A Summer in Paris

by Cynthia Baxter

  Jennifer was surprised when the door of the apartment was opened and she peeked inside. There were almost twenty young people packed into the living room, sitting on the couch or on the floor or standing around in groups of three or four. All of them were talking enthusiastically in French.

  “Hello, everyone!” Michèle called gaily.

  In response to her introduction, the party guests glanced up. All of them smiled in welcome. Almost immediately a boy and a girl about Jennifer’s age came over, looking very pleased to see them.

  “Ah, Michèle, I am so glad you could make it tonight!” A perky young woman with very short, very spiky dark hair leaned forward and kissed Michèle on each cheek. “And this must be your American friend.”

  “Oui, c’est Jennifer.” Michèle placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. “Jennifer, this is Claudine. Her English is only so-so, but I hope you will become friends anyway.”

  Claudine frowned. “You do not speak French?”

  “Not everyone does, you know,” Jennifer snapped.

  “I think what Claudine means,” the boy interrupted in a patient tone, speaking in excellent English, “is that one would expect someone like you who has chosen to come live in France for the summer to speak fairly good French.”

  “I see Michèle has already told you all about me,” Jennifer returned coldly.

  “Yes, she has,” the boy replied with a friendly smile. “And we have been most eager to meet you. I myself spent the summer in the United States, three years ago. I have an uncle in Kentucky.”

  “Kentucky! That’s nowhere near where I’m from. I’m from Connecticut.”

  “Well, then, I am even more anxious to hear all about Connecticut from a native like you.” The boy, who had light brown hair and green eyes, held out his hand, as if to shake. “By the way, my name is Louis.” With a laugh, he added, “When I was in Kentucky, everyone insisted on calling me ‘Lou.’ “

  Reluctantly, Jennifer shook his hand. When he held on to it a second or two longer than was necessary, she was surprised to find that she didn’t mind. As soon as she realized that, she withdrew it, sticking it in her pocket.

  “Come and sit down.” Already Claudine and Michèle had wandered off, and Jennifer was left alone with Louis. “How are you enjoying your stay in Paris so far?”

  Having no choice, Jennifer followed him over to the couch and sat down. “I guess it’s okay. Michèle’s been showing me around quite a bit. It’s a good thing, too, since the people I’m staying with, her grandparents, are real duds.”

  “Duds?” Louis repeated, frowning.

  “Oh, right. I keep forgetting that the people around here who say they can speak English are never really as up on the language as they claim. What I mean is, Madame and Monsieur Cartier are pretty dull.”

  “Dull?” This tune, when Louis repeated what she had said, he sounded as if he couldn’t quite believe he had heard her correctly.

  But there was no time to explain. From the opposite corner of the room, what had been a quiet conversation suddenly exploded into a full-fledged argument.

  “What do you mean? It is cause for emergency action!” one young woman was yelling in French.

  “Yes, but it is the government’s responsibility—” the boy she was talking to shot back.

  “The government? The government?” the girl cried. “Since when has the government dealt satisfactorily with the concerns of the people?”

  “What’s going on?” Jennifer asked Louis, her voice a whisper. “My French isn’t that great, although I think I caught most of what they’re saying. What’s so important that those two are fighting about it?”

  “The environment,” Louis replied calmly. “Monique feels that the pollution of the earth is such an extreme problem that it calls for emergency action, beginning with involvement from every single French citizen.”

  “It sounds like she wants a revolution,” Jennifer commented, only half-joking.

  Louis nodded seriously. “I think that is what she is saying.”

  Jennifer opened her mouth to reply. But before she could get any words out, Monique had crossed the room and was addressing her in rapid, loud French.

  “What about the United States?” she demanded. “What are the private citizens over there doing to stop industry from ruining the air we breathe and the water we drink? What kind of stand is the most powerful nation in the world taking on this issue?”

  Jennifer was too astonished to speak. She just stared at the girl standing with her face right in front of hers, yelling.

