You room is bigger than mine is , She said .walked to the window. I have a better view, though. Just think, we are really in Paris! Want to go Chez Billy for breakfast ? That is what your guidebook recommends .
No, I don’t. I can’t, he said You’d better leave ,Muriel. Oh . Ok, She said .She left Sometime she did that .She would push till he felt trapped, then suddenly pull back. You were so unprepared that you fell flat on the ground, Macon thought. You felt so empty .
He decided to phone Sarah .It seemed important to get in touch with her , although it was still night-time at home . He had to go down to the telephone in the hotel lobby .
Sarah sounded confuse and sleepy . Who is that ?
Sarah, it’s Macon .I am sorry I woke you but I wanted to hear your voice .How is the weather there at home ?
The weather ? I don’t know . I don’t think it’s light yet .
I wish I was. We could do some gardening today .but you hate gardening! Macon , are you all right?
Yes, he was fine ,he told her . He’d had a good flight over ,and yes , maybe he was a bit tired.
Fried eggs, baked eggs, ham omelet, plain omelet. All day he walked blindly through the streets, writing notes in his guidebook . He did not go near Chez Billy . In the evening returned to his hotel , leg muscles aching , and fell onto his bed
Two minutes later he hard a knock .
Look, Muriel said, coming in with her arms full of clothes .Just look at what I BOUGHT. She held up for Macon’s inspection a red evening dress ,coats and jacket and trousers. Have you gone crazy ? Macon asked What did all this cost ? Almost nothing ! she said . I found a place that’s like the granddaddy of all thrift shops . This French girl I met at breakfast told me about it. I said how nice her that was and she told me where she got it. And I found my way there ,using your book ! But how will you get it all on the plane? Oh, I’ll find a way .Now ,I’ll take all this back to my room so we can go eat Macon stiffened. He said ,No ,I can’t What harm would it do to eat supper with me ,Macon? I’m just someone from home you happened to meet in Paris ! When she put it that way ,it seemed so simple. They went to the Burger King on the Champs-Elysees . Macon wanted to recheck the place anyway .Who’s looking after Alexander ? he asked her. Oh different people? It can really upset a child that age-.Don’t worry ,he’s fine .Claire has him in the daytime and then Bernice comes in and cooks supper and any time Claire is going out with the General the twins will keep him or if the twins can’t do it then the General says Alexander can
Singleton Street rose up in front of Macon’s eyes ,all its color and confusion . After supper they returned to their hotel ,and in the elevator
Muriel asked ,Can I come to your room for a while ? The elevator stopped at this floor . Muriel, he said . I’ve been married to her forever . Longer than you’ve been alive , almost . I can’t change now . Don’t you see ? She just stood in her corner of the elevator, looking young and sad lonely . Goodnight, he said He got out , and the elevator door slid shut