Fresh. Flaky. Made with real French butter, flown in that morning. Delivered warm.
Even if she can’t be in France, she can have the taste of a French morning.
No note. But she knows. Later, I get a text:
Someone sent a kajillion croissants to the library today. I brought some home, and Esme and I ate them for dinner. To quote her: “Yummy! Yummy!”
DAY9
I send a toddler-sized wooden boulangerie play set: a croissant, a baguette, a pain au chocolat—all tucked inside a tiny wooden bakery crate with a custom sign that reads“Boulangerie Esme.”Esme’s Bakery.
Inside, a tiny note written in careful print:
Bonjour Esme,
Un croissant pour toi, une baguette pour maman, et un pain au chocolat juste parce que.
Bon appétit, petite boulangère.
A croissant for you, a baguette for mama, and a chocolate bread just because.
Enjoy, little baker.
Rhea texts:
Esme thanks you. So sweet. Butseriously, if you send one more thing, I’m going to start feeling like a kept woman.
Followed by a winking emoji.
I take that as permission to keep trying.
DAY10
I call again.
She answers, laughing softly. “You’re relentless.”
“I’ve been called worse.”
She tells me Esme found a permanent marker and used it to redecorate the bathroom wall. “I’m calling it her abstract period,” she says dryly.
We laugh.
Then I say, “I’ve got a plan. A surprise. But it requires you to come into Boston. I can send a plane.”
“A plane?” she laughs. “To Maplewick?”
“There’s a small airport nearby. I’ve checked. I’ll come along—the pilot and will meet you there. Any chance you could take the day off, or leave by noon on Friday?”
She hesitates. “I’d love to,” she says. “But I try to save my PTO for when Esme gets sick.”
“Well... what if it was grant-related work?” I suggest. “What if you told your director that I reached out with a request to come to Boston and share some of your success in person?”
She laughs. “That’s a stretch.”
“Maybe. But, you are having great success and I would love to hear more about it. We can dedicate some time to that. Honest.”
“Okay, I’’ll run it by Gordon. See what he says.”
