Crazy Sunday (Details)
citation: McCall's, February 1960, LXXXVII(5):44-45, 163-164, 166-168
alias: None
teaser: A short story that men will understand better than women
summary: Victor Talburt is alone in his apartment for the weekend. His wife, Aileen, has taken their son Ralph to visit her mother in Philadelphia. Victor doesn't know where to begin enjoying his temporary freedom; freedom and spontaneity being the price he's paid for being married and having children. All possibilities however, seem uninteresting; a waste of his time alone.
Victor hears Nat King Cole singing “April in Paris.” It reminds him of the time he spent in Europe, and the freedom he experienced, when he was in the Army.
A commercial artist, Victor's salary is now sufficient to do something memorable this weenend, something he will remember for years. Coming to a decision, Victor makes a telephone call, certain his plans cannot be realized. But he's wrong. He packs and takes a cab to the airport, eventually arriving at Le Bourget field, France.
Keeping his eyes down and his mind on New York, Victor walks to a nearby café, and orders breakfast. After the waiter brings his tray, Victor looks up for the first time, finding himself suddenly in Paris.
Eating, he surveys all the famous places; the river Seine, the Louvre museum, Notre Dame cathedral, and of course, the Eiffel Tower. Finishing breakfast, he walks to the Boulevard Saint-Germain, the neighborhood where he'd lived while stationed in Europe.
He buys a painting, some fresh-baked bread, and some toy animals for his son, Ralph. Victor continues roaming the city, returning to his old neighborhood. He orders a Pernod at an outdoor café. He see people he once knew, but says nothing to them. After three hours, he sees Suzanne.
As he watches her walk in his direction, he recalls the time he spent with her and their friends at this very café; of their private time together. He lets Suzanne walk away without saying anything to her.
Victor realizes Suzanne is no longer the wild young girl he'd known, but like him, probably married, with children of her own. He knows now, his youth has not been waiting for him in Paris. His life is with Aileen.
He has another drink, then sees a few more sites before having an expensive dinner. He boards a flight home.
At a quarter to nine in the morning, he explains to Aileen he's been in Paris. He's happy to have remembered to pick-up French bread for breakfast.
words: 5,430
genre: None
similar: Long-Distance Call
people: Victor Talburt, Aileen Talburt, Ralph, Max Lenz, Will Crowley, Suzanne
places: New York, NY: Third Avenue, Broadway, The Plaza hotel, The Waldorf hotel, ; Philadelphia, PA; Paris, France: Eiffel Tower, the Seine river, Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Elysées, the Louvre museum, Notre Dame cathedral, Pont Royal, Metro subway station, Boulevard Raspail, Place de l'Opéra, the Etoile, Saint Germain-des-Pres church, Boulevard Saint-Germain
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