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]

The train had arrived a little over an hour ago. Kim had lingered a bit on the walk down, browsing through windows and just generally enjoying the city.

Now she's here.

She reads the sign twice, just to make sure, then takes a breath and starts toward the host's stand just inside the door.

[noteful]

She'll pass the young man standing near the doorway first, though, and he'll stop her before she reaches the desk.

"You must be Meg's sister," he says, in accented (but very good) English.

[bannion_sight]

Kim blinks, surprised.

"I am, yes, but how did you know?"

[noteful]

The smile grows slightly more amused. "You look remarkably like her, Dr. Ford," he says.

And offers her his hand. "Alain Gangé. I do not think I'm flattering myself to assume she has mentioned me."

[bannion_sight]

"Apart from the hair," she says, wryly.

Kim shakes his hand, adding with a smile,

"And you're right, she has. I'm glad to meet you."

[noteful]

"Apart from the hair," he agrees. "Also, her eyes are blue, and you are taller, but still -- remarkably like her.

"She is with my aunt, back at the house, if you are looking for her."

[bannion_sight]

"I am," she confirms. "But I hate to intrude -- "

[noteful]

"Dr. Ford, if you were an intrusion, I doubt very much she would have told you about this place, oui?

"It's about a twenty minute walk, or we can call a taxi, if you would rather."

[bannion_sight]

"Okay, good point."

Kim glances up at the sky, toward the sun, then looks back at Alain.

"It's too pretty a day to spend it in cabs."

[noteful]

"D'accord."

Alain calls back into the restaurant, in French, that he is going back to the house, but will be back for the dinner crowd.

"May I?" he asks, indicating Kim's bag, and holding out a hand.

[bannion_sight]

"Um, sure," she says.

Kim slips the strap of the backpack from her shoulder and hands it over to him.

"Thanks."

[noteful]

De rien," he tells her, and sets off down the street.

"You live in England, don't you?"

[bannion_sight]

"I do," she tells him. "Glastonbury."

"Have you always lived in Montreal?"

[noteful]

"Yes, I have lived in Montréal my whole life," he says.

"I cannot imagine wanting to live anywhere else."

And certainly not some place they don't speak French.

[bannion_sight]

"And your family's here too, obviously."

Kim's smiling.

"It's a beautiful city, from what I've seen of it so far."

[noteful]

Alain gives her a curious glance.

"This is your first visit?"

[bannion_sight]

"Not technically? It's my first time here as an adult, though."

[noteful]

"Bienvenue à Montréal," he tells her.

"Left, at this corner," he says, of the turn ahead.

When the cars are clear, of course.

[bannion_sight]

Of course.

"So how did you meet Meg, anyway?"

[noteful]

Alain's smile get bright.

"My brother was in a play, Tartuffe, at the university. Ah, the Université de Montréal, not McGill. And I bought a ticket for the wrong night. Your sister had an extra, because her friend was sick, and gave it to me.

"Don't tell my brother, but I don't remember a damn thing about the acting, or anything on the stage."

[bannion_sight]

Kim laughs.

"Sounds just like her. And it sounds like you were kind of smitten."

[noteful]

"Smitten? I don't know what that is, en français."

[bannion_sight]

"Romantically struck?" she tries. "Enchanted? Only not literally."

[noteful]

"Ah, I see," he says. "Smitten.

"Very much so.

"Meg is very special."

[bannion_sight]

"She is that."

Kim smiles.

"She said you helped carry things when you met our parents at the end of term."