The Black Onyx Pact (2 page)

She tightens her robe on and steps back.
«Claude, please
—
»
«What? Isn't it true? When I fuck you it seems you don't even like it.»
«Please, don't use that word, sweetie, you know I don't like it. And yes, of course I do like to make love with you. It's just that I cannot express myself because I know it bothers you, so I restrain myself.»
«Of course it bothers me! You scream like a slut when you come! I feel like I'm fucking a whore!»
Sibylle turns her face to the side, holding back the tears.
«You don't like my orgasm, you don't like how I talk, you don't even like my pussy!»
«That's not true. It's warm, it's welcoming, it serves its purpose. It's just that aesthetically it's vulgar. You will agree with me that those large labia and big clitoris are indecent. Is not your fault, but your pussy isn't good-looking at all, dear.»
Sibylle looks him straight in the eye, no longer able to hold back the tears.
«Is there anything else you don't like about me, Claude?»
Claude takes off his shoes and sighs annoyed.
«You want me to list them all? Fine.» The man takes off his clothes and goes to the closet to wear a new suit. «You are a failure: it has been years since you painted something good, you only fill canvases of just black paint now. Sometimes you cry for no reason. You care about those stupid animals more than you care about yourself. I hate your friends. You've got small boobs. Often you stop our sex because you need to pee. And I hate when you talk to the city. It's stupid and childish, it is crazy, do you realize it?!»
«You say that because you're not from Paris, otherwise you would see Paris as a mother, as a friend, as a muse. It's clear that you can't understand what a child feels towards a mother like her!»
The man begins to dress in an elegant suit. Sibylle looks at him, calming down.
«Honey», she calls him softly, «I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be aggressive. Please, forgive me. Let's stop arguing, okay? We are going through a bad time lately. Let's try to be more understanding towards each other, okay?»
He finished buttoning his new shirt, wears a tie and looks in the mirror smiling. She smiles too seeing that beautiful smile of him. She loves his smile, she loves him, despite everything.
«You know what, Bille? You are right, that's enough. Enough with everything.»
He goes to the bed, takes the velvet box and hands it to her. She thanks him with a big smile and takes it with trembling hands, then opens it: it's a letter. She goes to sit down on the bed, to read it carefully, and then she looks up at her husband fluttering her eyelashes several times and smiling incredulously.
«What is it?»
Claude looks around with his impatient attitude.
«You've become illiterate? It's a letter from my lawyer, I'm asking for a divorce.»
«No... Why? Claude, why? We spent many wonderful years together! We traveled, we shared the same passions. Please tell me what you want to change in our relationship and we will change it. Is it me? I'll be more careful from now on, I'll be what you want me to be, I promise.» She gets up going to grab his arm. «I promise I'll take care of myself, I will bloom again. I'll paint as before, I will travel abroad with you. Please, Claude, I'm in love with you as the first day! I'm sorry I disappointed you, it won't happen again if you give me another chance. I'll be good, please, I beg you, Claude! Please, don't leave me, I'll do whatever you want, please, I don't want to lose you, please! Give me another chan
—
»
«Get lost!» he yells, releasing his arm with a tugged.
«Claude
—
», she begs.
The man holds her chin and squeezes it hard, leaning on her face to hiss:
«You can accept this situation with dignity and thus be able to keep me in your life as friend, which will spare you a lot of humiliation; or you can force me to do it with anger, in that case I will have the pleasure to ruin your life, just for fun. So, which one you prefer?»
Her beautiful green eyes wander in his severe look.
«All this hatred: where does it come from?»
«Which one you fucking prefer?!» he yells.
She bows her head and lets out two sobs, before to say in a broken voice:
«I just want to be in peace with people. Please, I don't want you to ruin my life.»
He nods with a smug smile then goes to get his coat and heads to the exit. She stares at the corridor in which he vanished but when she hears him coming back she feels her heart swelling with hope. The man appears and makes a wry smile.
«Oh, I almost forgot: happy birthday.»
He goes away and when the door slams, she feels alone as if she were the only human being in an unknown and hostile world.

