January 6

Choices – The Road or the Gardens?

… “Shall we get going then?” David asked impatiently.

Pierre did not respond. He took his time to scrutinize the faces now mingling beneath the canopies nearby. Nothing was unusual, except for a mixed-aged couple at the café opposite—a gray-haired man romantically entwined with a younger lady wearing a dark beret.

“Dirty old man,” Pierre thought, before turning back to David.
“With such an important meeting, we can’t take any chances. Let’s split up and meet at the hotel. It is only a short walk and we can take the taxi together when we arrive.”

“Great,” David replied, “but where shall I meet you at the hotel?”

“Wait for me in the main floor gallery—the Royal Lounge. You will not miss it. The huge circular room once hosted a fabulous ballroom. It’s often used for spectacular events and what could be more spectacular than the one we are meeting for?”

He laughed aloud before continuing. “Look for Marie Leszczynska—the painting of the red lady. She became a famous consort in France and married Louis XV.”

David was fascinated. “How did you say her name?”

Pierre spoke slowly. “Les-chenz-ka! Now, you take the back route. I will wander along the promenade.”

He pointed across from the café. “Follow the Rue Massena. It joins on to Rue de France. Turn left when you go past the gardens at Le Musée Masséna or, if the museum is open, you can walk through the gardens …

Life is about choices and David has the choice between taking the road or going through the leafy gardens of Le Musée Masséna (pictured here). I wonder which he will choose and will it matter?