The huge man slapped the table so hard that it rattled; the glasses almost toppled on each other. Nancy, who was also Renata's table server, was quivering and soon scurried with a plate of steak to the kitchen. The obscene incident obviously attracted the attention of many other patrons. Although they kept eating their dinner, subtle murmurs were heard.
Lyle held the neck of his glass and swirled his drink around. For a moment, Renata caught a whiff of alcohol despite the sweet aroma of vanilla. "Look at that classless dude..... in this up-scale establishment like this, he pulls out that act... "
Renata frowned at him, bewildered, "Didn't you do the same as him earlier at the pizza parlor?" She was baffled by his hypocrisy.
"We were in a pizza place, not an up-scale restaurant. And, I'm different than him," he chuckled, "I have the right, the privilege, to step on lower-class people ... Do you know who that guy is?"
Renata shook her head, and he continued, "He is an agent for some singers, and Gillian Reinhardt is one of his artists."
She knew who Ms. Reinhardt was, a rising pop singer that her father planned to use for their next spring campaign. This should be interesting, she thought. She grabbed her camera and set it on her table, ready to record the man if he caused another commotion.
"You know how much he is worth? He's probably only got around $10-$15 million, and he acts like a top champ rooster.... Tell me honestly, have you no thought at all about putting him in his place if you have the power? "
Nancy came back from the kitchen with the man's steak, then set down the plate carefully in front of him. Renata faced Lyle again, "Why do I need some power to confront him? No matter who I am, I dare to tell him off. "
This time Lyle laughed out loud, "Little Rabbit, that's where you're wrong. You are too naive. Do you think if you were nobody you could just spit on him and walk away with zero repercussions? "
"Not spitting, just reprimanding him. And why not? He is a grown adult; he couldn't possibly do something to us. We are kids..."
"Oh, I bet he would... he could have all of the money in the world, but he would still be a classless dude." Lyle locked his gaze on her, emphasizing what he was about to say, "Money can't buy class. Remember that, Rabbit...." He shifted his attention to the man while swirling the glass in his hand, "But even though he dares, I wouldn't worry much. Let him come at me, and I will bring him down a peg or two..." Lyle pointed his glass at the man.
Renata turned her attention to the huge man as he made a scene again. She immediately turned on her camera and started recording him. At first, he was only scolding Nancy, but then the restaurant manager came and everything escalated. The man took his glass of water and splashed both the manager and Nancy at the same time.
Most people gasped at the scene, but Renata mouthed "Daggumnid" so loudly that she attracted the man's attention. The man glared at her and then at Lyle.
"The interesting fact is, you also have the power to step on him," He narrowed their space, saying, "Little Rabbit, you have the same privilege as me. Put him under your heels, where he should be. " Lyle whispered at her without losing eye contact with the man, which set the man raging further.
"You little white boy, why are you dining with this ching chong here?? Don't you have any other white girls to date? And you, Yellow Fever, go back to China. At least open your eyes when you look at me. " The man shouted.
Something snapped inside Renata's heart that sent her blood boiling through her head like never before. She faced Lyle and spoke with her normal voice that carried her disdain throughout the quiet restaurant. "You are right, Lyle." She shifted her gaze and stared at the man's bulging eyes. "Money couldn't buy class."
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
She could see the tick on the man's neck as he gritted his teeth. Renata smirked condescendingly at the man who looked 30 going on 40, and in an articulated voice said, "Old man, I know who you are..... You are a self-important, entitled d1ck wipe. "
The man's female partner tried to hold him, but he flung her away with brute force. Everything was going so fast. Before Renata or anyone else could do anything, the man had reached her, his arms fully stretched out, about to choke the life out of her. Fortunately, Lyle was able to block him before he touched Renata. The furious man hauled his right arm and punched Lyle's cheek so hard that he knocked onto his chair. Renata screamed and jumped on her feet, swiftly approaching Lyle on the floor. The man was about to kick her, but all the male adults had surrounded the man and managed to pin him down, while the female adults surrounded Renata to protect her.
------------------------
Renata was sitting on an iron chair in a small room; it was smaller than her bathroom at home. The only furniture that accompanied her was a square table and four chairs on each side of the table; there was no AC in the room either. The room smelled like someone had just farted and smoked 10 packs of cigarettes, then sealed the room; maybe someone had just done so to mock her. She had been here for hours; all her stuff was confiscated. Lyle had long gone with his mom and his family lawyer. She wished she could have her BlackBerry so she could text Millie, or Wilson. But it was 2 a.m., and he'd usually gone to dreamland at that hour, probably drawing an island or two with his drool while on it. Would he accompany her chat if she could text him?
