XY XX

MEDICINE

Gregory left her again and went to tend to Sia, who finished eating. He gave her yogurt for dessert and sat down to draw with her.

At 7:45 pm, he read her a bedtime story.

Xenia, knocked out cold by the medicine, woke up at 10 pm in surprise; she ran to Sia's room. The little girl slept, Xenia followed the light coming from the living room.

Xenia crept up on Gregory, who worked on his laptop; the room was silent. All one could hear was the man's fingers tapping on the keys.

"Don't even think about it," Gregory said. He guessed the action Xenia wanted to perform.

The woman froze with her hands, ready to tap Gregory's shoulders stuck in mid-air, "you're no fun."

"Feeling better?"

"Yes."

Gregory shut his laptop, "good, I think I'll get going."

"Wait, have you eaten?"

"Actually, no, I made Sia eat, but I forgot myself."

"I'll make you something."

"Go and rest, Xenia, another time," Gregory said as he shoved his files in his case.

Xenia pursued, "no, it will only take a few minutes. Don't tell me you're not hungry? Come on, Gregory, don't let me die in the shame of having ruined your evening."

Gregory stopped, "I like the idea, but I think I should leave."

"Please."

It was small, but it was enough. A please from Xenia was like a dog bone, one savored as if it was the last. Gregory sat and waited for a croc Monsieur and a small mache salad.

Xenia grinned, "don't worry, I didn't sneeze on in your plate, bonne appetite."

"Merci," Gregory said.

Xenia watched him eat as she drank her mint citron Saint Pellegrino; he seemed so different perhaps he wasn't as stuck up as she thought.

"Thank you for everything. I mean, you were brilliant with Sia. Do you like kids?"

"I have nothing against them; my sister has four kids," Gregory said between two bites.

"Wow, you have a sister with four children, brave woman."

"Yes, I have a twin sister with one set of twins and two boys. I wouldn't say she's brave." Gregory hesitated, "she has a husband, and a few other people help her."

Xenia imagined how Gregory's sister could be. A twin, was the woman as reserved as him? Xenia's eyes gleamed at the revelations.

"I see; I wouldn't make it without my mother's and sister's help. If they weren't there, I wouldn't be in Astoria anymore. Almost every woman who has a child there resigns. We don't have equal salaries, but we have to live up to it."

"But there are a lot more advantages here than in the United Kingdom," Gregory said.

Like most foreigners, he thought French people were pretty well off when it came to social rights.

"I know, but trust me, in Astoria, 35 hours only looks good on the paper."

Gregory knew what she meant; he worked round the clock. Yes, you left work on time, but you finished the remaining tasks late at night. And for that, there was no compensation.

"Does your sister work? Oh, sorry, I'm nosy. Must be the medicine," Xenia said.

"She used to be a lawyer, and I don't think the medicine is to blame for your indiscretion." The playful expression he harbored awakened Xenia's combat mode.