Sasha J.M. - The Grasshopper

“You know, this breakfast of ours has gotten pretty long. I didn’t expect that.”

“I know. But you saw yourself.. my father wanted to go through all the questions with you once more. Please understand him.”

“I understand, I understand… certainly. But I have obligations.”

Prince waited for them to be served the coffee and then asked:

“But what obligations? Now everything is being done by the members of your team: technicians, cameramen, the director… Miss Babe, I listened very carefully when you explained to me how your show is produced. All you need to do is get to the studio fifteen minutes before the show time. What are you hiding from me?”

“I obviously don’t have a choice. I have to tell you, otherwise you won’t allow me to leave, right?”

“I won’t allow you. You can be certain of that. Now just admit everything.”

Babe sighed and said:

“Mr. Kaella, an entire team of people of various profiles have been waiting for me in the adjacent hotel for an hour already.”

“Why?”

“Well… to touch me up for the interview.”

“Really? I thought that you will… that you’re already touched up. Although it seemed a little too, how would I say it… conservative. But I thought that you chose such a style for my elderly father. Although, on the other hand… your viewers are not used to seeing you like this.”

“Mr. Kaella, I’m leaving this instant,” Babe said, already getting up from the table. “Some procedures, treatments take some time. Forgive me, please, I’m getting nervous…”

Prince also got up, and looked at her with a smile.

“With all due respect to your father… and today I don’t really care what my viewers are used to. I’m getting touched up for you, if you really want to know! Now I’ve lost the element of surprise and I’m very angry because of that!”

Babe abruptly turned spun around and started walking briskly towards the dining room exit. Prince ran after her, got around her and stood in front of her.

“Miss Babe,” said Prince, eating her up with his eyes.

“Yes?” Babe asked angrily.

“I have reserved a superb restaurant, I mean the entire restaurant, just for the two of us, tonight… with candles. Will you…”

“If you wish so after the interview.”

“If I wish so?!”

“Mr. Kaella, you know how to rule the world but you have no idea how much time it takes a woman to prepare for… please, let me pass.”

Prince watched as her curves strained the fabric of the slim conservative skirt, as she walked away, at almost a running pace.

“Pascal, wake up! Pascal!” shouted Raul Bukowski, the head of Pascal’s electoral staff, while pounding on the door of his room.

“Here, here… take it easy, Raul,” said Pascal, getting up from his bed, fully dressed and hung over.

He went to the door and unlocked it. Raul, a small stocky man nearing sixty years of age, stepped into the room.

“Where’s Svetlana?” he asked.

“She’s gone,” Pascal responded, while locking the door.

“Without goodbye?”

“Don’t be angry at her.”

“You got drunk because of Svetlana?” Raul questioned him.

“Yes… everyone is probably talking about it… What time is it?” asked Pascal, passing his hands over his face.

“Nine.”

“Nine? Why are you waking me so early? In any case, why are you still here? You haven’t decided to stay in Megapolis, have you? You have no obligations to me anymore.”

“We have no obligations to you anymore?” said Raul staring furiously at Pascal. “Shame on you! You think that we did all this because of some obligation to you? At any rate, how do you dare say something like that? I don’t allow you to insult such wonderful people from our team.”

“Forgive me, Raul, forgive me, please… I didn’t mean it like that… you know that I didn’t… my head hurts… Wait here. Let me wash my face… to get… to come to my senses. You burst in like that…” said Pascal in a hoarse voice, while closing the bathroom door behind him.

After ten minutes, washed and shaven, he came up to Raul, who was standing at the window watching the workers taking down the stage in the square. An echelon of inspectors in helmets and carrying shields prevented angry protesters from approaching the stage, the hotel and the television station.

“Get away from the window,” Raul said, turning towards him and pushing him deeper into the room. “Sit on the bed. Here, in this blind spot,” he said pointing at the pillow.

“You’re overreacting, Raul,” said Pascal, who sat on the bed anyway.

“I’m not overreacting. This window might already be in the sights of one of Erivan’s snipers.”

“It might…” Pascal whispered.

Raul sat down next to him and patted him in a friendly manner on the knee.

“Come on, Pascal. Our entire team is already in the lobby. They’re waiting for me to bring you down. The mayor will send a bus which will take us safely to the airport. And there’s an airplane waiting for us. We can fly away wherever we want. I recommend a smaller city, one that is completely in our hands. An old decrepit one, one that Prince Kaella is not interested in. We can’t provoke him anymore. Hmm? What do you say?”

“There, there… I agree. That’s wise… go.”

Raul took a deep sigh, got up off the bed and looked at Pascal.

“We should go? Without you?”

“Yes. Why are you torturing me again, Raul? Do you think its easy for me to part with all of you? I told you clearly that I would hold that speech.”

“How? The stage is being dismantled, people are being driven away. Who will you speak to?”

“I don’t know. I’ll go out into the square and speak. To the inspectors if need be.”

“Pascal, in all these years, how many times have we been driven out of some city?

“Countless times.”

“And what? Nothing. We continued on. And we returned to those cities a few months later, a year later, when our movement gained strength in them, when our people took local power. So what’s the difference?”

“This is Megapolis.”

“I don’t believe you, Pascal. I don’t believe that you are being stubborn against Prince Kaella because of Megapolis. Those that want power are stubborn. And Pascal Alexander is not like that. I don’t believe you, Pascal. There’s something else going on. Svetlana, right? You’re disappointed and miserable because of her?”

“Yes, because of her.”

“Why? What happened? Liam reported to me that his guard in the lobby saw Svetlana leave the hotel, suitcase in hand, at dawn.”

“She left me.”

“Left you?” Raul was surprised, and then asked “Did you tell Svetlana what happened at Seneca’s place yesterday?”

“I did.”

“And you told her that you were still going to hold the speech?”

“Yes.”

“And it didn’t occur to you that she left only in order to make you go with her? To get you out of Megapolis?”

“That’s not why she left.”

Pascal stared at the floor the entire time, with his head hung low and speaking softly. He did not look up even once at Raul, who stood in front of him.

“Pascal, excuse me, but I have to tell you. You too are not as young as you used to be. Svetlana is probably the first woman to leave you?”

“Yes.”

“You are actually in shock now. I can understand that. But you’ll realize that it is normal, natural. Time does its thing, Pascal. We’re getting old. And Svetlana is young. She has the rest of her life to live. Someone her age probably caught her eye… but… where did she meet him? She’s been with us the entire time… Is it someone from the campaign? No, no… someone would notice it. OK, OK… you’re in shock. Svetlana could have waited a bit longer, she could have chosen a better moment. Not like this… to disable you. I did notice, I really did, that she’s been kind of quiet lately… restrained. And you, Pascal, when you calm down you can finally find yourself a serious woman your own age. Well, not exactly your age… just a little younger. And you can have children, create a family. As befitting a democratically elected president. That’s what I’ve been telling you all these years. Now you see for yourself that I was right… Admit it.”