Obsession (Year of Fire) (47 page)

“How old are you, Matilde?” Laurette wanted to know.

Al-Saud smiled in triumph. He had been wondering how long it would take before she broke.

“March fourteenth I’ll be twenty-seven.”

“Twenty-seven!” Laurette was stunned. “I wouldn’t have said twenty.”

“When she braids her hair in pigtails,” Eliah quoted Juana, “she looks fifteen. And you won’t just be surprised by her age, Laurette, but also when I tell you that Matilde is
une chirurgienne pédiatrique.
”

Matilde could feel his pride, and the thrill this gave her mixed with that of hearing him say her profession in French. She wanted to ask him,
One more time, Eliah. Say “pediatric surgeon” in French one more time.
She found it difficult to pronounce the word herself.

“You were born in 1971,” Takumi Kaito calculated, and Matilde nodded. “You’re a Pig of Metal.”

Matilde thought she had misunderstood, so she turned to Eliah for assistance.

“A Pig of Metal,” he said in Spanish, and then continued in French, “Takumi sensei is an expert on the Chinese zodiac. Because you were born in 1971, you are a Pig and your element is Metal.”

Matilde laughed. Though she didn’t pay any attention to the zodiac, she knew she was a Pisces. Someone had told her that Pisces were compassionate.

“In my country, in Japan, we would say that you’re a wild boar, but it’s the same thing.”

“I didn’t know that I was a Pig. It’s not very nice to be a pig, is it?”

“Absolutely it is, Pigs are the best and most beautiful people on the planet,” Takumi declared, and Matilde stopped giggling when she realized how seriously the Japanese man took the subject. “They’re the type of people who get along with all the other animals of the zodiac, although the Pig has its preferences. Anyone who gains the Pig’s confidence and friendship is fortunate, because they’ll have a faithful friend for life. The
Pig is characterized by patience. They’ll always make you feel comfortable. Their presence is luminous, so much so that when they’re not there, their absence will be felt, and it is only at that moment that you realize how dependent you are on them.”

My God!
Al-Saud exclaimed to himself. Takumi was describing Matilde and what she inspired in him very accurately.

“As good as they are,” Kaito continued, “they’re easily fooled. Their gullibility is almost as boundless as their hearts.”

At that point, Eliah took Matilde by the wrist and dragged her out of her chair onto his lap.

“I’ll have to protect you from those who want to fool you, my love.”

“You’ll have to, son,” Kaito agreed, “Pigs simply don’t know how to say no.”

“You’re a liability!” Al-Saud pretended to be scared, and kissed her on the cheek, scratching her with his growing beard.

“But don’t assume, Eliah, that you’re dealing with an easy creature. Pigs have very well-defined personalities. They’re naturally tenacious. When they set their sights on something, they don’t stop until they achieve it. They’re very good students. Actually, they’re good at everything they embark upon, because nothing distracts them from the path that leads them to their goal. Although they abhor violence and conflict, you should never provoke a Pig, because they react explosively. Since it’s rare to see them angry, their outbursts always surprise and frighten. As for a Pig of Metal, they’re the most intense and passionate of all.” Takumi, who until then had been looking Matilde in the eyes, switched his gaze to Al-Saud. “You couldn’t have chosen a better person, Eliah.”

“I know, sensei. I don’t feel worthy of her,” he admitted in Japanese.

“What did you say?” Matilde wanted to know.

“That you’re as beautiful as you are pigheaded.”

Matilde looked at him dubiously and turned back to Takumi.

“Takumi, what is Eliah in the Chinese zodiac?”

Takumi’s expression changed. He inhaled deeply, raised his eyebrows and put his hands on the table.

Matilde urged, “Don’t try to scare me, Takumi. What is he?”

“He’s a Horse of Fire. In China, they try to avoid their birth.”

“Thanks for your help, sensei! I very much appreciate it, but perhaps it’d be better if you didn’t say anything.”

“Let him speak,” Matilde interrupted. “Tell me, Takumi. Why do they avoid having Horses of Fire?”

“The last lunar year of the Horse of Fire ran from 1966 to 1967. That year the birthrate in China fell spectacularly and abortions soared.”

“Really?”

