls, but who cares? She has always been somewhat of a basket case when it came to dolls.
Perhaps it was because that was the last happy memory she had of her dad. He gave her the doll for her birthday and was killed a week later in a car accident. Hence her obsession to become a doctor. She still believed that her father would have lived if they got him to the hospital quick enough. Olivia grew up with her mother and they never quite got along. She always felt as if she was in the way. Her mother remarried a few years later and Olivia couldn't wait to get out of the house. Her father left her a sum of money in a trust and when she turned eighteen she was finally free.
Her father's money gave her the opportunity to go and study and the opportunity to go and travel for a year. She visited at least seven European countries during that year and she still had quite a few countries left on her bucket-list. It was in Sweden that she found the first doll, and she had it shipped back to New York while she traveled. The dolls became somewhat of an obsession and she visited every antique shop in every town she visited, to see if she could complete her collection.
She met James in Paris on her first night there and everything seemed so magical. He literally swept her off her feet and he called her his muse. They became very close and she moved in with him a few weeks later. In the beginning it was wonderful, but things quickly turned sour when she wanted to go to England and he wouldn't let her. There was nothing wrong that she could pinpoint specifically but soon realized that it was a very unhealthy relationship. Jean Pierre seemed obsessed with her and it started to creep her out.
He didn't want her to go anywhere alone, and she was not going to be ruled by any man. She knew that she had to get out of there and booked the first flight out and came straight back to New York. She applied for a job at the hospital and she has been here ever since.
Olivia suddenly felt a shiver down her spine and poured herself another cup of coffee. "I'd better get ready or I'm going to be late" she thought to herself. She took a quick bath and was busy drying her hair when the phone rang. It was Doctor Lawrence. He wanted to change shifts with her and asked if she could do the night shift the following night as it was his anniversary. She gladly accepted as that meant that she didn't have to work the following day and she could enjoy her night with James.
She just finished her make-up when the door bell rang, and she grabbed her handbag, took one last look in the mirror and then went to open the door for James. James stood in front of the door looking as handsome as can be. He had both a bottle of wine and a bunch of flowers in his hands and looked very uncomfortable. She laughed when she saw the pathetic scene and grabbed the flowers and invited him in.
"Will it be safe to leave my car here?" James asked. "I just phoned Uber and they will be here in fifteen minutes. I think we've learned our lesson about drinking and NOT being able to drive. Do you want a glass of wine while we wait?"
"Well are you trying to get me drunk before we even go out Doctor?" Olivia asked while she grabbed the wine glasses from the shelf and handed him the corkscrew. In no time they each had a glass of wine in their hands and she invited James to sit down in the living room. They chatted for a few minutes and then the message came through that the car was there. James excused himself to go to the bathroom and she suggested that he use the one in her bedroom. The guest bathroom had some kind of plumbing problem and she hasn't had the time to sort it out. She grabbed the glasses and quickly rinsed and dried them to put them back on the shelf. When James came back he looked a little off guard.
"Goodness Olivia...those dolls freak me out. How do you sleep while they watch your every move. It's really creepy" James said.
"Perhaps you have seen just one too many horror movies?" Olivia laughed and grabbed her coat while opening the door for them to leave.
Olivia had no idea who the artist was but James seemed very excited. He never had the opportunity to go to any art shows, as he hated going to these functions alone. His ex-fiance didn't like art.
They walked into the studio and mingled a little bit. Somehow the art seemed very familiar to Olivia and she realized that it was quite similar to the technique Jean-Pierre used. She loved the artwork with the dolls and told James that she would love to buy it. He shook his head and told her that it was freaky. She laughed and then decided to buy it. She was very impressed that she owned a piece of art of a new upcoming artist and couldn't wait for him to reveal the main painting that was still covered with a red cloth.
James grabbed two glasses of champagne and Olivia was enjoying every single moment of the show. People started to gather closer for the revealing of the painting and Olivia told James that they should also try to get closer. The owner of the gallery asked everybody to keep quiet for the big reveal and Olivia spilled champagne all over her dress when a man bumped into her by accident.
The man apologized and Olivia was so busy trying to find something to dry her dress, that she did not see the painting being revealed.
When she looked up she had the shock of her life. It felt as if she looked straight into a mirror. There was no question that it was her in the picture and then as if from nowhere, Jean Pierre appeared before her.
"Bonjour mon amour, je suis heureux de vous voir" (Hello my love, I am glad to see you)
James was just in time to catch her when she fainted.
To be continued
Chapter 1 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-blind-date
Chapter 2 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-blind-date-chapter-2-fiction
Chapter 3 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-blind-date-chapter-3-fiction
Chapter 4 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-blind-date-chapter-4-fiction
Chapter 5 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-blind-date-chapter-5-fiction
Chapter 6 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-blind-date-chapter-6-fiction
Chapter 7 - https://steemit.com/fiction/@giantbear/the-blind-date-chapter-7-fiction
Great story...love it waiting next episode....thanks @giantbear
Wow @giantbear what a twist - "James was just in time to catch her when she fainted." poor gal, she had been thinking of "Him", and then boom boom, out go the lights. Questions now on the other foot. Karma? Like I said what a twist. Thank you for entertaining me.
The story of Olivia is really touching, I think that one of the reasons why people look towards the end of humanity is that people are afraid to die alone. If you die alone, the people you love will miss you, or if they die, you miss them - the sorrow is inevitable. When you truly love someone, the thought of losing them forever is horrible.
Lovely story @giantbear.
Wow this is getting very intriguing thanks for sharing.
Nice story.. Thanks @gaintbear. Now I waiting the next.