Free Trouble finding Blondie by Mimi Marten

image out of my head of you and another man. Thanks a lot.”
    “Ok, stop it! We are not going to spoil everybody’s evening with our crap.”
    “You are right,” Simona smiled, and they both knew why.
    “Don’t worry. The day is coming when you are going to be wrong. And you are going to have to kiss me.”
    They finally burst out laughing. Madame Bonnet brought Francois. It was a little early for his bath, but better now than rushing through it later.
    After these last few days, Andre was a pro at it, and it became the highlight of his day. Simona got stuck with cleaning the bathroom disaster every night, but she didn’t mind at all. Watching them laugh and splash was so precious. Those were the tiny, little moments worth living for. Francois had blue elephant pajamas on. He smiled as if fully aware of how cute and handsome he was. Simona took him down to greet people as Andre was getting ready.  
    He was coming down the stairs, dressed in jeans and a black shirt, smiling. He looked amazing and got everybody’s attention in the room. Simona took him around and proudly introduced him to everyone. Andre was surprised about the average age of this group. After Simona’s description, he was expecting a much older crowd. They were all in their thirties and forties.
    Simona excused herself and went to put the baby down. Andre seemed very comfortable with the group. He noticed the language spoken around the room was French, not English. It was Philippe’s rule that everyone speak English around the table, so no foreign guest would ever feel uncomfortable. Well, he wasn’t here yet, so everyone was tuned to French.
    She was half way through when Andre walked in and laid down behind her. Francois noticed, lifted his head up and smiled, then looked for the boob in panic. They both started to laugh.
    “Wow, it seems like a great group of people. It’s going to be a great evening.”
    “Watch out, they can be a tough crowd, too.” There it was again, the peculiar smile Simona mastered.
    “Listen, I walked into the bedroom next door…”
    “Oh, Lord, you didn’t shower there, did you?”
    “Almost. But I noticed fruit, robes, flowers, fresh soaps, champagne… Is this set up in every room?”
    “No, every guest has a specific set up, to their liking. Some drink scotch, some wine, some like olives, some only need chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. I told you, Philippe is the best host and pays attention to details.”
    “You lived here. Hmm, you taught him that.”
    “No. Are you crazy?” She was laughing, putting Francois down.
    He was happily fed, pleasantly tired, smiling at his parents. He was holding one of their fingers in his tiny fists.
    “Blondie, what is Francois’ last name?”
    “Andree,” she said it with a different tone.
    “Andre? No, not his middle name. His last name.”
    “Andree,” she took her finger out of Francois’s fist, kissed him, and walked away from the crib. Andre did the same, and they both walked out of the room.
    “We are getting lost in translation, I think.”
    “No, we are not. His name is Francois Andre Andree.” She didn’t elaborate any further, and he was getting confused and frustrated.
    “Could you please stop? Could you explain this to me? I think I’m blond.”
    “You really didn’t pick a good time. Can we have this discussion after dinner, please?”
    Andre was lost, confused. It all didn’t make much sense, and now he wasn’t going to be able to concentrate and enjoy the evening.

5

    "WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER, YOU DO BETTER."

    EVERYBODY WAS IN a good mood, pleasantly sipping on their drinks. The fireplace was on, but more for the ambiance than heat. Jacques came from behind, lifted Simona up, and as expected, she screamed. Everybody knew that about her and always got a kick out of it, how easily she gets startled. Her scream frightened a server who dropped a glass, and everybody started laughing.
    “I will kill you! You are never going to