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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Relationships
- Published: 04/05/2021
Rue De Mouffetard
Born 1948, F, from Epping. Essex, United Kingdom.jpeg)
Rue De Mouffetard, Paris
Barbara glanced out of the window at the many restaurants, cafes, and bars that lined Rue De Mouffertard. When she first came to visit Paris as a student, her guidebook told her that it was the oldest street in Paris, and that there had been a road here since Roman times. She had always loved the Medieval feel of it.
If she was with a different person tonight, Barbara thinks she would still feel the romance of it. After all, they filmed Les Misérables around here.
Long ago when Michael and Barbara were newly married it was the first place they visited together in Paris. They loved to sit and watch the world stroll by as they ate a meal or simply found a bar and sat with a glass of wine. She had always known that he had a roving eye, but she was secure enough in her own self to view his antics with amusement.
Now 48 years later they are back to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and as they sit in one of the bars sharing a bottle of Merlot, Barbara wonders how they have lasted this long. They really don’t like each other anymore, and she certainly doesn’t find his antics amusing now.
She catches sight of her reflection in the huge mirrors that cover one side of the bar. She knows she looks good. Frequent sessions at the gym have kept her figure trim and her hair is beautifully highlighted. This is a secret expense she keeps from Michael. He would explode if he knew it cost just over £90 a time at the hairdressers. She looks more carefully at her reflection and wonders for the hundredth time why she isn’t enough for him.
Critically, she sees he is beginning to lose his looks. He had been a stunning looking man but had done nothing over time to keep himself fit, and it was showing now in the sagging jawline and the slight bulge of his waistline.
‘Are you enjoying yourself?’ Michael asked.
‘No, not really. I’m a bit bored if you want the truth. Perhaps it’s a mistake to come back to the same place every year’.
And so, the evening wore on as they chatted about this and that. Both careful not to bring up anything contentious.
‘Do you think you could stop glancing over at that woman’.
‘Oh don’t start all that again’.
Barbara took a long look at her husband, thought over the couple of hours of desultory conversation that was ending in the usual argument.
It was as she returned from the toilet that she saw the woman write a line of numbers on her used serviette and slide it over to Michael.
Oh my God, she’s writing down her phone number.
She saw Michael pick up the serviette and slip it into his pocket.
Seeing this was the final straw. She walked over to her chair, picked up her bag and stalked out of the bar without saying a single word. Because there was simply nothing to say.
Once out on the street, she drew a deep breath and realised it was relief. She wandered slowly round to their hotel in the 5th Arrondissement. Once back in their room, she showered, packed up her things and ordered a taxi to the Gard Du Nord.
She walked down the old-fashioned spiral staircase to reception and waited. The concierge came over to tell her when her taxi had arrived.
As she travelled to the station, she thought back over the evening.
Yet again Michael had shown his true colours. Almost immediately they had arrived in the bar, she had noticed him glancing at the very attractive woman sitting on the next table.
She remembered thinking: ‘He’s doing it again. The sly glances, the smile when he thinks I’m not looking. Don’t humiliate me all over again’.
She too had noticed the young woman as soon as they entered the bar. She was sitting alone with a bottle of wine set down in front of her, and appeared to be quite content sitting there, watching the world go by.
***********
As his wife exited the bar, Michael had looked around startled, embarrassed, to see if anyone had noticed his wife’s sudden exit. He quickly dropped some euros down on the table and scuttled out. But by the time he got out onto the street, she had disappeared. At this time of night Rue De Mouffetard was heaving with people. There was no way he was going to see her in that crowd. He had glanced back just once at the woman. She raised a mocking eyebrow and gave a little waggle of her fingers. Then she had made the ‘call me’ motion with her hand.
As he hurried back to the hotel he admitted to himself that he had noticed the young woman as soon as they entered the bar. She looked Slavic with her dark hair and high cheek bones. She was wearing a pink strappy top which revealed a great deal of cleavage, something he was very drawn to, and her feet were encased in suede ankle boots, something else that he found a turn on.
‘Totally gorgeous’ he thought.
He could see she was looking at him and at first wondered if he was imagining it. He pulled in his stomach and raised his chin. He knew his profile was good. And, no, he was not imagining it. She gave him a sly smile and raised her glass.
He knew Barbara had clocked the whole thing and there would be a scene, and sure enough, she snatched up her bag and stalked out. He tried to look cool and followed her as quickly.
They had booked to stay for a week, but he knew Barbara would head straight out, get back onto the Eurostar and return home.
Well, he’d have to find a way to fill the time while he finished his stay. No way was he going home early.
When he got back to the hotel, his wife had indeed left. He took out his mobile and punched in the number written on the serviette.
A voice answered ‘Bonjour’.
