Dans ma t\u00eate, tout le bla bla de la marieuse s\u2019est vitement effondr\u00e9. Allait-on me reconna\u00eetre \u00e0 chaque coin de rue? Je n\u2019y avais jamais pens\u00e9. L\u2019ancien professeur de philosophie avait certainement les moyens de m\u2019amener au Ritz, et c\u2019est tant mieux. Mais une femme comme moi, \u00e7a ne passe pas inaper\u00e7u et la marieuse aurait d\u00fb m\u2019avertir d\u2019\u00eatre plus discr\u00e8te, du moins, au d\u00e9but.<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Oui, ch\u00e8re Natasha. J\u2019aurais d\u00fb \u00e9viter le Ritz et mes anciennes adresses de femmes d\u2019affaires o\u00f9 je risquais d\u2019\u00eatre reconnue\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n
Les personnalit\u00e9s publiques \u00e9prouvent parfois plus de difficult\u00e9 \u00e0 rencontrer des personnes qui sont r\u00e9ellement int\u00e9ress\u00e9es \u00e0 elles, pour qui elles sont, au lieu de s\u2019int\u00e9resser \u00e0 leur vie sociale ou \u00e0 leur compte en banque. Si le rouquin ne m\u2019avait pas reconnue avec mon pr\u00e9nom fictif, le ma\u00eetre d\u2019h\u00f4tel lui avait offert ma v\u00e9ritable identit\u00e9 sur un plateau d\u2019argent.<\/p>\n
Le premier pr\u00e9tendant attabl\u00e9 devant moi s\u2019est comport\u00e9 comme s\u2019il ignorait qui j\u2019\u00e9tais. Lui-m\u00eame un habitu\u00e9 de l\u2019endroit, il me posa quelques questions du genre avez-vous d\u00e9j\u00e0 \u00e9t\u00e9 mari\u00e9e ou \u00eates-vous veuve ou c\u00e9libataire et depuis quand? Travaillez-vous encore? Et patati et patata. Il finit par sugg\u00e9rer que nous allions boire un digestif au grand bar du rez-de-chauss\u00e9e de l\u2019h\u00f4tel. Et j\u2019ai encore accept\u00e9!<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Limoncello, amaretto, cognac, porto, mandarine Napol\u00e9on?\u00a0\u00bb
\n\u2013\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0S\u2019il vous pla\u00eet, j\u2019aimerais bien un troisi\u00e8me latt\u00e9. Je n\u2019aime pas trop l\u2019alcool, mais j\u2019adore le caf\u00e9!\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Bien assise sur le nouveau canap\u00e9 bleu azur\u00e9en du grand h\u00f4tel, l\u2019homme roux me parle de voyages. Il me montre son billet d\u2019avion, direction Duba\u00ef. Malgr\u00e9 mes trois latt\u00e9s, ma t\u00eate et mon c\u0153ur s\u2019ass\u00e8chent.<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Quand partez-vous?\u00a0\u00bb, lui demandais-je pour meubler la conversation.
\n\u2014\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Jeudi, le 4, dans exactement 5\u00a0jours!\u00a0\u00bb, r\u00e9pond-il avec grand enthousiasme.
\n\u2014\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Quand reviendrez-vous?\u00a0\u00bb
\n\u2014\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0J\u2019ai un billet ouvert. Peut-\u00eatre que \u00e7a pourrait d\u00e9pendre de vous!
\n\u2014\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Que voulez-vous dire, monsieur?\u00a0\u00bb
\n\u2014\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Louons-nous une chambre et amusons-nous un peu!\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
OUASH! OUASH! OUASH! AU SECOURS!<\/p>\n
De retour \u00e0 la maison, je m\u2019agenouille et remercie le grand manitou et tous ses anges de m\u2019avoir sauv\u00e9 de l\u2019opprobre. Quelques jours plus tard, je raconte \u00e0 Natasha mon d\u00e9jeuner au Ritz et elle me reproche de ne pas avoir suivi son avertissement en ne passant pas trop de temps en compagnie de l\u2019homme. J\u2019ai pass\u00e9 presque cinq heures avec une belle t\u00eate de malappris!<\/p>\n
La marieuse me sugg\u00e8re un deuxi\u00e8me candidat. Elle m\u2019avertit que cet homme est tr\u00e8s bien, mais immens\u00e9ment malheureux. Son \u00e9pouse ador\u00e9e est d\u00e9c\u00e9d\u00e9e depuis presque un an et ses trois grandes filles musiciennes insistent pour que leur p\u00e8re retrouve le go\u00fbt de vivre.<\/p>\n
Comme je connais un peu mieux la routine, je me laisse tenter par ce deuxi\u00e8me chevalier. Ces filles auraient-elles un papa chef d\u2019orchestre? J\u2019ai h\u00e2te d\u2019entendre un peu de musique.<\/p>\n
Je suis la recommandation de Natasha et nous faisons d\u2019abord connaissance au t\u00e9l\u00e9phone. Tout semble bien aller! Aucune fausse note, dirais-je. Je peux donc \u00e9tirer ma chance et rencontrer le futur bon candidat. Surprenamment, j\u2019apprends que l\u2019homme r\u00e9side \u00e0 une petite douzaine de kilom\u00e8tres de ma maison. Il me texte pourtant l\u2019adresse du restaurant LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES du Centropolis de Laval. Seraient-ce ses trois grandes filles qui ont choisi l\u2019endroit de ma prochaine rencontre?<\/p>\n
Arriv\u00e9e la premi\u00e8re, je cherche un coin retir\u00e9 pour me cacher. Un serveur en grand tablier noir arrive et m\u2019offre quelque chose \u00e0 boire pour patienter. Je lui commande un grand caf\u00e9 avec deux cr\u00e8mes.
