How Sweet It Is Read Free Page B

What if they never find my
reservation?
    Delphine grabbed her wallet and pulled out
her debit card. “I’ll be filing my complaint with the airline,” she
said, her voice shaking. “And I expect full reparations to be
made.”
    “Of course,” the clerk said, taking her
card, “with our apologies.” He ran the card and stared at the
screen waiting for approval. “Um, I’m sorry, but we cannot accept
this card.”
    Her stomach twisted
again. What now? “There must be some mistake. Please try again.”
    He ran the card once more and shook his head.
“It has been declined.”
    The heat, combined with shock, made
Delphine’s head reel. The din of surrounding travelers sounded far
away. “What? I don’t understand!”
    “Due to insufficient funds.”
    “ Ma
foi! ” Delphine gripped the edge of the
counter and bit her lip, trying to stem the rising panic. “I have
no other money. What can I do?”
    The clerk gave a tight smile. “Perhaps you
have friends or family to call? Otherwise, we will make every
possible effort to straighten the problem out and get you on
another flight. I just can’t say how long it will take.”
    “I need a moment to think,”
she said faintly. Her heart roaring in her ears, Delphine stumbled
from the desk. The crowds blurred into streams of color and noise
around her. What happened? Where did the
money go?
    Delphine remembered leaving
her card number with her parents, in case of dire emergency. She
sucked in a breath. They wouldn’t…they couldn’t have used it. And if they
had, they would’ve let her know. Right? Delphine wracked her brain
for an explanation. Spotting a cash machine, she hurried over to
find out her balance. Perhaps she was just shy of the full amount
and could find a seat on another airline.
    Delphine stared in disbelief at the piece of
paper fresh from the machine. Fourteen dollars. A balance of
fourteen dollars? What happened to the eleven hundred she’d set
aside? She closed her eyes, willing away the hot tears building
behind her eyelids. There was no question of an airline ticket
now—not to mention money for a hotel room.
    I’m stuck in Paris!
    There must’ve been an emergency back home. A
new terror gripped her and she headed for a pay phone. Her mother
was diabetic, her father had heart disease, and neither of them
took any responsibility for their health.
    Fighting a fresh wave of
dizziness, Delphine stood in another line to use a public phone.
When it was her turn, she made a collect call home, but no one
answered. Next, she called her neighbor to make sure her parents
were all right. She got through, and after being assured of their
well-being, Delphine hung up the phone. Moving away, she looked out
to the surging crowds of travelers all around—each confident of
where they were going. Unlike
me .
    Someone tripped over her
suitcase and snapped at her to get out of the way. Mortified, she
dragged her suitcase to a nearby bench. Now
what? Relief that her parents were all
right warred with outrage at her predicament. What had happened to
the money? Although she now felt certain her parents were behind
this problem, a part of her held out hope for their innocence.
Maybe there were bank problems—just like there were airline
computer problems.
    She lowered herself onto the
bench and held her head in her hands. “ Éternel, me délivrer .” The half-formed
prayer tumbled from her lips, quickly replaced by a stifled sob.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Delphine took several deep breaths to calm
herself. Please! I must get
home!
    “I can’t understand you. Your accent is too
thick! Is there an interpreter available? This is ridiculous!”
    Through the fog of despair, Delphine became
aware of a strident voice rising above the general din and babble
surrounding her in the airport. She wearily looked up through a
break in the crowd and saw a tall, middle-aged man standing a few
steps away. He shook his head at a gesticulating French clerk.
    The American,