I Shall Imagine Life

Chapter 3: Louis Thinks That Nice Is Nice

Chapter 3:  Louis Thinks That Nice Is Nice

          “Ladies and gents, we’re beginning our descent into the wonderful city of Nice.  The current weather is fair, with temperatures ranging in the low seventies.  We’ll be in the gate in about twenty minutes.  The flight attendants will soon prepare the cabin for arrival.  Thank you for flying with British Airways; have a lovely day.”

          Louis drops the book he was reading into his duffle bag.  During the two hour flight, Eleanor had dozed off.  Her head leans against the window and her hands rest on her lap.  A strand of chestnut brown hair falls in her face, yet she remains asleep.  Louis reaches over and brushes it away lovingly, his fingertips grazing the tip of her nose.  Her eyelids flutter and open sleepily. 

          “Hey,” Louis utters softly.

          Eleanor inhales the smell of Louis’ zesty, peppery cologne.  “Hey,”

          A few minutes later, flight attendants go through the aisles, making sure everyone has their trays up and seats forward.  Approximately five minutes after that, a follow-up announcement is made.  The pilot restates the message he had before, altering the destination time by ten minutes.

          Eleanor stares out the window, attempting to remember her dream.  It had something to do with the first time she and Louis met.  With a shudder, the details of her fantasy come rushing back.

          Harry and Eleanor had known each other for years.  They worked at a bakery together in Cheshire before Eleanor became a floor model for Hollister. 

          “Listen, he’s exactly your type.  I’ll set you two up.”  Harry had promised over the phone. 

          Eleanor hesitated.  “I don’t know.  I’m not one for blind dates.”

          “You’ll hit it off, I promise.”  He insisted.

          Reluctantly, Eleanor agreed to the date.  She and her friend drove to the meeting place – a café located just outside of London.  That morning she’d woken up overcome with dread.  In her gut, she knew the rendezvous was going to be a disaster.

          They exited the black Toyota Camry and headed inside.  The girls spotted Harry instantly.  He was sitting at a small, circular table near a ginormous window.  The shop was flooded with natural light.  The room smelled of old wood, coco powder, and dew.

          Eleanor and her friend sat at the table with Harry, waiting for Louis to emerge from the bathroom.  They chatted about the weather and the amount of rain London was getting.  Harry brought up football and how his favorite team, Manchester United, had done this year.  All the while, Eleanor nervously tapped her Jimmy Choo heels on the hardwood floor.

          Up until this point, her dream mimicked what actually happened on that day in 2011.  Her subconscious, however, soon started to change things around.  For example, Harry ordered coffee instead of tea.  Another variation was one of the topics the group discussed – the response to the Up All Night album.  At this time, the album hadn’t even been released.  Despite these minor modifications, Eleanor’s brain didn’t tell her that this was fake.  In her mind, she was reliving the day she met her boyfriend.

          In her state of dreaming, Eleanor managed to change one very important detail of the date.  Perhaps it happened because it was what her inmost self had wanted all along.  Maybe she’d come to the conclusion that it would have been easier this way.  Whatever the case, it had happened and once it had, she was elated.