She feels her head light, her ears buzzing and the mouth dry. It is so unbelievable, so horribly unbelievable. Her legs feel so unstable that she falls sit on the floor beginning to cry silently, weeping sadly. She feels her soul crying, her heart sobbing, and the sensation is visceral, and it doesn't seem to have an end.
The cats go to rub against her and she caresses them. After a while she gets up and goes to dial a number, feeling her heart pounding. At the fourth ring a male voice answers: it's Guillaume, her father.
«What do you want?» he asks roughly.
Sibylle swallows, narrows her eyes and tries to speak, but is unable to say anything.
«You need to stop calling me and then remain silent, it's immature and it bothers me. I don't care if you had a fight with that asshole again.»
«Dad, I'm sorry», she can say this time, surprising him, «p
—
please, dad, I need you.»
«You need me? But how can you need a dead person? Because I remember well what you said last time we met. You said I was dead for you; you said that you wished that I were dead instead of your mother. And now that you need me I mysteriously resuscitate? You know, Sisi, is not this that hurts me, I'm mad because you are still with that bastard! You are his consensual victim. Isn't in this way that I raised you, is it? Tell me, is this what I taught you? Did I teach you to depend on someone? That man treats you bad, Sisi, and I cannot conceive my child subjected to that son of a bitch! Do you understand that? That idiot treats you like you don't deserve, but you prefer to be with him rather than staying alone! In the day of today of
29
years ago, you came into the life of your mother and me, making us the happiest people in the world. You were our precious pearl, you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, you were a wonderful creature. And you still are, Sibylle. You are a wonderful person, you are a diamond that has been soiled by the pitch. Well, call me back when you get rid of the stuff that keeps you from shining, because I want my loving daughter back, I don't recognize this spineless being that you have become.»
The man hangs up and she continues to cry for long. Then she looks out of the glass doors, staring at the luminous city. She gets up and goes to look out the windows. She stares at the majestic Eiffel Tower lit up and then all the buildings around it.
«Please, give me the strength I need to shine again, you that are the soul of the inspiration.» she whispers to the city. «Within you, in your memory, are kept the thoughts of the greatest artists who ever lived. In your streets walked many mystical dreamers, inspired by the smell of your eternity. I know you can hear me.» She puts her hands on the glass, her eyes filled with tears. «You that are capable of touching our vibrating souls and kiss away our fears: please, save me from this darkness.»
 

“Stop leaving and you will arrive. Stop searching and you will see. Stop running away and you will be found.”

—
Lao Tzu

~

7
months later
It's a beautiful Spring morning and Sibylle is sitting on a meadow of the Luxembourg Gardens, in Paris. She has a lovely smile on her face, while watching the children playing and laughing happily. She closes her eyes, and lays down on her back with her arms wide open, taking a deep breath. She is wearing an elegant black suit because she is just returning from divorce court.
Sibylle sighs thinking back to that morning. And thinking back to Claude, and how fine he looked, how self confident, as always; and can still smell his scent. She looks at her wedding ring, which she still wears, and her eyes fill with tears. He doesn't wear it anymore. She remembers when some months before she had generously told him he could keep the
Trocadéro
apartment, which was hers
—
she had purchased it before meeting him
—
, since she wouldn't be able to stay and live in that house filled with memories.
“
I don't need your charity!
”, were the words that the man hissed contemptuously.

Sibylle has then decided to sell the apartment and with the money she bought a penthouse apartment in
Rue de Rome,
and put the rest into the coffers of Le Chat Sibylle, an animal rights association founded by her years before.

She sits up, gathers her things and heads home.

An hour later she is preparing lunch barefoot in the bright kitchen while humming cheerfully. She changed her clothes, now she is wearing a long colorful tunic and has a narrow white ribbon on her head. The penthouse has a terrace on two levels, united by a wrought iron staircase. It seems an enchanted place, suspended in time and from which one can admire a fantastic view of Paris. The upper terrace is a bit smaller, but equally beautiful. Both terraces have stone floor and red brick walls; there are lots of flower pots and herbs too. In the top terrace there is also a long wooden bench on which a black cat is sleeping, while few crows fight on the black marble balustrade. In the lower terrace there is a circular table with chairs, all made in wrought iron. There is also a wooden easel with a large canvas on which Sibylle is in the middle of her new artwork: a naked woman who emerges from a dark ocean, with the arms outstretched to the shiny sky, where a large open hand is ready to grab her. It represents her rebirth as artist.

Sibylle is singing, dancing and talking with a ginger cat lying in the sink, whom is watching her. And just like the black cat he was rescued from the street.
Suddenly she hears the crows fussing and fighting with each other, so she goes out to see what's going on. They are all on the balustrade and one of them is holding a green caterpillar in its beak. Sibylle runs to take a chocolate croissant and return to them. She knows they do love chocolate croissants. When she sets the table for eating on the terrace, they always steal that, and that only.
«There you go, Edgard, that's all for you. That's for you all, guys.»
She divides it into three pieces and throws them on the floor, next to the crows. The three birds glide from the balustrade to the floor, and the one with the worm leaves it immediately to eat voraciously the croissant. Sibylle pick the caterpillar and returns inside, where she prepares a glass case with some lettuce, laying it gently on the inside. She looks at it eating with pleasure, and smiles.
«What a bad hair day, uh? Don't worry, honey, you are safe now. Gosh, you are really cute, and your color is lovely, so bright green! I think I'll call you Verdâtre.»
Her three closest friends enter the house laughing hard: they have the key. She always gave her house's keys to her friends, but after marrying Claude he had forbidden her to give to her best friends the keys of the house, and this made her very sad.

