Yesterday was slightly harrowing. At the very least it was challenging. I woke up at Dave and Matts and took Sophie for a 2 mile walk around their village. I packed up all the crap I had managed to unpack in three days and Dave drove me to the Hertz rental agency at the Laval train station. My reservation indicated that my car would be available by 12 pm. We arrived a few minutes after twelve, and I unloaded my ridiculously heavy luggage, and bid my good friends goodbye. Imagine my great delight when I went to the Hertz office to find the door locked and a note saying they would reopen at 2 pm after lunch. Interesting that I would be told to pick up the car at the precise time that office closed. Oh, France! I have so missed you.

Never mind, I lugged my luggage as Sophie dragged me forward up to the train station. The sun was shining so I decided to get some lunch from the RELAY store and sit outside in front of the train station for a picnic. I munched my prepackaged chevre and tomato wrap and shared my lentil chips with a very well behaved puppy, She joined me sitting on a granite bench and we watched the world go by. After a bit we were joined by a charming, homeless man who asked if he could sit with us and say hello to Sophie. Of course I said yes, and he then went on to offer me part of his chocolate bar! He was disappointed when I told him I didn’t have anything to share to drink but was sweet and asked me why I was visiting France in pretty strong English. He said that he felt Sophie was a queen and she, in turn, snuggled up to him. I’m not sure if that was because she recognized his kindness, he smelled strongly of urine, or he was eating chocolate. Whatever the reason, our interaction with him helped pass the time.

The Hertz office opened at two and I dragged my suitcases and lurched all the way back there. I spoke entirely in French which was both unexpected and strangely empowering and was given a car for the week. Unfortunately for me, initially they charged me 500 dollars more before I showed them the price on my reservation. Once that got taken care of, they told me I would have a BMW for the week. Before I could get too excited, I was told it was across from the train station on the other side of the railway tracks in a storage parking lot. This meant that I again would have to drag my stuff up two flights of stairs, over the tracks and down. Looking like Quasimodo, I stumbled towards the car in a full sweat. Getting to the car and fastening my seat belt felt like a victory.

Next we went to Grand Frais on the recommendation of my friends, and bought fresh fruit, vegetables and food staples for the week. Sophie still hadn’t forgiven me for leaving Matt and Dave’s house. She looked very unsure about what was coming next and with a worried look ultimately settled in next to me as I drove to St Denis. When we drove up to the house, Sophie barked and stood on her hind legs looking out the window. It was such a relief to see our sweet cottage again! We let ourselves in and were met by the familiar and pretty setting that just required a bit of heat to make us comfortable. We raced out into the garden and Sophie finally seemed to be satisfied. The grass is long, the flowers are blooming and we are again at home.