by Rebecca Creger

 

            Violet stared in horror over the mess she had made of her hotel room. It was nine in the evening and a sick sense of fear and panic was gripping her and prickling all the way down her spine. All the sheets and pillows had been ripped off the beds. Clothes were strewn all over the floor and both suitcases were upturned. Every drawer was gaping open. The carry-on bags hadn’t been missed either, their former contents scattered on the floor around them from the violence of her fruitless searching.

             Stepping gingerly over Violet’s empty purse, her roommate Angela started sweeping her clothes off the rug and back into her suitcase.

            “Your wallet’s definitely not in here Violet,” she said softly and sympathetically. “You must‘ve dropped it when we were getting off the bus from Arromange-“

            “How the hell could I have dropped it?” Violet wailed, still looking through her carry-on even though she had already searched it twice. “I’ve always had it in my bag for the museums and I never took it out at all today! You know I never took my eyes off my wallet because my card and money and passport were in there too!” Angela grimaced.

            “Maybe it’s on the bus,” she offered hopefully. “You can check it in the morning…” Violet didn’t answer as she dialed the leader of the high school group, mentally calculating the necessary steps to be taken, the next phone calls to be made. She really doubted that it was on the bus.

           

            “I never took it out of my bag. ” Violet would insist, again and again, grinding her teeth. Later she would almost forget the ordeal that followed; the searching of the bus, calling the rest stop they’d been to, freezing her bank account, panicked calls to The Embassy and her mother, unanswered calls to her father, an agreement to have the group leader stay with her until Tuesday, when she could fly back home. Then the final insult was having to accompany the travel group of eight including Angela to the airport, and watch Angela, Ellen, Lara, Tammy, Dan, Simon, and Tate get in the security line without her. They looked very sorry for her as they stood with their luggage, trying to convince her that she was actually really lucky to be spending two more days in Paris while she got a new passport.

            “But I’m sure it was on my bed!” Violet insisted to the group, over and over. “And I wouldn’t have dropped it! I swear, it just disappeared…”

                        “Are you sure you weren’t pick pocketed?” asked Ellen, the architecture enthusiast of the group.

             Violet exchanged a furtive glance with Angela and tried not to laugh. Yes, she wanted to say, because they were too busy trying to bump into you. Ellen, with her enormous backpack and huge camera that was always poised to capture any angle of French architecture, was a bit of a giveaway. She had been a little perplexed as to why she had been jostled so much on the street, but fortunately for her, her neon fanny pack had come in handy. Violet smiled at Ellen.

             “No, I’m really sure I wasn’t because no one bumped into me,” she said, surprised at how calm and collected she could be in this situation. Lara, Ellen’s best friend, looked very distressed at Violet’s plight, and insisted she accept a nougat bar from her. The group of eight, now short of one, started to move up the line. After hugging Angela goodbye, Violet left the airport with Connie, the group leader, to take the shuttle back to the hotel.

            A half-mile jaunt after lunch to the police station that day was fruitless, because only robberies merited a report. But Connie reassured her that she would have a temporary passport by Tuesday.

           

               Violet stayed in bed until dinner, watching the German Top 40. The tour group was probably sleeping on the plane on the way to Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. She couldn’t even contact her dad, as he was attending to a very important business deal. Typical. Her mother was been in contact though; she had called the group leader and simply told her to charge everything to her account, even though her father was the one with the yellow Porsche.

            Her mother had asked to talk to Violet on the Connie’s phone after she had sorted out the details with her. She had sounded more anxious than irritated at Violet on the phone, not even asking Violet about how she had supposedly lost her passport, but making sure she was doing all right, and telling her she had sent her some cash through Western Union and to pick it up at a post office. She had talked extremely fast, and when Violet had asked her if she had told her dad, now divorced for five years from her mom, about the missing passport, her mother’s tone suddenly turned frosty.

            “No Violet, he doesn’t know. He’s swamped enough in his work enough without this. Don’t bother him, he won’t be able to get back to you.” Violet began to speak, but he mother cut her off again.

