See You Later in Paris

"Who are you texting?" Annie asked, eyeing Greg suspiciously.

"My boss. I have a meeting after work," Greg replied brusquely.

"I see," Annie replied with disbelief.

"Believe what you want to believe."

"You keep on staying late at work and I do find it hard to believe. I was

willing to trust you before. But it’s become too much.”

“We were happy before, but once you had Dylan, you changed.”

“What do you mean, I changed? He’s your son too!” Annie bellowed.

“Yes, I know he’s my son too. But you became obsessed with making

with his hearing loss better after he got meningitis. I really tried to join you

in the support group, with the speech therapy, the sign language class, but

somewhere along the line you forgot about me.”

“How can you be so selfish!” I’m trying to help Dylan so he can have a

better future and this is what you tell me?”

Greg grabbed his briefcase and slammed the door behind him. She looked

out the window, wondering what had gone wrong in their marriage.

All of this was going through Annie’s mind as she waited for her plane

to land in Paris. She and Greg had decided to separate because living

together had become unbearable. Her parents had surprised her with a

plane ticket and enough money for a week’s stay in Paris, something that

had always been on her bucket list. She had loved and hated the idea at the

same time. Saying no was out of the question, though. I won’t take no for

an answer, her mother had said. You need this right now. Did I do the

right thing? Annie asked herself. How is Dylan dealing with this? He won’t

talk to me about his feelings. All of this was going through her mind, and

she breathed a sigh of relief as the plane finally touched down. My anxiety

is through the roof, she thought. She grabbed her carryon bag, walked

swiftly out of the plane, waited what seemed like an interminably long time

in customs, and finally caught a taxi to her hotel.

I’m so tired, but I’m so hungry too, she thought as she sat down on her

bed in her hotel room. It had large windows with a view to the streets and

people walking past the cafes. The room was smaller and cozier than what

she had expected. She decided to go downstairs to have dinner and savor

the French cuisine with whatever energy she had left.

“Bienvenue a Paris, Madame,” the maitre’d greeted her as she walked

in. “Let me sit you here by this table by the window so you can have a lovely

view while you dine,” he said.

“Merci, Monsieur,” said Annie, remembering the French she had

learned in high school.

A middle-aged man with dark brown hair and honey-colored eyes

tinged with sadness walked over to take her order. He was holding a bottle

of Merlot wine. He flashed her a brilliant smile that belied the sadness in

his eyes.

“Bonjour Madame,” he said. “I’m Marc. Would you like to taste our

house wine before ordering?”

“I would love that,” she said.

He poured some wine into her glass, and Annie took a sip. “It’s perfect.

I’ll have the full glass,” she said laughing.

“Excellent choice, Madame,” he said with a grin and walked away to

attend to the other diners.

Annie sat there enjoying the wine, and stared wistfully out the window.

She saw the happy couples walking hand in hand, stealing kisses under the

Parisian streetlights, oblivious to anyone but themselves. Greg and I were

happy like that once, she thought.

A few minutes later, Marc returned with the menu. “Let me know when

you’re ready to order, Madame.”

“Call me Annie, please.”

“Okay Annie.”

Annie examined the menu and decided she would order chicken in red

wine sauce with herb roasted potatoes and a house salad with raspberry

vinaigrette. Annie looked up from the menu and glanced in Marc’s

direction.

“Are you ready to order?” he asked.

“Yes, I am. I’d like this entrée with the potatoes. The pou-let and

patates?” Annie blushed as she tried not to mispronounce the words.

“Oui. Tu parles francais! Your French is very good.”

“I studied it for a few years in high school and college. I’m very rusty and

I forgot most of it.”

“How long is your visit?” Marc inquired.

“Just a week, I’m afraid.” Annie said with a sigh.

“What a shame. Would you like some more wine, Annie?”

“Yes, please.” Marc brought some more wine and refilled her glass.

