Let Them Have Cake

LET THEM HAVE CAKE                                                                            Kathy Pratt

LET THEM HAVE CAKE

By

Kathy Pratt

Chapter One

“You’re Annie from the ICU, aren’t you?” Jeff asked. “I didn’t know you were going to be on this tour.”

             
“Anna. I’m Anna Mulligan, Dr. Andrews....”

             
“Please call me Jeff. I don’t want to be called Dr. Andrews during my vacation.”

“Okay, Jeff it is. I didn’t see your name on the travel roster.” She offered him her hand and flashed her brightest smile.

Jeff took it gently but firmly in his. “I signed up for the tour at the last minute since I wasn’t sure I could get the time off,” he said as he gazed into her eyes.

Anna brushed her long blonde hair out of her face and smiled again. “I’m glad they gave you your vacation time. You work so many hours, you need it.”

“You’re right, I do. I haven’t had a real vacation since I started medical school. What brought you here?”

“I’ve wanted to come to
Paris
for as long as I can remember. I signed up as soon as I saw the offer posted on the activity board at the hospital.”

She couldn’t believe her luck. To be on her first trip to
Paris
and to have Jeff suddenly appearing was more than she’d ever dreamed possible.

             
Just then, a leggy brunette approached Jeff. “Come on. We found our bags. We’re supposed to meet the guide outside.”

The brunette flipped her long ponytail, ignored Anna and turned in the direction of the exit. Jeff shrugged apologetically and followed after her.

             
Anna was crestfallen as she watched them walk away. For just a brief moment she’d allowed herself to think that maybe this was going to be her big chance. She’d been waiting for an opportunity to show Dr. Jeff Andrews that she was more than just a nurse. She retrieved her suitcase from the carousel and reluctantly followed the group out the door of the airport.

             
Standing outside was a young black woman holding a sign that said EuroTours. She was short, wore a brown wool coat, sensible leather walking shoes, a beret, and carried a closed umbrella. She smiled and introduced herself.

             
“Hello everyone. I’m Lurline, your guide for the time you’re here. I’m American, but I’ve lived in
Paris
for six years, so I know the city quite well. Let’s board and go to the hotel. I’m sure you’re anxious to get freshened up.” She started for the bus but stopped and turned back to the group, saying, “I hope you slept on the plane. We have a full day planned for you.”

             
Anna spied Jeff as he put his luggage in the compartment under the bus. She felt a pang of disappointment, but vowed to herself that she wouldn’t let this ruin the trip she’d planned for so long
.
  

Her disappointment quickly turned to disgust, however, as she did a double take. A second leggy brunette joined Jeff and the first brunette. One wasn’t enough? How could he bring two women on a trip arranged by the hospital he worked for? Everyone was going to be talking about him. She’d thought him to be a man with higher standards.

***

             
Fatigue passed away as the group whizzed through the streets of
Paris
. Even though they’d been awake and traveling many hours, all in the group agreed they would be ready for their first walking tour of
Paris
as soon as they reached the hotel. They hadn’t come all this way with the idea that this would be a restful vacation.

             
Anna felt like she’d come home. She didn’t understand why since she’d never been in
Paris
, yet everything felt familiar.
Los Angeles
didn’t feel this comfortable and she’d lived near there her entire life. She thought of her French ancestors and decided it must have something to do with her ancestral/genetic memory theory. She may have lived in Southern California her entire life, but her DNA remembered
Paris
.

             
The Hotel Champlain was quaint and old, built in the early 1800’s, with a dining room that only seated twenty at a time. The group be served breakfast in two shifts, with times being assigned alphabetically. A scrawny, dried out Christmas tree stood in a corner of the lobby. There were two elevators, eaching only able to hold four people and their luggage. Anna pressed the button to go up and the door opened, revealing Jeff and his companions.

             
“Come in. We can make room,” Jeff said as he rearranged the luggage and brunettes.

             
“Thanks, but it’s too crowded. I’ll catch the next one or wait for this one to come back down.”

Anna stepped back and watched the door close on the man she’d had a crush on for so long. She stared at the closed doors and thought about how unfair life was at times. Here she was on her dream trip to
Paris
and the dream man in her life shows up with two women. The elevator returned, and she entered it alone to go to her room.

She found her accommodations to be warm and comfortable. A private bath with a window looked out over an inner courtyard. In one respect she felt quite lucky not to have been assigned a roommate, but in another she felt saddened that she was traveling alone. Remembering her vow to herself to make the best of things, she turned her thoughts to the days ahead.

             
She unpacked and changed into warm and comfortable clothing for the walk to the
Montmartre
district and the Metro orientation that would be given by Lurline. Racing down the stairs to the lobby, she almost ran into two other women in the group. Both had gray hair and were plump. They wore long wool coats, hats, scarves and gloves.

             
“Hello. I’m Vicky, and my friend is Mary.” She held a hand out for Anna to shake. “We work in the medical record department of the hospital.”

             
Vicky was tall and wore her hair in a bun while Mary was a good foot shorter and wore her hair in a frizzy perm. They seemed as eager as Anna to see the sights.

