She will always have Paris

Okay, not me. But one of my colleagues at work is excited about something.

She's probably about 60 years old. Ready and wanting to retire. Just waiting.

She's recently lost her only family in town, her precious aging dog.

She's single. She's an immigrant. She has no children.

When she lost her dog, she was so sad she had to take a few days off to grieve. Obviously she was affected by her loss. She even mentioned she wanted to just die to be with her dog now. Obviously, she was grieving, like any normal person would.

Over lunch, I caught up with her. She was her usual self eating her salad, wearing her shawl, her scarf, her long jumper. (She always complains about the aircon being cold - even in summer!). Okay, must be age. She's feeling all ill, feels all the aches. Or, perhaps she was just wanting attention.... So back to lunch. I told her she was glowing nowadays. She lifted her face and I saw her unusually sparkly eyes. She says she has a secret. She volunteered to tell me this, saying that I'm one of the very few people she really liked.

She has a secret. And that is, that she is excited to leave the company, so she can live in Paris. She's been given the notice at work to firm up her sales figures and do better now that times are hard. Well, for a 'mature' woman her age she says she is doing her best and so she is just waiting to be given 'the letter'. But, she said she was really excited anyway, to leave. She told me, that for once after such a long time she was looking forward to something. And that was to spend her last years/decades in the city she always loved. And that was Paris. How can I not feel happy for this woman who's eyes speak of her dream and excitement. C'est La Vie.