The door swung open abruptly, jolting her from sleepiness. Her father came in with a middle-aged man she knew and a police officer. Patrick snapped at Renata upon seeing her, "Really!!?? Police station!!?? You have gone too far with your prank, Young Lady!!! What were you thinking? "
Renata flinched at her father's words. She knew today she had amassed many misdeeds on her tab, and her father was keeping her tab. She predicted that not too long from now, she would have to pay her accumulated debt. Their family lawyer, Mr. Roland Stanton, shook the police officer's hand as he said his gratitude to him. Patrick grumbled while taking off his thick coat and putting it on around Renata's body. He embraced Renata from behind to help her stand up.
------------------------
While Frank drove them to a hotel, Patrick held her body in complete silence while occasionally squeezing her upper arm. The impression of the huge man about to grab her kept replaying in her mind, and when that happened, her body would shiver. But she hadn't noticed when her trembling hands had since stopped. Her shoulders gradually loosed, and Patrick patted her swaying head gently to rest on his shoulder.
As the car stopped, Renata was jolted awake. They had arrived at a vintage boutique hotel, which was not her father's usual taste at all; her brows couldn't help but knot at the sight of its old-fashioned decor. The hotel interior was cozy and so 19th century; weathered wood panels and parquets; white and black checkered floor tile; floral wallpaper and curtains; and bulky sofas in various bold colors. So that reminded her of The Godfather movies and Elvis Presley's era.
Patrick nodded to the receptionist in the lobby and headed straight to the only elevator. On the fifth floor, Frank and Mr. Stanton said goodnight to her and Patrick. Renata smiled at them back as brightly as she could without seeming tired. The elevator stopped at the 8th floor; Patrick held her hands toward their room.
When Patrick opened the door, Brigitte was sitting on the sofa. She dashed and pulled Renata into her arms. "Mom?" Renata hugged her back. "What are you doing here, Mom?"
Brigitte couldn't stop her tears as she kissed her only daughter's face. "Oh, you, silly bear. You are too much this time, even if you were as a victim or witness, still.... Gosh, my daughter stayed in the police station...." She wiped her eyes and took Renata to her room. "Let's talk in the morning. The bathroom is that way. " As Brigitte left her to be with her husband, Renata took her pajamas and went to the bathroom.
The hotel room where she and her parents stayed had 2 bedrooms with one shared shower/bathroom/toilet. The white enamel square sink, the bathtub, and the toilet gave a beautiful contrast to the green Tosca wall. The glass shower chamber, though, was the only distinct touch of modern style inside this retro sanctuary.
Renata tossed her dirty clothes on the bathroom floor, too lethargic to care. She rushed to stand under the shower, eager to wash the grime of the day away. Her mother seemed a little bit shaken earlier; Renata herself was quite shaken too. She was surprised to find her mother all the way here. It would make sense that her mother was the one who chose the hotel they stayed at tonight. Patrick had modern taste in everything; he usually chose a hotel with a modern minimalist interior design. If Renata was told to describe Brigitte's taste in one word, it would be eclectic. Brigitte appreciated various types of design; her taste was too diverse and vast. It was a no-brainer why she chose this boutique hotel; to Brigitte, it was like she was breathing in art and out.
Renata returned to her bedroom and immediately collapsed on top of her bed. She had walked all day, played all day, spent money all day, and, combined with the shock of her life, had turned her body into a poodle of noodles. She wished that tomorrow would be a better day.
Brigitte collected Renata's mess of clothes from the bathroom floor and brought them to their small living room. She wanted to store them in her carry-on dirty laundry bag. Her husband sat on the sofa across from hers, with both hands covering his face.
"Why don't you sleep first, Gege? I know you must have been tired. I'll soon join you. " Brigitte said to Patrick while neatly folding Renata's sweater.
"It's OK, I will wait for you." Brigitte knew that her husband disliked sleeping on a cold bed alone without her. Patrick had never slept separated from her during their marriage, not even one night.
The black skinny jeans were the last piece of clothing Brigitte needed to fold. A movie ticket was falling from one of the pockets. She wondered if there was another thing that was left in the pockets, so she checked each pocket. She gasped loudly, drawing Patrick's attention as she found a black, thin aluminum foil with the word "Trojan" written on it. Renata would more likely have an unfathomable doom instead of her wish for a better tomorrow.