The last chapter left off with Miley hinting at some sort of meeting in Paris, France. Here she plans a week in Paris for Chris and me and surprises us by inviting two of her "Disney Princess" friends. Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens don't know what to make of the situation but get caught up in it. Also, no story about a week in Paris, France wouldn't be complete without also being in Paris...Hilton. The next several chapters will follow the progress of the weekend.
*****
Chris, his father Tom, and I joked during our sports-watching Saturday's about being invited to France for a week. In a way Tom was a bit jealous that his son was actually mingling with well known women, even if he thought the females were a bit old for Chris, and a bit young for me. Several times he shook his head in bewilderment at how Miley Cyrus and Paris Hilton had not only come to us, but that they were willing to apparently continue meeting. I think he sort of wished he wasn't married so he could join in, but his wife Susan adapted to the situation by listening to Chris' experiences and taking an increased interest in sex herself. Whenever I talked to her alone she thanked me for lighting a fire under Tom so they would try new things. Since Chris and I were involved with our new partners, Susan and Tom took some time off for a change of scenery themselves with weekends at romantic destinations. Tom began to beg off on our sports watching Saturday's so he could spend time with his wife.
While Chris and I secretly hoped Miley was true to her word we knew that it couldn't last. If we never saw her or Paris again...well, we had a blast while it lasted. My single life began to take on new meaning and I dated with greater frequency. I even got over the 'bedroom phobia' I had told Paris about, and had entertained several weekend guests, although nothing had clicked with any of them for me yet.
Just to be ready IF it happened, I made sure my passport was valid and Chris applied for his. About the middle of February I found a text on my phone from Miley. She was really going to do it if Chris and I could arrange for a week off in the middle of April. I had so much vacation time built up that it was easy for me, but Chris had to do a lot of finagling and swapping around time off at the hotel. He finally was able to cobble together a solid week including both weekends.
In early April Chris and I each received a FedEx mailing with first class tickets on a flight to London, the only overseas destination to fly from our local airport. There was also an address for a Hotel in London where we would apparently stay for two days, although there were no further details.
On the appointed Friday we settled into our first class seats for the flight. Neither one of us had ever ordered from a menu on a flight before, so it was a treat. The completely reclining seats that turned into beds were welcome on the overnight flight.
Upon landing we took a cab to the hotel, where we found reservations already paid for. The rest of the day was ours to spend in London. Once we figured out the underground we found we could get anywhere we wanted. Of course, we had to get some cheesy souvenirs to take home. The next day, Sunday we received a message to go to St. Pancras Station and board the Eurostar for Paris. There were tickets in our names at the desk along with the name of a hotel in Paris where we were to stay. We found ourselves in a well appointed train car, and stowed our small carry-on luggage bags under our seats.
The train quickly filled up as passengers continued to board, and we did a bit of 'people watching', trying to guess the nationalities of the passengers who passed by our seats.
The car we were in had many seats facing forward and several sets of seats arranged facing each other. We had two of those seats. Just before the train was scheduled to leave two rather attractive young ladies checked their tickets and plopped down on the seats facing us. They also stuffed some baggage under the seats, but Chris helped them lift a couple of larger ones into the overhead rack.
As the train pulled out of the station we introduced ourselves and found the two of them were also Americans, and told us they were from Florida and California. One introduced herself as Hope and the other was named Summer. They were spending a vacation week in an apartment in Paris, but seemed reluctant to give us the address, so we figured they were probably meeting boyfriends.
There was almost no sensation of speed as the train glided noiselessly along the rails. The girls peered out the window, craning their necks to see ahead, as they were in the backward-facing seats. I offered to switch with them so they could have a better view, and we all switched.
As we entered the Chunnel we were plunged into night, with lights flashing by. On the French side we picked up speed and flew smoothly across the countryside. There was a brief stop for those switching to Brussels and then we were on to Paris. Upon disembarking we took a cab to a Hotel Mercure. Again our rooms were pre-paid. When we checked in Chris discovered Mercure is a chain and likened it to a good mid-level hotel in the US, sort of like a Holiday Inn - something between a Motel 8 and a Hilton.
There were no messages for us at the desk, so we spent the rest of the day sightseeing. Not knowing what we would be doing during the week we hit a few high spots - Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and such. We enjoyed the street food and found the Metro system navigable, with clear maps showing all the lines and transfer points, so the foreign language wasn't a deterrent. Most of the shopkeepers spoke at least a little English, and everyone greeted customers with a cheery "Bon jour!"
The staff at the hotel desk recommended a nearby restaurant frequented by locals for dinner. When we didn't understand the menu the staff did their best to explain. A nice bottle of wine complimented the meal.
MONDAY
After the free breakfast buffet at the hotel we returned to the room to find a message giving us an address where we were to move next.
Riding in the cab Chris and I looked at each other. He said "Do you get the feeling we are pawns in a chess game or something?"
"I have no idea what the purpose of all this moving about is, but I guess we'll find out soon enough. Hey, even if we don't see Miley we are getting a free trip to Europe!"
Down a narrow side street the cab let us out in an older residential area. Not posh, but certainly not a slum. Inside the building we found an elevator to the top floor and stepped out into a carpeted hallway. There seemed to be maybe four apartments on the floor, judging by the number of doors.
At the designated apartment Chris knocked on the door three times, then two times then one time. When no one answered he looked at our instructions and tried the sequence once again. "This is just like Miley," he grumbled. "She likes cloak and dagger secret stuff."
This time we heard a female voice inside, talking to someone else. "That's the signal, but it's not supposed to be for another hour."
We heard a faint reply "Well answer it anyway."
There was the click of a lock and the door opened. Three of us stood slackjawed. We were looking at Hope in her bathrobe with her hair in curlers. She was obviously just as astounded to see us.
The voice from another room said "Who is it?" and Summer, clad in her underwear, appeared around the corner, stopping dead in her tracks. She quickly ducked back around the corner and peered around at us.
"Uh, we were expecting someone else."
Finally it dawned on me to say "Miley Cyrus, perhaps?"
"Yeah, how did you know? We're not ready. Give us fifteen minutes. Please have a seat."
When we entered Hope gasped "OMG they have luggage. They're here to stay!"
I said "It appears you two are as much in the dark about this as we are. We've been moving from place to place following instructions from Miley."
"Well that puts a different spin on the week. We thought Miley was going to meet us and all this secret stuff was because she thought we might be recognized."
