Kim visits Montreal

[noteful]

It's not that difficult to find Sylvain Gagné's restaurant. It is, as Meg said, written up in several guidebooks.

And late morning isn't a bad time to arrive, at least on weekdays -- the breakfast crowd has gone, the lunch crowd isn't really there yet. There's no line out the door, no wait to be seated, just a hadful of patrons lingering over coffee at the tables on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.

It's a beautiful summer day in Montreal.

Comments

[noteful]

"So you can order a different kind and eat half of mine?"

Years of experience speaking here.

[bannion_sight]

Mock surprise.

"Would I do that?"

A beat, and she grins.

"Besides, I'd give you half of mine in trade."

[noteful]

"You've been known to, once or twice," Meg says.

"Blueberry, I guess, then," she says.

[bannion_sight]

"And lemon poppyseed, I think."

She shakes her head, smiling, and leans back in her chair as she stretches.

"I'm out of the habit of long train rides."

[noteful]

Meg gives their orders to the waitress.

". . . can you take a six hour train trip from Glastonbury and not wind up in some body of water or other?"

[bannion_sight]

"If I went up to Edinburgh, maybe," Kim says. "But as I haven't tried it yet, I'm not sure."

[noteful]

Meg nods, and then there's a pause, while coffee and tea and muffins arrive.

"So . . . do you like living over there?"

[bannion_sight]

"I do," she replies, almost gently. "I really do."

Kim reaches for her cup of coffee, wrapping her fingers around it.

"There are days when I really miss being here, but -- Glastonbury's where I need to be."

[noteful]

Meg stirs sugar into her tea before she replies.

"Well, I guess it's good that you could go there, then."

[bannion_sight]

She hesitates, but only for a second.

"It's where I feel ... closest ... to things, Meg. It... helps."

[noteful]

"I know that, Kim. And I really am glad that there's a place you're . . . comfortable or whatever the right word is.

"But it doesn't mean that I'm going to be thrilled that that place is in England.

"I mean, you don't want me to be happy that you live that far away, do you?"

[bannion_sight]

"No," Kim says.

"But I do want you to be happy."

A beat.

"Are you?"

[noteful]

Meg thinks for a moment, and then nods.

"On the whole, yes. I am."

[bannion_sight]

"I'm glad," she says, simply.

[noteful]

"Are you?"

[bannion_sight]

Kim blinks.

"Glad that you're happy? Yes."

[noteful]

Meg shakes her head.

"No. Are you happy?"

[bannion_sight]

"I -- close enough," she decides on, and smiles. "I'm content."

[noteful]

It's not the same thing.

Meg's not even sure she would say it was close enough.

But she just nods.

[bannion_sight]

"So."

Kim sets her coffee cup down with a click, and looks expectantly at her sister.

"What plans do you have today?"

[noteful]

"Well, I was helping Tante Ginette organize kitchen cabinets when you arrived. But I suspect Alain will have finished that by now.

"And aside from that . . . nothing too pressing."

[bannion_sight]

"No lists?" she teases.

A beat.

"That is, if you're still interested in showing me around Montreal...?"

[noteful]

Meg raises an eyebrow, pulls a small blue notebook from her purse, and sets it on the table.

"There are always lists," she says.

"I just figured we should make this one together."

[bannion_sight]

And oh, but her sudden smile is soft and bright.

"I'd like that. Very much."

[noteful]

It's not a hard list to make. It's entirely too long, of course, because there is a lot to see in Montreal, but they hit most of the true hightlights, and spend a possibly slightly excessive amount of time at McGill. (But really, what visit to Montreal could be considered complete without seeing the place where Meg Ford broke her ankle?)

It's late in the long summer evening when they finally get back to Sylvain's restaurant. Meg breezes past the waiting line -- fair play is all good and well in most things, but occasionally you take advantage of the fact that you're the owner's favorite nephew's girlfriend. (Because, okay, yes, you could miss the Site of the Ford Ankle Breaking. But missing Sylvain's crepes would be a tradegy.)

". . . told him he sounded smitten?" Meg asks, as they follow Alice to a table in a corner.