focused at home and not yet fully directed at the outside world or consumed by boys. And in her case “home” was a very interesting place. She stood next to her father sometimes in the lobby when he greeted important guests, and when she met the president of France she was a hero at the Lycee Francais for several days.
Occasionally she invited girls from school to spend the night with her in the apartment upstairs, and her friends loved cruising the hotel and checking out the kitchens, visiting room service, getting their hair done when the hairdressers had free time, or stopping in at the spa, where they always got free samples of skin and hair products and now and then a five-minute massage. Spending a night at the Vendome with Heloise was an exciting gift for her friends, and once in a while her father sent them downtown shopping in the Rolls. Her friends all thought it was very glamorous. And sometimes they peeked in at weddings and big parties too.
Her braces had come off by then, and she was beautiful and growing tall. She still had a child’s body, had lost the curl in her long hair, and she looked like a young colt when she bounded down the halls. She was still close to Jennifer, her father’s assistant, as a kind of surrogate aunt and older friend and Heloise confided in her on important matters, which gave Hugues a source of additional information about what was going on in her life and head. He was relieved that she wasn’t interested in boys yet and still enjoyed childish pursuits, although her beautiful doll from Eva Adams had been gently placed on a shelf in her bedroom two years ago.
She hadn’t been to London to see her mother since the last, unsuccessful visit, but whenever Miriam came through New York for a day or two with Greg, she would invite Heloise to spend a night at their hotel with them. She had seen her mother three times in four years. She fantasized about what life would have been like with her, if her parents had stayed married. She couldn’t imagine it, although it would have been wonderful to have a mother. Miriam was completely absorbed into her rock star husband’s life and didn’t seem to care about Heloise or anything she did. Only Greg and their children mattered to her. Their two children were very cute, but whenever Heloise saw them, she thought they were wild and badly behaved. She said so to Jennifer but never to her father. She knew enough not to discuss Miriam with him. Even the mention of her name shot a look of pain into his eyes. And she knew he disapproved of her and was still hurt and angry. And Heloise had loyalties to them both, although more so to her father. Her mother became more of a stranger every year.
Heloise’s world consisted of her father, a hotel full of people who loved her, and a mother who seemed not to and made rare cameo appearances, like a shooting star in a summer sky. Heloise had more of a relationship with Ernesta the maid, Jan the florist, and Jennifer her father’s assistant who watched over her benevolently; they were all loving role models for her, better than her mother, Hugues knew. There had been a story in the tabloids about Miriam having a fling with a young cabana boy at a hotel in Mexico, and Greg had been arrested twice that year, once for possession of marijuana while on tour in the States and then for assault and battery when he got in a bar fight while severely inebriated. Videos of the fight and his subsequent arrest had appeared on YouTube, which Heloise admitted to Jennifer that she’d watched. She’d seen her mother in the crowd in the background at the bar, looking horrified when they dragged Greg out in handcuffs. Heloise had felt sorry for her mother, not for Greg. She told Jennifer he looked disgusting, and it seemed like he really hurt the man he hit with a vodka bottle. But apparently the man was his drummer, and the charges were dropped afterward. Hugues disliked the fact that Miriam lived in an unsavory world, but
Occasionally she invited girls from school to spend the night with her in the apartment upstairs, and her friends loved cruising the hotel and checking out the kitchens, visiting room service, getting their hair done when the hairdressers had free time, or stopping in at the spa, where they always got free samples of skin and hair products and now and then a five-minute massage. Spending a night at the Vendome with Heloise was an exciting gift for her friends, and once in a while her father sent them downtown shopping in the Rolls. Her friends all thought it was very glamorous. And sometimes they peeked in at weddings and big parties too.
Her braces had come off by then, and she was beautiful and growing tall. She still had a child’s body, had lost the curl in her long hair, and she looked like a young colt when she bounded down the halls. She was still close to Jennifer, her father’s assistant, as a kind of surrogate aunt and older friend and Heloise confided in her on important matters, which gave Hugues a source of additional information about what was going on in her life and head. He was relieved that she wasn’t interested in boys yet and still enjoyed childish pursuits, although her beautiful doll from Eva Adams had been gently placed on a shelf in her bedroom two years ago.
She hadn’t been to London to see her mother since the last, unsuccessful visit, but whenever Miriam came through New York for a day or two with Greg, she would invite Heloise to spend a night at their hotel with them. She had seen her mother three times in four years. She fantasized about what life would have been like with her, if her parents had stayed married. She couldn’t imagine it, although it would have been wonderful to have a mother. Miriam was completely absorbed into her rock star husband’s life and didn’t seem to care about Heloise or anything she did. Only Greg and their children mattered to her. Their two children were very cute, but whenever Heloise saw them, she thought they were wild and badly behaved. She said so to Jennifer but never to her father. She knew enough not to discuss Miriam with him. Even the mention of her name shot a look of pain into his eyes. And she knew he disapproved of her and was still hurt and angry. And Heloise had loyalties to them both, although more so to her father. Her mother became more of a stranger every year.
Heloise’s world consisted of her father, a hotel full of people who loved her, and a mother who seemed not to and made rare cameo appearances, like a shooting star in a summer sky. Heloise had more of a relationship with Ernesta the maid, Jan the florist, and Jennifer her father’s assistant who watched over her benevolently; they were all loving role models for her, better than her mother, Hugues knew. There had been a story in the tabloids about Miriam having a fling with a young cabana boy at a hotel in Mexico, and Greg had been arrested twice that year, once for possession of marijuana while on tour in the States and then for assault and battery when he got in a bar fight while severely inebriated. Videos of the fight and his subsequent arrest had appeared on YouTube, which Heloise admitted to Jennifer that she’d watched. She’d seen her mother in the crowd in the background at the bar, looking horrified when they dragged Greg out in handcuffs. Heloise had felt sorry for her mother, not for Greg. She told Jennifer he looked disgusting, and it seemed like he really hurt the man he hit with a vodka bottle. But apparently the man was his drummer, and the charges were dropped afterward. Hugues disliked the fact that Miriam lived in an unsavory world, but
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