supper and a gossip.
‘Yup, and I don’t think I ever want to be again.’
‘It ended badly?’
‘It sure did,’ I breathed. ‘He broke my heart. It messed me up, but hey, shit happens, doesn’t it?’
‘There will be someone else for you, Electra, I know there will.’
‘You sound like my sister Tiggy. She’s very spiritual and always saying things like that.’
‘Well, maybe she is right, and so am I. There is someone for everyone, I truly believe that.’
‘But the question is, will we ever find them? The world’s a big place, you know.’
‘True,’ Mariam agreed then stifled a yawn. ‘Excuse me, I did not sleep well last night. I am not good with jet lag.’
‘I’ll get the check.’ I waved an arm to signal for the waiter to come over. He totally ignored me.
‘How rude can you get?’ I said angrily as five minutes later he was still ignoring us.
‘He is busy, Electra, he will come to us when he has time. Patience is a virtue, you know.’
‘And one that I’ve never had,’ I muttered, trying to keep my anger under control.
‘Well,’ she said as we finally left the restaurant after the waiter had decided to grace us with his presence, ‘tonight I have learnt that you don’t like being ignored.’
‘Too right. In a family of six girls, you had to shout the loudest to be heard. And I did,’ I chuckled.
‘Let us try to find a cab back to the hotel . . .’
I hardly caught what she was saying, for my attention had fallen on a man sitting alone at one of the outside tables, drinking a cognac.
‘Oh my God . . .’ I whispered.
‘What is it?’
‘It’s that guy there. I know him. He works for my family.’ I walked towards the table and was virtually on top of him before he looked up at me.
‘Christian?’
He stared at me and I read the confusion on his face. ‘Pardon, mademoiselle, do I know you?’ he asked me in French.
I bent down to whisper in his ear. ‘Of course you do, you idiot! It’s me, Electra!’
‘Mon dieu! Of course it is you, Electra! My—’
‘Shh! I’m in disguise!’
‘Well, it is a most excellent one, but now of course I can see that it is you.’
I realised Mariam was hovering behind me.
‘Mariam, this is Christian, and he is . . . well, family, I suppose,’ I smiled down at him. ‘Would we be disturbing you if we sat down and had a drink? It is such a coincidence to see you here.’
‘If you will excuse me, I will go back to the hotel,’ said Mariam. ‘Otherwise I will fall asleep where I stand. It is a pleasure to meet you, Christian. Bonne soirée,’ she nodded before turning and fading into the mass walking along the busy Montmartre street.
‘Can I join you?’ I said.
‘Of course, please, sit down. I will order you a cognac.’
I watched Christian as he signalled to the young waitress on duty for the outside tables. I’d had a huge crush on him as a young girl – after all, he was the only guy under the age of thirty that I’d come into contact with at Atlantis. Ten years on, he didn’t seem to have changed and it struck me that I had absolutely no idea how old he actually was. Or, I realised guiltily, who he was.
‘So,’ I said, ‘what are you doing here?’
‘I . . . well, I was visiting an old friend of mine.’
‘Right,’ I nodded, getting the strongest vibe that he was lying. ‘You know, it was Ma who found me a place to stay just a few doors down from here when I first came to Paris. I used to work at this very café. It seems a long time ago now.’
‘It is, Electra, almost ten years. Ah, here is the cognac. Santé.’
‘Santé.’ I toasted with him and we both took a large gulp.
‘And may I ask what you are doing in disguise out on the streets of Montmartre?’
‘Mariam – the girl you just met – is my PA and I was complaining that I couldn’t go anywhere without being recognised. So she dressed me up and we came out for dinner together.’
‘And did you enjoy not being you?’
‘I’m not sure, to be honest. I mean, it certainly has its advantages – you and I couldn’t be sitting here chatting without being disturbed if I wasn’t in disguise, but equally it’s irritating to be ignored.’
‘Yes, I’m sure it must be. So’ – Christian took another sip