LOVE IS IN THE MAIL

2. CORA

From: Cora Tuffin

The 10/19/2018 at 6:27 p.m.

To: Leo Chorro

Subject: Madelyn Wedding

Hi, Leona!

I hope you're okay. I am contacting you about Madi and Jas’s wedding, your sister told to me that you had agreed to be her witness, just like me.

If you have two minutes one of these days, it would be great to discuss it to see what we could expect to avoid any surprises. I also thought it would be nice to organize a bachelorette party weekend for her, what do you think?

Kisses and see you soon!

Cora

From: Cora Tuffin

10/30/2018 at 10:34 a.m.

To: Leo Chorro

Subject: Madi Wedding

Hi Leona,

I don't know if you got my previous message regarding your sister's wedding. Tell me when you're available to talk about it. If you'd rather do this over the phone, don't worry. I'll give you my number at the bottom of this message, in case you don't have it anymore.

Kisses.

Cora

From: Cora Tuffin

11/14/2018 at 10:15 p.m.

To: Leo Chorro

Subject: Wedding

Hi, Leona,

I left you a message on your answering machine last week, I don't know if you got it. Madelyn told me that the wedding will take place in April. I don't know what your availability is, but I thought it would be good to plan the bachelorette party a week or two before. Do you have any ideas? We should send out the invitations to Madelyn's other friends before Christmas so that everyone can organize themselves. Most seem to be in the region, except you, therefore, if you have to come from Paris, maybe you have concerns? Keep me informed.

Kisses.

Cora

From: Cora Tuffin

11/28/2018 at 11:10 p.m.

To: Leo Chorro

Subject: Madelyn’s Bachelorette Party

Leona,

Your sister warned me that you had a big audition last week, I hope everything went well. I guess that's why you didn't answer me. If you could take two minutes to tell me what your plans are for the bachelorette party, it would be really nice. I don't mind taking care of the organization, but to be honest, I don't have a lot of original ideas. Madelyn is my first girlfriend to get married, I’ve never been involved in this kind of thing. I don't know if you have much more experience, but I would be reassured if we could discuss it.

See you soon,

Cora

From: Cora Tuffin

12/03/2018 at 7:47 p.m.

To: Leo Chorro

Subject: Naked Ryan Gosling photos

Hi, Leo,

Did you get my emails for Madelyn's bachelorette party?

Honestly, I don't have any nude photos of Ryan Gosling, but I don't know what to do to get you to read my messages.

Please answer me.

Cora

From: Cora Tuffin

12/10/2018 at 9:20 a.m.

To: Leo Chorro

Subject: Last chance

Leo,

Since my emails and messages on your answering machine have gone unanswered, I’m making one last attempt with this one. If you have any ideas for organizing your sister's bachelorette party, try to get back to me soon, or I'll do without you. I plan to send a message to Madi's other friends by next week. I realize that your life is certainly a lot more hectic and busy than mine, but if you could take five minutes to write me two lines, even if it’s to tell me to go to hell, at least I’ll know what to expect. If you don't do it for me, do it for your sister.

Cora

I sit down at a small table, and my brother, who sees me from across the room, winks at me. There’s not a crowd on this Tuesday evening: a few regulars, some of whom greeted me with a nod, and a couple—certainly tourists—who stare at me longer. I don't pay attention to it, I learned to deal with that kind of look.

Mark shows up in front of me with a glass of apple juice and a bowl of mini pretzels.

“You didn't ask me what I wanted to drink,” I say.

“You drink the same thing all the time.”

“Because you serve me the same thing all the time! Who told you that I didn't want a nice cold beer?”

"I don't give my little sister alcohol," he replies with a frown.

I roll my eyes, exasperated by this.

“I am the eldest! And at 24, I'm old enough to decide whether or not to drink alcohol!”

“You’re driving. And you were born only three minutes before me. Some theories claim that the twin who came out first is the one who got in last. So that means that I would have been conceived before you and that I settled down in the back.”

“And then we are surprised that this habit has remained with you in the classroom,” I commented with a grin meant to exasperate him.