“If you don’t mind my asking, why are you here by yourself? You’re so

beautiful and charming.”

“It was a present from my parents. I’ve always wanted to visit.” Annie

looked down as she said that.

Marc noticed her reaction and said, “Merci, Annie. I will place your

order. It will be ready soon.”

Annie sat there, chewing thoughtfully on the crusty, warm rolls of

French bread and dabbed them with butter. Every sip of her wine

enveloped her body with warmth. She wished she could stay here forever.

She didn’t want to go back home, and started to feel guilty. I should want to

be home with Dylan. He’s my son. He needs me. It’s my fault that Greg

moved out. I was so paranoid that he’d cheat on me and then he cheated

for real. Annie’s eyes brimmed with tears and one of them fell into her wine

glass. She tasted the mix of the salt blending with the fruity taste of her

Merlot. She hastily wiped her tears with her dinner napkin and looked a

round the restaurant. She didn’t want to forget this place. She looked

around the dark paneled walls with the dim lighting, the round tables with

their white tablecloths, the glasses and silverware that sparkled as they

reflected the light, and the white porcelain dishes with blue rims. Atop

every table was a simple glass holder with a red rose surrounded by baby’s

breath.

At that moment, Marc arrived with her dinner. “Would you like some

more wine, Annie?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

He looked at her tear-stained face and asked with concern, “Are you

okay, my dear?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” Annie was upset with herself. Now she

had complete strangers wondering what was wrong with her.

“Very well. Let me know if you need anything,” he replied and walked

away.

“Annie savored every bit of her meal. The salad with the delicious

dressing, the juicy, flavorful chicken that melted on her tongue, and the

buttery roasted potatoes sprinkled with rosemary and parsley. She also

accepted another glass of wine.

Annie found that that her eyes were growing heavier and heavier, and

she was having a hard time keeping them open.

Marc returned to her table and started to pick up the dishes, when he

noticed that Annie was nodding off.

“Annie, Annie. it’s almost closing time. If you wait a minute, I will finish

here and walk you to the elevator so you can get some sleep.”

“What, what’s going on…” she muttered.

She suddenly woke up with a start. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry Marc!

There’s no need!”

“I insist my dear. I’ll be right back,” he reassured her as he hurried back

with her dishes.

As he walked her to the elevator, Annie did her best not to stumble. My

first day in France, and I’ve made an ass of myself, she thought.

When they got to the elevator, Annie suddenly remembered she hadn’t

paid for her dinner.

“I forgot to pay! What can I do?”

“I already arranged for the hotel to bill your room number. May I call

you in a few minutes to make sure you made it to your room all right?”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it,” Annie mumbled. She pressed the

button and stumbled onto the elevator. She tried to remember where her

room was, and luckily found it right away because she had memorized the

number before going downstairs. She took her room card and

slid in the door slot, and pushed it open. She took off her shoes and slid

under the covers.

Brring! Brring! The phone on the nightstand rang. It was Marc. “Hello,

Annie? Are you all right? Sleep well.”

“Yes, thank you. You too, Marc.”

The next morning, Annie woke up to a knock on her door.

“Who is it?” Annie asked in surprise.

“Room service!” called out the voice. “I’m leaving your breakfast here.”

“Breakfast? I didn’t order any breakfast.” Annie replied. But the person

had already left. She opened her door, and saw that there was a tray with a

cup of coffee, orange juice, an omelet, and a croissant with butter and jelly.

She picked it up and placed it on her table.

At that moment, the phone rang. “Annie, it’s Marc. I took the liberty of

buying you some breakfast. I thought you might want to eat something

before leaving your room today.”

“Thank you, Marc! That’s so sweet!” gushed Annie. Then, suddenly, the

events of last night came back to her and she felt embarrassed.

“I feel bad about last night Marc. I’m not like that.”

“There is no need for you to explain, Annie. My heart tells me that you

are facing a difficult time in your life. I would really like to be your friend. I

am free today. If you like, I can accompany you wherever it is you are

going.”

