Large hotels, small hotels, hotels with old dirty wallpaper, modern hotels with huge American beds. Outdoor cafes, bar prices, restaurant sings, fixed-price menus...
In the early evening Macon headed wearily back to his own hotel. In the street ahead of him he saw Muriel. Her arms were full of parcels, her hair was flying out, her high-heeled shoes were tapping quickly along. ‘Muriel!’ he called, and ran after her.
‘Oh, Macon, I’ve had the nicest day,’ she said. ‘I met these people from Dijon and we had lunch and they told me…’
He helped carry her parcels up to her room and sat down to watch her trying on all her new clothes.
‘So, where are we having dinner tonight?’ she asked.
‘well, I guess it’s time to try someplace special.’
‘Oh, goody!’
They went to a little restaurant in a side street, and Muriel began to study the menu. ‘Just order Salade Nicoise.’ Macon told her. ‘It’s always safe. I’ve been allthrough France eating that.’
‘well, that sounds kind of boring,’ Muriel said
She asked the waiter’s advice, and he directed her toward a fresh tomato soup and a special kind of fish. Macon decided to have the soup too.
‘where are you going tomorrow, Macon?’ she said.
‘Out of Paris. Tomorrow I start on the other cities.’
‘Take me with you.’
‘I can’t
At the end of the evening she said she was having bad dreams and would he come to her room to guard against them. He said no and told her goodnight. And then he felt how she drew at him, pulling deep strings from inside him.
In the night he thought of plan to take her with him. What harm would it do? It was only a day trip. In the morning picked up the phone to call her, but he had forgotten to report that it was out of order. He bent down behind the bed to see if he could fix it himself
And his back went out.
No doubt about it. He had done it before and he recognized the signs. The pain was so sharp that he caught his breath. Very slowly and carefully, he lowered himself to the bed and lay there, wondering what to do next. Her rearranged his travel plans in his mind. If he canceled one trip, changed another… Yes, he could do it in two days, as long as his back was better by tomorrow.
He heard a knock, and a voice. ‘Macon? You in there?’
He did not answer. Somehow the pain in his back had cleared his head, and he saw how dangerously close he had come to falling in with her again. What luck his back had stopped hm.
Later in the morning he got himself down to the hotel lobby and phoned Julian’s office.
A woman’s voice answered, one that he thought he recognized.
‘Rose? Is that you? What are you doing there?’
‘Oh, Macon. Yes, I work here now. I’m putting things in order. You wouldn’t believe how disorganized this office is.’
‘Rose, my back has gone out on me.’
‘Oh, no! Are you still in Paris?’
‘Yes, but I need to change the plans for my day trips and…’
‘I’ll take care of everything,’ Rose said. ‘Just leave it with me. Get back to bed and rest your back.’
The hotel waiter brought him food, and the chambermaid helped him to the bathroom. They were very kind and seemed quite anxious about him. Macon thanked them over and over
The next day he heard a knock on the door and thought it was Muriel, but a key turned in the lock and in walked Sarah.
Large hotels, small hotels, hotels with old dirty wallpaper, modern hotels with huge American beds. Outdoor cafes, bar prices, restaurant sings, fixed-price menus... In the early evening Macon headed wearily back to his own hotel. In the street ahead of him he saw Muriel. Her arms were full of parcels, her hair was flying out, her high-heeled shoes were tapping quickly along. ‘Muriel!’ he called, and ran after her. ‘Oh, Macon, I’ve had the nicest day,’ she said. ‘I met these people from Dijon and we had lunch and they told me…’ He helped carry her parcels up to her room and sat down to watch her trying on all her new clothes. ‘So, where are we having dinner tonight?’ she asked. ‘well, I guess it’s time to try someplace special.’ ‘Oh, goody!’ They went to a little restaurant in a side street, and Muriel began to study the menu. ‘Just order Salade Nicoise.’ Macon told her. ‘It’s always safe. I’ve been allthrough France eating that.’ ‘well, that sounds kind of boring,’ Muriel said She asked the waiter’s advice, and he directed her toward a fresh tomato soup and a special kind of fish. Macon decided to have the soup too. ‘where are you going tomorrow, Macon?’ she said. ‘Out of Paris. Tomorrow I start on the other cities.’ ‘Take me with you.’ ‘I can’t At the end of the evening she said she was having bad dreams and would he come to her room to guard against them. He said no and told her goodnight. And then he felt how she drew at him, pulling deep strings from inside him. In the night he thought of plan to take her with him. What harm would it do? It was only a day trip. In the morning picked up the phone to call her, but he had forgotten to report that it was out of order. He bent down behind the bed to see if he could fix it himself And his back went out. No doubt about it. He had done it before and he recognized the signs. The pain was so sharp that he caught his breath. Very slowly and carefully, he lowered himself to the bed and lay there, wondering what to do next. Her rearranged his travel plans in his mind. If he canceled one trip, changed another… Yes, he could do it in two days, as long as his back was better by tomorrow. He heard a knock, and a voice. ‘Macon? You in there?’ He did not answer. Somehow the pain in his back had cleared his head, and he saw how dangerously close he had come to falling in with her again. What luck his back had stopped hm. Later in the morning he got himself down to the hotel lobby and phoned Julian’s office. A woman’s voice answered, one that he thought he recognized. ‘Rose? Is that you? What are you doing there?’ ‘Oh, Macon. Yes, I work here now. I’m putting things in order. You wouldn’t believe how disorganized this office is.’ ‘Rose, my back has gone out on me.’ ‘Oh, no! Are you still in Paris?’ ‘Yes, but I need to change the plans for my day trips and…’ ‘I’ll take care of everything,’ Rose said. ‘Just leave it with me. Get back to bed and rest your back.’The hotel waiter brought him food, and the chambermaid helped him to the bathroom. They were very kind and seemed quite anxious about him. Macon thanked them over and over The next day he heard a knock on the door and thought it was Muriel, but a key turned in the lock and in walked Sarah.
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