Paris Syndrome by Lisa Walker

Author:Lisa Walker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

I fold my legs up on the seat. ‘It was strange, the way Professor Tanaka reacted when I mentioned Gatsby, wasn’t it?’

‘Yeah, she looked kind of freaked out.’

‘Have you ever talked to her about The Great Gatsby before?’

Alex gives me a lopsided smile. ‘Believe it or not, throughout my period of employment as Professor Tanaka’s gardener, the subject of The Great Gatsby has never been raised.’

‘Very suspicious. It’s almost like–’

‘She’s been avoiding it.’ Alex flashes her eyebrows.

‘Right. She can’t go to Paris and she can’t talk about The Great Gatsby.’ I point at her. ‘There may be a link. Write that in your notebook. It could be important.’

Alex rolls her eyes, but she pulls out her notebook and makes a note – Gatsby?

‘What would you do if you had only one day in Paris?’ I ask.

‘The gardens next to the Louvre, the windmills in Montmartre, a rotisserie chicken from the market . . .’

‘You’ve really looked into this, haven’t you?’

‘Don’t tell me you haven’t.’

I smile. ‘Mais oui, but of course.’

‘And what would you do?’

‘For a start, I would climb the Eiffel Tower.’

‘In the morning? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until evening?’

‘Whose itinerary is this?’ I say.

‘Sorry.’

‘After I climb the Eiffel Tower I will go and have breakfast at the Cafe de Flore.’

‘Ah, the old Cafe de Flore. So, what’s for breakfast?’

‘Croissant, jam, butter, café au lait.’

‘Perfect.’ Alex stands. ‘Here’s my stop.’

‘But I haven’t finished yet.’

‘I’ll have to catch up on the rest of your Parisian day another time.’ She gives me a crooked smile and walks over the ramp to the wharf.

‘I’d climb the Eiffel Tower again in the evening,’ I call to her as the ferry leaves the wharf. ‘And go ice-skating in the park next to it.’

She calls something back, but we are too far away and I only catch the words, ‘. . . underestimated you.’

‘Don’t underestimate me,’ I murmur, though I know she can’t hear. I hug my knees to my chest and rest my chin on them. Bantering with Alex is bittersweet. It reminds me of Rosie.

I check Facebook when I get home but Rosie remains quiet. I suppose she’s out partying with Luke again. She’s been doing a lot of that lately.

Alex, however, has posted a new picture of Juliette the chicken going through a hoop to the Buc Buc page. Juliette the chicken is the Gatsby of poultry – she never lets go of her dreams.

Someone called Sarita has commented on her post. I have such happy memories of your chickens, Alex xx

Perhaps Sarita is one of the poultry club members. I add another comment. Most talented chicken I’ve ever met. I look at the number of ‘likes’ on her page. There are still only five. I glance up at the wall and Amélie’s poster winks at me. What would Amélie do?

I have an idea. I check my tattoo fund bank account and do a quick calculation. Once Kevin pays me there’ll still be enough for a tattoo. My chest fizzes as I tap my fingers on the keyboard.

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