            “Violet I have to go—I’ll call soon.” She hung up. Feeling a little stung at her mother’s abrupt goodbye, she left with Connie to go the dinner.  

            It was then that Violet really began to get worried, because she would have liked to know her dad was supporting her through this. She only saw her father on vacations and the odd weekend, but she felt closer to him than her mom. Her dad had always tried to make time for her: a lunch near Union Square, taking her shopping, giving her driving lessons. But very recently, following tremendous sales in the various businesses he was involved with, he had become busier and busier, and the enmity between him and her mother had become so great, that even the mention of him set her mother on edge. “He’s working himself into his grave,” she’d mutter, and change the subject.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 

 

            The next day, in which Violet would obtain a temporary passport, began with a shrill, “Wakey-wakey!” on the hotel phone from Connie. Breakfast was quiet and a bit awkward as Violet resisted the attempts at conversation, feeling too sick and anxious about getting a new passport in time to talk. After a very long three hours in the Embassy, of going through security, filling out form after form, answering questions, sitting in the crowded waiting hall, and very unflattering ID picture, Violet emerged from the Embassy clutching her temporary passport. Connie was positively overjoyed and as they collected their things from security, and made their way to the Place de la Concorde she gave a little triumphant skip.

            “That wasn’t that bad at all, was it?” She said cheerfully. “I’d say this calls for a bit of a celebration! How do you feel about having a sit in the next café?”

            Five blocks later Violet was sipping a coffee a table outside a crowded café, inhaling the combined odors of various types of cigarette smoke and luxury perfumes from the passing crowds of Parisians. Connie had been quite pleased to discover that the café had a tabac and had gone to the counter to purchase a few scratch cards and loto tickets. As Violet reached the dregs in her cup her phone rang.

            It was a surprise call from Angela. The group had landed in Washington, and had been going through customs and security there when they had been detained by some official-looking men who seemed convinced that they were a national security threat.

            “They made us miss our connecting flight!” Angela complained. “We were going through security and suddenly, like, five of them appear out of nowhere and drag us all off, saying it’s airport policy to have a random passenger check, and they interrogate us each individually, asking about France and if we have any items that were given to us, not purchased, and then all these random questions about our trip, like exactly what we did and where we stayed in every city we visited.” A huge rush of static followed as Angela sighed into the phone.

            “God, I swear this trip is cursed!” Violet said, feeling a little better. “First half the group gets fined by the metro police, Ellen and Lara almost get caught in a gang fight, Simon gets lost on The Metro, I lose my passport, and now you’re stuck in Washington D.C. for a day!” 

            Violet laughed with Angela for the first time in hours, as others in the travel group shouted their hellos to her over the phone. Connie came back with her scratch cards and Loto tickets, looking excited.

            “Oh wait just a sec Angela,” Violet said, “Connie, I think you’d like to hear about this…”

            They left the café to go to the hotel, because as group leader Connie had to sort things out with hotel arrangements in D.C. for the group. Violet retired to her room, but not before Connie gave her one of her scratch cards, saying,

            “Here Violet, I don’t have any time to do this one; I’m all tied up in this other mess. And do tell me if you win!” She winked at Violet before she started clattering away on a hotel computer in the lounge.

 

            After packing for the flight Violet picked idly at her scratch card, falling into a light doze. She thought about how her trip had been eclipsed by the loss of the passport. She and Angela had been enchanted by Paris and its beautiful shops and language, and its even more beautifully attired inhabitants, the men in their beautifully fitted pants, and women in their chic leather jackets. They had breezed through all the typical tourist sights, preferring to venture on without the group on the Metro, to the less touristy areas. On that fateful night, before her passport had disappeared, they had arrived in their hotel room and thrown open the windows of their 6^th floor room, expecting a gorgeous view of Paris. When they discovered only the back of an enclosed space between two other buildings they were heartily disappointed, Miles of ugly scaffolding wrapped around the whole side of the hotel and the other buildings, which shut out most sunlight and any passing breezes. Power tools and machinery banged and roared in the background.