It works, he glares at me and walks away. Nothing annoys my brother more now than being reminded that he is far from being a model of wisdom during childhood and adolescence. And I’ve always loved to piss him off. We are twins. As I just said, I’m the older one, and no one will contradict the fact that for a long time I was the most mature of the two. Until exactly four years ago, Mark was always the terrible twin, the rebellious child of the village of Locron as well. He made a series of bad judgments, more or less serious. Initially, what passed for a way of attracting attention, or the consequence of too much energy to spend, turned into petty crimes that earned him a few hours in the cells of the nearest police station. For a long time, Mark Tuffin was the synonym of the bad boy of the village, and even if he has since redeemed himself, he’s still, in the eyes of some, considered as a bad seed, starting with our parents. And the poor guy, having a twin sister didn't help much. People can't help but compare us, and my calmer disposition has always been proof in their minds that I was the opposite of my brother. It must be said that even physically, we are different. While I'm short and petite, he's tall and beefy. My hair is ash blond and straight, while he is as black as a raven's feathers. His eyes are sparkling blue, mine are brownish-green. One of his arms is covered in tattoos, and I look pretty quiet. And yet, despite all our differences, our bond has always been strong.

I take a few sips of my apple juice and pull my phone out of my pocket. I'm not expecting anyone, I came here just to step outside. The problem when you work at home is that you sometimes have to find excuses to leave your home, otherwise you can stay locked up there for several days.

I see that I have received an email, and the name of the sender calls out to me: Leo Chorro. Hallelujah! Looks like the younger Chorro sisters finally took pity on me. Maybe I should have tried the threatening tone earlier? At the same time, I never thought she would be so difficult to reach. I have known her since childhood, certainly a little less than her sister, but given the number of hours I was able to spend in their house, I was slightly upset that she didn’t take five minutes to write to me. The life of an artist in Paris must have changed her...

From: Leo Chorro

12/11/2018 at 6:07 p.m.

To: Cora Tuffin

Subject: Recipient error

Miss,

I’ve been receiving your messages for a bachelor party for a few weeks now, I’m sorry to inform you that you’re certainly making a mistake in the recipient. Indeed, I don’t know any Madelyn, and I don’t remember that anyone has designated me as a witness to her marriage. I conclude that I’m not the “Leo” you are trying to reach.

I wish you good luck in organizing this event.

PS: You can always opt for a day at the spa, I believe that’s what is often done in such cases.

Leo Chorro

Architect

Chorro Design

I reread this email at least three times. Is it a joke? Would Leona do this to escape the organization of her sister's bachelorette party? So, all this time, I was sending messages to the wrong person! A namesake apparently, according to his signature.

It was Madelyn who gave me her sister’s email address. Did I get it wrong? Was she the one who made a mistake? Coming from her, it wouldn't be surprising. You can't say she's the most plugged-in girl on the planet, I wouldn't even be surprised if she never emailed her sister. Suddenly, this poor man (or lady after all) found himself harassed by mistake. I think back to my post which had for the subject "Naked Ryan Gosling photos". Did he open it to see what was hiding there? I think I owe him a few apologies. So, I’m starting to type a new one.

From: Cora Tuffin

12/11/2018 at 6:21 p.m.

To: Leo Chorro

Subject: RE: Recipient error

Good evening,

Thank you for your message, but I must admit that I’m both confused and surprised. I was convinced that I had the right address, which was given to me by my friend Madelyn (Leona's sister whom I was trying to reach).

You should have written to me earlier, it would have prevented me from polluting your mailbox with messages that didn’t concern you.

PS: The day at the spa, I thought about it, but I don't find it very original. Isn't that what everyone does? Have you ever attended a bachelorette party?

Cora Tuffin

I don’t know if he’ll take the trouble to answer my last question; after all, he certainly doesn't care about the bachelorette party of a stranger.

The cafe door opens and a group of three women enter. They are about my age, or even slightly younger. In the village, they are called the clan of bachelorettes. There’s Romy the baker, Elena the schoolteacher and Loraine the village policewoman who, I suspect, has had a crush on Mark for years. Unfortunately for her, my brother has kept a deep hatred for everything that wears a navy blue uniform and handcuffs from his petty delinquent years.