“That would be great! Are you sure you would want to be seen with me?”

“I would like nothing better than to accompany you, Annie.”

“I’m planning on walking on the Champs Elysees. I didn’t want to have a

heavy schedule the day after arriving here.”

“That was smart.” Marc said approvingly. “Put on some comfortable

shoes, Annie. We will be doing a lot of walking. Can you be ready in an

hour? Or will you need more time?”

“Give me an hour and a half.”

“Excellent. I will see you downstairs in the lobby.”

Annie hurriedly ate her breakfast. She was grateful for the coffee and the

croissant, especially. She was still feeling a bit of a headache, but she

managed to hop in the shower, brush her teeth, and get ready. She wore

her comfortable jeans, a cotton t-shirt, and a denim jacket along with her

sneakers. Even though it was summer, it was still a little cooler in Paris

than back home.

Marc was already waiting for her when she got downstairs. He looked

even handsomer than last night.

“Bonjour Annie,” he greeted her.

“Bonjour Marc.”

They walked out of the hotel and into the sunshine. The hotel was

located close to the Champs Elysees. The sun shone though the clouds and

trees lined the streets. There were little cafes everywhere, and people

sitting and chatting. Nobody was in a hurry to go anywhere. It seemed like

time stood still, as if they had become part of a Monet painting. Marc took

her hand in his. It felt warm. Annie suddenly felt a lump in her

throat. This is wrong, she told herself. But she couldn’t bring herself to tell

Marc about her life.

“Annie, I would like to know more about you. I was very worried about

you last night.”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now. I came to Paris to forget about

life for a little while.”

“I won’t pry anymore Annie, until you are willing to tell me. I understand

how difficult it can be. I lost my wife almost two years ago. We were so

happy together. A car ran a red light and crashed into her car. She died

instantly. I only have my daughter left. She’s a university student at La

Sorbonne.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. You must be so proud of her. That’s a

wonderful university.”

“Yes, well, I feel so alone, Annie. My job is the only thing that keeps me

going. I always have to put on a happy face for the customers and trick

myself into believing I’m happy. That’s why I know something is wrong

with you, Annie. It’s like you want to get away from something.”

Annie sighed, “Let me tell you the truth, Marc. I really like you and don’t

want to keep anything from you anymore. I’m married and we have a son.

Things are very bad between us and we’re separated, but I don’t know

what’s going to happen. I came here to get away and to think.”

“I have an idea, Annie. Let’s just pretend for the time you are here, that

you are free. That I am free from my sadness. Let’s make these days special,

Annie.”

Annie nodded. “I’ve been very unhappy Marc. I want to enjoy these few

days at least.”

“Okay, it’s agreed, then.”

They walked in silence and sat down at one of the cafes and sipped their

coffees. Then they walked back to the hotel. Marc walked her to her hotel

room and turned to kiss her. His lips were soft and warm. Annie kissed

Marc back, not wanting to let go of his embrace.

“I will see you again tomorrow, my dear? I have to work in the evening,

but I can see you during the day,” Marc said reluctantly.

“Is eight good for you so we can have an early start?”

“Certainly. Tomorrow at eight it is.”

The next day, she and Marc took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower. They

laughed like children as they walked up the stairs during the tour. When

they stood at the top level, they took in the view. Annie’s heart felt like it

would burst with happiness. The view was breathtaking, and Marc was with

her.

Annie and Marc spent every morning and afternoon together that week,

but the nights were theirs. When Marc arrived from his evening shift, they

would make love passionately until they fell asleep in each other’s embrace,

willing it not to end. At the end of the week, the time came to say goodbye.

“I can’t say goodbye to you Marc.” Annie said tearfully before it was

time go through check in at the airport.

“Don’t say goodbye then, mon cheri. See you later.” Marc said, trying to

hold back his tears as Annie walked away.