Home » The Archives » Chapter 12 » Playing with Fire
| Re: Playing with Fire [message #468 is a reply to message #467] |
Mon, 23 July 2012 21:07   |
artisticrainey
Messages: 1228
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northern Ireland
Karma:
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Field Commander
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Monday, October 15, 2068, 9 a.m. Paris, France (8 p.m. Same day, Tracy Island)
Kyrano left the restaurant full and satisfied. He was staying in the Hilton de la Défense, where he'd worked as head chef before being hired by Jeff Tracy. He hadn't worked the breakfast shift, so he felt there'd be no one there he would know. His intentions were to eat luncheon there sometime during the week, and see who might still be there. Dinner, as well, for he had known several of the staff from that shift. Even so, he held out slim hopes of meeting someone who would remember him. Kitchen staff tended to have high turnover, and he knew this well.
He had arranged for a car to pick him up at 9:15, which gave him a few moments to gather up some items he wished to take with him. His first stop would be at his late wife's family's home, to see his father-in-law.
The driver tipped his hat as he opened the door for Kyrano. Pausing before climbing in, Kyrano asked, "Parlez-vous français ou anglais?"
The driver looked surprised. "Je parle français et anglais, mais je préfère le français."
"Trés bien. Je te parlerai en français." Kyrano smiled and entered the car. The driver shut the door, and took his place up front. Kyrano gave him the address and off they went.
En route, Kyrano took in the sights of the city. The leaves were bright with color where they hadn't already fallen to the ground, and the people were wearing sweaters and long coats against the cool breezes. The outdoor cafés weren't as populated -- but then, it wasn't lunch time yet. The sky was a brilliant blue, though, and the leaves contrasted with it in a way that Kyrano wished he could capture and bring back to Lisa.
The driver brought him to an apartment building, one of the older ones, covered in brick and ivy that twined around the rails of the cast iron balcony rails. Kyrano alighted, pulling a tote bag with him. He instructed the driver to return in two hours, or when called, whichever came first. The driver smiled and nodded.
The front door of the building opened, and a dark-haired, middle-aged lady looked out. It seems I am expected, Kyrano thought as he approached.
"Bonjour, Tuan," the lady said with a regal nod. She was younger than he was, with café-au-lait skin that was just beginning to line with wrinkles. She was short, and slightly plump, a contrast to his Samani, who was taller and willowy when they met.
"Bonjour, Tamea," Kyrano said, bowing. "It is good to see you again."
Tamea smiled slightly. "It has been a long time." She closed the door and indicated the interior with a hand. "Come in. He is awake."
Kyrano nodded, and followed his sister-in-law to one of the rear apartments. The sitting room overlooked a walled garden, one where a few flowers still braved the chilly nights. An elderly man, well into his ninth decade, sat in a comfortable chair before the wide sliding glass doors. He glanced up as Kyrano came in, and his wrinkled face creased in a smile.
"Tuan. It is good to see you again," he said, his voice sharpened by age.
Kyrano bowed low. "And to see you, Elias."
"Come, sit." Elias indicated another comfortable chair near him. He spoke to Tamea. "Tea, please, for me and my guest."
"Yes, Father," Tamea said before bustling off to the kitchen.
Kyrano took the proffered chair, sitting with the bundle he'd brought in his lap. "How are you, Elias?"
Elias smiled again. "I am well, though my memory is not what it used to be." He glanced out over the garden. "I wish you could have come earlier in the year; my garden flourished and the butterflies were so beautiful. I saw one or two species I had not seen before."
"Did you get pictures?" Kyrano asked.
Elias waved a hand. "I am too old for such things now, and Tamea scares them away. But I did mark them in my book." He pulled a worn leather journal from the table beside him. "Here, you see..."
He opened the book, and found the page he was looking for. Kyrano noticed that the journal was nearly full, only a few pages were left to fill.
"Just the other day I saw a vanessa atalanta, what is commonly known as a Red Admiral," Elias said. "I hope to see more of them before winter really sets in here. They are often the last butterflies to be seen in the autumn." He held up his book, where a rough sketch in colored pencil showed the markings of the butterfly.