“Really. The Chinese consider the Horse of Fire to be a harbinger of doom.”

Matilde looked at Eliah and, seeing that his eyes were full of distress, took him by the cheeks and kissed him on the lips. She assured him in Spanish, “You’re a blessing in my life, not a misfortune. Never forget that.”

Al-Saud’s smile affected Takumi Kaito. Whatever the girl had said had gone straight through his pupil’s hardened shell and reached his most intimate side, the soft, generous, sentimental and sensitive layer that he knew existed, but rarely saw. Matilde was perhaps unaware of how easily she had gained access to his soul, maybe because she didn’t know what kind of man she was dealing with. Kaito was starting to understand the immense love that his pupil felt for her. He had surprised them by introducing her as
ma femme
, my woman, but it was only at that moment that Kaito was able to assimilate the declaration of
ma femme
, the smile, the way he looked at her and his need to keep her close by, the urgency to have his skin touching hers. At times he had wondered if Eliah was capable of loving a woman completely and deeply. Although he had loved Samara very much, it had been an immature love that died before it had a chance to flourish. And Takumi doubted whether it ever would have flourished. Samara, insecure and timid, would have weighed Eliah down.

“You should know, Matilde, that if you hope to keep a Horse at your side, and especially a Horse of Fire, you should
never
,
ever
threaten his freedom. Give him as much space as he needs, because there’s nothing a Horse of Fire appreciates more than being free. In general, Horses are popular and attractive. Wherever they go, they’ll get attention.”

“I believe that,” Matilde agreed.

“They’re egocentric and use their magnetism to get what they want from everyone else.”

“You’re painting a wonderful picture, sensei,” Al-Saud complained.

“Their generosity knows no limits and they’re careless with money.”

“You’ll have to be in charge of the accounts then, my love,” Eliah whispered to her and Matilde pretended not to be listening and kept her gaze on the Japanese man. What did that comment mean? That she had a place in his future? She didn’t dare to ask because, in fact, there was no future. Plus, as Kaito had said, a Horse of Fire loves his liberty.

“The Horse is a tireless wanderer. No place is his place in particular. Everywhere is.”

Matilde, since you arrived in Paris, that has been my place.

“Because they are generally brilliant, sharply intelligent animals, they get impatient with those that aren’t and it can seem as though they lack compassion, or even that they’re cruel. They won’t listen to advice or orders. Rarely are they able to work for a boss. They know no fear or limits. They lack safety nets and they throw themselves into achieving whatever they want, with a determination similar to the Pig’s. They are capable of taking on ten projects at the same time. They’re hardworking and industrious; they detest laziness. However, once they’ve obtained their goal, they’re immediately bored again. Routine suffocates and frightens them. For the Horse, every day should be different from the day before. Still”—his voice changed a little—“when he finds his soul mate, the Horse’s roaming heart becomes eager to settle down and find a bit of peace.”

“Wow!” Matilde had listened to Kaito in a state of perplexity and rapture; she had generally understood what he had said, although a few words had escaped her. “Is that what you’re like, Eliah?”

“Until a few weeks ago, yes,” he admitted, pushing Matilde off his lap so he could stand up. “This session on the Chinese zodiac is over. I need to get rid of some of this energy. Let’s go to see the horses. I’m dying for a ride. Thank you, Laurette, for this magnificent meal. And thank you, my dear sensei, for scaring my woman.”

They all laughed, including Al-Saud once he sensed Matilde’s happiness.
All that’s important
, he thought,
is that she’s forgotten what she told me about her father.
On the way to the stables, he commented, “Takumi sensei was particularly talkative today. It was because he liked you so much. Usually, he’s a withdrawn man, not absentminded but silent, listening and observing. He doesn’t talk much.”

“I really liked Takumi too. Laurette as well, though I could barely understand what she was saying. You have a lot of love for Takumi, don’t you?”

“Yes. I’ve known him since I was thirteen. In a way, he’s my mentor and my master. He’s the one who taught me to get to know and accept myself.”

“I realize, after what Takumi said about Pigs, that I never made an effort to get to know myself. Maybe it’s because I’m always trying to please everyone else and mold my personality to the wishes of my parents, my grandparents, my sisters…but with the freedom you’ve given me, I’m starting to become conscious of who and what I am.”

