44 Nights in Paris: Claire

Shortly after I arrived in Paris, Antoine called and invited me to spend Christmas with his – and whom I call my – family, in the country. He outlined the plan for me, and I went about making my train reservation. My Christmas wish of being with my precious little Renata was coming true.

Now I needed to think about Christmas gifts. Up until now, this was not a consideration because the program had not yet been set up. Now the program was set up. What was I going to bring as gifts?? I had things for Renata and a Yahtzee set and playing cards for Antoine (a thing of ours). Other than that, not so much.

Actually, I did know what I wanted to gift to Pierre and Marinette (Antoine’s parents, my Christmas hosts), his sister Elise, and his brother Charles and family. Charlie Mackesy’s book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse is one that I believe everyone in the world ought to own, and it is one of my favorite books in the world. Renata also loves it, she calls it the Horsie Book.

I had hopes of finding it in French and, could I get four copies at this late notice? I now had maybe two weeks at most, to go about this task.

On a Friday I had a hair appointment, and was about 15 minutes early. There was a book store across the street. That day’s ACIM lesson was Christ goes with me wherever I go. I had that in mind, and affirmed it as I walked over to the store.

In the window was this very Charlie Mackesy book, in French. Inside the store was a lovely lady named Claire, who spoke very kind English. I requested the book from the window, and bought it right away.

Would you like me to wrap it? She asked ever so kindly.

Oui! S’il vous plait, et merci! That much French of mine is pretty good.

With high hopes, I asked if there were any other copies. She told me that she could in fact order them, and they would arrive the following week. She asked if that would be enough time?

Of course, it was. She even offered to gift wrap them as well. I gave her my email and as promised, the following week she confirmed that they had arrived. She invited me to come in on Saturday, at which time those three books would be wrapped and ready to go. I felt blessed beyond measure that now my Christmas shopping was complete, so easily and so perfectly.

I had hoped to see Claire again the following week to bring her some of my Christmas cookies, but the store was closed for the holidays; I wish I’d known. This happens in France, these kind of holiday closures - how wonderful for merchants.

It turns out that this same store was only open in the new year for special events and appointments, so with much regret, I never saw Claire again.

The store having closed seemed odd to me; she’d made no mention of this when I last saw her. Part of me wonders if she was perhaps an angel, and didn’t really exist in the real world ... I will be forever grateful that she was the perfect Christmas angel for me.

My family really loved having received this book, and I really loved having been that messenger.