On the Train

On The Train      by Paul Howlett.

I was sitting in the fast train from London to Paris one day in the early Spring of 2015 when I had a strange experience that has never happened to me before.

I was busy reading my paper, The Telegraph, about all the world’s political crises and general news when a young or not so young lady sat in the train in the opposite seat. I was in one of the sections of the train where there are two seats facing in the direction of travel and two seats  have their back to the direction of travel.

This lady was crying, softly, as if she was trying to hide the obvious pain that was in her heart. I glanced in her direction and failed to make eye contact.

I went back to reading my paper as the train glided out of the London station to commence its journey under the Channel to Paris.

The lady seated opposite continued to sniffle and blow her nose from time to time.

I finally put down my paper and gave her a smile.  She responded with a sign and asked me in a polite voice if I spoke French. 

I said yes.

That brought a small smile of relief from this lady, and she commenced to tell me her reason for so much sadness and tears.

She had been engaged to be married to an Englishman, who lived in London and she had come over from France to make the final arrangements for their marriage.  He trip was going to be a surprise for her English beau, as she did not tell him that she was arriving for the weekend.

It was a surprise visit. It turned out to be a surprise for him and for her.

Camille went on to tell me how much of a shock it was to find that when she knocked on the door of his London apartment the door was opened by a strange woman!

“He was shocked, somewhat speechless, apologetic and very embarrassed for himself; the other woman and me,” sniffled Camille.

Camille said: “The other woman wanted to know who I was, and I want to know who she was.  In the end, we both left the two-timing Englishman to drown his sorrows in his numerous supply of beer.”

Camille went on to say, “I gave him back his ring; I said that I never wanted to see him again and all the while thinking that I was so righteous in my anger.”

“Now, that I am on the train going back home the situation seems different. I cry for lost love, I cry, as now I am lonely, I cry, because I miss him!”

The train commenced its underground and underwater trip to France.

When the train was drawing close to Paris and after Camille and I had spent a good proportion of the time on the train chatting and getting to know each other, she invited me to have dinner with her later in the week.

I took her up on her invitation.

A Strange Encounter

A Strange Encounter  by Paul Howlett

I have met some strange people in my time, but this particular encounter was stranger than most.

J'ai rencontré des gens étranges dans mon temps, mais cette rencontre particulière était plus étrange que la plupart.

I was sitting in a café in Paris enjoying my first American cup of coffee for the day. If you do not ask for an American cup of coffee in France you will end up with an Expresso, a tiny cup with one mouthful of coffee in it. 

J'étais assis dans un café à Paris en dégustant ma première tasse de café américaine pour la journée. Si vous ne demandez pas une tasse de café américain en France, vous finirez avec un Expresso, une petite tasse avec une gorgée de café dedans.

I was enjoying a nice summer’s day in Paris with the temperature in the high 20’s, life was good till a stranger joined me at my table.

Je profitais d'une belle journée d'été à Paris avec la température dans les années 20, la vie était belle jusqu'à ce qu'un étranger me rejoigne à ma table.

French people would never just take the seat opposite you without an invitation, so I was really surprised when this strange quickly sat down opposite to me without saying a word. I was sure he was not French, and after a minutes strained silence he spoke to me in English.

Les Français ne prendraient jamais le siège en face de vous sans une invitation, alors j'ai été vraiment surpris quand cet étrange s'est assis rapidement en face de moi sans dire un mot. J'étais sûr qu'il n'était pas français, et après quelques minutes de silence, il me parla en anglais.

“I am hiding from my wife,” he said, with a thick European accent.

"Je me cache de ma femme", dit-il avec un accent européen.

He went on to further explain that his wife thinks that he is having an affair with another woman and is looking for him in this part of the city.

Il a continué à expliquer que sa femme pense qu'il a une liaison avec une autre femme et le cherche dans cette partie de la ville.

“If my wife finds me here,” he explained. “I would like you to pretend that we have some business that we need to discuss.”

"Si ma femme me trouve ici", a-t-il expliqué. "Je voudrais que vous fassiez semblant que nous avons des affaires dont nous devons discuter."

I was really annoyed and was about to tell him to find another table when a woman approached our table, and I was certain that it was the stranger’s wife.

J'étais vraiment ennuyé et j'étais sur le point de lui dire de trouver une autre table lorsqu'une femme s'approchait de notre table, et j'étais certaine que c'était la femme de l'étranger.

The woman proceeded to harangue the stranger sitting opposite of me in a foreign language. It was not French but I was sure it was an Eastern European language. This was an ugly and strange situation that I found myself in… A full on domestic argument and this was ruining my morning relaxation and coffee.

La femme a commencé à haranguer l'étranger assis en face de moi dans une langue étrangère. Ce n'était pas français mais j'étais sûr que c'était une langue d'Europe de l'Est. C'était une situation moche et étrange dans laquelle je me suis retrouvé ... Une dispute domestique pleine et entière qui ruinait ma détente matinale et mon café.

I removed myself from my table and took my coffee into the restaurant, from the terrace, into the main inner part of the restaurant and propped myself at the bar. The barman look at me and I remarked that I did not want to have a front row seat at the now very loud and annoying argument that was escalating out on the terrace.

Je me suis retiré de ma table et ai pris mon café dans le restaurant, de la terrasse, dans la partie intérieure principale du restaurant et me suis étayé au bar. Le barman me regarda et je remarquai que je ne voulais pas être aux premières loges de l'argument maintenant très bruyant et agaçant qui se répandait sur la terrasse.

The argument escalated and the woman hit the stranger with her handbag.  The stranger ducked and tried to protect himself but she just kept on hitting him and screaming at him in a foreign language.  Finally the stranger punched the woman, and a full on brawl ensued.

L'argument a dégénéré et la femme a frappé l'étranger avec son sac à main. L'étranger a esquivé et a essayé de se protéger mais elle a continué à le frapper et à le crier dans une langue étrangère. Finalement, l'étranger frappa la femme, et une bagarre complète s'ensuivit.

The police arrived from nowhere and arrested both parties and took them away.

La police est arrivée de nulle part et a arrêté les deux parties et les a emmenées

I wondered as I went off to look at the local museum, if the stranger had been unfaithful or was he married to a paranoid lady?

Je me demandais, en allant voir le musée local, si l'étranger avait été infidèle ou s'il était marié à une femme paranoïaque?

It certainly was a strange encounter.

C'était certainement une rencontre étrange.