            They hadn’t been disappointed for long though, because Gaspard the builder had walked past their window on the scaffolding. He had apologized in rapid French for startling them, and explained that he would be working on that part of the building for a while and making a lot of noise. They had giggled and answered in halting French that they didn’t mind in the slightest if he worked there and told him they’d probably see him again tomorrow. Gaspard had simply smiled, made a little bow and went back to work. They had had to go down to the foyer to meet the group to walk to the restaurant after that, and had waited there for a few minutes because Lara had been late. It was at the restaurant that Violet had wanted to take a picture of the group, but remembered that she had left her camera in her bag, where she also kept her wallet, in the hotel room. It was almost funny to think of how she had said she never wanted to leave Paris.

 

              The hotel was very quiet, because the construction workers weren’t working that day, something that would have cheered Violet up immensely. She was going home, yet the disappearance of her passport and the following ordeal still gave her an angry, twisted feeling in her stomach.

            Passports just don’t disappear into thin air. It just doesn’t make sense.

              Violet sat in bed, concentrating on every place she had been with her wallet and experienced a nasty lurch in her stomach. The windows had been wide open when she and Angela had returned from dinner. That was the reason it hadn’t been swelteringly hot in the room last night.

            She rolled out of her bed next to the window to lean to look down at the scaffolding. There were platforms all the way down to the ground, and after a second she spied something funny on the dusty railing of the scaffolding right at window level. The entire rail was a pale brown color, covered in dust from construction, but on the far left, there was a streak in the dust that revealed the black metal underneath.

            Her heart beating she dove for her phone and had almost reached her mother’s name on the speed dial when the phone began to ring. It was her mother coincidentally, and Violet accepted the call immediately.

            “Mom,” she gasped. “I think my old passport was stolen--I have a new one now but I just remembered we left our window open last night—there’s a kind of railing outside our window from some scaffolding and there’s dust on it and I looked and there’s a footpr-“

            “Violet--listen to me honey.” Her mother’s voice came through the phone, and there was an ominous tremor of barely controlled hysteria in it. Violet stopped mid-sentence.

            “Mom?”

            “I’m so sorry I’ve been distant with you Violet. I didn’t want to talk to you until I could get out of the States. I know it was really extreme to have Ellen steal your passport, but I couldn’t think of any other way to keep you in Paris, and he told me specifically to do whatever it took to keep you off that flight. I didn’t want your flight cancellation on record until the last moment. I picked Ellen’s number from the contact list--her room was right next to yours and I paid her and had her send your wallet to a post office in Arles.”  Her mother’s words were like a nasty electric jolt, and Violet could hardly believe she was hearing them.        

            “Mom, why—”

            “It’s your father.”

            Violet’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the phone, and the knot in her stomach tightened.

            “What happened to him?” she said, fighting to keep her voice even.

            “We wanted you to have an as normal life as possible after the divorce, and the cleanest possible start and reputation,” her mother explained, “we didn’t think we’d have to tell you anything about you father’s line of work and the type of people he works with until you could make a life for yourself outside the family. But it’s impossible now. Listen to me Violet. Forget about that flight. You need to take the next TGV train down to Arles. They know you’re on this trip.”

            Violet felt a wave of nausea hit her as she thought of her group that was stuck in D.C. and who they’d been detained by.           

            “Mom—what’s going on?”

            “I will never forgive your father for dragging us into this. That idiot should have known he was biting off more than he could chew; and he was asking for it. He didn’t give me many details but I suspect he was siphoning off a little too much money from the wrong parties during transactions, and they want to make an example of him,” Her mother’s voice broke. “I know they already got your step-sister Brenda, and they’re not finished yet if they stick to their reputation. Your father—he couldn’t even send you some funds for staying in Europe; we’re on our own now and I don’t see how we’ll manage—“ A hot sick bile seemed to be eating at her insides, and her skin seemed to actually ache, as fear prickled across it, and she struggled her on the verge of tears.  

            “Did they get dad?”

            Her mother paused for the longest second.

            “They might spare him until after they’ve dealt with the rest of the immediate family. He called me two days ago and told me to tell you he loves you.” It was strange how the walls felt like they were rapidly closing in on her. 

