How is it already evening?

Today was the day my suitcase was scheduled to ship home, so I scheduled nothing else for the day. I awoke, dressed, and got ready to WAIT. It was 9am.

J’ai attendu, et j’ai attendu, et J’ai attendu.

I did my French studies and homework, and a few other things, but it was otherwise a really long day. Oh well. Yesterday was actually too busy, so I didn’t want to complain.

I texted the « Send My Bag » company twice as I waited. The first time, they said yes, you’re on the list, and they’ll be there before 6pm. OK, great! It was 1pm.

At 4:00 p.m., I was feeling anxious, so I texted again. They said, Oh, he was there 20 minutes ago, and no one answered the door, so he left.

Noooooooooooooo!

OMG, is that not one of the worst things you can hear? Or read? I begged her to have him come back. I texted:

• No one rang the bell
• I have been glued to my apartment for the last 7 hours
• My window is open
• My door is ajar
• I ran downstairs every time I heard a bell ring « just in case »

She said she would contact the driver. I sat there staring – waiting for those three dots to appear letting me know she was typing. Finally, and to my surprise, she typed… Ok, he’s coming back. Wow. Begging worked! That’s a first. I was so grateful. I told her I would be waiting outside on the bench.

Having taken my gigantic suitcase (28 x 20 x 13) down my lovely, but narrow, winding staircase some hours earlier, I now wheeled it through the door, through the courtyard, through the main lobby, and outside to the street. My friend – the guy I’d written about earlier who is either homeless or just on some hard times – was on the bench, so I joined him, explaining my situation. He thought maybe I was going on vacation when he saw the suitcase. Oh non, c’est mes vêtements d’hiver et mes livres de français! Je les renvoie chez moi aux États-Unis avant moi.

We sat and chatted en français, since he doesn’t speak English. I found out his name is David. After a short time, the driver showed up for my suitcase! He said he was there about an hour ago (David verified this) and he said he didn’t have a number listed to ring for me. (David leaned in and said, yes, he was indeed here and left quickly.) The driver said THIS time, they gave him my doorbell number.

Isn’t it crazy that they don’t let these drivers call cell phones that aren’t French numbers? That would have solved everything, right? But I digress.

He was a nice guy, and my paperwork was all in order. So he wheeled my suitcase off into the sunset. I do hope I see it again. I turned and exhaled the day’s worth of anxiety, telling David I needed a coffee. I asked if he wanted anything. Non. Vraiment? Un café? Hmmm… Peut-être. Absolument! Espresso, s’il vous plaît? D’accord. Tu voudrais aussi un biscuit? (Il sourit.) Ah, oui.

Je suis revenue avec deux cafés, des biscuits, et deux baguettes. Tu préfères un biscuit chocolat ou de la confiture? Ooooh, chocolat, il a dit. Parfait, j’ai dit, car je préfère la confiture!

I sat on the bench for another hour talking to David. He loves history, ancient history to be specific, and he used to be a baker. He knows all about French food, and was telling me what I needed to try. We had so much fun, it was ridiculous. I told him I wasn’t sure about escargot, and he gave the chef’s kiss, and said I absolutely must try them! Then he asked me about les cuisses de grenouilles. Oh, non, je ne les ai pas essayé. At this point, an older Frenchman walking by heard our conversation, and pivoted to join in — offering his opinion on frogs’ legs as a so-called French delicacy — he clearly disagreed with David’s (a former cook/baker) opinion, along with all things cruel to animals. He had a lot of opinions, but he wasn’t rude. No one was angry or insulted. He kept apologizing for having abruptly joined in offering his two cents, but laughed the whole time. We were quite the threesome. I wondered for a moment if this gent in his spiffy navy blazer would have stopped to talk to David if I hadn’t been there with him enjoying espresso and treats out in the open, like two friends enjoying un goûter, but that didn’t matter. He was there now and we were having a lively discussion – en français!

I have to say, I did not have « talking to a homeless guy and a Frenchman about frog legs on the streets of Paris » on my bingo card, but I’m so glad it happened.

David complimented my French, which as you know by now makes my day (I mean, that is why I’m here, right? LOL!). He helped me when I didn’t know a word, and I told him he was a good teacher and should apply for a job at Alliance Française because he was kind and encouraging. We had a lengthy convo about life, our varied interests, food, etc., and it was wonderful. And since David doesn’t speak any English, I taught him a few words here and there, too.

Enfin, nos tasses étaient vides et il était temps de se séparer

He taught me a new parting phrase: Un bonne fin de journée!