مهمان سرزده

CHAPTER TWO

A surprise visitor

Patience worked for Hedare Beauty, one of the biggest beauty product companies in the United States.

She hurried into the office building. There were large photos everywhere of Laurel Hedare, the beautiful blonde wife of the head of the company, George Hedare.

Patience crashed into someone. ‘Sorry’ she said. Then she crashed into someone else.

‘Oh no,’ she thought. ‘Things are not going well today.’

George Hedare was a very important man. He had built Hedare Beauty from a very small company into a huge world corporation. He was having a meeting with the other directors of the company.

On a screen behind him were two large photos of the same woman. In one photo, the woman looked ugly and old. In the other photo, she looked very beautiful and twenty years younger.

George Hedare pointed at the photos.

‘Women want to look beautiful,’ he said. ‘They want to look younger. That’s good news for us because they will pay us lots of money for our beauty products!’

He laughed. Everyone in the room laughed with him. except his wife.

‘In one week,’ he continued, ‘we will give them a new product: Beau-line. It’s the most exciting beauty product since soap. It doesn’t just hide the lines on a woman’s face - it really makes her skin young again!’

Everyone clapped.

‘And we’re going to have a new face for our new product, aren’t we, Laurel?’ Hedare looked at his wife.

Laurel stood up. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘My husband and I have decided that after fifteen years it’s time for a new face for Hedare. A younger face.’

She sat down. The photo on the screen changed to a beautiful young woman with long, dark hair, dark skin and beautiful eyes.

‘This is Drina’ said Hedare. ‘The future of Hedare Beauty.’

Patience stood in front of Hedare’s door with her designs.

‘I’m so nervous,’ she said to her friend, Sally. ‘These are my first really important adverts and I want everything to be perfect.’

‘Don’t be nervous,’ said Sally. ‘You’re such a good artist and your designs are wonderful. Good luck.’

‘I’m going to need it,’ thought Patience as she walked into Hedare’s office.

Hedare was sitting at his desk. Laurel was standing by the window.

‘Hi, Mr Hedare,’ said Patience as she put her designs on his desk.

‘Sit down,’ said Hedare.

Patience sat down. Hedare looked quickly at her work.

‘I don’t like these designs at all,’ he said. ‘I told you clearly what I wanted. Why haven’t you done them that way? Look at this red, for example. It’s completely wrong. I wanted something darker.’

‘But you said’ Patience began, and then stopped. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to say anything.

‘I know what I said’ shouted Hedare. ‘Your clothes are terrible and your hair is terrible. It’s no surprise that your designs are terrible too.’

‘I’m sorry, Mr Hedare,’ said Patience. ‘Please give me another chance.’

Laurel turned around. ‘Give her more time, George. You know she’s a good designer.’

‘OK,’ said Hedare. ‘By midnight, tonight.’

Patience got up. She gave Laurel a quick smile as she walked to the door.

‘That’s the second time that someone has rescued me today’ she thought.

While Patience was working on the designs, Sally was standing behind her. She was putting cream on her face.

‘This Beau-line cream is brilliant, Patience,’ she said.

Patience looked round. ‘You’re using a lot of that cream, Sally,’ she said. ‘You can’t buy it yet. How did you get it?’

Sally didn’t answer. She offered the cream to Patience.

‘No, thanks,’ Patience said.

‘Well, you don’t really need it,’ said Sally. ‘Ow!’

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Patience.

‘I’ve got another headache. It’s OK. It’ll go away.’

‘There’s a man to see you, Patience,’ said Lance, another Hedare designer.

Sally looked into the hall. ‘Wow’ she said. ‘He’s really good-looking.’

When Patience looked up, she got a surprise. It was the handsome policeman.

‘Hello,’ he said.

‘Hi,’ said Patience. ‘Sally, this is.’ She stopped. She realised that she didn’t know the man’s name. ‘This is the detective that I told you about this morning.’

‘Tom Lone,’ said the man.

‘Nice to meet you,’ said Sally. ‘Well, I must go. See you soon.’ And she left Patience alone with Tom.

‘How did you know where to find me?’ Patience asked him.

‘You dropped your purse,’ he said, giving it to her.

‘Oh, I didn’t know, thank you so much,’ she said.

‘I like your work,’ he said. He pointed to her drawing book, which was open on her table.

‘Thank you,’ she said. Her face was hot.

‘Would you like to have a coffee with me tomorrow?’ he asked. ‘There’s an Italian cafe around the corner. Grecio’s. On Sixth Street. Is one o’clock OK?’

Patience tried to speak but she couldn’t move her mouth. ‘Urn yes, I’d like that,’ she said finally.

‘Great,’ said Tom. ‘See you tomorrow then.’

As he walked away, Sally arrived.

‘Wow’ said Sally. ‘Lucky you! But what are you going to wear for your date? I know! Why don’t you wear those leather clothes that Lance and I gave you for your birthday?’

Patience imagined herself in the tight leather trousers and jacket. ‘No way’ she thought. ‘That’s not my style at all.’