17 December 1988
It's hardly the first time Meg has met any of Alain's family -- she met his brother the same day she met him, she knows his parents, she's stayed with his aunt and uncle.
But Jean-Guy and Micheline Gagné's Christmas party is the first time she's been at a family -- and friends of the family -- gathering as his girlfriend. And it's kind of intimidating.
All right, more than kind of.
And her plan, which was to stay on the fringes of things and observe, is an utter failure, because people want to meet her. She gets caught in a long conversation with Alain's great aunt Aurore, who is a little deaf and who speaks to her very slowly, and with very basic vocabulary, like she doesn't believe Meg can understand French. And if Meg has had any doubts about that, they are laid to rest when Tante Aurore tells Alain in much more quickly spoken French and in Meg's presence that Meg is prettier than the last girl he dated, even if she is an anglophone.
"Sorry," Alain says, pulling her into the momentarily empty kitchen. "I didn't mean to leave you with her. Tante Aurore is . . ."
"Is she right?" Meg asks. "Am I prettier than the last girl you dated?"
"A hundred times," Alain says, kissing her.
"Only a hundred?"
"Don't fish for compliments, ma belle."
"I don't really need to, with you."
It's a minute, or five, later when someone steps into the kitchen and loudly clears his throat. And there's nothing at all awkward about being caught making out by your boyfriend's older brother, in their parents' kitchen, in the middle of a party, with their whole family in the next room, oh no.
"Alain. Meg. Je suis désolé de vous interrompre. Mais Maman cherche pour vous." Luc rolls his eyes. "Elle veut prendre plus des photos." He looks from one of them to the other. "You should fix your lipstick, Meg." He looks back at his brother and grins. "Toi aussi, Alain."
She should wait till she's not quite so flushed, too, before posing for any more of Micheline Gagné's pictures.
It's late when Alain drives her back to her apartment, and very quiet; her roommates have already left for the holiday break. Meg has only stayed in Montreal this long to go to the party, and will leave in the morning for home, and then -- in a few days -- for England.
There's a small tree in the corner of the living room, decorated with too many lights and whatever Olivia could find that looked vaguely like a Christmas ornament -- stuffed animals, earrings and necklaces, ribbons and bows. There's one present under it, for Alain. Meg made him a sweater.
Her Christmas present is a watch. A very beautiful, very nice watch . . . that is ten minutes slow. Alain stops her when she tries to fix the time.
"But it's wrong," Meg says.
"No," Alain says, fastening it around her wrist. "I did that on purpose, so you will stop being twenty minutes early to everything and having to wait for me."
"Hmmmm," Meg says. "Maybe I should set your watch ahead by ten minutes."
"And then we'll get places at the same time?"
"And still be ten minutes early," Meg says.
"All right." Alain takes his watch off and hands it to her. Meg looks at both the watch he just gave her and the clock on wall, and then sets his watch ahead by eleven minutes. Alain, watching over her shoulder, says in her ear, "You're cheating, ma chérie." Meg makes a face at him, but sets the watch back one minute before handing it back to him.
"Are you happy now?" he asks, pushing back the sleeve of his new sweater and holding his wrist out next to hers so she can see both watches.
"Perfectly," she says, putting her head on his shoulder.
She's not even bothered by the fact that both their watches are wrong.
(Besides, she can always fix hers after he's gone home.)
But Jean-Guy and Micheline Gagné's Christmas party is the first time she's been at a family -- and friends of the family -- gathering as his girlfriend. And it's kind of intimidating.
All right, more than kind of.
And her plan, which was to stay on the fringes of things and observe, is an utter failure, because people want to meet her. She gets caught in a long conversation with Alain's great aunt Aurore, who is a little deaf and who speaks to her very slowly, and with very basic vocabulary, like she doesn't believe Meg can understand French. And if Meg has had any doubts about that, they are laid to rest when Tante Aurore tells Alain in much more quickly spoken French and in Meg's presence that Meg is prettier than the last girl he dated, even if she is an anglophone.
"Sorry," Alain says, pulling her into the momentarily empty kitchen. "I didn't mean to leave you with her. Tante Aurore is . . ."
"Is she right?" Meg asks. "Am I prettier than the last girl you dated?"
"A hundred times," Alain says, kissing her.
"Only a hundred?"
"Don't fish for compliments, ma belle."
"I don't really need to, with you."
It's a minute, or five, later when someone steps into the kitchen and loudly clears his throat. And there's nothing at all awkward about being caught making out by your boyfriend's older brother, in their parents' kitchen, in the middle of a party, with their whole family in the next room, oh no.
"Alain. Meg. Je suis désolé de vous interrompre. Mais Maman cherche pour vous." Luc rolls his eyes. "Elle veut prendre plus des photos." He looks from one of them to the other. "You should fix your lipstick, Meg." He looks back at his brother and grins. "Toi aussi, Alain."
She should wait till she's not quite so flushed, too, before posing for any more of Micheline Gagné's pictures.
It's late when Alain drives her back to her apartment, and very quiet; her roommates have already left for the holiday break. Meg has only stayed in Montreal this long to go to the party, and will leave in the morning for home, and then -- in a few days -- for England.
There's a small tree in the corner of the living room, decorated with too many lights and whatever Olivia could find that looked vaguely like a Christmas ornament -- stuffed animals, earrings and necklaces, ribbons and bows. There's one present under it, for Alain. Meg made him a sweater.
Her Christmas present is a watch. A very beautiful, very nice watch . . . that is ten minutes slow. Alain stops her when she tries to fix the time.
"But it's wrong," Meg says.
"No," Alain says, fastening it around her wrist. "I did that on purpose, so you will stop being twenty minutes early to everything and having to wait for me."
"Hmmmm," Meg says. "Maybe I should set your watch ahead by ten minutes."
"And then we'll get places at the same time?"
"And still be ten minutes early," Meg says.
"All right." Alain takes his watch off and hands it to her. Meg looks at both the watch he just gave her and the clock on wall, and then sets his watch ahead by eleven minutes. Alain, watching over her shoulder, says in her ear, "You're cheating, ma chérie." Meg makes a face at him, but sets the watch back one minute before handing it back to him.
"Are you happy now?" he asks, pushing back the sleeve of his new sweater and holding his wrist out next to hers so she can see both watches.
"Perfectly," she says, putting her head on his shoulder.
She's not even bothered by the fact that both their watches are wrong.
(Besides, she can always fix hers after he's gone home.)