             
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Anna. I’m an ICU nurse.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m so tired, but I don’t think I could sleep a wink right now. I’m too excited,” Vicky commented to Anna.

“I know what you mean. There’s no way I’d miss out on this first day in
Paris
,” Anna replied. “Besides, they tell you that the best way to get over jet lag is to get into the rhythm of the local time zone as soon as you arrive.”

The rest of the group was already clustered in the lobby, chatting animatedly. Jeff was there with his two traveling companions. He smiled in Anna’s direction and motioned for her to join them.

             
The brunettes were conversing with one another. They were tall and slender, almost identical, with wavy hair that cascaded down their backs. One of the brunettes glanced at Anna, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she did so. Their eyes met, but

Anna turned quickly away, acting as if she hadn’t seen the brunettes or Jeff. She couldn’t believe how she’d misjudged him.

***

             
The excited tourists didn’t mind the cold air nipping at their cheeks as they stepped outside. Prices for tours were much less expensive during the winter months and there were fewer tourists to contend with. They walked briskly, covering the two short blocks to the Metro stop nearest the hotel in just a few moments. A sweet scent emanated from a stand on the corner where a woman was cooking what looked like pancakes. Lurline explained they were crepes spread with a hazlenut filling. The group stopped so a few people could buy crepes, and then headed on to the Metro. They descended the stairs into the subway, and Lurline demonstrated how to buy tickets from the automatic vending machines located there. 

“We’re in
Rome
station.
Paris
’ subway system is arranged to enable passengers to easily get anywhere using the Metro,” explained Lurline. “Most people who live in the city use the subway instead of their cars. The subways are clean and safe. Frequently musicians will play as they ride along, leaving their
guitar cases open for tips. Occasionally a drunk or homeless person will get on a car just to sleep.”

  The map on the wall showing all the lines in
Paris
mesmerized Anna. Each line was color coded in red, orange, yellow, green, pink, or one of two shades of blue. Each station and stop was clearly marked. They boarded the subway with instructions to exit at Place de Clicy.

Following their exit, they began the walk through the winding streets of
Paris
towards the Basilica of the Sacre-Couer of Montmarte. The houses were right next to each other, but were distinctly different from one another, having been painted and decorated with their own individual style.

“You know, Sacre-Couer was built as a symbol of national revival after the disastrous Franco-Prussian war in 1870,” Vicky said as she caught up to Anna.

“I see you’ve been doing your homework,” said Anna.

“Well, I am a bit of a history buff.”

They climbed the rue Ravignan and entered the Emile Goudeau, the little square where Picasso and Braque had their studios. Around the corner the rue Orchampt led to the steep and winding rue Lepic where Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo once lived. Small shops opened onto the sidewalks. Frenchmen and women hurried along carrying the day’s groceries in woven bags, long loaves of crusty brown bread sticking out the sides.

“I’m glad I work out on the elliptical trainer. These hills are steep.”

Anna turned towards the male voice and was surprised to see Jeff smiling at her.

“What’s an elliptical trainer?” she asked.

“It’s one of those cardio machines at the gym. I just mean these steep streets would be hard to navigate if you weren’t in shape.”

Anna looked over her shoulder at the two giggling brunettes that didn’t seem to be having any trouble walking up the hill.

“I guess it’s important to keep in shape for anything that might come up,” she commented before rushing off to join Mary and Vicky.

             
It was winter, cold and gray with a dreary light rain misting around them. Some of the group opened their umbrellas, but Anna preferred to feel the cool rain on her face. Her hair was getting damp and would dry to a mass of frizzy curls, but she didn’t care. She wanted to live it all, to taste and to feel
Paris
throughout her whole being. She found the damp rain to be much more invigorating than a nap would have been. She thought about how romantic this would be if she had the man of her dreams walking with her, holding her hand to keep her from slipping in the rain. Too bad he was walking arm-in-arm with those other two women.

She turned her attention back to the tour. “
Paris
must be magnificent in the springtime, but it is really special now,” said Anna. “It’s so mysterious, so brooding. I feel like
Paris
knows all and has secrets to share with me. Don’t you agree, Vicky?”

             
“Sure, Anna,” answered Vicky. “I think you have jet lag. Right now all I feel is cold and wet. I hope we get to that old church soon.”

             
Sacre-Couer came into view through the mist, a spectacle of beautifully ornate white domes and arches. A long flight of steps led to the entrance. Anna thought the view from the top of the stairs must be magnificent on a clear day and was disappointed she couldn’t see much now.  Inside, the cathedral was curiously quiet considering the crowd of people within. All who entered treaded softly and reverently upon this site where the first martyrs of
Paris
had met their end. Anna was awed to think that at one time Saint Joan of Arc had walked upon the same steps she was now walking on. The interior was cavernous, the ceilings high and held up by large stone columns. It was dark and warm despite the lack of any type of heating units. Candles throughout lent a soft glow reflected on the stone walls, adding to the feeling of warmth. It was January 6
th
and the Christmas Nativity was still in place in one alcove of the cathedral.