This weekend I went to Paris just to bring a bunch of suitcases back to my old apartment. It was so nice to be back in the old place again! I will be back permanently next week.
Just as I was dragging the eleven suitcases toward the elevator, one of my neighbors, Madame LeBlanc, came in with her older daughters. She did a double-take when she saw me.
"C'est bien vous alors?" she said, smiling.
"Yes, I'm arriving!" I answered, smiling back. We had been on good, but not really friendly terms when I lived here before. Seeing her reminded me of something. While I was gone, I had found out that a young American distant relative of mine-- one I'd never met-- had actually lived with the LeBlanc family for two semesters while she studied French. We had lived in the same building without meeting. I thought I would say something to Madame LeBlanc. But her face froze when I said "a young girl who lived with you."
"That must be the people who lived here before us," she said. "They took in boarders."
I realized she thought no one in the building knew that the LeBlancs took in boarders! How embarrassing for her if she knew we all knew it! But I said, "Caroline Smith? from Boston?"
The name made her pause. Then she shook her head. "No, you must be thinking of the people who lived here before us."
I pursued, "No, Caroline said the family she lived with had five children, like you. You don't remember Caroline?"
"Oh!" You could see her wondering whether to admit it. But she finally gave in, and saved herself with "Ah mais OUI! You must mean Caroline! Oh! Elle était un AMOUUUUR!"
That is hilarious -- good job on pursuing her!
Posted by: Accius | 28 September 2010 at 13:04
People get embarrassed about the strangest things!
Posted by: chrissoup | 28 September 2010 at 22:30