“You’re a wonderful woman and person, Matilde. I don’t think you know that.
Bonjour
, Jean-Louis!”

A few steps from the door to the stables, they ran into a young man wearing a white coat. Al-Saud introduced him as Jean-Louis Manais, the head vet. Matilde immediately noted the immaculate state and smell of disinfectant in the stables. Jean-Louis explained that hygiene regulations were strictly respected; they were dealing with extremely pure horses, highly valuable specimens, and treated them like small children. They took a tour of the stallions’ stable. The other building was set aside for pregnancy and foaling. He explained that the paddock, a field of rich pasture, was divided into different areas, one for the mothers and foals, the other for weaning and the last for the stud horses. Finally, Jean-Louis opened the top of one of the stalls and a black horse poked its head out.

“How beautiful!” Matilde exclaimed, going over to it.

It was the first time she had ever seen a Friesian horse. Its mane, curled into ringlets and combed to the left, hung down to the floor; a curly fringe partially covered its eyes and gave it a seductive, coquettish air. The vet took it outside and the animal looked resplendent in its shining coat and tail, which was as long as its mane; its hooves were covered in thick hair, like Percherons. Unlike the draft horses, the Friesian was very tall; its body was robust, something that, Jean-Louis explained, had been valued on ancient battlefields. The vet pointed out other features such as the convex head, the stiff neck that gave it a haughty look, the big, dark eyes and the pointed ears whose tips turned slightly inward.

“All our specimens are black,” he commented. “Some have a very small white star on the forehead.”

“Can I touch it?”

“Of course,” said Al-Saud, and Matilde stroked its snout.

“You’re beautiful, the most beautiful horse I’ve ever seen. What’s it called?”

“This is Rex. He was named after a horse that belonged to my mother. My father bought him for her before they got married. And she loved it. It was very painful for her when he died.”

“Why are they called Friesians?”

“Because they come from Friesland, a region in the Netherlands,” the vet answered. “The species was on the edge of extinction. Luckily,
haras
like this have saved them from disappearing.”

They saddled a stallion, Diavolo, for Eliah, and for Matilde they chose a mare named Lattuga. The horses’ ankles were wrapped in red bands to keep the hair on the hooves from getting dirty, and the contrast between the red and the black coats embellished the horses’ appearance. Though he was dying to break into a gallop, Al-Saud made sure that Matilde got used to riding after all these years. They went away from the stables toward the pastureland. Matilde proposed heading to the woods that she had noticed from afar. Trusting Lattuga’s tameness, Al-Saud asked, “Do you feel like going for a little gallop?”

She agreed, and they shot off toward their objective. Matilde took up the rear and stayed there on purpose so she could admire Eliah on Diavolo. She was excited by his long, thin legs, whose muscles strained against the elastic of his riding pants as they moved with the horse. The gray sky and cool breeze didn’t disappoint her, on the contrary, she exulted in the fertile surroundings of these green pastures. The mares and their foals, who were grazing a few hundred feet away, lifted their heads to watch them pass; as the wind tossed their long manes, Matilde was struck by so much beauty.

They entered the forest; a mixture of maples and Pyrenean oak, whose few leaves had turned a yellowy color. The smell of damp, rotting leaves floated in the cold air. They walked slowly through the trees. The breath of the horses and the riders turned into steam, making the silent, lugubrious place seem mysterious. Matilde’s heart beat faster at the beauty and peace of the forest.

“Eliah,” she whispered, and he came over on his horse. “Thank you for bringing me to your estate. You always make everything so marvelous for me.”

“It must be because I feel so happy when I’m with you.”

What he thought would be a fleeting brush of the lips turned into a kiss that made the horses restless. They snorted, tossed their manes and pawed the ground until the two separated. They looked at each other across the space.

“Let’s go home. I’m desperate to make love to you.”

They emerged from the forest spurred on by desire and galloped enthusiastically across the field as though they were being chased by an army of Cossacks. Near the stables, Matilde admired the way Al-Saud hopped off his mount before Diavolo had even stopped moving. In seconds his hands were on her waist, helping her down. The stable boys who came over to take the horses watched them run toward the big house.