“Maman, you’re behaving rudely,” Nicolas says while I exhale, his tone firm for the first time that evening. “I think you’ve had enough to drink.”
Oh.
Now that he says it, Solange has had quite a bit. She had champagne, white wine with the starter, some more with her main dish, and then red wine with the cheese… I don’t think I’ve seen her touch her water all night, either! Nicolas had a single glass of red wine after his champagne he’d been slowly nursing with the main dish and cheese, and he’s been diligently drinking sparkling water with us too; we even ordered a second bottle a while ago.
His mom scoffs.
“I’m a grown woman, Nicolas, I can drink however much I want! It’s not like I’m driving anyway, my room’s upstairs. And I am only being honest! We pay for an exceptionally high-quality service, which should be delivered as promised! I picked this establishment because of its standards, and they’re certainly not met!”
“A cold room breakdown is not an accident any kitchen can anticipate,” Nicolas insists, unshakable. “They simply cannot mend the situation on such short notice, especially on a holiday. At best, they might offer us fruit or tea biscuits. But I suggest we help ourselves to some more cheese before the other customers do.”
“I don’t want cheese,” Solange scoffs. “Well, if this is how it’s going to be, I guess I’ll just go to bed!”
Because she’s not moving, I’m pretty sure she expects us to try and hold her back, but Nicolas nods, and I suppress a smile. Ophelia from two hours ago would have definitely tried to politely hold her back, but I don’t. Instead, I channel my inner Emi and keep smiling politely.
“Great idea,” Nicolas declares. “Do you need me to walk you upstairs?”
I wait, a bit curious as to Solange’s reaction, but after a few seconds of confused silence, and when she realizes neither of us will stop her, she just stands up.
“No, Nicolas, I can walk back to my room perfectly fine,” she snaps. “I bid you two goodnight, since clearly, there’s nothing more to expect of this establishment. I can’t believe this…”
And then, she leaves, without waiting for Emi to come back or for her champagne to be served. We watch her walk away with a slight wobble in her step, but not enough that we’d be worried. I allow myself a little sigh. Was it that easy? Turns out actively choosing to be a spectator has its perks!
“What did I miss?” Emi asks when she returns, her eyes on the empty seat. “…Did she ask for the manager yet?”
“Nope, she went to bed,” I admit.
“Did she?” Emi beams. “Well, that went better than I would have hoped…”
I’m about to reply when, out of the corner of my eye, I catch some sudden movement.
I barely have time to turn my head when someone suddenly jumps toward us, wrapping Emi in a hug from the side!
“Surprise!”
“Antoine?!”
Nicolas’s twin brother is grinning at us. I can’t believe he’s here! Emi is the first one to be surprised, twisting around to look at her husband, her eyes teary.
“What are you doing here?” she blurts out as he moves around her chair to face her.
“Bernard’s flight got canceled, so he came back early and took over the rest of my shift,” he grins before placing another big kiss on her forehead. “Told me to go enjoy Christmas with my missus since he can’t make it to his!”
“Oh my God,” she cries. “I mean, I’m sorry for him, but I’msoglad you’re here!”
He laughs, and they hug once more before he turns to us with a big smile.
“Hi, big brother, hi, Ophie,” he beams. “I’m so glad I caught you guys!”
We take turns hugging him, and then, grabbing his wife’s hand, he takes his mother’s seat, eyeing the champagne as the waiter pours it.
“Perfect timing,” Antoine grins.
“Your mom just went to bed,” I say.
“I know, I saw her leave,” he confesses with a wink. “I admit I might have waited until I was sure she missed me to come here.”
“You don’t want to greetMaman?” Nicolas frowns.