\n\u2014\u00a0\u00ab\u00a0Dites-moi, jeune homme, o\u00f9 se situe la salle de bain?\u00a0\u00bb
\nLorsque j\u2019en reviens, je vois un vieillard chauve essayant malais\u00e9ment de se lever pour me serrer la pince. L\u2019homme serre pourtant ma main si fort qu\u2019on dirait qu\u2019il voudrait la garder pour toujours! J\u2019ai tout de suite l\u2019impression que quelques larmes parlent \u00e0 sa place. J\u2019essaie d\u2019\u00eatre gentille, mais les mots dans ma bouche se noient de tristesse. L\u2019homme a oubli\u00e9 ses lunettes de lecture et j\u2019\u00e9pluche le menu \u00e0 sa place. Il se souvient soudainement qu\u2019\u00e0 sa derni\u00e8re visite avec feu sa tendre \u00e9pouse, ils avaient tous les deux mang\u00e9 du p\u00e2t\u00e9 chinois.<\/p>\n
Ce sera un p\u00e2t\u00e9 chinois pour monsieur Bernard et moi, je resterai vieille fille jusqu\u2019\u00e0 cent ans!<\/p>\n
\u00c0 SUIVRE.<\/p>\n
Cora
\n\u2764\ufe0f<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dans ma t\u00eate, tout le bla bla de la marieuse s\u2019est vitement […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":414,"featured_media":59666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lettre-mme-cora"],"acf":{"img_en":"","contenu_en":"I quickly forgot the matchmaker\u2019s good advice. Would I be recognized at every street corner? It had never even crossed my mind. The former philosophy teacher certainly had the means to treat me to brunch at the Ritz, and that\u2019s just dandy. But a woman like me doesn\u2019t go unnoticed; the matchmaker should\u2019ve warned me to be more discreet, at least in the beginning.\r\n\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cYes, Natasha. I should\u2019ve avoided the Ritz and the places I used to go to in my days as a businesswoman so I wouldn\u2019t be recognized.\u201d\r\n\r\nPublic personalities often find it harder to meet people who are genuinely interested in them as a person, rather than in their social life or bank account. If the redhead hadn\u2019t recognized me, with my fictitious name, the ma\u00eetre d\u2019 served my real identity to him on a silver platter.\r\n\r\nSeated in front of me at the table, this first suitor acted as though he had no idea who I was. A regular at the Ritz himself, he asked me a few basic questions such as \u201chave you ever been married?\u201d \u201cAre you widowed or single, and since when?\u201d \u201cDo you still work?\u201d And so forth. He eventually suggested we move to the hotel bar, adjacent to the lobby, for a digestif. And I accepted!\r\n\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cLimoncelli, amaretto, cognac, port or Mandarine Napol\u00e9on liqueur?\u201d\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cI\u2019d really like a third latte, please. I don\u2019t like alcohol very much, but I love coffee!\u201d\r\n\r\nComfortably seated on the grand hotel\u2019s new blue couch, the redhead man is talking about travel. He shows me his plane ticket, destination Dubai. Although I\u2019ve had three lattes, my mind and heart dry up.\r\n\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cWhen are you leaving,\u201d I ask, to make conversation.\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cOn Thursday, in exactly 5 days!\u201d he replies enthusiastically.\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cWhen do you get back?\u201d\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cI have an open ticket. Maybe it will depend on you!\u201d\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cLet\u2019s rent a room and have a bit of fun!\u201d\r\n\r\nYUCK, YUCK and again, YUCK! HELP!\r\n\r\nBack at home, I kneel and thank the great Manitou and all their angels for saving me from disgrace. A few days later, I tell Natasha about my breakfast at the Ritz and she blames me for not listening to her warning to keep away from spending too much time in his company. I spent nearly five hours with the handsome Casanova!\r\n\r\nThe matchmaker suggests a second candidate. She cautions me that he\u2019s a very nice man but tremendously miserable. The wife he adored passed almost a year ago and his three daughters, all musicians, insist that their father rekindle his joy for living.\r\n\r\nSince I\u2019m more familiar with the process now, I agree to meet this second shiny knight. Would these daughters have an orchestra conductor for a father? I can\u2019t wait to hear a bit of music!\r\n\r\nI take Natasha\u2019s advice and we have an initial telephone conversation. Everything seems to be going well! Not a single false note. I\u2019ll try my luck and meet the next promising candidate in person. To my surprise, I learn that he resides just a dozen kilometres away from me. He texts me the address of a restaurant a good distance away, in Laval. Did his daughters pick the place?\r\n\r\nI arrive first and look for an inconspicuous table to hide at. A waiter with a long black apron appears and offers me something to drink while I wait for my date. I order a large coffee, with two creams.\r\n\r\n\u2013\u00a0\u201cTell me, young man, where is the washroom?\u201d\r\n\r\nWhen I return to the table, an elderly bald man is struggling to stand up to shake my hand. Yet he squeezes my hand so firmly that I\u2019m certain he\u2019ll keep it forever! I immediately get the sense that, in his place, a few tears are instead speaking to me. I try to be nice, but the words coming out of my mouth drown in sorrow. He\u2019s forgotten his reading glasses, and so I read him the menu. He suddenly remembers that during his last visit there with his dear deceased wife, they\u2019d both eaten shepherd\u2019s pie.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019ll be shepherd\u2019s pie for Mr. Bernard, and for me, singlehood until I\u2019m a hundred!\r\n\r\nTO BE CONTINUED.\r\n\r\nCora\r\n\u2764\ufe0f"},"yoast_head":"\n