Gervais wins again

Sometimes in your heart you just know what is going to happen even before it does as if life becomes a rerun of a film you have already seen. When the phone rang today I knew from the dreaded déjŕ vu that filled me what the universe had in store for me. I had just finished lunch and Maritka seeing the black look on my face escaped out to the kitchen while I sat on the terrace working out what to do about Jojo. When the jangling of the phone echoed through the house I knew without moving from my chair who it was and pretty much what they were going to say and if I didn't then the sight of Maritka approaching me while holding the phone at arms length as if it was something obscene told me. I nodded to her and said it was fine I would speak to Gervais. She looked at me surprised but I just wanted to get whatever evil he had planned out of the way.

The minute he spoke, his voice oily with evil triumph, I had an urge to do him some irreparable damage. He started off his conversation with bland niceties for he loved to toy with me the way a cat would toy with a mouse before devouring it, then moved in for the kill in typical Dubois fashion. Gervais said that by now I would have worked out that Jojo was not coming back while I tried to pretend to be ignorant of his point and asked what he meant. He laughed, his voice smooth with smugness which made my fingers curl for I knew Gervais was about to reveal the mystery of Jojo, why he had not been around and how he was instrumental in whatever misery I was about to endure.

Gervais continued smoothly ignoring my silence as he let tidbits slip through his musings. It wound up being a full five minutes before he revealed any real facts but in the end he finally told me where Jojo was. Gervais hated Jojo, well I have always known that, from the days dusting for Liselle it was quite obvious that Jojo had got under his skin. Maybe Gervais could not handle how Jojo was well liked, or handsome, athletic and full of life or that he had me. So Gervais set about discovering just what made Jojo tick, his strengths, his weaknesses and of course his most vulnerable area—his vanity. Gervais had worked out that Jojo needed to get away from his dominating mother, run a business of his own that was as, or more successful and when he had first offered to finance Royce and Jojo they jumped at the chance to escape their respective families.

Gervais explained that there was no drama in getting Jojo to leave me the first time, that he was eager to accept his help, I was not an issue. I knew how angry Jojo had been at me so I could understand how I would have not been of any concern to him when making his decisions. I could hear the anger in his voice when he described how Jojo thought he could have it all, he was coldly referring to how he had come back into my life after Mother’s death. Gervais gave me the impression that he thought I would have turned to him in my time of crises and I wanted to tell him that hell would freeze over first but I kept quiet. I wanted to know what he did with Jojo as tendrils of fear curled around my heart when I heard his anger and suddenly I was afraid for Jojo’s wellbeing.

Of course I didn’t have to be, that was me just being stupid again as Gervais continued his smarmy journey of information he said that Jojo and Royce both had really big chips on their shoulders trying to escape the family burdens, they wanted their business, one that everyone had scoffed at to become so successful they had to be taken as serious entrepreneurs by the town. I could understand this as even I had thought their extreme sport obsession was something they would grow out of in time but Jojo and Royce had different ideas and their quest for success had led them back to the devil himself, Gervais.

Gervais had used this opportunity to remove Jojo from my life and would have kept him away forever however he did not expect the episode with Simon to have happened so brought Jojo back hoping to cause chaos. What Gervais had underestimated was the conceit of Jojo expecting to have it all and then getting it all, I was surprised this did not drive Gervais into a fury for it he was furious he concealed it well. He continued in his urbane manner that Jojo’s arrogance could work both ways for someone who expected it all tended to expect this all the time.

Gervais dropped his voice a little as if he was telling me a confidential secret and then asked if I remembered the little incident between Jojo and Lynx. I could feel my blood rush to my head and I hated him completely for this was something that Gervais had orchestrated as well, in fact Gervais had interfered with our relationship from start to finish ensuring that Jojo and I had always been doomed right from the start. He found Jojo’s weakness and played upon it for all he was worth.

He did not wait for me to reply and continued merrily with his story of how Royce had confessed to Coco that Jojo was not happy with me investing in their business. He felt it looked bad taking money from his girlfriend and was looking for another backer and Coco of course being Coco had blabbed this to everyone in town BUT me leaving Gervais in his sly manner to get hold of this information. The opportunity was too good for him to pass up so he organised for Lynx to be part of another TV show, not another dreary soap, but a prime time adventure show which she would host with some guys who would do a lot of extreme sports, something Gervais said was aimed for the younger market, lots of sports, rock and roll and adventures.

He didn’t need to go on for I knew what would have happened, he got Lynx to contact Jojo and Royce where they sign a deal for an entire year worth of shows. Gervais told me in his most conciliatory tone that Lynx and Jojo had so much organising to do she had arranged for him to go away to her little cabin in the mountains where they could work without being disturbed. Royce being married stayed in town to arrange filming locations and might join them later--it depended if Lynx wanted company later. He could not be certain but felt it would be difficult for any man to be alone with Lynx for any period of time and not succumb to her charms, after all he was his father’s son!

He was certain and as was I, that if sleeping with Lynx kept their dream alive then Jojo would have done it in a flash. It was a bitter moment for me to realise that I was not as important to him as his business but Jojo had so many issues with his family that were just coming to light. I hung up on Gervais in mid sentence as I did not want anymore torture, he had done his deed, Jojo and I were over and he could laugh all he liked. I had no more strength to fight Gervais and went and packed up all of Jojo’s things. Royce must have felt his business with Jojo was more important than the truth and had keep covering for him while I was trying to find him.

What for I wondered, it was over the second he agreed to do the show with Lynx, why bother to prolong it. I felt Coco didn’t know as she couldn’t keep a secret to save her life and Jazz well I think she would have told me had she known, Jazz was a decent person despite her crazy family. I threw everything into a garbage bag and then drove slowly to the Sedero mansion where I was let in by a startled housekeeper who eyed my bags with curiosity. Chantal came into the foyer her face pale and drawn so I knew she was filled with shame over what Jojo did, perhaps this had confirmed a fear that he was going to turn out just like Tony. I gave the bags to Chantal and left without a word for there was nothing to say or do, Gervais had won again.

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