My My Little Prince Read online

  She blinked at the harsh light coming in through the window and made out the silhouette of someone standing over her. Michelle was shaking her and saying, “Sherine, you need to wake up, you are doing it again! Look at your arm! See?” She pulled Sherine up into a sitting position and said, “It’s Mom, isn’t it? Sherine, you do not need to see her. If you do there is no telling what you might do to yourself. Look at yourself - and all you did was hear her voice.” Sherine jerked her arm back and threw her body back down pulling covers and pillows over her. She slept fitfully until late afternoon.

  When she finally woke, Michelle reminded her that they had planned to go to Dirt Bag’s house for dinner. He was a prep cook at the Ale House restaurant on the Causeway in Merritt Island. It seemed he was the exemplary employee; he had taken some gourmet steaks home when the owner wasn’t looking. He was preparing a celebration dinner for them. Actually, it was to be a celebration for Sherine. It was their anniversary for the time she had been living with Michelle and Spinner.

  Sherine felt exhausted. She really felt she had no reason to celebrate, but Dirt Bag wanted to make her feel special. He was a nice guy even if he did look like a shit-heel biker. Michelle convinced her too that it might be good for her to think about something else. She wearily decided to go and as she cleaned herself up, watching herself in the full mirror, she buried it all and started to feel better.

  The dinner was good. He had taken a long time to prepare it with all the right meat cooking techniques. He made sure Sherine was watching as he pulled out all the stops, pan-searing the beautiful rib-eyes and then finishing them off in the oven, explaining why he did each and every step. If anyone that knew him saw the meal he prepared they would never imagine that such a big ugly biker dude could prepare such a fine dinner. He completed the serving with cloth napkins, candles and several bottles of Elk Cove Pinot Noir. The wine mellowed everyone.

  As the steaks rested, he was explaining to Sherine why the best Pinot’s come from Oregon and she was actually listening. Michelle poked Sherine in the ribs and said, “Hey, who looks like they want a girlfriend?”

  Sherine swirled her wine and leaning into Michelle’s ear whispered “I think you are right.” Sherine looked over at him and caught him looking at her longingly. She pinched Michelle on her thigh and said again, “Yep, I think you are right.”

  13

  “Hello ... , Oh, Hi, Dr. Pierre, yes this is Dr. Campbell ... Oh yes, I would love to go to dinner with you, it’s about time don’t you think? … No, no problem at all about the short notice … No, no, please, it´s my honor … sure I´ll meet you at Vescuvios. ... yes I know where; on the Malecón, near the Continental Hotel … Yes I know the restaurant. Great I´ll be there in an hour. See you there.”

  Campbell hung up the phone and said to himself, “Damn, I have to spend a dinner with Dr. Pierre. I know he’s gonna be asking me questions about my past practices; about my research, and why I joined the ‘PRU’”. He walked over to his closet and started pulling out some clothes. “Fuck, I can do this. They are all such idiots. It should be easy … and maybe even kinda fun.”

  He laid out some dark blue trousers and draped a lightly checked Hugo Boss shirt over them for effect. Next he chose a beautiful Hermes tie; a subtle blue print was just visible in the dressing room light. He held the tie up in front of him in both hands inspecting it. He brought both ends of the tie together in his fists and then snapped them out so the tie actually made a loud ‘POP’ when stretched to its limit. “Well, I guess it’s show time again.

  “Pierre expects that Nurse Nadia has already checked up on me. Amazing but every time she asks me about my papers all I have to do is smile and tell her that she is beautiful and what an amazing women she is. HA! She melts and forgets about my papers. They are all the same. They are like sheep.

  “And Dr. Pierre … he is perfect for me. After all, I do need to learn how to be a psychiatric doctor too. Then I can finally make it back to the states as a professional and eliminate those loose ends that I left there. So far it’s been so easy to keep track of their where-abouts.

