Mrs. bradley leans on the recliner and trims her nails. Eliot gave her the fashionable nightgown.
What do you two talk about when you are alone?
We don’t talk much. It’s enough to be with each other. You know Larry doesn’t talk much. Usually I tell him.
What does he usually do?
I don’t know. I don’t think he’s very busy. I guess he’s having a good time
Where he lives
I don’t know, either.
He seems too tight-lipped, don’t you think?
Isabel lit a cigarette and called out a smoke ring from her nostrils. She looked at her mother quietly.
Mom, what are you trying to say?
Your uncle thinks he is living with another woman.
Isabel gave a sloped laugh.
You don’t believe him, do you?
I don’t believe it. Seriously, I don’t believe Mrs. bradley staring at her nails thoughtfully. Have you talked to him about Chicago?
Ah, often
He never said he wanted to go back.
It didn’t mean that.
By October, he will have been away from Chicago for two years.
I know
It’s your business, baby. You can do whatever you want, but you can’t put it off. She aimed at Isabel, but Isabel avoided her eyes. Mrs. bradley smiled with distress. Go take a shower, or you won’t have lunch.
I have an appointment with Larry to eat together, which seems to be somewhere in the Latin quarter.
Have fun.
An hour later, Larry came to pick Isabel up. They took a car rental to St. Michel Bridge and strolled along the endless pedestrian street. They took a fancy to a cafe and went in. They sat on the terrace and ordered two cups of Du Tian wine. After that, they called a car rental and went to a restaurant. Isabel had a good appetite. Larry ordered all kinds of food. She ate it with relish. The restaurant was packed. She observed the guests around her and looked at them. They were amazed at the food in front of them, but she couldn’t help but was most worried. Sitting at a small table with Larry, Isabel said that when she was in high spirits, Larry’s eyes were full of joy, which made her fall in love deeply. They were so comfortable to get along with each other, which made people fascinated. But Isabel’s heart was vaguely uneasy, because he looked very much at home, but she felt that it was not because of himself, but because of the environment. However, her mother’s early words made her shake her eyes. Although she chatted ramblingly, she noticed his every expression. Now before Larry left Chicago, he was different, but he couldn’t say where he was different. He was still young, Love has changed, not become serious. After all, when he relaxes, he always feels strange and certain. It seems that he has seen something more calmly than he did in the past. If they finish lunch, Larry proposes to visit the Luxembourg Museum.
No, I don’t want to see the painting.
Well, let’s go to the garden.
I don’t want to go to the garden either. I want to see where you live.
There is nothing to see. I live in a hotel and the room is small.
Uncle Eliot said that your apartment still lives with a painter and model.
Then take a look at it for yourself, he said with a smile. It’s not far from here. We can walk there.
He took her through several winding narrow lanes. Although a blue sky could be seen in the tall buildings on both sides, it still looked dark and dirty. After a while, they stopped at the door of a small hotel with an outrageous appearance.
This is it.
Isabel followed him into the narrow porch, and a man sat behind him. He was wearing a shirt, a yellow and black striped vest and a dirty apron. Larry was reading a newspaper, and the man took the key from behind and handed it to him. He glanced at Isabel curiously and raised a knowing smile. Obviously, they were going to do that.
They climbed two floors of stairs with a worn red carpet. Larry picked up the key door. Isabel walked into the small room. From two windows, the apartment across the street was dusty. On the first floor, there was a stationery store. There was a single bed beside the bedside table, a bulky wardrobe with a large mirror, and another armchair with a cushion. There were two windows, a typewriter, paper and a few paperbacks piled up on the mantelpiece.
You can sit in an armchair. It’s not very easy to sit in, but this one is left.
He pulled another chair to sit on.
Do you live here? Isabel asked
He giggled at her expression.
Yes, I have lived here since I arrived in Paris.
What is it?
It’s convenient. Nearby is the National Library of Paris Sorbonne University. He points to another door that she didn’t notice and has a bathroom. I always have breakfast and dinner at home, usually in that restaurant just now.
No, of course not
•
•