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

[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.

[bannion_sight]

"Well, yeah," Kim laughs. "It's true, isn't it?"

A beat, and she gives Meg an arch sideways look.

"Which leads me to ask, of course..."

[noteful]

"Honestly? He tends to play it a little cool for smitten to seem quite . . . Certainly he did the night we met.

". . . leads you to ask what?"

[bannion_sight]

"Exactly," she points out, "which is why I said it."

Beat.

"So just how serious are you two?"

[noteful]

"I don't know," Meg says.

"I . . . probably should have seen that question coming, shouldn't I?"

She's quiet for a moment.

"I . . . I don't know that he's the one, but I also don't know that he isn't," she says, finally.

[bannion_sight]

Kim's smile is soft.

"Well, there's time."

[noteful]

"And no reason to rush.

"I mean, I haven't known him that long, right?"

[bannion_sight]

"Right. After all, March was only, what, five months ago?"