Breakfast in Paris


It was a wet Tuesday morning, our second day in Paris. There has been no respite from rain since the day before. It was past 8 am yet the cafe near our hotel, a few blocks away from Jardin du Palais Royal, looked like it opened just then. A guy in an all-black uniform, who I presumed was the manager because of his demeanour, was standing on a chair turning on the outdoor heater hanging under the awning like a lamp. A pretty black waitress in black long sleeves shirt, shorts, stockings and high heels was fooling around with him, pretending to push him off the chair and then laughing. The guy didn’t seem to mind though he did not laugh with her. Her hair was pulled up in a big bun on top of her head accentuating her high cheekbones and elegant forehead. I was amazed at how chic she looked. She greeted us with a cheery “Bonjour!” as we sat down in front of one of the tables lined up outside the cafe. All the chairs were turned towards the street, and I felt like being in front of a theatrical stage where the performers were the passersby who were rushing to work. Continue reading