Page 13 of The Sun Sister
‘How do you mean?’ I bristled.
‘Not in a bad way,’ she continued hurriedly. ‘You’re more casual in English – perhaps because your accent has an American tone to it. You sound more...serious in French somehow.’
‘My sisters would laugh so hard if they heard you say that,’ I said with a grin.
Overmoules marinièresand fresh crisp bread that only the French know how to bake, I encouraged Mariam to talk about her family. She obviously adored her brothers and sisters and I felt jealous of the love that shone out of her eyes.
‘I can hardly believe that my little sister is getting married next year. My parents keep calling me an old maid,’ she smiled as we both tucked intotarte Tatinfor dessert. I’d already agreed with myself that I’d run off the extra calories in the hotel gym tomorrow morning.
‘Do you think you will ever get married?’ I asked her.
‘I don’t know. I’m certainly not ready to settle down yet. Or maybe I just haven’t found “the one”. If you don’t mind me asking, what about you? Have you ever been in love?’
For a change, I didn’t mind someone asking. Tonight, we were just two young women out for 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!’
