Coco Chanel Saved My Life (21 page)

“No news. Dead calm. I just received a short e-mail from Cristian, saying he will spend Christmas in Spain. Kind of disappointing: he only wanted to know how I am doing and to inform me that he's still alive. I couldn't even tell if the gift I received was from him…”

“I warned you not to get too involved with him,” Emma reminded me.

“But in return I am investing a lot of energy in my work. Actually, I'm getting pretty good at it! I'm becoming so passionate about weddings that, sooner or later, I might marry too.”

“Now
that
would definitely be shocking news!”

“What will you do for Christmas?” I couldn't resist another delicious cupcake that Emma had served with the tea.

“I'll be with Elena. I don't feel like spending Christmas with my parents, at least not until I've told them the news.”

“I understand. I am still undecided whether or not I want to go to Venice and spend the holidays with my mother. Maybe we could do something together. Claudio will be in Milan too. Now that his relationship with the brunette is going so well, he's not going anywhere.”

“Ok, done! Christmas at my place.” Emma sounded enthusiastic.

“Sad to say, I will be the only single,” I said.

“Well, we still have a few days before Christmas; a miracle may happen!”

*

Everybody at the office was looking forward to the Christmas Party. Every year the agency organized a party in a very chic place in Milan and it was usually a very successful event.

The business was doing very well this year and there was a lot to celebrate. Another reason for the general excitement was that the name of the person who won the competition to go to Paris was to be announced that night. We were all curious to know who that lucky person would be.

During the last few weeks Valentina had been strangely absentminded, and also more nervous and irritable than usual. One afternoon she had forgotten to confirm the flowers for the wedding of a young Indian couple. Being able to find orange dahlias in time for the ceremony had been a nightmare!

She shamelessly accused us saying, “you all are distracting me!”

We were upset and looked incredulously at one another, but didn't dare reply.

Fabio, one of the nicest among my colleagues, said, “thank god we'll know soon who is going to Paris, so we can stop this in-fighting.”

“Unless the lioness loses the competition,” I replied, while trying to decipher an e-mail from a German bride who was looking for a mountain chalet for her hen party.

“It would be a terrible blow for her,” said Fabio, giggling, “but at least we would regain our freedom.”

*

My days were all the same. I worked a lot, got back home exhausted, and didn't go out much. There wasn't any man on the horizon, and both my best friends were all caught up in their relationships.

At times I felt lonely, so I began surfing the internet and spent most of my salary on shoes and bags. At that time I knew all the newest things in fashion by heart and my apartment was so crowded with purchases that there was hardly room to turn round.

I was afraid that nothing would ever change in my life and felt discouraged. Sometimes I thought again of what Axi told me. Would the big love of my life really arrive soon?

I thought of Cristian and wondered when I would meet him again. I had the feeling it wouldn't ever happen.

The day before the company's Christmas party I went home early and started to think about what to wear. It was my first social event since I had begun to work for the Milan agency, and I wanted to look beautiful. I had spent so much money on shoes lately that I couldn't afford to buy a new dress. I opted for a grey silk sheath dress that I would wear with a black cashmere shawl. The dress wasn't really high fashion, but it made me look slender and taller, and this was a good thing!

I washed my hair, and with a towel wrapped around my head, checked my mail. I found an e-mail from Cristian. He was asking about me and my plans for Christmas. I would have loved to join him in Spain and surprise him; but I'd learned the hard way that it's best to avoid surprising lovers. Anyway I didn't have the money for the trip.

I blow-dried my hair, decided on a bright red nail polish, had some cookies with milk, and went to bed.

The sound of the intercom woke me up in the morning.

“Miss Bruni, a package for you,” the mail man shouted.

I put on a sweatshirt and went down to pick it up. He handed me a large white box, again there was no sender's name or address.

“Who sent this?” I asked, without realizing how stupid I sounded.

“I have no idea, madam, we only do deliveries,” the guy answered, slightly irritated and pointing to the slip I had to sign.

I thanked him and took the box upstairs. I was very excited by the idea that my mysterious admirer was back with another gift! As soon as I stepped into my apartment, I started to unwrap the box. There were several layers of tissue paper, but when I saw it, I almost fainted! Inside the box there was a dress with an unmistakable cut. The little black dress. Chanel!
La petite robe noir
. This time I found a note. I was so thrilled, I had to sit down to read it.

Look for the woman in the dress. If there is no woman, there is no dress. Coco Chanel

There was no sender's name, but I could see that the box came from Milan. It couldn't be Cristian. So, who could this person be who knew me so well?

I picked up the dress with shaking hands and tried it on. It was perfect. I looked at myself in the mirror, and I felt like the most beautiful woman on the planet!
Coco, c'est moi
.

I knew what to wear to the agency party.

*

“Really don't you have the slightest idea who could have sent it to you?” Claudio was making coffee, while Emma and I were looking for the best shoes to go with it.

“No idea! You know as much as I do. I haven't seen anybody recently, and it can't be Cristian.”

“Then it must be someone who knows you very well, someone you've already annoyed with your Chanel obsession.” Claudio picked up one of my shoes from the floor.

“If you don't stop collecting these
skyscrapers
, I will have to give you one of my rooms!”

“You can never have enough shoes…” Emma said loyally.

“Look at this! Some of them still have their labels; they are brand new!” Claudio sat down on my bed and looked at us. “You, women, are really strange. Aliens.”

“You never know when you need a particular pair of shoes. For example, I should have bought a new pair for tonight. None of these seem to work with the dress.”

“Give me a break, Coco!” Emma said. “You can't even remember all the shoes you have… this dress deserves the masterpiece of your entire collection.”

