Un Cafe Creme

I am getting into the habit of enjoying a coffee out once in a while; the cheapskate in me balks at 2.50 for a cup of coffee, when I can have pots and pots at home for that price, but then I remind myself that it's the seat and the ambience that costs.  And on a sweet-air day like today, it is a bargain.  I seat myself in a wicker chair in front of the briocherie facing Place Carnot and take out my notebook and order a large coffee with cream.

Two German women, one old, one young (mother/daughter?) chat non-stop at the table to my left. The serrated edges of their language unnerve me.  We are all enjoying the sun, which although a little weak today, hints at coming strength.  I watch the people going by, some purposefully, as if on a mission, others bewildered and clutching the Office of Tourism's free maps.  Some saunter by, in a stride expressly designed to turn heads. The cusp of the season brings all manner of dress: shirtsleeves, coats and scarves, boots and sandals.  An elderly woman accustomed to better times walks by wearing a full-length fur. 

An older gentleman seats himself at the table next to me, and orders a glass of rose.  Carefully he removes his cap, folds it and places it on the table.  His wine arrives and he counts out the necessary 3 Euros with movements contained and stiff. His hands are shaky and he must steady his wineglass with both hands.   He is wearing black wing-tip oxfords but no socks. 

A coffee machine churns and whirs behind me.  We are not as jaded here as Parisians; we crane our necks and look up at the drone of a small plane overhead.  Pigeons bob between tables on the never-ending search for pastry crumbs gone astray.  I sit downwind of a smoker and wrestle with the temptation of a habit I left behind me 37 years ago. 

There is no rush.  Read, write, watch the world go by for as long as you like.  My grand creme is reduced to a dollop of foam at the bottom of my cup and my "cookie" goes untouched.  I feel myself in sync with the pace here, my place on the planet. 

Another place to while away the time with a glass of wine