Under The Summer Sun. Emmanuel Bodin

again for her absurd remark. Frank would not hold it against her. He wasn’t even thinking about it anymore. He asked her if she was planning to have children someday. She was in no hurry and confided her doubts about it. Would she act like a worthy mother? Would she be able to raise offspring? She was not convinced. She was afraid of not having the necessary authority. Frank was forgiving and lenient with her. She should not worry. The day she gives birth is when her maternal instincts would kick in. She would know just what to do at the right moments. He also added that he was convinced she would spread an extraordinary affection. Her little ones could only be happy when such a warm-hearted woman broods on them. Svetlana smiled, touched by these pleasant words. She closed the album and handed it to the owner. Frank put it in the drawer of a dresser; right back where he got it from. Afterwards, he had approached Svetlana to kiss her. They made love, again.

      They woke up gently, late the next morning. They left relaxed and very much in love. Frank had made tea for her. For himself, he had filled a cup of coffee. He enjoyed drinking tea too, but mostly after lunch. After dinner, an herbal tea satisfied him, while watching a movie.

      In the evening, Svetlana had to go to the station for her trip to Amsterdam. She told him that the train was leaving the Gallieni station. Frank was surprised to hear the name of the metro station. He asked her to show him her tickets. She made a mistake when she bought tickets, a mistake she had not noticed. In Gallieni, there was the big bus station for coaches serving Europe, and in no case would a train be waiting there. Svetlana was shaken by her carelessness. The journey would be long and tiring; she would have to spend the whole night in it.

      From that revelation, Svetlana hesitated. The attractive price was justified by means of locomotion. Frank explained to her that nothing obliged her to set foot in that country if she was afraid to go that way. Nevertheless, he tried to reassure her. It would be a shame not to enjoy her stay anymore because of a careless mistake. Otherwise, she could always go to work with him. However, the place would not offer anything exciting for her. Although Frank would have preferred an extra day at her side, it turns out that the disadvantages of some are not necessarily advantages for others. For her sake, it was better that she did not give up on this trip.

      In the meantime, they devoured some sushi that had already been thawed. Frank had bought it after learning that Svetlana loved sushi, as she had mentioned during a previous conversation. He wanted to make her happy.

      In the afternoon, they went out for a walk in Montsouris Park. At the entrance to the park was an ice cream vendor. Svetlana could not resist the urge. They got three scoops each: vanilla, raspberry and peach. Then they trailed along the lake. The heat was stifling. Sorbets tend to liquefy so they tried to gobble them up quickly. Sticky juice dripped down the cornets and spread over their fingers. Fortunately, Svetlana’s huge purse—a tote bag—hid a bundle of tissues and a bottle of water to clean their hands.

      On a sloping plot of land covered with grass, they had settled near a tree where they benefitted from the shade it provided. The ethnic and social diversity of Paris was greatly represented by the groups gathered around these few square meters. The idlers basked in the sun and allowed their skin to bronze. Intellectuals turned pages of their different books. A sportswoman was doing yoga poses. A little further away, a person of Asian origin practiced chi kong. In her own bubble, isolated from everyone, she had blocked out everything around her. A man had just stopped running. He was stretching in a variety of positions in front of a woman sitting on a bench. She was peacefully reading. As if to show her his interest in her, he then joined her at the other end of the seat. He watched her with even more insistence. The age gap between them seemed huge. The man in question must have been nearly twenty years older than she was. Yet, the young beauty did not move an inch. She did not show it but she was waiting for the man to say something to her.

      At the bottom, on the flattest area, a group of teenagers were having a bit of fun. The young people were dancing on reggae music. A boy a little older than the rest of the group seemed to be teaching them basic movements.

      The atmosphere was filled with camaraderie. Sunny Paris gave everyone the desire to find a partner and couple up. The aroma of love was dispersed in the air and filtered by the lungs, before contaminating the body and the psyche with orgasmic appetites.

      “It’s really the city of love,” Svetlana said.

      Frank smiled. He thought about that common description of the place. He remembered an ex who claimed the opposite. According to her, romantic Paris did not really exist. She came to this city with too many expectations. The contemporary reality had disappointed her.

      Frank had contented himself with a moderate opinion: “It seems. But I think that seduction works the same way in all countries. It’s not like that in Russia?”