We both looked up at a shoe box on the top shelf of my closet. It was the pair of Louboutins that I had bought at a time in my life when I felt rich. They were like a trophy I deserved, after many years of my passion for shoes. I'd never worn them; I was afraid to spoil the precious and very famous red soles.

“I think you're right, Emma.” I took the shoes out of their box. “The time has come to let these babies walk the walk!”

*

Before going out, I took a hot, relaxing bath. I couldn't stop thinking about the dress. It was the most fabulous Christmas gift I've ever received, and I didn't even know whom to thank! Suddenly I remembered a person who knew that the
petite robe noire
was my dream since I was a kid. Was it possible that Niccolò had sent me this gift? He never gave me anything, not even a bouquet of flowers, but maybe now he had figured out that I was the woman of his dreams! Perhaps this might be his way to let me know. For a moment I closed my eyes and saw us together again. He and I were dancing on a deserted dance floor to the rhythm of romantic, slow music. Then my alarm went off to warn me I had only one hour to get ready, and I returned to the bitter reality of a lonely single woman with a broken heart.

I surfaced from the water and began the preparations… I was extremely curious to know who would be sent to Paris. Also I was excited about the ten vacation days that awaited me. I had worked so hard for months and this was the break from hysterical brides that I needed.

Slipping into the dress and shoes, I put on my pearls and looked in the mirror. I wasn't bad at all! It was a pity not to have a date. I took my evening bag with the satin bow, sprayed myself in a cloud of No 5, and called a taxi. I was ready for the big night.

The party was at what used to be an old church, now a disco-bar. The marble steps, the huge crystal chandeliers, and the heavy velvet curtains gave the place elegance and a sense of mystery.

It was a very cold night and the streets were covered by a thin layer of ice. When I got out of the taxi, I was very careful not to slip.

The place was already full of people. I left my coat and alpaca scarf with the coat check girl, and headed up the stairs leading to the bar. Immediately I noticed Valentina at the counter, flirting with a guy I didn't know. I also saw Paolo and Etienne in dark suits. They were drinking and talking to some girls from administration. I hadn't seen Etienne since our
secret breakfast
, and when I saw him now, my heart skipped a beat. He left the group and came over to me.

“Hi Coco. How are you?”

“Very well, thank you.” I stared at my champagne glass, to avoid looking in his eyes. I was flustered. This man was really able to excite me to the point of losing all contact with reality!

“You are very elegant. This dress looks great on you.” He looked at me for what seemed like forever and I blushed.

“Thanks, it was a gift…” I tried to sound as casual as possible.

“Wonderful taste. Are you thrilled about tonight? Soon we'll announce the winner for the trip to Paris.”

“Very excited! But honestly I don't have any expectations.”

“We'll see…” his eyes sparkled.

“May I join you?” Valentina's croaky voice interrupted our conversation. She held a glass of Negroni that – looking at her state of excitement – may not have been her first.

“Please,” Etienne said kindly.

“I hope I didn't interrupt anything important…” the tiger devoured me with her piercing eyes.

“No, just small talk,” I answered coldly.

“When will you announce the winner's name?” She addressed Etienne eagerly.

“In about an hour, when we're sure everyone is here.”

“It will be a harsh blow for the losers!” She winked at him in an intimate way.

Etienne gave a forced laugh. This woman was able to be disliked by everybody.

A few minutes later we were joined by Paolo. Smiling he said, “I need to steal your beloved French boss from you. Duty calls.” He took Etienne's arm and led him away.

“See you later,” Etienne said and I remained alone with Valentina, who flashed me a menacing look.

“Think I'll go take a look around,” and I left before she could reply. I was determined not to allow anybody to ruin my evening. Least of all Valentina.

Half an hour later everybody had arrived. Before the big announcement, I went to the bathroom to check my make-up. I found Valentina there, bent over the sink. She raised her head, sniffed, and cleaned some white powder off from under her nose.

When she saw me, she shouted, “has nobody taught you how to knock on doors?”

“Sorry… I… it was open…” I closed the door and took refuge in the adjacent bathroom. I was shocked. Now I understood why she was always so high.

She knocked on my door with insistence, then in an agitated voice, said: “There is nothing wrong… I'm only a little bit stressed because of work. This is just a little help. You won't tell anybody, right?”

I had no intention of giving her a lecture or telling anybody what I'd witnessed. She was an adult, and she could behave however she wanted, even in this stupid, reckless way.

“I won't tell anyone. But now, please, just leave me alone. Thanks.”

I heard her shut the door. It was a very sad discovery.

*

The music was now lower. Everybody was waiting for the usual Christmas speech, but most of all, for the announcement of the winner of the competition to go to Paris.

Paolo took the microphone and began to talk: “Thank you everybody for being here. Most of all thank you for your enthusiasm, dedication, and perseverance that all of you have shown in your work.
Five
is growing fast, and we need you now more than ever to row together to overcome the stormy seas. Because of your teamwork and great morale, we can say today that this year has been a stellar year! Thank you all.”

We all burst into an applause, and some employees were shouting, “Bravo! Bravo!”

“You are too many to thank individually, but we want to let you know we are very happy with each and every one of you, and we hope to continue to work together for a long time to come.”

A second thunderous applause…

“And now it's time to announce the name of our winner!”

Etienne came over, and Paolo handed him the microphone.

Valentina had begun to bite her lip and pull at her hair.

“The decision hasn't been easy. All of you worked hard, tirelessly. I've never seen the coffee vending machine so empty!” There was a general loud laugh.

“We decided to award the person who has made tremendous progress since coming to work with us. She has demonstrated her ability to overcome limitations with humility and shown that this is the only way to improve performance. The winner is…”

Obviously, he was talking about a woman!

“Rebecca Bruni!”

Did I hear my name? Everybody burst into applause and turned to look at me. I was completely shocked and puzzled by the news – I didn't know what to do or what to say…