noteful | Kim visits Montreal

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Kim visits Montreal

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.

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"No lists?" she teases.

A beat.

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

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."

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

"I'd like that. Very much."

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.

"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..."

"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?"

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

Beat.

"So just how serious are you two?"

"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.

Kim's smile is soft.

"Well, there's time."

"And no reason to rush.

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

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

"There abouts," Meg says.

If she knows how long she's known Alain more precisely than that . . . well, it's not written anywhere that she has to admit to that fact, right?

"I just . . . I don't know, I . . . I really like him, Kim."

"He seems really likable," she agrees. "If you ask me, I'd say it's clear you've got good taste."

"Well, you didn't meet Brian," Meg says, a little wry.

Kim didn't miss much there.

"But . . . I think my taste has improved since then, yes."

"I prefer to think of him as the exception that proves the rule," she says, loftily.

"I prefer to think of him as little as possible," Meg offers.

She shrugs.

"It's the point of university, right? To learn things?"

"Lots and lots and lots of things," Kim promises her.

Beat.

"French included."

Meg leans forward slightly, and drops her voice to an ever-so-confidential mock-whisper.

"Oh, that's much better to learn as an extracirrucular."

Kim giggles.

"I'll take your word for it. I mean, you're the expert!"

Meg giggles, too.

"Hmmmm. You'll have to, because I am not sharing my tutor.

"I'm really glad you came today."

"So am I."

"And maybe, if you want -- I'd love to have you come for a visit in Glastonbury, someday."

There's a pause, and then Meg smiles.

"I was going to say that could be complicated, with planes and time and all . . . but . . . I guess it doesn't have to be, does it?"

There's a shortcut.

"Not at all," Kim agrees, smiling back.

"Well . . . we'll have to figure that out, then."

"Sounds good to me. But for now --"

Kim picks up her glass and raises it in a cheerful toast.

"--let's just enjoy being here."

A beat, and a quick grin.

"Because along with everything else? The food is fabulous."

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noteful - 2009-08-06 06:14 (UTC) - Expand

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