ARROW - 160. Chapter 160

Arriving in Paris we were met by Arnaud. After being greeted by Arnaud, we had to get Marie to the train station. She was going south to her village. Mary Ann had to make a decision, to go with us or stay with Marie. Mary Ann was 11 going on 12. She was a young girl on the verge of womanhood.

“Dad, I’d like to go with you but I’d be the only girl.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, I’ll see that no one teases you.” To be honest I knew our boys would protect her but the boys in Greece might be different. She was a young woman on the verge of being a woman. “Mary Ann, I have a feeling we will be returning to Greece every year after our first trip. So don’t think by not going this time, you’ll never see Greece again.”

“Armand, she is concerned about becoming a woman, it would be better if she came with me, but you must promise to take her to Greece next year.”

“Mary Ann, if you go with Marie, I promise to bring you to Greece next year. Marie will come as well.”

“What if Marie doesn’t want to go?”

“Then we will take one of your grandmothers. I promise to do whatever I can to make sure you get to Greece.”

I know this puts pressure on Marie, but she needs a break as well.

Mary Ann was confused, she wanted to go to Greece but she didn’t want to go without Marie.

“Let’s think about this over tonight. I have a hotel booked for the night. Our flight to Greece is in the morning.” Even though our flight arrived in the morning, I felt a good night's sleep and an early flight in the morning to Greece would be better than another flight today, arriving in Greece in the late afternoon. That seemed to be acceptable. Roger, Carl, Marie, and Mary Ann rode to the hotel in Roger’s car. The others took taxis.

I was in luck the hotel had rooms for us. I hadn’t made arrangements at the hotel, my plans were to go directly to Greece. But I think this way was better and so did GG. I knew she would see that the hotel would be available. I also knew she would help Mary Ann make the right decision.

That night, “This wasn’t our plan, we were to go straight through to Greece.”

“I know but at the airport, I felt Mary Ann’s concern. She wasn’t ready and I knew she wouldn’t ask Marie to stay with her or hurt us by refusing to go with us. That is why I suggested the hotel for tonight.”

“What would you have done if they didn’t have rooms available?”

“I’m not sure, but I was counting on GG’s help.”

That night I heard the rocking chair as if it was in our room. In my sleep, I thanked GG for her help. She just smiled. “Carl will have a surprise for you.” I knew better than to ask her what the surprise would be. My curiosity had to be contained, I would have to rely on her words and not ask questions.

In the morning, Marie said she will take Mary Ann with her.

We had breakfast at our crepe restaurant. On our way back to the hotel to check out, “Dad, I was thinking it will best for me to go with Aunt Marie. But you need to promise me a trip to Greece.”

“I’ll do better. I’ll make a trip, especially for you and me. Maybe we will bring Pop with us.”

Yes, that was acceptable. I could feel GG’s smile.

I changed our air flight tickets before going to the hotel. We will leave this afternoon. I wanted to get Marie and Mary Ann on the train before we left. I gave Marie money to be spent on Mary Ann. I knew they would be back in Paris for a shopping trip.

After dropping Marie and Mary Ann at the train station, waving goodbye as they boarded, and yes Colin and I got a goodbye kiss from Mary Ann.

Then we went to the airport and checked our luggage through to Athens. We had to wait for Arnaud and Roger who spent the night at Arnaud's. I was thinking of them as their taxi drove up. Along with them was a third, I expected it and I had his tickets. Jean got out of the taxi smiling. I was laughing as I hugged him.

“Arnaud insisted for me to come with you. I need to go and get my ticket.”

“I have your ticket.” Saying that I gave him his ticket. He looked at it, smiling he gave me a hug.

He waved the ticket at Roger and Arnaud, “Let’s go. I have my tickets.”

I could see Arnaud and Roger laughing. Colin whispered to me, “It appears that the musketeers are four, not three.”

I thought about that, “No, it’s five, not four.”

“I have nothing in common with the four.”

“Yes, you do. You don’t know how much my painting is a result of your love and encouragement, My first portrait I sold was the confidence I needed to continue. Not all of my lines were straight or circles perfect. Don’t forget we are one since that day in Amsterdam.”

I knew Colin would feel like an outsider when we started to discuss paintings and painters, the one thing I had in common with the other three. It was the same feeling I have when he starts discussing cases and projects with Richie. Everyone has a right hand, Colin was mine.

The boys led us to the gate where we sat waiting for our plane to start boarding. Carl showed me his drawing of the desk. I looked at it and noticed what appeared to be two legs under the desk. “Carl, what are these?”

“Where I was sitting I could see the pant legs of the person sitting at the desk.” I started to laugh while I hugged him.

Roger wanted to see what he had drawn. He saw the pants and recognized the photo. “I thought there was a lady at the desk.”

“There was, uncle. She was wearing pants like the lady at the desk checking our tickets when we were boarding.”

Roger smiled and the plane started to move. We were off to Athens.

The flight from Paris to Athens would be about 3 hours which means we would be arriving at about 6 in the evening.

Arriving at 6:20 it took us an hour to clear customs and get our luggage. I had booked us into the King George hotel. I didn’t tell Roger, or Arnaud and I didn’t have time to tell Jean but I booked them into the Hotel’s Penthouse. I booked 4 rooms for the boys, 3 classic guest rooms with twin beds, and one king-sized room that had a bed that slept three. I booked Tommy, Carl, and one of the younger boys into that room. The older boys had their room partnering with a younger boy. I booked a regular room for Colin and me.

