Paris
Changes Everything
CHAPTER
ONE
Isabelle
was feeling a little off-kilter.
Perhaps it was the handsome man staring at her from across the
promenade. He had been watching
her since she first tried to set up her camera on the little tripod.
Then
again, perhaps it was all the memories that were flooding back. This was her first visit to Paris since
she was nine years old, when she had come to the city of lights with her
mother. The two of them did what
most typical tourists do. Her
mother grew up in France, but married Isabelle’s American father, and she
wanted Isabelle to know Paris. And
so, they visited the Eiffel Tower—and actually climbed to the very top. They had a citron
pressé at the outdoor tables at Café de Flore. They went shopping at Bon Marché, Printemps and of course,
Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussman where Isabelle’s mother had bought her
a pretty teal blue beret. They had
afternoon tea at Ladurée and later walked
all the way from the Louvre, past the voluptuous statues, and green-green lawns
to the Tuileries, past the topiaries and fountains where couples sat nestled,
embracing or sunbathing or sharing a bottle of wine, nestled together in the
little metal chairs and enjoying the view.
And
this is where Isabelle found herself at this very moment—standing in the
promenade with her camera and tripod, trying to anchor the spindley legs into
the sandy gravel. Here she
was—at twenty-eight years old--and
she found herself back in the same spot.
Only now she was an exchange student in the School of Visual Arts
graduate program, studying photography and having a Paris adventure with her
friends, Trish and Lucy.
Isabelle
watched her friends from across the fountain, weaving and dashing and clicking
away, shooting as if photography was some kind of modern dance. But this was not the case for Isabelle. She wanted to find the quiet beauty of
the scene, the balance or at least a way to anchor this darn tripod to the
earth. Before she had left the
States, her father had given her a Canon Rebel. He insisted she was ready for something more professional
than her usual Canon Powershot, which was delicate and light and easy to
handle. This Canon Rebel was none
of those things. In fact, while
she had finally stabilized the new camera onto the tripod, the legs suddenly
toppled over, and just as suddenly, the handsome man who had been staring at
her earlier, leaped to catch her Canon Rebel, as easily as if he had just
caught a fly ball in his own backyard.
He handed it to her and smiled.
“Thanks,”
Isabelle said, taking the camera from him.
And
he smiled back at her. “Piece of
cake,” he told her and then introduced himself as Michael. “I’m in the program too,” he told
her. “From RISD.”
Funny,
Isabelle thought, she hadn’t noticed him during orientation. She wasn’t sure how she had missed him.
He was different from most of the hipster-photo guys with their faux-nerdy
eyeglasses and porkpie hats. No,
this guy looked as if he had just stepped off a mountain range where he was
taking Ansel Adams style shots of the wilderness.
“RISD?”
Isabelle repeated, trying to buy some time, because the truth is, she was
feeling a little breathless. Who
would have imagined that there might be a real man hiding in plain sight among
the artsy-boy crowd.
It
had been a while since Isabelle felt that lovely tingly feeling and in fact,
she had practically given up on love, but then looking at this man—yes, man,
not boy, she realized something.
And that something was this:
Paris
changes everything.
..to
be continued.
Ooh la la Jamie!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to read this new series.
Happy New Year!
Merci beaucoup, Hostess! I plan to post a new installment for the story every Monday...and if you have any thoughts about what should happen next for Isabelle, let me know and I'll try to include them, if I can. Bonne Année! xo
ReplyDeleteIt encourages me to head for Paris before it sizzles.
ReplyDeleteIt encourages me to head for Paris before it sizzles.
ReplyDeleteBonjour, Mary--We seem to always be thinking along the same lines! You know, I originally thought of calling the novel "Paris when it sizzles," even though that title has been taken! Bonne année to you and your family!
Deletesa magnifique! Jamie!
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup, Jonna! I hope all is well with you! I know I owe the lovely Omega femmes an email and will send soon, but in the meantime, I just want you to know how much I adored our time in Rhinebeck! You were very special to the group! Wishing you all the best for 2013! xo
DeleteWow, Jamie...I am hooked! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful..(may I pretend to be Isabelle?) ;)
On to read more!
Bisous,
- Irina
Bonjour, Irina--Yes, you may be Isabelle! And if you want to add anything to her plot, let me know and I'll try to work it in. Happy January!
DeleteJamie