La Vie en Rose

This little vignette was inspired by one of my favorite songs, La Vie en
Rose.  It's not an action story, just a nice little jaunt to Paris.  And if
you can't guess from the song title, it's all about l'amour.     : ) IRIS


        Jessie stepped out onto the balcony of her hotel room, looking out across
the city below.  In the distance the Eiffel Tower glittered in the spring
sunshine, and the faint strains of a violin floated up from the cobbled
streets.  Jessie sighed happily.  Ah, Paris…
        "Jessie?" her father's voice called behind her.
        Jessie turned back to her room.  "Hi, Dad."  She smiled at Race, who was
fidgeting in a sports coat and tie.  "You look nice.  Are you and Dr. Quest
going to the convention now?"
        "Yeah."  Race didn't sound very enthusiastic.  "What are you kids gonna do
while we're gone?"
        Jessie grinned excitedly.  "We're going out on the town, of course.  I
want to see everything.  But I promise we won't stay out too late."
        Race looked a little worried.  "I don't know, Jessie.  Do you think you
can manage to stay out of trouble for once?"
        Jessie winked.  "I'll try to keep the boys in line."
        Race laughed.  "Alright.  Have a good time then."
        "Thanks, Dad."  Jessie kissed him goodbye.  "Have fun at the convention."
        Race paused on his way out the door to raise a skeptical eyebrow.  "Right.
 These things are usually about as exciting as watching grass grow in the
Sahara desert."
        Jessie laughed.  "Bye, Dad."

        Fifteen minutes later Jessie stood in front of the hotel with Jonny and
Hadji, eager to explore the city.  She had changed into a simple fitted
sundress and nice heels that were comfortable to walk in.  Her fiery hair
was pulled back, appropriately, into a loose French braid.  Hadji, who was
also dressed nicely, observed with some amusement the appreciative stares
of the young men sitting in the café across the street.  But Jessie was too
busy arguing with Jonny to notice.
        "What's wrong with jeans and a T-shirt?"  Jonny was indignant.
        Jessie rolled her eyes.  "Please, Jonny.  Why don't you just wear a sign
that says 'Hi, I'm an obnoxious American tourist!'?  This is Paris.  You
won't have a good experience unless you look like you belong.  Besides, you
know what they say—'Quand on est a Rome…'"
        "'…fait comme les Romans'," finished Hadji with a smile.
        Jonny, who never could sit still long enough to be as studious as Jessie
or Hadji, shrugged in confusion.  "Whatever."  He sighed in defeat  "Okay,
I'll go change."
        Jessie turned back to Hadji as Jonny ran back into the hotel.  "You don't
think I'm being unreasonable about this, do you?"
        Hadji shook his head.  "It is certainly true that the Parisians have a bad
reputation of being extremely…discourteous to foreigners."  He smiled. 
"But there is no need for you to worry.  It seems you have already passed
the test, so to speak."
        Jessie followed his glance across the street to the café, where the young
Parisians were still grinning and nodding in her direction.  She blushed
and looked away, embarrassed.
        "What's the matter with them?  Haven't they ever seen a girl before?"
        Hadji laughed quietly.  "Yes, but maybe they've never seen one as très
jolie as you."
        Jessie stared at him, touched by the compliment, but before she could
thank him Jonny reappeared in more acceptable attire, and they set off to
explore the city.

        That night found an exhausted but happy trio making their way slowly back
to the hotel.
        Jonny stifled a yawn.  "Man, I'm beat.  I don't think there's anything in
this city we haven't done, seen, eaten, or heard."
        "Actually, there is one more thing…" said Jessie slowly, indicating a
small café on the dimly lit corner ahead.  "Does anyone else want dessert?"
        Hadji followed the direction of her gaze and smiled.  The café was not
much more than a few tables on an outside terrace, but a small band was
playing off to one side and there was even a woman singing the
accompaniment.  Several couples were dancing slowly around a little area of
the terrace that had been cleared of tables.
        "I think dessert is an excellent idea," said Hadji.
        "Fine with me," agreed Jonny.  "Anything that involves sitting sounds
pretty good right now."
        They followed Jessie to an empty table and sat down as the waiter
approached.
        "Qu'est-ce que je vous sers, Mademoiselle?"
        "Un café, et une mousse au chocolat, s'il vous plait," replied Jessie
smoothly.
        The waiter nodded and smiled appreciatively, then looked to Hadji.  Jessie
let her thoughts wander as the boys ordered, leaning back in her chair to
watch the band and the people dancing.  This was exactly how she had always
pictured Paris.  She turned back to the table as the waiter returned with
their food.
        "Merci," said Jessie, eyes sparkling at sight of her rich dessert.
        "Wow," said Jonny, sniffing his crème brulée.  "This looks so good, I
almost feel guilty eating it."
        "Lucky for me I don't have that problem," said Jessie, taking a bite of
her chocolate mousse.  "Mmmm…."  She closed her eyes in delight.  "This has
got to be heaven!"
        Hadji swallowed a bite of his own dessert and smiled at her.  "If my
beliefs permitted it, I might be inclined to agree with you!"
        Jonny made an attempt to say something, but he was too busy stuffing his
face to be intelligible.  Jessie and Hadji laughed.  Suddenly Jessie grew
quiet, tilting her head to one side.
        "Listen," she said softly.  "They're playing La Vie en Rose."  Her eyes
drifted back to the dance floor.  "I love this song."
        Hadji seemed to guess her thoughts, for he stood and held out his hand. 
"In that case, perhaps you would like to dance?"
        Jessie looked up at him in surprise, blushing.  How did he know I wanted
to dance?  But she took his offered hand and they made their way onto the
dance floor.
        Jessie smiled gratefully at Hadji as they began to dance.  "Thanks, Hadji.
 I know it's silly, but every time I hear this song I get chills."  She
dropped her eyes, a little embarrassed by what she had just said.  "You
must think I am hopelessly romantic."
        "Perhaps," replied Hadji, "but that is only one of your many admirable
qualities."
        Jessie looked up, thinking he was laughing at her, but she could see in
his eyes that Hadji was completely serious.  "Flatterer!" she pretended to
scoff, more touched than she cared to admit.
        Behind them, the woman with the band continued to sing in a rich, husky
voice:

Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose…

        Jessie closed her eyes, listening to the beautiful music.  After a moment
she let her head rest against Hadji's shoulder, and felt his arm tighten
slightly at her waist.  Hadji breathed a sigh of contentment, letting his
eyes close as well.  

        Jonny watched his two best friends swaying slowly in each other's arms,
and smiled wisely.  The last words of the song reached his ears, and even
Jonny could not mistake their meaning.

C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui, dans la vie
Il me l'a dit, l'a juré, pour la vie…



~Fin~




Okay, okay, that was pathetically cheesy, but what can I say?  I'm a total
sap.  Anyway, for anybody that doesn't speak French, the translation of La
Vie en Rose is something like this:

When he holds me in his arms
He speaks to me softly
I see la vie en rose…

He is mine, I am his, for life
He has told me, he has sworn, for life…


Also, there is an English version of the song, which goes like this (at
least the parts I used):

Looking at Life Through Rose-Colored Glasses

When you kiss me, Heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose

Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose

sigh….Isn't that romantic!  I think I'll just go cry now…  By the way,
there is an illustration for this fic at Wendy's fantabulous JQ Eraser Dust
fan art gallery.

(c) IRIS 1998