Cécile didn’t have a computer at the time but we still managed to email each other almost everyday. She would use an internet café when she was in Paris but, on weekends, she would go to Chars to her parents to get away from the city. There was no internet access there.
I had planned on going to Paris to see her in November. I wasn’t sure what would happen. Our emails were always very affectionate. “I miss you so very much.” “I can’t wait to see you again.”
I wondered about "the boyfriend?" She hadn't mentioned anything about him. Were they still together? I didn’t know. (To tell you the truth, I thought he was gay.)
We were planning on spending a couple of days in Paris and then going down to Toulouse to see Pierre-Yves, her brother. He was going to have a party for her birthday. They had planned on going hiking in the Pyrénées one day. Then we would go back to Paris.
Was the boyfriend going with us? That would suck. There were riots going on at the time, as well. Civil unrest by mostly African Muslim and North African youth. Traveling with the woman I love and her boyfriend...burning cars in the street...I had a suspicion that this was going to be a different kind of trip.
What to get for a birthday present? Hmmm. I thought about it for a while and decided on a digital camera. On our drive back from Flagstaff last summer, she had borrowed a digital camera and was like a little kid on Christmas morning with it. I thought it would be overtly sentimental but not too personal (in case the boyfriend was still there). To make a statement though, I got her a really nice one.
Let's just say that the flight sucked.
When it landed at Charles De Gaul Airport, there was some strike going on with Airport Bus Drivers so we had to wait an extra hour on the tarmac to get to the terminal. Welcome to France. I couldn’t wait to get out of there and see Cécile (I also really wanted a cigarette). I even forgot to pick up my luggage. I rushed out the doors and there she was. She was more beautiful than I remembered.
We drove to Cécile’s apartment in Fontenay-aux-Roses to drop off the car. She made me a lovely lunch with some soup that her mom had made and some pasta and some roast beef from the boucherie around the corner. And bread (oh, the bread is so good there). Then we took the train back to Paris to bring the luggage to our hotel. “Our hotel.” I still wasn’t sure what “our hotel” meant. I knew we only had one room. Was I sleeping on the floor? I hate sleeping on the floor.
It was the Hôtel du Levant, a nice little hotel on a busy street. The room was very small. The bed wasn’t very big but big enough so that there wasn't a lot of floor space. OK. I was pretty tired from not sleeping on the plane but I was too excited to go to sleep. Cécile took me on the métro to the top of the Champs Elysées by the Arc de Triomphe and we walked all the way down through the Jardin des Tuileries to the Louvre. Then we got something to eat nearby. The whole time, I was entranced. Paris is beautiful. And Cécile is so beautiful. She had a certain confidence she didn’t seem to show back in Phoenix. We were in her city now. I liked this side of her. I liked it a lot.
It was getting late. We went back to the hotel. It never escaped my mind, the doubt, not knowing where I stood with Cécile. Was I just her friend from Phoenix? I was so happy to be with her then that I decided not to think about it anymore. Of course, I couldn't.
We got back to the hotel. We showered and got ready for bed. I was nervous. We talked. I found out there was no more boyfriend. I didn't end up sleeping on the floor.
That’s all I’m going to say about that.
We went down to Toulouse to hang out with PY and his friends. They were all so interesting and fun. They were very forgiving about my inability to speak French. Thankfully, Cécile was always there with me to translate. PY couldn't have been nicer. And Charlène was awesome. That hike in the Pyrénées was a little more than I had expected. I thought we were going on a little walk. I didn’t know we were going to climb a mountain.
(exported from a Flash slide show)
Other than that, the time we spent there was something I will never forget.
Cécile’s party the next night was great too. PY and Charlène did such a nice job putting it together. I enjoyed all the people I met there. I love Toulouse. Thank you, PY. Thank you, Charlène.
Thank you, Cécile.
Riding back on the train to Paris, I couldn’t help thinking how much I loved this woman. She was reading Homer's Ulysses while I read the French dictionary. She slept and I watched her sleep.
We still had a few days left. We went to Versailles and St. Germain and Le Pecq. We went to Sceaux. We walked around Paris. If you told me I could be happier, I wouldn’t believe you.
Before I knew it, the trip was over.
My time was up. I had to leave.
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