"You still sketch them very well, Elias. It reminds me; I have brought something for you." He pulled a wrapped package from his bag and handed it to the old man.
"A gift!" Elias's eyes lit up as he opened the package. He lifted free the gift. "Oh, this is magnificent! Where did you get it?"
Kyrano smiled. The picture was a small framed sketch of a butterfly with iridescent blue wings edged by a band of black and fringed with white. Small orange spots appeared at the lowest edge of the smaller wing set, and tiny white and black tufts stuck out from the fringe like little tails. The background was orange and green, and it was signed "C. Tracy". "My employer's daughter is a budding artist, and sketched this on a visit to Kansas. Her brother helped her identify it."
"A cupido comyntas. It is beautiful! Tamea, come and see! Come and see the gift Tuan has brought!"
Tamea came from the kitchen. "What is it, Father?" she asked. "The tea is almost ready... oh!"
Elias beamed as he handed the picture for her to see. "This is lovely. Tuan, did you bring this?" she asked.
"Yes, I did," Kyrano said with a soft smile. I believe Tamea is becoming hard of hearing...
"It is a very nice gift," she said, handing the picture back to her father. With a quick motion, she slipped a low table between the two chairs. "I will bring the tea in a moment."
Elias put the picture aside. "Now, what of my granddaughter? Have you brought a picture of her?"
"Yes, I have, Elias." Kyrano pulled an envelope from the tote. "This was taken in my garden, by a young man who is courting my daughter. You can see by the way he posed her how fond he is of her."
"Ah, yes. She is so beautiful, and reminds me so much of her mother," Elias said as he pulled the picture from the envelope. He glanced over at Kyrano. "Is this the same young man you spoke of before? The race car driver?"
"No, Elias. This is a young man she works with. Very different from the other. It is too soon to tell if they will have a future, but..." Kyrano shrugged slightly. "Time will tell all."
"Ah, I see." Elias nodded, and put Tin-Tin's picture aside.
Tamea came out with the tray of green tea and set it down. Once she had, Elias showed her the picture of Tin-Tin. "Does she not remind you of your sister?"
"Yes, Father. She does." The tone in Tamea's voice was slightly disapproving as she handed the picture back. Kyrano knew that Tamea had always been jealous of her sister, but was surprised that it lasted so long after Samani's death.
Kyrano took it upon himself to pour the tea, and after both he and Elias had taken a few sips, he cleared his throat. "Elias, Tamea, I have something important to tell you." He pulled his album, the new one that Lisa and Tin-Tin had given him, and opened it. "This is another picture taken by that same young man and given to me for my birthday. The lady who Tin-Tin is sitting with is named Lisa Parkhurst. I have known her for two years now, and... she is my fiancée."
There was a silence as Elias and Tamea looked over the picture. Finally, Tamea spoke. "She seems like a motherly woman." She glanced at Kyrano. "Does she have children?"
He was surprised at the question. "Yes, she does. She has been divorced for many years, and has three grown children, and several grandchildren." He didn't think it wise to mention that one of her children was his employer's new wife... or the interesting relationships that would develop from the marriage.
"What do they have to say about your marrying her?" Tamea persisted. "It is clear how Tin-Tin feels from the picture."
"They are in favor of it." Which was perfectly true, even with Douglas's half-hearted endorsement.
His attention turned to Elias as the old man heaved a sigh. "I... I hope you will be happy with her."
"I will, Elias. I already am. But I will never forget Samani. I cannot, for her face and figure are before me always in Tin-Tin."
"When will you be married?" Tamea asked. "Will you be bringing your... Lisa... to Paris?"
"Yes, I will. And we will visit, so you may meet her."
The old man took a deep breath, and let it out, then smiled at Kyrano. "I think... I think we must celebrate, Tuan. Tamea, where is the cognac?"
Kyrano let out a soft, relieved sigh. These people were his family in a way, even if they were not close, and he was pleased to know that they were happy for him.
Posted by Tikatu on March 9, 2008
  
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