— Your husband earns a very good living, Sophie.
Stop being so selfish.
Claire’s sentence landed in the middle of the brasserie like a slap in the face.
Around our table, 3 former colleagues almost stopped talking.
A spoon clinked against a cup.
I remained motionless, my fingers tightly clasped around my glass of water.
— I didn’t say no to you.
— You’re doing worse.
You’re making me wait.
Claire leaned towards me.
— I need €14,000 before Friday.
Not in two weeks.
Not after a family gathering.
Friday.
We had known each other for 30 years.
We had worked together in a real estate agency in Lyon when we were barely 25 years old.
She had been a witness at my wedding.
I was the godmother of his daughter, Émilie.
She knew my parents, my fears, my weaknesses.
And above all, she knew how difficult it was for me to say no.
— Marc and I have set aside this money to redo the roof of my mother’s house in Ardèche.
Claire rolled her eyes.
— A roof.
— It’s taking on water.
— Sophie, my company can finally take off and you’re talking to me about problems.
— What kind of investment exactly requires €14,000?
Her face lit up.
— A stock of high-end household linen.
A supplier near Cholet is liquidating part of its warehouse.
I buy back the lot, I resell it to independent hotels.
In 6 weeks, I recover almost double.
— Do you already have buyers?
– Obviously.
— Contracts?
She sighed.
— Always the same Sophie.
Do you need a 40-page file to ask you for a favor?
I could already feel the guilt creeping in.
Five years earlier, Claire had borrowed €2,400 from me to, she said, urgently replace her boiler.
Two weeks later, I saw her posting photos from Marrakech.
When I asked her for an explanation, she laughed.
— The trip was already paid for.
I had recovered €1,900 out of the €2,400.
We never spoke again about the missing €500.
Then there was €3,000 to help Emilie pay a deposit.
€1,200 for a car repair.
€800 for a bank overdraft.
Always an emergency.
Always a promise.
It was always me who ended up feeling ashamed to ask for my own money.
Claire crossed her arms.
— I’ll give you back the €14,000 within 45 days.
— I need to talk to Marc about this.
Her smile disappeared.
– Of course.
– What ?
– Nothing.
— Claire.
— It’s simply fascinating.
— What is fascinating?
She turned slightly towards the other women.
— After 30 years of friendship, Sophie has to ask her husband’s permission before helping me.
I felt my cheeks burning.
— These are our shared economies.
— So what?
Marc earns almost €4,000 per month.
— That’s none of your business.
— I’m not that lucky.
I lowered my voice.
— That’s not luck.
Claire gave a short, dry laugh.
– Oh yes ?
You have a stable husband, a house that’s almost entirely paid off, and a son who’s an engineer.
I’m divorced, my business is struggling, and every bank is refusing me business.
— I’m sorry you’re having trouble.
— Non.
You are comfortable.
She picked up her phone.
— You know what?
I’m going to call Lucas.
I suddenly raised my head.
Lucas was my son.
Claire had been her godmother since birth.
– For what ?
— He might be able to remind you what the word family means.
— Don’t do that.
She had already pressed the button on her screen.
— Claire.
She turned on the speakerphone.
– Godmother ?
Lucas’s voice filled the table.
Claire immediately adopted a trembling tone.
— My darling, I’m a little upset.
Your mother refuses to help me even though I risk losing everything I’ve built.
I stood up.
— That’s enough.
Lucas remained silent for 2 seconds.
Then he calmly replied:
— Claire, my parents’ savings don’t belong to you.
She turned pale.
— I didn’t ask for your opinion.
— But you’re the one who just called me.
One of the women at the table looked away to hide a smile.
Claire turned off the speaker.
– Alright.
I see that Marc has trained you both well.
This time, I took my bag.
— I’m going home.
She grabbed my wrist.
— Friday, Sophie.
I gently removed my hand.
— I heard.
In the evening, Marc put down his fork when I told him everything.
— 14 000 € ?
— She says she’ll reimburse us in 45 days.
— And you believe her?
I did not reply.
Marc got up, opened a drawer and took out an old file.
Inside, he had kept the previous transfers.
