{Lulu, not Cali}
Mr. Cheeseland likes to remind me how much more space we could have for our money were we to make the move out to the suburbs.
“We could have a huge kitchen, a garden and more space for Cali to play”.
“Who are you kidding?”, I always say. “Cali doesn’t understand the word play; only sleep, eat, and drool” (yes, our cat drools). A real bouffe-chie-dort, an eloquent moniker Julie Delpy’s father attributed to her cat in the film 2 Days in Paris.
Besides, I didn’t move to France to live in the suburbs. I have no desire to rely on a car nor to return to quiet living. I find the sounds of speeding cars and the occasional smashed bottle outside my window comforting. I like looking 5 floors below and seeing children running to school, ravenous men and women scurrying in and out of the corner bakery, lovers quarreling (and subsequently making up), a parade of cars horns blaring in just-married celebration, and someone step in a pile of dog droppings rudely left behind.
There is constant action, save for that early Sunday morning calm that I adore. When I return to visit family in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I find the silence eerily uncomfortable. So in Paris I shall stay. But there are moments when I feel all that bustling and noise and thick air makes it hard to breathe and that’s when I turn to Mr. C and say “it’s time for an afternoon at your sister’s”.
She lives in Colombes, which is about 6.5 miles outside of Paris. Colombes used to be a Communist working class suburb but has evolved rapidly, including its housing developments, many of which are adorable little villas. His parents pick us up at Pont de Levallois (end of métro line 3) and we drive about 10 minutes to my sister-in-law’s villa where she has prepared some kind of original spread, free-flowing wine and all.
A graphic designer and artist by trade, she has an amazing aesthetic sense in all areas, particularly interior design. They recently expanded their home and used the mass renovation as an excuse to redecorate. I found their space to be cozy and inviting before but it has really become the type of home I would want for myself if we were to search for something bigger than…. 37m² (about 398ft²). They have a decent size garden, a patio, and conversant neighbors. Until we can afford a space in Paris that boasts about 13m² more (and has a small balcony, Haussmannian architecture, an elevator and walls that aren’t lopsided, you know, the dream), we’re staying put. All the more reason to take weekend excursions out to the suburbs for family time. And all-you-can-eat.
