An online novel by Gillette Edmunds

Michael lifted up his empty glass and held it out towards the group of waiters by the door. They didn’t see him. He stood up and waved his glass in front of him. Everyone except he and Barbara were watching the police interview the couple across the cafe. The police and the couple were talking very quietly and the waiter who had accused them was yelling on and on about the whole thing to the group of waiters by the door.

“Forget the coke,” Michael said and sat down. “The point is, Barbara, I’ve always known Sonya was too beautiful for me. That’s true. Her mother’s house explains it. It’s not a fun house. It’s a house for someone like me that likes to sit there above the river after work and not go anywhere. Let the river do the going, watch the barges in the summer. Sonya wanted to try that, I believe, and she didn’t want to try that alone. I suppose that’s why she married me. She wanted to have a regular home life after a couple of bad marriages and too many parties with her sister in Florida. And she is so pretty. It’s too bad I didn’t make something out of our marriage. Maybe if I had taken a few more Saturdays off or if we had had kids or something.”

When the yelling began, Michael was sliding his glass back and forth across the table making a low scraping sound. They both turned and looked. The gendarmes were now questioning the waiter. He was yelling at them and they were yelling back at him. The American couple got up and walked quietly away. The waiter yelled at them and gestured at them with his hands. They kept on walking. The waiter grabbed a short glass from the nearest table and hurled it towards them. It shattered far short of them and they didn’t turn around as the police held him against the door.

“Let’s get out of here,” Michael said. “Before they start throwing things at all the Americans. Paris sure isn’t the town I expected.”

“How can they be so upset about one unpaid bill?” Barbara asked as they stood up.