  “Monique,” Louis said, “Jennifer’s French is probably not good enough for her to understand what you’re saying.”

  “Ah, typical American!” Monique cried. “Why learn anything besides one’s own language? Why look beyond one’s own comfortable, convenient existence? Why concern oneself with anyone else’s problems?” Haughtily she tossed her head. “Typical American attitudes!”

  “Monique, I really think you’re being too hard on Jennifer. She just got here. Why don’t you fight your battles with someone who can at least understand what you’re saying?”

  Monique finally moved on, still arguing with the others, some of whom seemed to agree with her and some of whom seemed anxious to calm her down. Jennifer turned to Louis.

  “I guess I should thank you for saving me.”

  Louis shrugged. “It did not seem like a fair fight. Monique is right, I believe, but she does tend to get carried away. Sometimes she attacks the wrong people.”

  “Like me,” Jennifer agreed. “I mean, I’m not interested in getting all bent out of shape over pollution.”

  Louis seemed surprised. “But surely you are concerned?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I feel I’ll just let other people worry about it.”

  “You don’t think it is important for everyone to become involved in the issues that really matter?”

  “I haven’t really thought about it.” Already Jennifer was growing bored. “Hey, this is supposed to be a party, isn’t it? Isn’t there anything to eat?”

  Louis was still staring at her, as if he were puzzled. “There is some food in the kitchen. Come, I’ll show you.”

  For the rest of the evening, he stuck by her, introducing her around, translating when she was having trouble understanding, smoothing over the difficulties of being the only stranger in the room. She found that she was feeling comfortable with him, even laughing at some of his jokes.

  It was while she was laughing that he reached over and took her hand.

  “I am glad to see you are having a good time,” Louis said, his eyes shining with sincerity.

  Jennifer stopped laughing. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” she said on impulse. Then, realizing how harsh her words sounded, she added, “But I do appreciate how kind you’re being to me, Louis.”

  “Ah. Then perhaps you will be willing to see me again. I would love to take you to some of my favorite parts of Paris.”

  Immediately Jennifer stiffened. ‘Well, uh, thanks, but I kind of have a boyfriend already. You know, back at home. In Connecticut.”

  Louis looked amused as he said, “I am not asking to marry you, Jennifer. I simply asked if I could accompany you on some sight-seeing trips.”

  “Oh.” Jennifer could feel herself turning pink. “Sure. I guess that would be okay.”

  Later, on the métro as the girls made their way back to the Cartiers’, Michèle turned to Jennifer and said, “It looks as if you and Louis were really—how do you say—hitting it off.”

  Jennifer just shrugged. “Oh, he’s okay, I guess. I think he felt sorry for me, being the only foreigner in the room and all.”

  Michèle laughed. “Louis? No, I don’t think he felt sorry for you, Jennifer. I think he liked you.” Glancing over at Jennifer with a twinkle in her eyes, she added, “Is that so terrible?”

  “I already have a boyfriend,” Jennifer returned. “I don’t think he’d appreciate me running around Paris
with some other guy.”

  “It is nice to see that you are committed to something,” Michèle said under her breath, so softly that Jennifer wasn’t sure she had heard her correctly.

  In fact, she was about to ask Michèle to repeat what she had just said. In the end, however, Jennifer decided just to let it go.

  * * * *

  “Don’t worry, Kristy,” Alain said anxiously. “I will not embarrass you today, I promise.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she replied. “Why on earth would you expect me to think you might do that?”

  He shrugged. “It is just that I am nothing but a poor French boy and you ... you ... well, you know.”

  It would have been difficult to say which one of them was more nervous about the plans they had made for today. Kristy had finally agreed to allow Alain to get to know one of her American friends. While both of them had reservations about the afternoon, bringing him together with a friend from back home seemed impossible to put off any longer.