Sibylle awaits them in the kitchen with a big smile and open arms. Alma, Virginie and Nora enter the room and they greet each other with friendly insults and hug as if they didn't see each other for years, when in fact they met the day before to have breakfast together not far from Notre Dame.

Alma is dressed in an orange dress. Some colorful wires adorn her long dark hair while her black eyes express all the love that she keeps inside.

Nora is wearing a little black dress open in the back, which allows to see her many tattoos on her arms and back. She has piercings all over the body: on the lower lip and eyebrows, and hidden, in her nipples and labia.

Virginie is wearing a red sequin sheath dress, and a pair of lovely electric blue high heeled shoes. As always her make-up is simply perfect.

Sibylle invites them to sit around the table on the terrace. Her face is radiant, it's clear that she feels serene again. Her friends nod and smile at each other, happy to see her joyful as they know her.
«I had that usual dream last night.» says Sibylle referring to the dream of the anti-riot man. «But for the first time it has been different.»
«He didn't own you, honey?» asks Virginie sipping her white wine.
«That's right. For the first time I said “no” and he went away. I don't know what it means.»
«It means that you are avoiding men even in dreams.» explains Nora. «It means that you are losing the desire to be with someone. It means that you need to fall in love again.»
Virginie shakes her head.
«Forget the love, darling, you need to have sex. Listen to your Virginie, dear: there is an exclusive Club where people meet anonymously to share sensual adventures. It is exclusive not because it is reserved only for those with money, but because you have to pass many tests to be accepted, and you must abide by the strict rules. No matter how rich or powerful you are, if they don't think you are suited for the Club, you won't be accepted. I know that the selection is hard, but why don't you give a try?»
Sibylle shrugs.
«I don't think any man could be interested in me. I don't feel desirable since long time
—
»
«Of course you don't, honey, look at you!» says Virginie with her funny way of talking, gesturing excessively with her hands. «You are shabby, dear, you're plain. You don't care about your femininity anymore. No man wants a potato like that, sweetie, they want a woman. I don't remember when was the last time I saw you with a nice dress that would highlight your body. Not to mention your neglected hair and the absence of makeup! You're a beautiful woman, Sille, but you must express your femininity. Your skin is dry and you eyes are so puppy eyes! Nobody wants to fuck a puppy eyed girl!
—
Well, that's not true, many men would like to have sex with a docile girl like you
—
but still you must find a bit more confidence! You must take care of your beauty and then you'll be ready to find love.»
Nora looks at Virginie with an accusing gaze.
«Will you please shut up? You're the last person on Earth that can give advice about love.»
«For sure I know more than you about men, stupid lesbian.»
«About cocks you mean, half wit queer.»
«Bitch.»
«Moron.»
«Idiots, please.» says Alma admonishing them. Then, directed to Sibylle: «Virginie is right, you need to take care of your body, first of all for yourself, because a woman who doesn't feel desired cannot conquer anyone. You have a wonderful body and a beautiful face, dear, you need to find your hidden sensuality.»
Sibylle nods in agreement and says:
«Tell me more about the Club, Virginie.»
«Gladly. It's a place coveted by many, where you can meet men and women who have the desire to transgress. It is protected by a circle of trusted people and experts who care to ensure that the meetings are absolutely safe. They are ready to listen to your needs, your sexual desires, even the most bizarre, and then they find a person fitted for you, with your own desires. The people inside are all real, there is no prostitution. Lately I learned that the Club is divided into several levels. You cannot imagine how much organization and knowledge there is behind it.»
Sibylle feels her heart beating very fast now. Why?
«Will you accompany me?» she ask.
«We all come with you.» affirms Nora.
«Girls», starts to say Alma, «we shouldn't push her to find the interior peace in something material.»
Virginie raises her eyes to the sky.
«Before to feed the soul, honey, you first need to feed the body. You need to linger in a good fuck, and only then you can think clearly. Now let's go choose a nice dress, Sille, presentation is everything. It's like going to a job interview.»