Love Is Pink!

“It’s ice,” Emma exclaimed. “We could slide!”


I didn’t think that would be wise. But, despite that, I wound up giving Emma a demonstration when Baby pulled me onto the ice and I slipped and slid behind him. The pond was frozen solid, no question. Emma went crazy with joy, playing around on it. David seemed to enjoy it, too, even though he slipped many times and fell with a thud onto his most-prized body part.

I let Emma hold Baby’s leash and he pulled her around, too. He walked more carefully with her than he had with me. And we all laughed when he scratched at the ice with all four paws without managing to get a grip on it, and then landed on his big, black doggy butt.

I stood on the edge of the pond, crossed my arms, and watched Emma and Baby romp around. After a little while, David joined me. We didn’t speak. We merely met eyes from time to time and, whenever we did, we beamed at each other.

Eventually, we headed back to our pink Citro?n—in great moods and feeling refreshed for the next leg of our journey. After tidying up the car, David moved to sit at the wheel as usual, but I stopped him. “Wouldn’t you like to take a break?” I said. “I slept before.”

“You want to drive my car?”

“Don’t act so shocked. I can drive just as well as you can.”

David looked at me skeptically before handing me the key. “But watch out—”

“I know, it’s a classic.”

I sat at the helm and placed my hands on the old steering wheel. Funnily, the clutch was right next to the blinker.

The car started without its usual explosion. David kept a nervous watch over me for a while as I drove. But his posture slowly got less rigid, and his eyelids sank, and he began to breathe loudly. He may have even snored a bit.

In the backseat, Emma laid half on top of Baby. She’d covered herself and the dog with my ski jacket. Every so often, Baby grunted.

The country road was as good as empty. Apparently, everyone else was driving on the highway right now. In a way, I was happy that we didn’t have money for the tolls. Sure, this route took longer, but it was worth it for the peace and quiet.

Once I was sure that everyone was sleeping, I stealthily turned on the radio. Accompanied by Doris Day, I glided through the winter wonderland, making my way closer to Nancy, our next stopover.





21


The gas needle was in the red zone. I passed by a filling station but their prices seemed too high to me. At the next one they were already considerably less. I pulled in, stopped in front of a pump, and turned off the engine. A long whistle sounded, followed by a short, but loud, explosion.

David sat up in the passenger seat. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

“We’re here,” I said. “Nancy.”

“What’s a Nancy?” Emma asked. She sounded sleepy, too.

“A city,” I said. “And your father has to take care of some important business here. But first we need to fill up.”

We got out. Emma walked Baby around a bit, which is to say that Baby dragged Emma over the snow-covered green area.

David’s eyes were glued to the large price board. “You actually sought out an inexpensive gas station for us?”

“You won’t find anything cheaper,” I said, while at the same time feeling slight displeasure as I watched the gas pump’s fee counter increase at a raging speed. Finally, it clicked and the tank was full.

David sensed my worry. “This is the last time we’ll be able to fill up,” he said. “After I pay, we’ll only have twenty euros left.”

“That’ll never get us home.” I’d stated the obvious.

“No, we won’t make it. We need to think about how we can get our hands on some money. It might have to wait until later in the day, though.”

“Of course,” I said. “Your important appointment.”

David nodded and disappeared into the station to pay the bill.

Baby ran past me with a laughing Emma in tow. The two were having all kinds of fun, and I envied them. They had no idea of the worries of this terrible world. In truth, I didn’t want to know anything of those worries, either. And up until not too long ago, I’d been quite successful at maintaining my ignorance. But since Mont Blanc, I’d been downright persecuted by bad luck. Now I was worrying about which station sold gas for a few cents less. My God, if things continued to go this way, I’d eventually have to start shopping at Aldi. The thought of that made me shiver.

David returned, sat at the wheel, and began driving us through the city. He stopped several times to ask for directions. The poor guy didn’t even have enough money for a GPS.

He stopped on a busy street and pointed to a detached building. “Pièces Détachées Pour Automobiles” was written in large letters on its facade.

“That’s where your appointment is?” I asked skeptically.

“Right.”

“And how long will it take?”

“At least an hour. Maybe two.”