  “No one will recognize me with my new look. And I am good, yes I am! Evon and the girls will be history soon enough. Too bad those will have to be for free. Marilyn was a score. It’s more fun if you get paid for your work. That always adds a little excitement to the job, or the fun” He sat down on the edge of the bed about to slip his shoes on. “I did enjoy watching her sink as she floated away.”

  As Campbell walked in the front door of the restaurant he heard Dr. Pierre call his name. He was looking around in the dim ambiance when an alert hostess pointed him out just around the corner. “Oh señor, please excuse me for staring,” the hostess said as she gently laid a large dinner napkin in his lap. “You two must be brothers! For a second there I almost thought Dr. Pierre had gotten up for some reason!” Her white teeth gleamed against the smoothness of her inky skin. She handed him a table-sized menu and explained that Dr. Pierre eats there often and is a familiar face.

  Both men laughed and Campbell said, “Yes, brothers ... of a sort, wouldn’t you agree Dr. Pierre?” Pierre raised his glass.

  Vescuvios is an elegant restaurant. It is open air, and sits alongside the water in the center of the historic district, ‘Zona Colonial’, in old Santo Domingo. Parts of Christopher Columbus’ old wall that surrounded the city were bathed in a soft up-lighting and tropical trees swayed in the gentle breeze. Ancient canons were still guarding the city as they have for over 500 years.

  Vescuvios is known for its’ elegance and service. At times the President himself dined here. When he did it was always obvious because the road is blocked off and the noise of the traffic buzzing by stops. Most of the time the weather is perfect for outdoor dining.

  As Dr. Campbell settled in, Pierre stood and bowed a polite greeting. He held out a hand, “Dr. Campbell, it’s so nice to see you here. Please, what may I offer you to drink?”

  “Thanks Pierre, it is very nice to see you too.” He turned to the hostess and said, “just a Perrier please, no lemon.”

  She nodded warmly and turned away. Pierre began. “I have wanted to talk to you since you started working at the hospital, but you know things are always so busy there.”

  “Yes, I too have wanted to talk to you, but alas, as you have been busy, so have I. I apologize. I should have taken a few minutes out of my schedule to speak with you.”

  Pierre coughed lightly into his napkin, “Well, yes, ... and so here we are, finally talking.” He smiled warmly and tipped his wine glass in toast again. “I have so many questions to ask you that I hardy know where to start.” He smiled again as a waiter placed a glass of ice in front of Campbell and poured the Perrier. The light from the candle bounced gaily off the bubbles. “How about I start with the most basic question I guess?”

  “O.K., shoot.” Campbell cocked his head and assumed a look of ‘all ears’.

  Pierre smiled and said, “How do you like working with Nurse Nadia and living in Santo Domingo?”

  “Nurse Nadia is great and living here is like living in paradise. I love it.”

  “How is your research going? I hear you are doing great things and that you are doing especially well with Marie in Rm. 306B.”

  Campbell pursed his lips and shook his head mournfully, “oh, that poor girl. She watched her parents drown while they were fishing you know; and then when she tried to rescue them she slipped on some rocks and suffered terrible head injuries.”

  “Yes, I read the records.” Pierre said. He buttered a piece of Italian bread and offered the basket to Campbell.

  Campbell continued. “And worse yet, it says she watched them flounder in the surf as she nearly bled to death, helpless to do anything. She laid there while they continued to scream and were slowly taken out by the current.”

  “It must have been terrible.” Pierre nodded.

  “Yes, absolutely horrible for her I’m sure ... traumatic.” Campbell chewed contentedly on hi
s bread a moment. “To see someone drown must be a terrible experience; and for it to be family and to be helpless and not able to do anything, wow, just beyond words. I would hate to watch something like that.” He looked up at Pierre and smiled. “One can hardly imagine.”

  Pierre almost interrupted, but he waited and then said, “And after they floated out to sea she laid there, bleeding for hours, hypothermic and in severe pain. She lost so much blood they almost lost her.”

  Campbell shook his head, “Yes, it must have been terrible.” He then asked, “Has she ever spoken since?”

