15

Lola is due to arrive any minute, Steve is waiting for her to serve us the dish of the day, or rather the evening. I'm happy to spend some time alone with her, my cousin and Steve will surely come and chat with us from time to time.

She arrives with a big scarf around her neck, blows her nose a few seconds after entering the bar and comes to sit on the chair in front of me. I see immediately that she is ill, her nose is red, her eyes shining. I lecture him:

“You should have stayed home, Lola. I could even have come to your house if you wanted.

She coughs a little and tells me with her coughing voice.

- It's not a cold that will prevent me from going out. I must have caught a cold on the way back, we're not going to make a fuss about that, I don't have a fever, I can work properly if I have a good supply of tissues at hand. Above all, I wanted to go out, even if I'm happy not to have my brother and his partner constantly on my back, I feel a little lonely whether it's at work or at home. It's not with the bitches that I can find on the floor where I work that I'm going to make friends, the sales people aren't there and I'm not going to bother those who work at the factory. They'll think it's Jules who sent me to watch them.

Steve arrives and brings us the flamenkuche before asking us what we want to drink. He comes back quickly with our drinks and sits down at our table, I give him a questioning look.

- There's nobody, he defends himself, I can sit at your table. in ten days, there will be the opening of the Christmas market and we will have a crazy job. Besides, I want to hear Lola tell me about your weekend in Paris. Every time you stay vague, you suck at it, I'm going to have to train you in the art of storytelling, Allie.

I roll my eyes.

- She told you about her dress?

He shakes his head and looks very interested. Lola takes out her phone and shows him the photos she took in return for the loan of the outfits. Steve looks at the image then me before starting again.

“I've never seen Allie so dressed up. You are beautiful in this dress. See, that's exactly the kind of stuff I wish I'd known.

'I was pretty well dressed at our cousin Bene's wedding last year.

He rolls his eyes.

- You were in a dress, you had put a little eyeshadow but it did not give that. In the photo, you are a bomb! I could almost turn bisexual if you dressed like that more often. You could have all the local guys at your feet. You just need to fill in a little, to better fill out what's in the neckline.

- But I eat, I assure you. Every evening when you open, I am there, ready to receive my meal.

— You have to eat pasta when we're closed and don't try to lie to me. You already had trouble eating properly before the story with the other asshole, it must have been worse since. Lucas was even afraid that you would deprive yourself of food to bail out the coffers of your box instead. We can't help you financially so we at least make sure you eat properly once a day. Don't you think she's been thinner for a month? he asks Lola.

- Stress is treacherous, there are people who will gain ten pounds and others who will lose ten because of it. I would tell the designer to choose the dress that suits her perfectly for next Saturday. She didn't dare put it on the first time, she thought the neckline was too deep.

- I'm here, I hear you, I say to make them understand that I do not like people talking about me as if I was not present.

- You send me a picture, I can not wait to see it as well, Steve replies, still ignoring me. Well, I have to leave you, Lucas is getting impatient, it's his turn to take a break.

He leaves us and goes to take over from my cousin. We take the opportunity while we eat to discuss our anecdotes from our past, updating our friendship takes time.

Lucas comes to join us with dessert, he sits next to me. The bar is still as little full, I ask him:

"Is it often that there are so few people?"

— Tomorrow, there's a game, we'll be full. A quiet evening is okay, don't worry Allie. I just come to spend some time with my favorite cousin and her friend who I really appreciate.

Lola thanks him before having another fit of coughing.

“Steve, you make him your homemade toddy,” my cousin hails him, pointing to Lola. You'll see, it's a miracle his thing, tomorrow you won't have a sore throat if it's a little cold if it drags on, go see a doctor.

"Yes, Dad," she told him mischievously in her scratchy voice. Are you also coming to see the pictures of Lili dressed like a princess?

Lucas shrugs.

- Alison as a princess, it's a disguise, it's a warrior, a warrior. I don't know anyone more combative.

- At least look how beautiful she is, she said, handing him her phone.

He takes a look.

- Allie has always been beautiful, it's true that the dress puts more value than most of the clothes with which she dresses but the real Alison is there before your eyes. Besides, I'd really like to know what your brother wants with him. I don't want him to try to change you with dresses, he said kindly.

I cling to his arm for a moment to convey my affection.

“Theo, he likes Alison, but he'll never try to change her. I wouldn't let him and anyway it's not his style, Lola replies.

- Maybe not consciously, but I do not like his "arrangement", he mimes the quotes. Let him help you, Allie, by hiring you to put on his club opening, I have no problem with that. On the other hand, dragging yourself into a world whose codes you do not master is not acceptable. I'm sure you weren't comfortable with the jewelry, the dresses, or even the shoes you wore. Am I wrong ?

I look at Lola who seems to be asking the same question.

- I'm sorry, Lola, it's true that I do not recognize myself with all that.

— I'm especially sad for one thing, Lili, and that's that you didn't tell me anything. I'll see with Théo if it's possible to space out the evenings in Paris a bit. For Saturday, it's going to be complicated to cancel, it's important for my brother to return, especially since Jules will be absent, as he is on the move. On the other hand, Ludi would like to get to know you better, we may be able to replace it with evenings with friends. The dress code is jeans, sneakers, T-shirt. You just have to be comfortable with board games and have a good time.

- That, I can very well do that, I replied, smiling.

- Be careful, it's a crafty game, it will do anything to steal you, laughs Lucas.

I roll my eyes.

— Don't listen to him Lola, he sucks at games and he's also a bad player. He loses on his own even in Uno, he manages to screw up with the six and the nine when there is a line to indicate which number it is.

- I confirm, Steve throws in passing before going to take orders from customers who had just settled at the back of the room.

Lucas shakes his head as if to invalidate his man's words and says to Lola:

“I trust you to take care of Alison in the world where your brother drags her. I have a feeling vis-à-vis him, he's not rotten but I'm afraid he'll end up hurting her.

“I'll watch over her, don't worry. My friend Ludivine found you very nice, Lili, if ever I have to be absent for a reason X or Y, I know that she will prevent the big assholes who hang around in this kind of evening from approaching you. My brother recognizes the existence of some, on the other hand he is blind with others, despite all my remarks.

- Well I leave you, I have to do the washing up, said Lucas before leaving with our dirty dishes.

We continue to talk a little Lola and I, before fatigue is felt on his side and we decide to go home, promising to start again as soon as his cold is gone.