4
Henri Pichon bit off half a croissant. How delicious, he had to seriously think about going on a diet. He couldn’t go on like that. Since his aunt passed away and he inherited the house and some money saved from what he contributed from his pay to boost his meager state pension, Henri had gone back home and all he did all day was eat, read, and walk around Montmartre. It was like living in a village without the inconveniences.
He had become independent from his aunt and uncle a few months after starting work. When they buried Maurice, he was devoted to taking care of his aunt Odette. He had moved house several times but always within Paris. He had never bought a house because on his salary he couldn’t afford it. Girlfriends, he’d had plenty, and had even lived with one of them for seven years, she was a lot younger than him and didn’t want to have children at the time. When at last she got pregnant, it was thanks to the next door neighbor with whom she’d had a “stable relationship” for a few years. This coincided with the death of his aunt Odette, and he decided to move to Montmartre, alone.
He watched absent-mindedly as the explosion of golden fire set alight the dome of Les Invalides. It started on the little cross that crowned it, descended down the pole and at last ignited the whole dome.
The phenomenon lasted around ten minutes, ten minutes during which Henri was absolutely spellbound.
He lifted his cup to take a sip of the tasty coffee and thus increase his feeling of fulfillment.
YOU ARE READING
The Penny Thief
Mystery / Thriller“...a novel that I can only describe as a "Film", both in content and in style...”—Verónica CC ... and if someone was robbing a bank cent by cent without anyone realizing it ... PARIS, Montmartre and La Défense, the ultra-modern business district wi...