  Pierre paused for a moment thinking, “Well, not to my knowledge. Certainly nothing coherent. It is weird though, she hardly ever moves and yet recently she had a couple small bruises just below her thyroid cartilage. It looked like she might be.... not sure what it looks like.”

  Campbell held a second piece of bread to his lips. He smiled grimly and repeated what he had just said, “Yes, it is terrible. I could never imagine watching someone drown; so ... helpless. Such a shame.” And he added, “It is weird about the bruises. Nurse Nedia mentioned that to me just the other day.”

  He popped the last bite of the fresh bread into his mouth. “Yes, I am taking a special interest in her. I visit her daily and spend more time with her than the others. She is very special. She actually smiles when I enter the room now.” He leaned forward and almost whispered, “I think she even hates to see me leave. I can see that in her eyes. I keep a close watch on her and I really think I am making progress with her. I fully expect that she will improve and may even start talking again.”

  Pierre looked at Campbell over the rim of his wine glass. “You do? You really think that she will improve?” He didn’t look like he truly believed this. “How fascinating! Well, I hope you are correct. It is a shame to see such a beautiful girl waste her life like that.”

  Campbell scrutinized his companion’s face, thinking. He then nodded at Pierre and agreed, “Yes, that would be a miracle, but I have seen plenty of miracles during my career.”

  Pierre leaned in, “and to think, you are volunteering your time and energy for such a good cause. I often wonder how we can ever repay you.”

  “Oh, such nonsense Dr. Pierre. My research is my reward. If my research is at all successful, perhaps someday we will be able to help patients that have these various traumas. Traumas that have shut them out of the world. It is such a waste of life. When I see Marie laying there in the bed it almost makes me want to take her in my arms and hold her and tell her everything will be OK.”

  “Sometimes I want to do the same,” Dr. Pierre smiled forlornly. “Oh, but that would be unprofessional, wouldn't it Dr. Campbell? Oh no! God forbid we show that much compassion.” He snorted dismissal at his sarcasm.

  “Well yes, of course it would be. You know we must remain neutral and not allow the patients to affect us emotionally. But yes, I know Dr. Pierre. I agree with you whole-heartedly. Sometimes that is much easier said than done I am afraid.

  “As I said earlier though, I really think she will improve. She takes to the meds very well. By that I mean with very little side effects to note. And, she reacts very well to the personal therapy I’m giving her.

  “Yes, I wanted to ask about the personal therapy side of it. Can you tell me about that?”

  Campbell shifted uneasily in his seat, and then bounced back. “Well, I can’t go into detail about it yet but you will get a full report very soon. Let’s just say it involves a lot of stimulus – response therapy.” He smugly congratulated himself on that one. “She will be the center of my final analysis and reports. I hope to have the final report in a few months. I will be sure and give you a copy before it is published in the journal. With some luck this hospital will be in the spotlight worldwide.”

  “I would like that very much,” Dr. Pierre responded. “So tell me, why did you pick Santo Domingo, and why our hospital to work in and conduct your research. I know a doctor like you has the pick of hospitals all over the world.”

  “Well doctor, I love the people here and I love the climate and I hate flying. You know it is closer than India ... even South America. That was my other choice. Santo Domingo is only about two hours from the mainland so that makes it so much easier.”

  “Well I’m so glad you chose to work here.” He waved the waiter over and asked, “Do you have any children Doctor?”

  “I had two step-daughters once, but they died in a bad accident.” He hung his head like the mournful parent. “Yes, their names were Michelle and Sherine ... both beautiful little girls.” He wiped an eye with his napkin.

  “Oh! I’m so sorry to hear that.” Dr. Pierre responded, truly affected.

  “Yes it was terrible. That is one of the reasons I moved here too. I knew I would never see them again, alive I mean.”

  “What?” Pierre blurted out rather loudly. “Alive?”

