“You can make the calls you need to from my apartment. There’s a workspace you can use. I don’t need it,” she told him. He had brought a laptop in a briefcase.
They were both quiet on the way to Ikea, lost in their own thoughts. She didn’t feel obliged to speak to him, and he didn’t annoy her with small talk. He was respectful of her space, and his own position. He didn’t attempt to become friends, although they had chatted amicably in the interview, but it was mostly to learn about the composition of her household, and his history.
They walked into the huge store together. He picked up a large bag and they followed the yellow markings on the floor to the kitchen section. The choices were vast with every kind of counter surface from granite to the least expensive options, shiny lacquered cabinets, or wood ones, everything in a multitude of styles and colors and finishes, and dozens of different kinds of handles. All of it was displayed in a variety of attractive combinations, to show how the products could be used.
He was surprised by how quickly she made her selections and how decisive she was. She acted like a businesswoman after all, but not in an aggressive way. She showed him all the things she wanted him to order. White lacquer cabinets with a high gloss, simple brushed steel handles, a high-grade white plastic counter surface which he recommended. He had used it for one of the young Cheshires, and it had worked well. They picked light fixtures for the kitchen and he recommended a different store for appliances. They picked shelving, and everything they needed for the kitchen. They walked through the rest of the store then, and she picked kitchen plates and glasses, a big, powder pink, cozy armchair he would assemble for her bedroom, some mirrored cupboards for the second bedroom that could be set up for shelves or hanging, light fixtures for the bathroom, freestanding lamps, assorted tools, and practical things he said he would need for small installations. Two hours later, they were back on the road, with the van full. He was going to order the kitchen online, after he took the correct measurements, and they would install it within a week. Everything was moving quickly.
“You’re a whiz, Joachim,” she complimented him, and he smiled.
“I think that’s what you’re paying me for, if I’m not mistaken.” They had spent astonishingly little at Ikea. He was mindful of her budget. “Next stop, Darty,” he said, “for appliances.” The apartment had a washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher, but she had to buy a refrigerator, stove with oven, assorted small appliances, and a vacuum cleaner.
They went back to the new apartment to unload it all afterward. The rest was being delivered. They stopped at a sandwich shop to buy lunch, ate it in the van, and then went to buy her a new bed, not just a mattress. Then they went back to her current apartment, so he could call about the utilities. She had never seen anyone as efficient. And when they had dropped off her purchases at the new apartment, he had taken the exact measurements for the kitchen, so he could place the order for everything she’d chosen.
“What about TV and stereo?” he asked her once they were back at her place on the quai Voltaire.
“I forgot,” she admitted.
“I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
“I love my new bed, by the way.” She liked the store he had taken her to, and once again, the prices had been reasonable and the products high-quality. “Maybe you should become a decorator, if you don’t find a job you want as a butler.”
“This isn’t decorating yet,” he reminded her. “This is basics.” But they had covered them all in a single day in a matter of hours. He had set up many houses and apartments for his employer’s children.
He made a quick run for groceries for her before he left, and left her at six-thirty, having accomplished three days’ work in one. She couldn’t believe how fast he worked or how capable he was. And she agreed with him, he’d have her new place set up for her in no time.
He was watching French football on TV when his mother got home. He looked energized and happy, and she was pleased to see it. She had shared some very heavy information with him only days before, and she was relieved to see he didn’t seem depressed about it. Maybe the truth was a relief, and if anything, it had brought them closer to each other.