Richaud picked his way down the stairs. Breakfast was included in the pension, and despite her many failings, Madame Flir made acceptable coffee.
The stairwell stank of cabbage. Richaud lit a Gauloises to negate this everyday irritation.
He settled into the chair as Madame Flir set down the bowl of coffee and pitcher of hot milk.
“Where’s my brioche?”Richaud demanded.
“The Boulangerie is closed up,” said Madame. “Because of last night. The terrorists.”
“What are you talking about?” Richaud was fairly deaf, so most things needed repeating.
“Go out and see,” she sighed, weary. “The entire arrondissement is roped off.”
I used to smoke these…*Gauloises
Good catch. transposed the letters! Thanks
Creatures of habit: breakfast, bombing, &c.
Some things never change and some things will never be the same.
Interestingly low key view of current events.
Nicely done.
I imagine that’s how a lot of those Parisians are affected – it’s not just the headlines but the mundane things of life.
Dear J Hardy,
Apparently Richaud is blissfully ignorant. Believable story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
I like the every day nature of the piece, that despite the bombings, ordinary life does (must) continue
Seems several are referring to the tragedy of last week in their stories. Ignorance truly can be bliss…. I wish I didn’t know what was going on sometimes. :-/
Your story is well written…
Very topical and poignant. Good one. A nitpicking query, do people really drink coffee out of a bowl? Did you choose that word for a reason ahead of something like “mug”?
French thing.
I enjoyed the scent of cabbage – so distinct, so THERE, as was your story. Well done.
Interesting, and very timely, interpretation of the photo. I was struck by the use of the word ‘bowl’ as well. Now I will picture French people drinking vats of coffee from soup bowls with a spoon.
Google “French coffee bowl” and you too can have a morning draught of cafe au lait.
Very nice piece: setting, ambiance, and slight ironies.
thanks,
Randy
I like this. I can visualize these characters and the setting. I can almost taste the coffee or café. Nice tie in to the recent events as well but with a light hand. :)
The ripple effect of terrorist/war actions are truly numerous.
I can imagine his shock when he finds out. Nicely done.
Might make more sense to if I parlez en francaise.
I can picture the mundanity of the situation, though. Much the same here on 9-12.
The mundane perspective is perfect.. we thought Paris both of us.
I agree that that this is a great muted tale of life going on as usual, to some extent.
Shows also how removed the deaf are from the world. How anyone could not hear about the terrorists in Paris, no-one but a deaf man. With him being deaf the cabbage worked really well as his sense of smell would have been heightened. Good piece.
A nice nod to the recent tragedy. Your style is so captivating I feel like I don’t even care if I reach the climax of the story. I just want to immerse myself into your fictional world. Another story well told.
It makes perfect sense, not everyone is glued to the news or stares at mobiles all the time. When you go to bed early and then wake up to such news… the every-day setting makes it even more frightening. Great writing.
Ah, ignorance is bliss…until it isn’t. Nicely done.
I suspect many awakened to a different world!
All the small and idiosyncratic details of one person’s life superbly captured in your story – against the backdrop of wholescale horror. Well told.