            “Violet honey,” Her mother said calmly, “you have get the next TGV down to Arles. Tell Connie a family situation has come up. I’ll call her later when I can switch phones again. When you get to Arles and pick up your wallet, please for the love of God don’t use your credit card; they have a wide influence. Just use the euros I sent you. I’ll call the Leroys in Gap and see if you can stay with them for a few days before you can move on.”

            “I know where the station in Paris is, I’ll call first thing in the morning,” Violet said.

            “Good.” Her mother took a deep breath. “It’s going to be difficult for you in the next few days. What money your father had isn’t accessible, so we’re on our own now. I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you next; it might be better if we’re split up...”

            “Mom, where are you now?”

            “Can’t say. Violet, I’ll call you soon; just tell Connie you can’t take that flight first thing in the morning—we don’t want the cancellation on record yet. And you might want to switch hotel rooms too. I love you sweetie, I’ll be in touch.”

            The phone went dead. Violet started at it, hardly believing what she had just heard out of it. She was experiencing the strangest sensation, as dozens and dozens of wisps of memory seemed to fly together and form a cohesive, monstrous shape in her head.  One bright afternoon, the one a week before she had left for France, flashed vividly in her memory.

           

            The sleek, gleaming car was beautiful in her dad’s driveway, and Violet had gaped at it, not really believing it was there. Her dad gazed at it lovingly. He seemed pleased with at her reaction. She had begged and pleased with him to let her drive it but he had just laughed and held the keys out of reach, teasing her. But he had a surprise for her, he was signing her up for a school trip to France and she had only started gushing her thanks when a black car had backed into the driveway. He father’s face had turned rather red, and he had tensed up as if readying himself for an attack.

            The man who had gotten out of the car wasn’t big, but his slicked dark hair and impeccable suit exuded a certain steeliness, as he gazed over Violet, her father, and the car. He slammed the door, walked around the side and leaned against the back trunk, smiling at her dad, as if he had caught him doing something wrong.

            “Nice car Jim, but personally I don’t think it’s your style. A bit too nice for you,” he said with a slight sneer. “Me and our old man were driving by, and we want you at the office. we need help with closing some accounts. We think there’s also something wrong with our funds; there’s a lot of miscellaneous costs that are unaccounted for” He had inclined his head slightly to the front of the car, and her father nodded quickly.

            “Let me just grab my papers,” he said, and took Violet by the arm inside the house. She followed him down the hall to his office.

            “So…dad,” Violet persisted, “Since you’re leaving could I take it out for a little—“

            “No Violet!” her father snapped, snatching his briefcase off his desk and striding back down the hall to the door. “I’ve already sent you on this trip haven’t I? Just stay away from that car, okay?” He grabbed his coat from the rack.

             “Shit,” he muttered, more to himself than to her, “I need to send it back, I shouldn’t be able to afford it…” He trailed off as he opened the front door, and his hands were shaking a little.

            “I hope you enjoy your trip Violet,” he had said dully. Violet stared after him as he walked over to the man still leaning against the back of the car. As her father got closer he smiled and patted the trunk smugly. He waited for her father to pass and then walked behind him until her father climbed into the car, and followed him inside.

 

            Violet went over and over that last memory of her dad, feeling as if the ground beneath her had fallen away. Mechanically, she made her way downstairs to meet Connie for dinner at six.

            “Have you tried your scratch card yet?” Connie said eagerly as she met her. It took a few seconds for the innocent question to register with Violet. After a pause she fished around in her purse for the card, and produced it, saying,

            “I think I kind of wrecked it—I didn’t know what I was doing.”

            Connie reaction was positively explosive.

            “Oh my gosh Violet you won—look! 10,000 Euros. This is fantastic!”

            Any numb feeling of disbelief was further intensified by this new realization as Connie immediately got on her phone, calling the loto, and proposing a celebratory dinner for them both, ecstatic with joy.

            “I cannot believe your luck, Violet, first your passport disappears, and now…”

            Violet nodded, not really taking it in, and wondering how cold Arles was at this time of year.