‘Hi, we met earlier in the bar on Moufettard. You gave me your number. I’m the tall guy, sat on the next table, greying hair’.
‘Ah yes, nice to hear from you. Did you want to book me? Hourly rate is 150 Euros. I can come to your hotel. Just tell me when and where’.
He sat stunned for a moment, not quite believing what she had just said and then blurted out:
‘Are you a call girl?’
‘How dare you, I work for a prestigious escort agency. But I also like to freelance if I see a good-looking man. You are a well-preserved gentleman with a very unhappy looking wife’.
Strangely Michael felt hurt by that comment.
‘She’s actually a lovely woman. I don’t appreciate your comments’.
‘Well, you were the one who seemed interested. Au revoir’.
Stunned, Michael ended the call. The irony was not lost on him.
A call girl, or worse!
What a fool he was. He quickly packed his bag, checked out of the hotel, and hurried down to the Eurostar terminal. He might just make it and catch up with Barbara. No need for her to know anything. She would just think he was sorry and had hurried after her.
As he raced along the street, he caught sight of his reflection. He saw the protruding paunch, the thinning hair, the ridiculous shades.
‘Time to grow up Michael. You’re not going to get away with it for much longer’.
Rue De Mouffetard(Kristin Dockar)
Rue De Mouffetard, Paris
Barbara glanced out of the window at the many restaurants, cafes, and bars that lined Rue De Mouffertard. When she first came to visit Paris as a student, her guidebook told her that it was the oldest street in Paris, and that there had been a road here since Roman times. She had always loved the Medieval feel of it.
If she was with a different person tonight, Barbara thinks she would still feel the romance of it. After all, they filmed Les Misérables around here.
Long ago when Michael and Barbara were newly married it was the first place they visited together in Paris. They loved to sit and watch the world stroll by as they ate a meal or simply found a bar and sat with a glass of wine. She had always known that he had a roving eye, but she was secure enough in her own self to view his antics with amusement.
Now 48 years later they are back to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and as they sit in one of the bars sharing a bottle of Merlot, Barbara wonders how they have lasted this long. They really don’t like each other anymore, and she certainly doesn’t find his antics amusing now.
She catches sight of her reflection in the huge mirrors that cover one side of the bar. She knows she looks good. Frequent sessions at the gym have kept her figure trim and her hair is beautifully highlighted. This is a secret expense she keeps from Michael. He would explode if he knew it cost just over £90 a time at the hairdressers. She looks more carefully at her reflection and wonders for the hundredth time why she isn’t enough for him.
Critically, she sees he is beginning to lose his looks. He had been a stunning looking man but had done nothing over time to keep himself fit, and it was showing now in the sagging jawline and the slight bulge of his waistline.
‘Are you enjoying yourself?’ Michael asked.
‘No, not really. I’m a bit bored if you want the truth. Perhaps it’s a mistake to come back to the same place every year’.
And so, the evening wore on as they chatted about this and that. Both careful not to bring up anything contentious.
‘Do you think you could stop glancing over at that woman’.
‘Oh don’t start all that again’.
Barbara took a long look at her husband, thought over the couple of hours of desultory conversation that was ending in the usual argument.
It was as she returned from the toilet that she saw the woman write a line of numbers on her used serviette and slide it over to Michael.
Oh my God, she’s writing down her phone number.
She saw Michael pick up the serviette and slip it into his pocket.
Seeing this was the final straw. She walked over to her chair, picked up her bag and stalked out of the bar without saying a single word. Because there was simply nothing to say.
Once out on the street, she drew a deep breath and realised it was relief. She wandered slowly round to their hotel in the 5th Arrondissement. Once back in their room, she showered, packed up her things and ordered a taxi to the Gard Du Nord.
She walked down the old-fashioned spiral staircase to reception and waited. The concierge came over to tell her when her taxi had arrived.
As she travelled to the station, she thought back over the evening.
Yet again Michael had shown his true colours. Almost immediately they had arrived in the bar, she had noticed him glancing at the very attractive woman sitting on the next table.
She remembered thinking: ‘He’s doing it again. The sly glances, the smile when he thinks I’m not looking. Don’t humiliate me all over again’.
She too had noticed the young woman as soon as they entered the bar. She was sitting alone with a bottle of wine set down in front of her, and appeared to be quite content sitting there, watching the world go by.
***********
As his wife exited the bar, Michael had looked around startled, embarrassed, to see if anyone had noticed his wife’s sudden exit. He quickly dropped some euros down on the table and scuttled out. But by the time he got out onto the street, she had disappeared. At this time of night Rue De Mouffetard was heaving with people. There was no way he was going to see her in that crowd. He had glanced back just once at the woman. She raised a mocking eyebrow and gave a little waggle of her fingers. Then she had made the ‘call me’ motion with her hand.