Mark comes back to me after taking their order, so I take this opportunity to compliment him.

“Very good your apple juice, you testing a new supplier?”

The smile reappears on my brother's face. Nothing pleases him more than when you notice one of the changes he's trying to make at the cafe.

“It’s a local producer. Only a few kilometres from here. Normally he mainly sells in the markets, but I managed to convince him to supply me.”

“Well done, little brother! The only thing, a bit of a shame, is that it’s served with these dried out pretzels.”

He shrugs his shoulders and gives me a sorry smile. No need to say anything, I know what it means. The cafe has been run for over thirty years by my father and he makes most of the decisions. Mark has worked for him for a little over four years and rarely has a say. Due to his somewhat eventful past and the fact that he remained a child in the eyes of our parents, his suggestions are only very occasionally considered valid. My father has very little trust in him. I can tell Mark not to take it personally—because I’m convinced that if I were in his place, it would be the same—but, my brother is tired of this situation.

Mark is originally trained as a chef, and he dreams of transforming the cafe into a place where you could of course come for a drink, but also to taste a few dishes made from local and fresh products. Mark is a real magician when he has a knife in his hands. Unfortunately, I’m one of the few to realize this and to be aware of his talent, since my father categorically refuses to install a kitchen at the cafe. Even his girlfriend Jenny doesn’t take full advantage of it, as she seems to eat exclusively salads and steamed vegetables.

“Have you tried talking to Dad lately?” I ask my brother, with a pretty good idea of the answer.

“He doesn't want to hear anything about simple pretzels. How can he accept my other ideas?”

I know he's right, our father can be more stubborn than a donkey.

“You should put together a case. Don’t submit your ideas to him in passing or when you’re in the middle of something. You have to prove to him that you’re serious, that you have ideas and that they are practical, that you know where you want to go! You have to present him with a business plan and forecasts. He must understand that you have thought about your project and that you can carry it out.”

Mark sighs.

“Can you imagine me doing that? I’m comfortable with knives and vegetables, Cora, not with PowerPoint presentations.”

“But luckily for you, you have a fantastic twin sister who is a master of these matters!”

He looks at me carefully.

“Seriously? Would you be willing to help me?”

“Only if you continue to supply me regularly with lasagne.”

He smiles and I’m almost certain I heard the bachelor clan swoon despite themselves. It must be said that my brother is rather handsome in his way and that he only needs to snap his fingers so that they are all at his feet.

“I think we made a deal then. Spinach ricotta tomorrow night?”

“Deal,” I answer, extending my hand to seal our pact.

I leave the cafe sometime later. Before getting into my car, by reflex, I glance at my phone. New email from Leo Chorro.

From: Leo Chorro

12/11/2018 at 7:14 p.m.

To: Cora Tuffin

Subject: RE: RE: Recipient error

Cora,

I’ve been receiving emails from a certain Madelyn for several years now. I never paid more attention than that, because each time they were messages forwarded to several recipients: petitions, games or New Year's greetings. I thought my address was mistakenly added to a mailing list by this person. As it wasn’t very frequent, I just erased them when I received them. I certainly should have answered you sooner, but this is my business address, and every time I read your messages, I was hard at work. I think part of me expected you to realize your mistake on your own. I hope you don't mind too much about my silence, I promise that the next time a stranger writes to me about my opinion on the organization of a bachelorette party, it’ll take me less time to respond.

PS: You may be right, I’m far from being an expert since I’ve never attended any such event. In my case, Leo isn’t an abbreviation for Leona, it’s my whole first name, which means that I’m generally more invited from the groom's side, although here too I don’t have much experience on the subject.

Leo Chorro

Architect

Chorro Design

I’m surprised that he answered me, and I find his message rather sympathetic. It's completely silly, but I'm curious. Who is this stranger who shares the same surname as my best friend's sister? According to his signature, an architect. I would try a little research on the Internet, but I think of my poor dog waiting for my return. I think that I’ll play detective later. I have all evening to do this.