  Campbell quickly responded, “I mean, I can only visit their graves and that ... ”

  “Oh, oh oh! Please excuse me Campbell! I understand!” He reached across the table and rubbed Campbell’s arm. “I’m so very sorry! I hope I did not cause you ... .” He let whatever else he was going to say drop.

  “No, it’s fine really; it was a long time ago.”

  Campbell politely asked Pierre about his life. “I was raised in NY and went to Haiti often as my parents are missionaries there. That’s why I travel to Haiti so often.”

  Campbell sat up, “Oh, I did not know you still travel there often.”

  “Yes, almost monthly for long weekends to visit my parents.”

  “Dr. Pierre, you are a rich man, you still have your parents and you have the time to see them. How nice is that? I would love to go there some time, it would be an adventure.”

  Pierre gave Campbell a curious look. “Dr. Campbell can I ask you a personal question?”

  “Of course,” he bristled.

  “Well I was wondering, Nurse Nadia tells me that you live alone and do not date or have a special lady in your life. Would you like to meet my niece? She is very pretty and lives in Port’-au-Prince. That is just over the border in Haiti, about a five hour drive. I’ve actually already told her about you and she is interested in meeting you. She lived and was schooled in New York too. As you may remember, my family is from New York and they all work in Haiti when they are not in New York.”

  Pierre continued saying, “I have to tell you that when she asked what you look like, I told her that you were tall, extremely good looking and very muscular. And then I added that you look like me. She laughed, but you know, it’s true? We do have a remarkable resemblance. I have heard that from many of the hospital staff and I have to agree with them.”

  Campbell laughed out loud this time and held up his glass of Perrier to toast, “maybe someday that will come in handy, who knows; maybe you will want to be me some day?”

  Pierre stared at Campbell for a moment. He raised his glass and clinked Campbell’s firmly, “That would be an honor sir.”

  “Back to your family and especially your niece,” Campbell said softly while wiping the corner of his mouth and was interrupted by Pierre. “Would you like to go this weekend?”

  “Well, this weekend is a little sudden, but I would really look forward to seeing Haiti. That would be great. I would love to visit your family with you and meet your niece. Yes; and we can visit the hospital there in Port-au-Prince, can´t we?”

  “Of course we can,” said Dr. Pierre. “It is very poor but interesting, and I always take some shifts there whenever I visit. They need all the help they can get.”

  After the waiter took their orders, the two men continued the conversation. They talked about the more trivial parts of their lives and as they finished the excellent dinner Campbell flagged the waiter over. As he said, “la cuenta por favor,” he turned his attention back to Pierre, “This one is on me.”

  As Pierre protested and started to reach for his wallet, Campbell reached across the white table cloth and g
ently held his arm this time, “No, no. I insist please. When we visit your family you can pay.” Campbell dropped several two-thousand peso notes on the gleaming silver tray, “and you can pay big time!”

  They shook each other’s hand and said their goodnights. As Campbell walked away he grinned to himself and thought, “Amazing, simply amazing. Just as I thought things could not get any better, they get way better. It is fucking amazing!” He watched Pierre get in his Skoda and drive away. Once out of site he turned and went back into the restaurant. It was just about to close and he wanted a word with that hostess.

  14

  Sherine was stopped at a stop light, her old Mustang ticking in the heat. She picked up her cell phone and called Michelle, “Guess what Bee-atch … I got a job!”

  “Wow! That's fucking great! ” Michelle exclaimed. “Doing what and where?”

  “I´ll be selling expensive men's suites in the richest area of Merritt Island … to millionaires! All I have to do is look great and smile and make the customers think they look great in the suites ... and that is a natural for me! It's a commission job. I was told I can make lots of money.” She fished around for a pack of gum in the center console as she waited to turn left on to the Merritt Island Causeway to go back over to Cocoa Beach. “It really sounded easy to me; just getting men to pull out their wallets. I hate to say it, but finally Mom´s training will come in handy,” Sherine told Michelle laughing. “You will do great Sherine. Men like you. Just be your sweet self and it will all come natural.”