was to find, and how easy it was for tender-hearted boys to be fooled by their feelings. She had even allowed herself to be fooled enough times, but she had always been OK;
only disappointed, not devastated. She could see that Lucien had a tender heart, and she didn’t want to see him make a terrible mistake. He reminded her of several of her exes, and she
didn’t want to see him ending up like them. ‘Just one picture?’ she asked.
‘Yes, just one.’
‘You should probably see a few more, just to be double sure that it’s true love and not just a crush.’ After all, Marius and Cosette would at least have had the opportunity to
observe one another from a number of angles at their first encounter. She was worried that this might have been the Akiyama girl’s best photo by a long way, the only one her mother ever
showed to people.
‘One was enough. I can’t get her out of my mind. Her name is Akiko.’ He smiled. ‘Akiko! Do you know what that means?’
‘Er, no.’
‘It means sparkling child . Sparkling child! And does Akiko sparkle? Yes, she sparkles. Akiko Akiyama sparkles, and so much more.’ He sighed.
‘It’s a really nice name.’ Sylvie put Akiko on her list of possibilities for her first daughter. She wanted three or four children, a mixture of girls and boys.
‘The problem is, she lives three hundred miles away from where I’m going to be working. The course of true love isn’t going to be easy for us. Oh, Akiko. Akiko! Akiko
Akiyama!’ He sighed again, and a stern voice came from the back seat. Lucien looked embarrassed, craned his neck around and a brief conversation ensued.
‘What was that about?’ asked Sylvie when at last they were quiet again.
‘They wanted to know why I kept calling out their daughter’s name, and smiling and sighing.’
‘What did you tell them?’
‘I couldn’t stop myself. I revealed my feelings. I told them very sincerely that I was in love with her, and that my intentions towards her were entirely honourable. I don’t
think they’re too happy about it, at least not Monsieur Akiyama. He says she has just graduated with honours from a prestigious university and has started in a junior position at a large
corporation, and he expects her to find a husband from among the workforce.’
‘Have you been able to work out if there’s already a particular member of the workforce who has captured her heart?’
He sighed again. ‘Not yet. They’ve not mentioned anybody.’
‘Maybe they think it’s none of your business. Or maybe they don’t know. There’s no reason why she should tell her parents who she’s dating.’
‘Thank you for that upbeat contribution to my love story.’
‘Sorry.’
They drove on. Sylvie was having a good afternoon. She really liked Lucien, and was going to see what she could do to win the Akiyamas over to his cause. He and Akiko belonged together, she just
knew it, and she was going to make it her business to see that the obstacles that lay between them were overcome. But first she had to get back to the job in hand.
‘Ask them if they’d like to go through the tunnel where Lady Di died.’
They did, of course.
Three and a half hours later, the 2CV was back in Mont-martre and making its way up the steep and narrow west end of rue Norvins. Sylvie had had a great afternoon racing
through the streets, pointing out her favourite places, and stopping here and there so they could all stroll around. At no point had it seemed like work. The Akiyamas had enjoyed themselves, and
she and Lucien had been making one another laugh as they compared notes on their romantic lives and recounted some of the many pitfalls they had faced. They were both delighted to have met someone
who didn’t think that there was something wrong with them for wanting what they wanted.
At one point a passer-by had approached them and asked if she could take their photo. ‘You are the happiest couple I have ever seen,’ she had said.
only disappointed, not devastated. She could see that Lucien had a tender heart, and she didn’t want to see him make a terrible mistake. He reminded her of several of her exes, and she
didn’t want to see him ending up like them. ‘Just one picture?’ she asked.
‘Yes, just one.’
‘You should probably see a few more, just to be double sure that it’s true love and not just a crush.’ After all, Marius and Cosette would at least have had the opportunity to
observe one another from a number of angles at their first encounter. She was worried that this might have been the Akiyama girl’s best photo by a long way, the only one her mother ever
showed to people.
‘One was enough. I can’t get her out of my mind. Her name is Akiko.’ He smiled. ‘Akiko! Do you know what that means?’
‘Er, no.’
‘It means sparkling child . Sparkling child! And does Akiko sparkle? Yes, she sparkles. Akiko Akiyama sparkles, and so much more.’ He sighed.
‘It’s a really nice name.’ Sylvie put Akiko on her list of possibilities for her first daughter. She wanted three or four children, a mixture of girls and boys.
‘The problem is, she lives three hundred miles away from where I’m going to be working. The course of true love isn’t going to be easy for us. Oh, Akiko. Akiko! Akiko
Akiyama!’ He sighed again, and a stern voice came from the back seat. Lucien looked embarrassed, craned his neck around and a brief conversation ensued.
‘What was that about?’ asked Sylvie when at last they were quiet again.
‘They wanted to know why I kept calling out their daughter’s name, and smiling and sighing.’
‘What did you tell them?’
‘I couldn’t stop myself. I revealed my feelings. I told them very sincerely that I was in love with her, and that my intentions towards her were entirely honourable. I don’t
think they’re too happy about it, at least not Monsieur Akiyama. He says she has just graduated with honours from a prestigious university and has started in a junior position at a large
corporation, and he expects her to find a husband from among the workforce.’
‘Have you been able to work out if there’s already a particular member of the workforce who has captured her heart?’
He sighed again. ‘Not yet. They’ve not mentioned anybody.’
‘Maybe they think it’s none of your business. Or maybe they don’t know. There’s no reason why she should tell her parents who she’s dating.’
‘Thank you for that upbeat contribution to my love story.’
‘Sorry.’
They drove on. Sylvie was having a good afternoon. She really liked Lucien, and was going to see what she could do to win the Akiyamas over to his cause. He and Akiko belonged together, she just
knew it, and she was going to make it her business to see that the obstacles that lay between them were overcome. But first she had to get back to the job in hand.
‘Ask them if they’d like to go through the tunnel where Lady Di died.’
They did, of course.
Three and a half hours later, the 2CV was back in Mont-martre and making its way up the steep and narrow west end of rue Norvins. Sylvie had had a great afternoon racing
through the streets, pointing out her favourite places, and stopping here and there so they could all stroll around. At no point had it seemed like work. The Akiyamas had enjoyed themselves, and
she and Lucien had been making one another laugh as they compared notes on their romantic lives and recounted some of the many pitfalls they had faced. They were both delighted to have met someone
who didn’t think that there was something wrong with them for wanting what they wanted.
At one point a passer-by had approached them and asked if she could take their photo. ‘You are the happiest couple I have ever seen,’ she had said.
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