baby in a buggy who’s not Chinese. We’re all squished up together and there are people going past us and up the stairs.
—Well, says Papa. —What a surprise.
He looks like he’s going to throw up, but he and the lady kiss each other on both cheeks like everything’s normal, and then we all get back so the other people can get past.
—And this must be Louis, she says. —Hello Louis.
And she bends down and I kiss her cheeks too and she kisses mine. She smells of vanilla. Her lips are soft and cold from the wind and suddenly it feels like Christmas is tomorrow or the next day, not in two weeks.
The lady looks at me with her eyes that are pale blue, like swimming-pool water, but I don’t say anything. I haven’t seen her before, so I don’t know how she knows my name. Maybe she met me when I was a baby. She’s wearing a red coat and red earrings, she has a pretty face and black hair but not as black as the Chinese girls who are giggling like something’s funny, maybe my stupid gloves that Maman made me wear, so I take them off and shove them in my pocket. Then their dad who isn’t Chinese either shakes Papa’s hand.
—Alex Fournier, he says.
—Pierre Drax, says Papa.
I want to know why the girls are Chinese if the mum and dad aren’t.
—So you’re the famous Pierre Drax.
Papa doesn’t look very happy about being the famous Pierre Drax.
—I didn’t know you were famous, Papa.
—It’s just a joke, says Papa quickly.
The man keeps looking at Papa and then he looks at the lady. And he nods his head like he’s working something out, maybe a tricky piece of Lego, and then he says, —Well, I can’t say I haven’t heard a lot about you, Pierre.
—And these are our children, says the lady all bright and smiley but it’s fake, taking Pascal’s hand. —This is Mei, and this is Lola, and the baby’s Jerôme. He’s thirteen months.
—Congratulations, says Papa.
—And how about you? says the lady. —Do you have any more at home?
—No, it’s just Louis, says Papa. They look at each other for a long time then, till the lady’s husband clears his throat and opens his mouth like he is going to say something, but he doesn’t.
—And how is Louis’ mother? says the lady.
—Natalie’s very well, thank you, says Papa. —She couldn’t be with us today.
—Cos we give her a headache, I say. —Cos sometimes men are too much of a good thing.
—What a shame, says the lady, and she looks hard at Papa, and he tells me to put my gloves back on, my hands’ll freeze and I say how come her children are Chinese? And he says I shouldn’t be rude. But the lady says it isn’t rude, he’s just curious. They were born in China which is a faraway country, and have I heard of adoption? She expects I have, she expects Maman and Papa have explained all about adoption to me. But I tell her they haven’t and that makes the Chinese girls giggle like it’s funny I don’t know what adoption is and the lady looks at Papa and then at me and then she says very fast, well anyway, she and Alex got the girls from China two years ago and then right afterwards they had a lovely surprise because Jerôme came along.
—Like a bolt from the blue, she says, going all red in the face because she’s happy.
—We didn’t waste time, says the man, who’s happy too. —Three kids in one year!
He looks proud, like he’s won the Loto. Like he’s saying to my dad, see? I have three and you only have one, and I have two girls and everyone knows that girly Chinese girls are better than Disturbed Boys. Plus we have a cute baby with fat red cheeks and a dummy and a hat that’s got bunny ears.
—So now there are five of us, the lady’s saying, —which is a bit of a squeeze in the apartment but we hope to be moving
—Well, says Papa. —What a surprise.
He looks like he’s going to throw up, but he and the lady kiss each other on both cheeks like everything’s normal, and then we all get back so the other people can get past.
—And this must be Louis, she says. —Hello Louis.
And she bends down and I kiss her cheeks too and she kisses mine. She smells of vanilla. Her lips are soft and cold from the wind and suddenly it feels like Christmas is tomorrow or the next day, not in two weeks.
The lady looks at me with her eyes that are pale blue, like swimming-pool water, but I don’t say anything. I haven’t seen her before, so I don’t know how she knows my name. Maybe she met me when I was a baby. She’s wearing a red coat and red earrings, she has a pretty face and black hair but not as black as the Chinese girls who are giggling like something’s funny, maybe my stupid gloves that Maman made me wear, so I take them off and shove them in my pocket. Then their dad who isn’t Chinese either shakes Papa’s hand.
—Alex Fournier, he says.
—Pierre Drax, says Papa.
I want to know why the girls are Chinese if the mum and dad aren’t.
—So you’re the famous Pierre Drax.
Papa doesn’t look very happy about being the famous Pierre Drax.
—I didn’t know you were famous, Papa.
—It’s just a joke, says Papa quickly.
The man keeps looking at Papa and then he looks at the lady. And he nods his head like he’s working something out, maybe a tricky piece of Lego, and then he says, —Well, I can’t say I haven’t heard a lot about you, Pierre.
—And these are our children, says the lady all bright and smiley but it’s fake, taking Pascal’s hand. —This is Mei, and this is Lola, and the baby’s Jerôme. He’s thirteen months.
—Congratulations, says Papa.
—And how about you? says the lady. —Do you have any more at home?
—No, it’s just Louis, says Papa. They look at each other for a long time then, till the lady’s husband clears his throat and opens his mouth like he is going to say something, but he doesn’t.
—And how is Louis’ mother? says the lady.
—Natalie’s very well, thank you, says Papa. —She couldn’t be with us today.
—Cos we give her a headache, I say. —Cos sometimes men are too much of a good thing.
—What a shame, says the lady, and she looks hard at Papa, and he tells me to put my gloves back on, my hands’ll freeze and I say how come her children are Chinese? And he says I shouldn’t be rude. But the lady says it isn’t rude, he’s just curious. They were born in China which is a faraway country, and have I heard of adoption? She expects I have, she expects Maman and Papa have explained all about adoption to me. But I tell her they haven’t and that makes the Chinese girls giggle like it’s funny I don’t know what adoption is and the lady looks at Papa and then at me and then she says very fast, well anyway, she and Alex got the girls from China two years ago and then right afterwards they had a lovely surprise because Jerôme came along.
—Like a bolt from the blue, she says, going all red in the face because she’s happy.
—We didn’t waste time, says the man, who’s happy too. —Three kids in one year!
He looks proud, like he’s won the Loto. Like he’s saying to my dad, see? I have three and you only have one, and I have two girls and everyone knows that girly Chinese girls are better than Disturbed Boys. Plus we have a cute baby with fat red cheeks and a dummy and a hat that’s got bunny ears.
—So now there are five of us, the lady’s saying, —which is a bit of a squeeze in the apartment but we hope to be moving
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