Café De Flore

• Emily Wilson, Grade 8, Magdalene Catholic High School -
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition

Walking through Saint Germain Boulevard was a struggling literary student Madeline Roux. She had walked past the world famous art deco ‘Café de Flore’ many times before but barely had enough money to pay her rent let alone indulge in the cafe’s delicacies.
After crossing the busy street, Madeline paused outside the cafe to take in the sweet smell of freshly baked butter croissants. Madeline suddenly felt a mystic force compelling her to venture inside. She was initially hesitant but proceeded into the cafe. She was approached by a French waiter wearing a black and white tuxedo, who led her to a small dimly lit table in the corner.
The red upholstered benches, and large mirrors, framed by cream marbled tiles, looked just like the picture Madeline had seen in a book of Parisian history.
She knew precisely what she wanted to order. While Madeline was waiting for her hot Chocolat and quiche lorraine, she pulled out of her fraying satchel a novel she had been reading titled ‘A Farewell to Arms’.
As she was turning the page, Madeline heard a waitress approach the table behind her. The waitress said, “Your coffee, Mr Hemingway.” The finely dressed middle-aged man replied, “Merci” and continued writing on his stack of papers. Madeline thought nothing of it until she glazed back down to the front cover of her book.
Madeline looked over at the next table in disbelief. There sat a short man, wearing a black and white striped shirt. He was completing the finishing touches on his canvas. It portrayed a weeping woman, with long, colourful hair, who was wearing a bright red sun hat. At the very bottom right-hand corner of the canvas, the older man finely scribed what appeared to be his name ‘Picasso’.
Standing beside the dessert counter were two beautiful ladies. The younger lady was dressed in a little black dress, a beige fur coat, black heels, and a long pearl necklace. She handed over a small package to her friend and said, “Gertrude dear, I would like your honest opinion on my new eau de toilette. I have called it number 5.” The older lady tore open the brown wrapping paper, revealing a white box, which was marked with two interlocking C’s. They walked over to the man who had been painting and sat down at his table. He said, “Bonjour Gertrude and Coco, so lovely to see my two favourite ladies.”
Just at that moment, the French Waiter arrived at Madeline’s table carrying a silver platter. It was adorned with a lace cloth, a perfectly plated generous sized quiche lorraine, a stainless steel jug brimming full of thick hot Chocolat and a cream coloured ceramic cup with Cafe de Flore written in green font. As Madeleine began to mindfully pour her hot Chocolat, the waiter said in a softly spoken voice, “Welcome to Café de Flore, the cafe that takes you back in time.” Madeline smiled and knew exactly what he was talking about.