Arriving at the hotel, I was surprised. It was a first-class hotel as advertised. Arnaud said he would sign in and pay for his room. I watched, he approached the Desk Clerk and told the clerk his name and wanted to sign in. “I’m sorry sir, but you are already signed in. Here is your key, the elevator is to your right.” The clerk raised his hand and a bell boy came over to take his luggage to his room. Before the bellboy left, I stopped him and told him to wait other wise he would be going to the same room two more times. Arnaud headed in my direction.

“He said I am already booked. When did you book us.”

“When I made arrangements for the trip. Look here comes Roger, wait Jean will be coming. I booked you all in one room.”

I watched as Jean headed my way. I told the bellboy as soon as he had the luggage from that gentleman heading our way, he may show these gentlemen to their room.

As I knew he would do, “How did you book me into the hotel? You didn’t know I was coming.”

“The same way I had your airplane ticket.”

I got a hug for that. I thought if I get a hug for an airplane ticket what was he going to do when he sees his room? The bellboy added his luggage to his trolley and off they went to the elevator. I signed in the boys, Colin, and myself. The boys took their keys, and suitcases and were gone as soon as I signed them in.

“Do you want to wait for the bellboy or take our luggage to our room?”

“Let’s wait. I want to know the guys' reaction, I booked them into the Penthouse.”

“I’ll take these up to our room. I’ll probably be down before the bellboy.”

While Colin was gone, I asked the clerk at the desk if they were still serving dinner. He told me the dining room was open until 9 pm and after that, there was room service. Checking my watch, we still had almost an hour.

Colin was right, he was down before the bellboy. “Call the boys and tell them we are having dinner here and they need to be down here before the dining room closes which will be 9 pm. As the elevator opened and the bellboy came out, Colin went in.

I stopped the bellboy, “I’m not sure they tipped you, but here. I gave him 20 dollars American. I would need his services and I wanted to be remembered by him if I returned with Mary Ann.

He smiled and thanked me in English. “You speak English very well.”

“Thank you. To work here you must speak English as well as French, Some of my co-workers speak English and Italian. The management sponsors language school for new employees and an opportunity for older employees to learn a third language.”

“That is very smart for management to require employees to speak a second language.”

Richie came up to me and spoke to me in French. I was sure he thought the bellboy didn’t understand him. The bellboy told him he would take care of the problem. I looked at Richie.

“He understood me.”

“Yes, he told me to work here, you need to speak two other languages. He speaks English and French.”

The bellboy returned and said the cleaning crew will have the room cleaned in the next hour. The elevator door opened and John ran over to us as soon as he saw me.

“Dad, a group of people came into the room as was finishing going to the bathroom. A woman walked in on me.’

I was sorry but I pictured John sitting on the bathroom commode and a strange woman walking in on him. “There were the cleaning people and the room wasn’t cleaned. When I found out they sent a cleaning people to clean the room.”

I knew that even though the explanation was true, it wouldn’t matter to John. In his mind, they should have knocked, just not walked in. I could. Understand his predicament.

“If you are hungry, we need to eat now. The dining room closes at 9.” We went to the dining room to wait for the rest of our party.

Meanwhile, there was a very active conversation going on in the Penthouse.

“Why did he book us into the Penthouse? This is very expensive and not necessary.”

“I think he booked us in the Penthouse as a thank you for being here with him. Arnaud, you offered to be our guide.”

“Yes, I did. I hope he doesn’t think I would charge him for being a tour guide.”

“I’m sure he did this as a thank you.”

“I think we should leave this room and take one of the standard bedrooms.”

“Arnaud, that would be an insult. I am sure he booked this room for us knowing how close we are. I think it was a very considerate thing he did.”

“I still say we should leave and take one of the less expensive rooms.”

“If you did that, you would insult him. He is doing this out of being a good friend, he wasn’t showing off or anything. You can’t leave and hurt him.”

“Arnaud, he is trying to be a friend. If he wanted to impress you with money, he would have charged you for Christen’s portrait. The money Christen paid for Marie’s portrait is in a bank account in Paris. In fact, he has set aside money for Christen’s first child.”

“How do you know that?”

“He put me in charge of that money in case something happens to him, I have the authority to take over that account.”

“Roger, you know him best.”

“We are very fortunate to have him as a friend. I don’t think he ever had a friend and now he has found three men who he likes and wants to have as a friend. If you want to leave, Arnaud, you’ll have to go without me. He arranged for us to have this room and I’m very grateful.”

“It’s almost 6 and the dining room closes at 9. I’m hungry so let’s go.”

Walking into the dining room, they saw Armand, and Colin sitting with the boys. Tommy stood and waved. The three men joined them.

“What is that you are eating?”

“Uncle Roger, you should try their lemon soup.”

“What is that?”

“Stuffed grape leaves. It’s very good.” Roger reached over and picked up one from Tommy’s plate and ate it. “Uncle Roger.”

Looking over the menu, Roger ordered a Greek salad and a small Moussaka. He asked for grape leaves for Tommy. The other two ordered the same as Roger with a glass of Greek wine.

The boys were tired, so they said goodnight and headed to their rooms. I reminded them of breakfast tomorrow at 7 am.