Tony's ideas

 

Tony continued.  “I don’t know what you asked but they have replied that they only have rooms with double beds”.

There was a long silence whilst everyone in the room took the stark sentence in..  Mostly they looked at Tony as if it were his fault

Eventually John raised up enough courage to continue and asked Tony for his ideas.

Tony, it appeared had lots.

He started out talking about Dives Sur Mer.  It was a small port on the Normandy coast from where several small fishing boats worked.

He went on to explain that he had recently made a trip over to the town in his boat.

He had got into a bit of trouble because the French authorities thought he was trying to land his catch illegally, but after several glasses of Calvados, things between him and the local gendarmerie appeared to get sorted.

Tony looked up and saw several vague expressions.  He stopped talking, wondering what the problem was.

John spoke for everyone  “That drink, cavalry something, what’s that then?”

Tony despaired.

He quietly explained that Calvados was the name of the local brandy made from apples.  He also pointed out that for a long time now it had also been the name of the Departement, and before anyone could ask, he went on to explain that a departement was basically the same as a county in England.

There were nods all around.  Everyone trying to look as though they had, of course, known that all along but were just checking..

Tony went on to explain that after the small problem of apparently landing his catch illegally and the subsequent explanations,  in the spirit of entente cordiale, the local gendarmerie had joined him in a bar for the evening and between them they had consumed copious quantities of Calvados.  Tony admitted that , indeed, so hard had the pressure been that he himself had spent several hours drinking the very light brandy, to such an extent than when the party started to break up he realised that he was not sure he could even make it back to the boat let alone set out for the intended night fishing trip back across the channel.

He would have to stay and after much discussion, in which Tony took little or no part he was told to wait and Madam Rougierre would be along to collect him.  He remembers nodding and wondering why Madam Rougierre needed him..

The following morning, Tony awoke in a strange bed.  He was alone in a very big room. It was quite dark but the windows showed signs of bright sunlight beyond the wooden shutters.  His head pounded and he was thankful for the darkened state of the room.

He looked at his wrist to see what time it was and for the first time realised he was naked. Looking around the room he took in his watch and other bits and pieces on the bedside table and he saw his clothes all neatly folded on a chair in the corner.

Apart from the bed, there were a couple of chairs, a large old armoire and a small table as well as the bedside table where his watch, keys and other bits and pieces had ended up.

He picked up the watch and after a moment focused on it and realised it said 9.30.

He suddenly sprang awake.  9.30, He had badly overslept, even on the mornings he wasn’t working he was usually out of bed by about 6

He clambered out of the high bed and wandered around the bedroom naked, eventually going to the window and trying to open it.  He worked out, he thought, how the lock worked.  It was one of those twist a handle types and two bars retracted into the housing but once he had done that he pushed but the window didn’t move.  He tried several times.

Just as he was deciding it wouldn’t open he pulled it towards him and fell over as the window opened inwards.

The air from outside was pleasantly warm against his body and as he was about to open the shutters he remembered he was naked and left them closed. 

He wandered round the room again, finding a pleasant bathroom and went in to wash and get dressed.  He started to wonder how he would manage for soap and toothpaste, at the same time that he saw a large glass pharmacy jar stuffed full of miniature soap, perfumes, lotions and unctions.

From it he selected a small tube of tooth paste and a disposable tooth brush, a small bar of scented soap and a little phial of “Parfum pour homme”

He heard the town clock striking ten as he opened the shutters, now fully washed, refreshed and clothed.

The light flooded the room and Tony looked around his night’s accommodation for the first time. It was very nice.

He left the bedroom and made his way towards what looked like a kitchen at the end.

It was a kitchen.  The kitchen table was laid with one place, a napkin, a knife, a teaspoon and a huge bowl.

The room was empty so he hovered wondering what to do.

A young lady appeared smiling and holding out her hand.  He shook it.  “Bonjour m’sieur”. She trilled.

Tony managed a “Bonjour” and the girl ushered him to sit down.

Tony looked at the girl.  She wasn’t old enough to be Madam Rougierre who he vaguely remembered from last night. She was very pretty wearing a short skirt and a nice blouse.

She chattered away at him.

Vous voudriez des petit dejeuner? He looked blank.  She repeated the question.

Tony summoned his high command of French and explained that he didn’t speak much French but he would like some breakfast .

“Du thé, café, chocolat?”  Tony was trying to keep up but he estimated that she was probably speaking at about 10,000 words a second.  He had caught the word chocolat so he nodded and said “chocolat”

She picked up is bowl.  Tony’s eyes followed her intently.   She put milk and chocolate powder into the bowl and then put the bowl in the microwave.

She started again, while she waited for the chocolat to warm

“Hier soir vous etais tres… “ she formed a shape with her fingers as if holding a tube, put it to her nose and rotated it.

Tony looked blank and then was saved by the ping of the microwave.

She gave him the bowl of chocolat and said “you want I speek Eenglish?”

Tony thought about this.  He couldn’t understand her French because she spoke too fast, but he  wasn’t sure he would understand her English either.

“Yes please” he said

“D’accord” she replied.  “I weel try.”

“You want some bread with” ,there was a long pause. Then she said “confiture?”

Tony nodded “Merci” The girl looked confused.  She held up a baguette, Tony nodded again. And she cut off a large chunk and handed it to him.  She then went to the fridge and Tony looked for a plate.
There wasn’t one.  She returned with a pot of jam and a spoon.

The girl watched him intently, this time, and it slowly dawned on her that he didn’t know what to do.   She thought how strange the English were as she took his napkin, spread it in front of him, put the bread on it and cut it in half lengthways.  She motioned to him about the jam, he nodded and she spread the jam on the bread.  She then motioned he should eat it and he laughed.

She still watched his every movement with big wide eyes.

After about a half of the first piece of bread had gone she again caught his eye and said “du chocolat!”

Tony had been avoiding the bowl of chocolat

She got herself a bowl from the cupboard put in the powdered chocolate and added milk then put the second cup in the microwave.

Tony wasn’t quite sure what was happening so slowly ate his jam and bread. He would have liked butter but…

The microwave ping broke the silence and Tony watched as she pulled the bowl out and set it down opposite him.

She sat in the chair, picked up the bowl with both hands and started to drink.

Tony smiled at her.  He immediately picked up his own bowl and had his first drink of the morning!