“Consider it from my point of view. What would you say if you were me?”
“I would quote a book I read a long time ago.”
“And what would this book of yours say?”
“That even stories that seem impossible can become real if just two people believe in them. Can I ask you a question now?”
“You might as well . . .”
“Back when we were kids and our parents loved each other from afar, did you listen to bedtime stories about fairies and demons? Did you believe in those creatures and their incredible powers? Did you dream about fantastic worlds?”
“Of course I did. Just like all kids do.”
“So, what’s changed since then?”
“The woman who read me those stories left me. Yesterday, in fact,” Manon replied.
“Well, my father came back to tell me one more story, and it reminded me why I became a pianist in the first place. So, I did my best to believe him, even if it made me look crazy. Now it’s my turn to ask you to put yourself in my shoes. Imagine that one morning or evening, tomorrow or five years from now, your mother appears before you and asks you for a favor. A favor that will determine what the rest of eternity will be like for her. What will you do? Will you risk looking like a crazy person, or will you turn your back on her?”
As Manon signaled for another glass, Thomas remarked that this would be her fourth.
“I was hoping to take my mind off my mom tonight, but the guy I asked to dinner keeps telling me about his travels with his dad’s ghost. Given the circumstances, I don’t think drinking a bottle of Bordeaux is my biggest problem,” she replied, a little tipsy despite her assurances.
Thomas glanced briefly toward the bar, where Raymond seemed to be having a grand time eavesdropping on a young couple’s conversation.
Manon noticed. “I can’t believe I made a scene about you looking at that woman when we came in. It was your dad all along, wasn’t it?”
Thomas was quiet for a moment. “I’ll ask for the check and take you home,” he offered.
“No way. The night is young, and I’d kill for some dessert.”
Manon snapped her fingers to call over the waiter. “I need a little something. Whatever you have, as long as it’s chocolate. With two spoons, please. And another glass of wine,” she called after him. Then she turned to Thomas. “Do you like chocolate?”
“Yes. You’re right, I was looking at him. I said he could come if he promised to keep at a fair distance.”
“Your conviction is quite appealing.” Manon sighed.
“I thought it was my awkwardness you found charming.”
“My mother and your father. Have you known for a long time?”
“No, he told me when he came back, and only because he needed my help.”
“Otherwise he would have taken the secret to his grave, obviously,” she replied in an ironic tone. “Tell me everything. After all, it’s as much my business as yours.”
“There’s not a lot I can tell you, beyond the fact that they loved each other for over twenty years, seeing each other only during the summers at first. Then, loving one another from afar once your parents moved here.”
“That’s your father’s version, or maybe another of your fantasies! There’s no proof that it was anything more than a little fling.”
“This is why I decided to keep quiet when we saw each other. I never lied, though. How would you have reacted if I had introduced myself and shared all this right away?”
“I would have asked you to leave immediately, as you know perfectly well. That’s why you didn’t say anything.”
“Exactly. I regret it, though.”
“Why?”
“Finish your dessert and I’ll take you home. You can’t drive, and our parents’ past would make anything else too complicated.”
