A Tale Of Two Cities: Sydney's Second Chance 2

The man now known as Simon Collins cleared his throat, then mustered up his nerve and knocked on the door. For a long time, there was no answer, and he wondered whether he'd come at a bad time. He was just about to lose his nerve and walk away when the door was opened by a boy of about ten with dark hair and eyes.

"You must be Sydney," said Simon.

The boy's eyes widened. "How'd you know my name?"

"I know your mother," Simon told him.

Just then Lucie appeared. She saw that she had a visitor and smiled. "Simon!" she exclaimed happily.

"These are for you," Simon told her, holding out the bouquet he'd brought her.

"Why, they're beautiful!" Lucie exclaimed. "Thank you!"

She invited Simon in, then found a vase for the flowers. A moment later Little Lucie entered the room. She saw Simon and gasped with surprise.

"These are my children, Little Lucie and Sydney," Lucie told Simon. "Children, this is Simon Collins. I met him on the beach a couple of days ago."

"How do you do." Simon took the hand Little Lucie offered him and kissed it. "Why, you're lovely!"

"I know you." Little Lucie gazed into his eyes with wonder. "I can't say exactly how, but I do know you from somewhere."

"I'm sure that's not possible." Simon chuckled lightly. "I just arrived in London very recently."

"It was a long time ago," Little Lucie continued, as he hadn't spoken. "I was just a little girl." She laughed and shook her head. "It'll come to me eventually."

"Won't you join us for dinner?" Lucie asked Simon.

"Thank you very much. I'd be delighted to," Simon replied.

As they were eating, Simon and the family got to know each other better.

"Where did you live before you moved to London?" Little Lucie asked Simon.

"I've lived many places," Simon told her. "Must recently I was in Paris, France, but I was only there for a little while."

"I'd imagine things are really different there now, with Napoleon in power," Lucie commented.

"Oh, yes," Simon said.

"I was fortunate to escape before the Revolution," said Lucie. "We would have been all right, except..."

"Except what?" Simon asked gently.

Lucie sat her fork down. "Charles had a dear friend whom he'd been forced to leave behind. He'd promised to come to his friend's help if his friend should ever get into trouble. His friend was eventually arrested, and Charles returned to Paris to try to help him get free and was arrested himself."

"What did he do wrong?" asked Simon.

"He did nothing wrong," Lucie replied. "You see...Charles had formerly been a member of the French aristocracy. He disagreed with their ways, so he gave it all up, changed his name, and moved to London to start a new life. When he returned to Paris to help his friend, he was recognized and imprisoned himself. He was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death."

"How did he escape?" asked Simon.

Lucie became very quiet. "That's another story, for another time," she said. "Why don't you tell me a bit more about yourself? You know all this about me, and I know next to nothing about you."

"I'm afraid there's not much to tell," Simon replied. "When I was much younger, I led a rather directionless life. I had a deep loneliness inside, and unfortunately, I turned to alcohol for solace. Then suddenly I thought I'd found a reason for living, and then just as quickly it was snatched away from me."

"You must have been devastated," Lucie murmured sympathetically.

"I was," Simon agreed. "After that, I lived mostly for memories of what might have been. I journeyed to Paris, and that was a real turning point for me. Something that happened to me there changed my life forever, and now I feel that I finally have hope for a better future, after all."

"What happened to you in Paris?" asked young Sydney.

"In a way I suppose you could say I traded lives with a friend," Simon told him. "As a result of that choice, new opportunities were opened up for me."

"What happened to your friend?" asked Little Lucie.

"He went on with his life, forever changed by his interaction with me. I lost touch with him a few years ago, but I trust that he's found peace."

Pleasant banter was exchanged for the rest of the meal, and Simon stayed with the family and visited for awhile afterwards. He was enjoying himself so much that he stayed quite late.

"Well, I suppose I'd better run along before I wear out my welcome," he finally said.

"Not at all. It's been a real pleasure," Lucie replied.

"Thank you very much for the delicious meal," said Simon.

"Thank you for the lovely flowers, and for the delightful company," Lucie replied.

"May I call on you again?" asked Simon.

"Please do," said Lucie. He took her hand and kissed it, and the old feelings came rushing back so quickly that he felt himself going weak. "Good-bye, lovely Lucie," he said.

"Good-bye, kind sir," said Lucie.

Little Lucie saw the look that had been in his eyes as he'd kissed her mother's hand, and it brought back a distant memory. She'd known a man who'd looked at her mother that way before, had known him quite well, in fact...