  Kristy had chosen Jennifer, mainly because she and Alain already knew each other, at least a little bit. She was, of course, terrified that Jennifer would spill the beans about her true identity. She had thought of telling her about the little game she was playing with Alain, but every tune an opportunity to do so came up, she found that she was tongue-tied.

  So she simply hoped for the best as she and Alain made their way toward the sprawling and magnificent Louvre, the city’s world-famous art museum. At least Jennifer would be pleased, she knew. She was always trying to get Kristy to spend more time with her, acting as if she and Nina were leaving her stranded by preferring to take advantage of the tune they were living in a foreign country rather than spending the bulk of their time hanging around with other Americans.

  Even so, she was well aware that Jennifer Johnson had never been known for her sensitivity—or her sense of diplomacy.

  If we can only get through this afternoon without Jennifer saying anything that will make Alain realize that I’m not who I say I am, Kristy thought with a loud sigh as she and Alain headed toward the front entrance of the impressive museum, I’ll be a happy, happy girl.

  The building that was now the Louvre had at one time been the largest palace in Europe. During the French Revolution, however, it was claimed by the people. The artwork that had formerly been privately owned by royalty was also put on display to be enjoyed by everyone.

  Nowadays, the museum contained extensive collections of art that spanned the history of the world, beginning with Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities, through medieval and Renaissance art, all the way up to artwork of the twentieth century. It was impossible to see it all; the wonders inside the museum were so plentiful that it would take a lifetime to do it all justice.

  But Kristy was thinking about neither the fascinating history of this building nor the incredible collection of art inside as she caught sight of Jennifer. She was standing right inside the entrance at which they had planned to meet. She waved at Kristy and Alain as soon as they walked in.

  “Kristy! Over here!” Jennifer called loudly, not taking the slightest notice of how many heads turned at the sound of her voice.

  “So I finally get to check out this mystery man you’ve been keeping away from me as much as possible.” Jennifer was looking Alain up and down. “I can’t wait to see what the big deal is.”

  “Jennifer, Alain does speak English,” Kristy reminded her, not even trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

  “More or less, anyway, at least from what I’ve heard,” Jennifer returned. She extended her hand toward Alain. “Well, Al, I’m glad I’ll finally get the chance to get to know you a little,” she said in that same loud voice. “Let’s check out some of this art, okay?”

  While Kristy was sensitive to every social blunder that her friend made, Alain seemed to like Jennifer very much. In fact, the two of them spent most of the time talking together, leaving Kristy pretty much on her own. What bothered her most about that arrangement was that she couldn’t hear what Jennifer was saying—and she couldn’t always see Alain’s reaction, either. She only hoped that they were talking about the collection of Egyptian mummies they were poring over.

  And as far as she could tell, that did seem to be the case. That is, until the three of them sat down on a bench, tired after spending more than an hour thoroughly covering the museum’s entire section on Ancient Egypt.

  “Wow, this is some big place,” Jennifer commented, fanning herself with the map she had been carrying around, rolled up in her hand.

  “You must have big museums near your home,” Alain said. “You live very close to New York City, don’t you?”

  “Oh, sure,” Jennifer returned. “But we hardly ever go in. At least, not to the museums. Oh, sure, we go in for shopping, and sometimes to the movies̶ ̶ ”

  “Ah, yes. The movies. Do you ever see Kristy or her mother in the movies?”

  Jennifer looked puzzled for a moment, then remembered that Alain’s English was not all that strong. “Oh sure, sometimes. Especially when we were younger. Then, Kristy’s mom was usually the one who drove us to the movies or the malls or whatever. But my friends and I pretty much go on our own these days.”

  Kristy, meanwhile, was holding her breath. But before Alain had a chance to try to clarify this point any further, however, she interrupted.

  “Hey, I’m getting kind of hungry,” she said. “Anybody else here want to find the restaurant? I would love a Coke or something cold.”

  “Not me,” Jennifer said. “To be perfectly honest, I can’t believe the cost of most things in this city.”

