The Paris Dream Date

Nicolas stared blankly at his glass of Emmolo Merlot while holding firmly to it. This glass of wine--fruity, a bit sour, a bit dry, a bit sweet, a bit acidic, and a bit fresh—exactly like the hope that he was holding firmly to. The hope that his trip to Tunisia trip tomorrow would give him some meanings or at least spice up his monotonous life of a good-looking doctor. He had been moving around Europe, worked at numerous hospitals, yet besides the changes of setting, these years shared the same pattern—becoming a successful doctor, having copious affairs, making friends with some cool guys, and achieving some proud medal in boxing.

Thirty minutes ago, his brother who traveled from UK to Paris to spend the last week in France with him, was still sitting here talking about everything. He just left shortly to catch the returning plane after persuading Nick that it would be better for him to get his stuffs ready for the trip than enduring the traffic with him to the airport. The luggage was ready at home waiting for tomorrow departure. Nick was glad that the farewell dinner with his colleagues was yesterday because he could still smell the alcohol in his breath. From an outsider’s perspective, he had everything. Only he himself knew that his life was problematic as others. He felt grateful for his job, knowledge, friends, family, but the romantic aspect was still yearning for something. Only a few amongst the numerous affairs were fulfilling, but some unhappy incidents would happen, and he found his lovers gone.

“Well, perhaps these needy thoughts came from the lack of a companion before the departure to another country,” he thoughts to himself.

He decided to finish the glass of Merlot and returned home to rest for the trip on the next day. Took a long sip, enjoyed the utmost satisfaction in his chest, and somehow, his eyes fixated on a couple taking their seats adjacent his table. The young woman in the black satin dress which revealed her perfect curves looked so familiar. She wore a black satin dress and a pair of velvet black pumps with sparkling crystal tassels that adorned her spotless ankle. With the wine in his body kicked in, he took a closer look at her face.

That face feature of a typical Vietnamese person, that sweet cheerful smile that used to lit up his soul, those big dark drown eyes that once pieced through his darkness, those lips that always tasted like cherries, and those blushing cheeks that seemed to always receive the sun’s kisses—it must be her. Khue! The young exchange student to France that once mesmerized him with her natural innocence. He remembered the their last day when he asked her to stay with him through the pandemic, her sad eyes while rejecting him, and the following days in which her absence suffocated him for there was no guarantee of her return.

When she returned to her home country, she continued to keep in touch with him. He knew she had wanted a long-distance relationship with him, but his insecurity stepped in. Needless to explain, they drifted apart as life pulled them to two different directions.

Returned to the present, he noticed the boredom on her face which explained to him that she did not enjoy her company. He ordered another glass of Chateau St. Jean, this time, with a taste of sweet, silky, and fresh which resembled the taste of the past with her. The first time they met, she was at her worst—messy hair, workout clothes soaked with sweats, and a sprained ankle. To him, her spirit must be at her best; despite the great pain, she was smiling and making jokes to her friends. Unlike his other patients, her optimism impressed him and became beloved to him as the got to know each other more. This time, she was not only optimistic, pretty but also attractive, and exuberantly beautiful.

It was a miracle that she came back to France, and they met again at a same place at a same time. The buried feelings found the way to go up on the surface. He wanted to talk to her again, at least just to know if she was doing well or if she had already married. While he was looking elsewhere to avoid resembling a creeper. The beautiful woman in the black satin dress also held firmly to her glass of Irony Merlot, fragrant, dry, and abundant and stole a few glances at him. She also recognized him and tried to resist the return of bygone feelings. It must be a difficult task as boredom continuously seized her. She scolded herself for going to the date with the people that she was not even interested in; the man in front of her, rambled nonstop about politic and philosopher without being bothered by her complete lack of interest.

Perhaps the wise men were right, the universe always had its way to make wishes come true, especially mutual wishes. While they were planning to walk up to each other in the most casual manner, Khue’s date got a phone call from his sister who urged him to be present at home in order to attend some family’s matters, which left Khue all by herself amid the clinking of glasses, the dim light, and the inexplicable monotonous noise made by copious conversations. Two loners found their chances as their eyes met and locked and mingled and exchanged words that words could not describe, but wine could. The words that convey deep passion, intense love, tender care, and a soft longing. They did not only recognize each other, but they also shared the mutual feelings.

Nick felt the elation pumping more blood to his heart. Took a decisive sip of Merlot, he walked up the Khue who was smiling.

“Coucou! Comment ça va ? It’s been a long time, and you barely change, even look younger over time with an impeccable French accent,” Nick initiated and surprised as how natural he sounded as if they had never parted.

“Hey! Ça va bien. Et toi? Thank you for your compliment. You are charming as seven years ago.”

“Merci, so you work here, in Paris?”

“Yes, as a lecture of English literature at the University of Paris. My dream finally comes true. I still visited our old friends in Aix-en-Provence occasionally. Without the support from you guys, I don’t think I would ever be able to sit here, and my ankle would never heal completely without you.”

It was like a dream come true. He could see the blush on her face which adorned her unique beauty even more. They ordered a bottle of Merlot and fell into a deep conversation, about their past, their present, and their future except the Tunisia part. The Shafer Merlot 2014, sweet and acidic, added more flavors to their random encounter. The restaurant once seemed lovely Nick and boring to Khue now became vibrant.

After paying the bill, Nick reached to hold Khue’s hand; they both left the restaurant and walked to the Seine river together. Under the starry night and the clear September sky, their conversation ceased to give room for their gentle feelings of meeting someone they used to care so much for.

“Khue, thank you for showing up in my life again. Thank you so much. Isn’t it like a formal first date? Honestly, I still think about you sometimes, but you were like a faraway dream for me. You lived in the US, then Vietnam, then US again.”

“Nick…It is, an unexpecting date. I’m glad that I picked the right outfit today. And yeah, there was a pandemic; everything was under lockdown; borders were closed. How could we blame each other for that separation? We were young, and our bond was not strong enough,” she paused, “but see where we are now? Single and met each other tonight in the most romantic city in the world.”

How lovely and pure her eyes appeared while she spoke each word. Nick silently cursed the timing of this encounter as the relocation in Tunisia would be in less than twelve hours. He loathed himself for ruining the mood, but he could not lie to her just to spend a night and left her. He admitted that his sleeping love had been awakened, and there would be no room for security.

“Khue, I am sorry for hiding this, but I’m going to Tunisia tomorrow and work there for two years.”

Reng! Reng! The sound of the alarm clock woke Nick from his sweet dream. He turned it off and cursed it for interrupting the ending of the beautiful encounter. He looked to his side and noticed the absence of his wife; she must have gone to the bathroom. He mingled his hands under his head and reminisce every detail in the dream. Then, the sound of flip flops walking up the staircase brought him back to the present.

He looked at the door and awaited his wife to come and tell her about the dream. Then, he would play with her hair as she laughed at this random dream. The sound of flip flops stopped in front of the door. The doorknob turned, and the door flung open.

In front of him, a woman in her fifty, still that typical face feature of a Vietnamese person, that sweet cheerful smile that used to lit up his soul, those big dark brown eyes that once pieced through his darkness, those lips that always tasted like cherries, and those blushing cheeks that seemed to always receive the sun’s kisses—the girl in his dream in her twenty. The curves disappeared to give way to an elegant body of an older person, but the charm and innocence in her gesture never faded away.

He sprinted out of bed and hugged her tightly which surprised her tremendously. In his heart, he thanked all the divine beings for giving them the strength to commit to each other all those two years apart. He also thanked the bottle of Merlot for making him bolder and more resolute!