I had a client cancel a 2 1/2 hour meeting (GRRRRR!) that was scheduled for 5pm today. Yes, I was a little disgruntled because this client has a track record of doing this, but he's just a super-busy guy and a great client otherwise, AND he's paid me a lot of money already, so what can I do? Not a thing, except reschedule. I became far LESS disgruntled, however, when I realized it freed up my entire afternoon. Hmmm, what to do with all that free time?
My first thought was: SHOP. I was dying to get out of the apartment for a few hours and I needed some electronic gadgets, so I got online to find out where the nearest Darty or FNAC stores would be that I could easily get to on a day when transportation options are very iffy. When I realized there were two shops very near Georges' job in the 5th, then it was obvious what I needed to do: invite him for an after-work coffee! He was as enthusiastic about my plan as I was (Reason #1 to love me - I am spontaneous and creative when it comes to finding ways for us to spend time together; but so is he, so he gets a point for that, too), and he even offered to go with me after coffee to help me buy the gadgets.
We met at métro Odéon at exactly the same moment, although we had not exactly planned it this way, and some strike-related manifestation had forced me to literally abandon the 95 bus in the MIDDLE of a totally gridlocked square off Pasteur and hike to and through Montparnasse station to catch the #4 metro. We headed into the Odéon Starbucks because it was the closest place for coffee, and Georges had a limited amount of time before he had to head home to the kids. We ordered our boissons and some snacks, and found a table upstairs. Sitting romantically side-by-side instead of across-the-table, we talked about nothing in particular and snuggled a lot (Reason #2 to love me - I am totally a PDA kind of girl), taking advantage of the fact that it is Paris and no one blinks an eye if you kiss in public.
During the conversation portion of our Starbucks interlude, Georges happened to mention that there are songs and videos you can download from the American iPod internet store that you can't get when you are shopping online at the French iPod site, unless you happen to have an American credit card. (In fairness, there are places I can't shop over here either, both in person and online, not without a European-style bank card with the little gold chip embedded in it. It's kind of nice to know the credit-card bias can work in reverse, too.) So I said, "A-hah! This is another good reason [#3] for you to keep me around -- access to American music and movies you couldn't get otherwise!"
Finally, as we headed into the FNAC (where Georges mentioned he had a membership card that would get me 5% off my purchases -- chalk this up to a good reason for me to keep HIM in my life, too), I informed Georges: "You need to know something about me. I am a very DECISIVE shopper. I do not typically linger unnecessarily over whether to buy this one or that one. I want to get in, get whatever I need, and get out." [Reason #4, of course - what man wouldn't love to shop with a woman like me, it's totally pain-free! We were in and out of FNAC in under 15 minutes.]
He smiled and said, "OK, this is good to know. But what about... shopping for something like books? Or shopping for good food?" He seemed concerned at the idea I might, in my decisiveness, be someone that really didn't ENJOY the pleasures of certain KINDS of shopping where lingering a while has its advantages. After all, the French are masters at taking the time to slowly enjoy certain things in life... that's why café-sitting is practically a sport here. I reassured him, "Oh, no, that's different. That kind of shopping is more like entertainment. You don't want to rush through something like THAT."
Looking a bit relieved, he continued, "Or, par example, if we were shopping for, say... LINGERIE".
I am SO going to love spending my life with this guy.