As he hurried back to the hotel he admitted to himself that he had noticed the young woman as soon as they entered the bar. She looked Slavic with her dark hair and high cheek bones. She was wearing a pink strappy top which revealed a great deal of cleavage, something he was very drawn to, and her feet were encased in suede ankle boots, something else that he found a turn on.
‘Totally gorgeous’ he thought.
He could see she was looking at him and at first wondered if he was imagining it. He pulled in his stomach and raised his chin. He knew his profile was good. And, no, he was not imagining it. She gave him a sly smile and raised her glass.
He knew Barbara had clocked the whole thing and there would be a scene, and sure enough, she snatched up her bag and stalked out. He tried to look cool and followed her as quickly.
They had booked to stay for a week, but he knew Barbara would head straight out, get back onto the Eurostar and return home.
Well, he’d have to find a way to fill the time while he finished his stay. No way was he going home early.
When he got back to the hotel, his wife had indeed left. He took out his mobile and punched in the number written on the serviette.
A voice answered ‘Bonjour’.
‘Hi, we met earlier in the bar on Moufettard. You gave me your number. I’m the tall guy, sat on the next table, greying hair’.
‘Ah yes, nice to hear from you. Did you want to book me? Hourly rate is 150 Euros. I can come to your hotel. Just tell me when and where’.
He sat stunned for a moment, not quite believing what she had just said and then blurted out:
‘Are you a call girl?’
‘How dare you, I work for a prestigious escort agency. But I also like to freelance if I see a good-looking man. You are a well-preserved gentleman with a very unhappy looking wife’.
Strangely Michael felt hurt by that comment.
‘She’s actually a lovely woman. I don’t appreciate your comments’.
‘Well, you were the one who seemed interested. Au revoir’.
Stunned, Michael ended the call. The irony was not lost on him.
A call girl, or worse!
What a fool he was. He quickly packed his bag, checked out of the hotel, and hurried down to the Eurostar terminal. He might just make it and catch up with Barbara. No need for her to know anything. She would just think he was sorry and had hurried after her.
As he raced along the street, he caught sight of his reflection. He saw the protruding paunch, the thinning hair, the ridiculous shades.
‘Time to grow up Michael. You’re not going to get away with it for much longer’.
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Sylvia Maclagan
04/10/2021Hello Kristin, very sad but real story, it happens so often. In my view, many women stay with their cheating husbands far too long. Unfortunately, if they also have children, it's not easy for a mother to leave the "battle ground"...
I emphasize with the woman in your story, because it happened to me. I stayed about 20 years with my first husband because I had no other choice.
You've written your story so well that I'm not at all suprised that it's been chosen Short Story STAR of the day! Best wishes, Sylvia Maclagan
Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Sylvia Maclagan
04/11/2021Yes, Kristin, I married again and was very happy. I'm now a widow. I understand now why you write so well about these marriages, your work must give you lots of insight. Best wishes and keep sharing your experiences, :-)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Kristin Dockar
04/11/2021Thank you Sylvia. Yes, it is a common tale. My work involves children with social and emotional needs, and all too often the family circumstances are at the heart of their troubles. Economic dependence is a real factor on why women don't leave. i hope you found happiness.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Gerald R Gioglio
04/09/2021Kristin, I loved the way you captured the thoughts and feelings of both of them. So sad and all too often true. Thanks. Take care, JG
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
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Kristin Dockar
04/10/2021Thank you. The story came from watching this couple in a bar. They looked so miserable!
Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Shirley Smothers
04/09/2021Loved your story. Many Women stay with the wrong Man. It was Karma that Michael's roving eye and behaviour caught up with him. Congratulations on SHORT STORY STAR of the day!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
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Shirley Smothers
04/10/2021You took an all too common story and made it a great read. Thank you for sharing.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Kristin Dockar
04/09/2021Thank you and yes, it is a common story, but I enjoyed writing it, and him not getting away with it!!
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JD
04/06/2021I really enjoyed your story, Kristin, but personally I could not understand why she stayed with him for so many years, or why she would still be there when he got himself home. But I hope that if she was indeed waiting for him when he arrived back at their home, that he finally did smarten up and make it up to her in the following years of their lives together. Thanks for all the outstanding short stories you've shared on Storystar.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
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JD
04/08/2021Yes, he certainly did deserve it! Much sooner I think.
Happy short story STAR of the day, Kristin! : )
Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Kristin Dockar
04/07/2021Thank you. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the story. in my head, Barbara had viewed her husband's antics over the years with quiet amusement and a great deal of tolerance, and then, that night, she snapped, which he certainly deserved!!
COMMENTS (5)