Paris with my Mom

I went to Paris with my mom last night. I know what you’re thinking, “Paris? On a school night?” I agree it’s crazy! But it happened.

It is a brisk morning with a warm sun. The waffles in the courtyard steam on the end of my fork. My mom, sips on her black coffee, watching me eat with a childlike fervor. She grins slightly without showing her crooked tooth.

The cobblestoned courtyard grows in popularity as the sun rises.

“Let’s go to the library,” my mom speaks, breaking the stiff air, “My dad took me there when I was young.”

“You and Grandpa were in Paris? When was this?” I ask through a mouthful of waffle. I honestly can’t believe this for a second because I know how poor my mom’s family was.

“Oh yes, when he was in the Army. We were stationed in Germany so my dad brought me here for a little visit,” she says sipping her coffee. Her short hair curls under at her shoulders and tucks neatly behind her ear reflecting the sun’s rays as she speaks.

“How come I never knew that?” Still puzzled, I finish my last bite of waffle and dispose of my trash.

“Oh, I don’t know? I guess it just never came up. Come on. Let’s go. You’re going to love it!” She grabs my hand and off we go. We cross the weathered cobblestone courtyard and under an archway leading to a walkway near a busy street. We pass a few upscale shops showing off dresses worth more than I am in bay windows making even a mannequin look like a million bucks.

As we approach a small staircase winding up to an elevated porch to the right, I see a sign that says 6.50f. That’s weird, I thought to myself, Paris no longer uses francs. We move up the stairs and begin to check our pockets for money–we have nothing. I grab my Mastercard from my wallet and proceed to the counter under the awning of the porch like structure.

“Two, please.” I hand my mom her ticket and we move through the door.

Immediately I am overwhelmed. The deeply curved ceilings glow a soft sage with paper mache trees stretching to meet them. Soft hues of blue and green shine all around slowly changing the color of the room from blue to green. Then green to blue again. Tall grey shelves of books make reading nooks throughout the library. An arched bridge begs me to come over. As I cross, I notice large kites, flying on their own, swoop up and down from the ceiling to the floor. A blue/green elephant swoops down and a leg flows over my face. The soft linen is a surprise. I giggle and look at my mom. She is beaming as she watches me take in the wonder before me. She no longer cares about her crooked tooth showing, she is all gums. Her eyes crinkle in the corners as we stand there in awe. Me looking at the elephant kites and my mom looking at me.

And then my alarm goes off.

I went to Paris with my mom last night and it was by far the best vacation ever.