Free Silent Bird by Reina Lisa Menasche

better on the floor.”
    The Pillsbury Dough Boy flew off. I watched it land in a fluffy heap.
    “ Let me look at you.” Jeannot kissed my breasts as I ran my fingers through his hair. Fine light hair, like a child’s.
    So sweet.
    He rolled on top without crushing me by doing some trick with his elbows; and so our skin touched but I felt almost no weight—at least on the outside. On the inside I felt a dragging in my solar plexus.
    So sweet.
    On my left, the doors wagged. I closed my eyes as we twined ourselves.
    Ninety days of impulsive and powerful love despite a language barrier…
    Sixty days inside this bubble of joyful companionship…
    Thirty days of knowing for sure that this is real. This was The Love I had never expected to find, not even in the heavily romanticized South of France…
    “ I have a couple of surprises,” Jeannot said afterward, tossing off the covers. “For our anniversary.”
    “Sur prises?” Oh. How could I feel so exhausted so early in the morning, on such a beautiful day? I didn’t like surprises; didn’t trust them. “What kind?”
    “ Good ones, Chérie , only good ones.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it, almost as if he were nervous too. “First, my parents. I want you to meet them—today.”
    “ Quoi?” I scrambled to a sitting position. “What? Did you say today?”
    “ Yes, why not? It is Sunday, and I have been thinking about introducing you. It is more than time, yes?”
    “Well, yes. But…where? Will they come here?” They had never come before.
    “ No, we will go to their house and eat at midday. To my village, near that doctor who treated your toe.” A flash of amusement. “Does that sound good?”
    “ Bie n sû r . Of course. But…why now?”
    He hesitated as if unsure how to explain . Then he smiled again and grabbed his jeans from the back of a chair. “Because as I said: we have waited too long. I want my family to know you. I want you to know them.”
    He opened the doors even f arther to let in the light. I stayed in bed, covers to my chin. “And the other surprise? You said there were two.”
    “ You stay here,” he said. “I will bring it to you right now.”

II
    I watched his socks as he half-walked, half-jogged, past our shared desk into the hallway. His footsteps continued into the living room; his fingers darted across the piano keys that he couldn’t resist touching.
    The last time Jeannot had given me a surprise, it turned out to be a dress with more missing parts than an apron; I didn’t even know how to put it on. Maybe this new surprise would be the French equivalent of a Victoria’s Secret rubber band with lace that he’d expect me to model for him.
    I almost hoped it was that. Somehow, though, I didn’t think so.
    I still lay in bed but dressed again in the comfy T-shirt when Jeannot returned. He held a small brightly wrapped package.
    “ You look like ‘the cat that ate the canary,’” I said, attempting a tease.
    Kneeling at my side, he presented his gift with two open hands. “Very perceptive. This is for you, Mademoiselle. I hope you like it.”
    Even French lingerie would not fit into a box this small. I accepted the box, measuring its lightness. “Oh, Jeannot…"
    He waited , watching me closely.
    Carefully I unstuck the wrapping and peered underneath. A brown velvet box, understated but expensive. I clutched the paper, fighting an impulse to shove it back on.
    “ Open it, please, Chérie.”
    Heart pounding, I lifted the cover. And though I'd already known what I would find, the sight astounded me. It was as if I had been thinking in black and white and opened a box crammed with color. Sapphire winked blue and rich in a setting of deep gold. One small diamond glittered from the center like a star to wish on.
    “ My God,” I said in English. Then: “I mean, mon Dieu .”
    He lifted my chin. “Does it fit?”
    “ Oh, Jeannot. This is—”
    “I know.” Smiling so hard now, new lines spread around his