Paris / 2

2.

Faye Schwartz

           The air smelled musty as Faye clung to Bart’s arm and pulled him lightly up the steps of the university building in search of Halle 3‑2. Despite the ornate woodwork surrounding 19^th century windows, the stairway had been devastated by a shoddy, post-war renovation. A veneer of old dust covered the walls.
Reaching the third-floor landing, Faye looked up the remaining steps and saw a red, white and blue sign, "Democrats Abroad” standing next to a wide, open doorway. She smiled.  "There it is, Bart. We're almost there."
Entering the lecture hall, Faye saw something wrong. Most of the people in the room were wearing blue jeans. Students in t-shirts were holding plastic cups with white wine that you could buy at a folding table by the window.
Had she made a mistake? She had understood that this was a fundraiser for an important candidate for Congress. That's why she’d bought $1,000 tickets to come to the event. She had wanted to be a “player” and that costs money.  But clearly, this event was free to anyone.  Faye was hopelessly overdressed.
"This is the event that you've been preparing for all week? This is the event we paid so much to attend?"
Faye said nothing, her steely smile frozen on her face.
A young man with a ponytail came up and said cheerfully, "Have you come to hear the Congresswoman? She's running a little late. We expect her to arrive in about an hour. She's still tied up at the big fundraiser on the other side of town. But I understand she's getting in the car soon and she'll be here as fast as she can."
Clenching her teeth, Faye turned on her heel and walked away quickly, stifling an angry tear forming at the corner of her eye. The young man shrugged his shoulders and turned to Dick. “If you'd like a drink, they're right over there. Help yourself. Please contribute a euro for each drink. Or put in more if you like. Just leave the money in the basket on the table. It helps us cover the cost of the room."
Faye was trembling silently with her back to Bart a few feet away. He walked up and put his hand tenderly on her shoulder, her thin body trembling under the expensive dress.
"Would you like to stay anyway, dear? This might turn out to be interesting. And we’d get to meet the new Congresswoman."
“Do you think they sent me the wrong address on purpose?” She turned toward him slowly, her eyes brimming with hurt. 
Faye remembered when they first met, that feeling that Bart could save her from all of her fears. He squeezed his arm around her and said, “It’ll be all right. I promise." She shuddered and her warm tear fell on his neck.