  “Ah, so your family is not like Kristy’s, then?” Alain asked innocently.

  Jennifer cast him an odd look as Kristy answered the question for her.

  “What he means, Jen, is that, uh, my parents sent me off on this trip with all the spending money I could possibly need. I haven’t had to worry about things like the cost of Cokes.”

  Alain laughed, thinking she was making a real understatement. Jennifer, meanwhile, was looking at them both strangely.

  Kristy was wondering how much more of this she was going to be able to take when Alain said, “Well, Jennifer, it must be nice to go sight-seeing with Kristy in a place like Paris, where no one is likely to recognize her.”

  “Huh?” By this point, Jennifer was totally lost. “What are you two talking about?”

  But Alain just shrugged. “Jennifer, I am so sorry that my English is not very good. Don’t worry. I am very used to having people who speak English not understand what I am saying.” He smiled fondly at Kristy. “That is, unless they are willing to be patient and listen to me with great care. But that is the rare person indeed.”

  “Listen, I’m suddenly feeling lots perkier,” Kristy said, jumping off the bench. “I don’t want a Coke, after all. Let’s go find the Ancient Greek stuff. I understand there’s a really terrific exhibit of marble statues somewhere around here.”

  So far, I’ve managed to get through this afternoon without anything deadly happening, Kristy was thinking, wiping her damp palms on her skirt. But I’d be better off keeping them both distracted. If they’re talking about Greek statues, they’re less likely to start talking about anything that’ll blow my cover.

  But the pressure is really getting to me. After today, I think I’m going to have to continue to keep Alain away from the people who know the “real” Kristy Connor.

  Either that, she knew, or tell him the truth. And after the night of her birthday dinner, when she had realized she was in love with him and he had told her his true feelings for her—or at least for the Kristy he thought she was—she was in no hurry to take a risk like that. Not now, when all of a sudden, the stakes were a lot higher than they had ever been before.

  * * * *

  “Hello, Mom? Is that you? Yes, it’s really me! It’s Nina!”

  She hoped the nervousness that insisted upon creeping into her voice wasn’t too obvious. And Nina was
nervous. After all, she wasn’t just calling her parents, three thousand miles away, to assure them she was in good health and having a good time. No, this was about something much more important.

  She had thought of writing but had realized quickly that that simply would not do. It was true that up until this point, she had written her parents wonderful reports on her trip, at least once a week. They were long ones, filled with detailed descriptions of the places she had visited, the courses she was taking, the people she had met. She had mentioned Pierre du Lac, but only in passing.

  But now it was time for her to speak to them in person. Not only about Pierre but also about the decision she had come to.

  “You sound so close,” her mother said. “I can’t believe how clearly your voice is coming across!” Nervously she added, “But really, Nina. This must be costing a fortune. We don’t have an international plan – ”

  “It’s not that expensive,” Nina assured her, keeping the annoyance out of her voice. “Besides, there’s something special I have to tell you. Somehow, writing just didn’t seem good enough.”

  “Oh, dear. There’s something wrong, isn’t there?” her mother breathed. “Nina, honey, are you all right?”

  “What’s the matter? What happened?” Her father’s voice suddenly came booming over the wires as, back in Connecticut, he picked up the extension. “Nina, why are you calling? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong, Dad. Everything is fine. Really.” Nina took a deep breath. This was going to be even harder than she had anticipated.

  Suddenly needing a little moral support, she glanced over at Pierre, sitting in the corner of the Rousseaus’ apartment. He mouthed the words, “I love you.” Instead of making her feel better, however, it just made her stomach tighten up a little bit more.

  “Isn’t this awfully expensive?” her father was saying. “What does a transatlantic call go for these days?”

  “I’m not sure,” Nina said, sounding much more patient than she was feeling. “I don’t intend to talk for a long time. But there is something special I want to talk to you about.”

  At the other end of the telephone wires, her parents were silent. Nina gripped the telephone receiver so tightly that her knuckles were white.