(A Meeting in Paris)
"Hello. You are Marie?" he asks. His face is a little red. He is embarrassed. "Yes, I am Marie. You are Philippe?" she replies.
"Yes, it's me. Nice to meet you. Sorry about the chair." He looks embarrassed. "Nice to meet you too. The chair is fine. Sit down, please."
Philippe sits down carefully. He puts his bag on the floor. He is thirty years old. He works in a bookstore. Sometimes he reads while walking. That's why he walks into things. Many tourists come to his store. He gives them bad directions because he is terrible with maps.
"How are you?" asks Marie. "I am well, thank you. And you?" Philippe adjusts his glasses. "I am well too. But I am a little nervous." Marie is honest. Philippe laughs. "Me too! I already attacked a chair!"
The waiter comes to the table. He looks tired, or bored, maybe both. "Hello. What do you want?" he asks. Marie looks at the menu again. "I would like a coffee with milk, please." The waiter writes very slowly. "And you, sir?" the waiter asks Philippe.
"I would like a small black coffee, please." Philippe speaks clearly. "Do you want to eat something?" asks the waiter. Marie is hungry. "Yes. I would like a croissant, please." She shows the menu. "I would like a sandwich, please. A ham sandwich," says Philippe.
The waiter writes everything. He writes very slowly. "So, a coffee with milk, a black coffee, a croissant and a ham sandwich. Is that correct?" Philippe and Marie both say yes. "Perfect. It arrives in... a moment." The waiter leaves slowly.
