City of Secrets

D E U X

I walk down the stairs, my whole body shaking.

Oh, do not give up now Ada! You are so close! Just sit down and have a normal conversation!

"Adalene my love, can you please set up the table? Your father is in the basement working on something. Again."

I love my father, but he can be very secretive at times. I wonder what he is working on down there. Maybe a way to cure cancer or a robot clone.

I bet he has a whole army of them. And maybe, together, they can form-"

"Adalene, please set the table."

"My bad." I didn't even notice that I was just standing there looking like an idiot.

I go to the kitchen and get fancy plates. If I want something, I should make a good impression.

I get our finest silverware and make the napkins into little swans. I learned how to do that in third grade when I had about fifty extra papers in my folder.

I finally get the glasses from our shelves and place them neatly on the table.

My mother hands me the bowls and trays of food and I set them down.

"Merci Adalene. Va chercher ton père du sous-sol.", my mother said in a sweet tone.

I have never been down to the basement. I imagine it being full of creepy gadgets and booby traps.

I carefully go down the stairs. It is chilly and dark, like the basements you see in horror movies.

After what feels like forever, I finally get to the door. It is old and rusty looking. There is also a little box that states "ENTER PASSWORD".

"Uh, Dad? La nourriture est prête." I say while knocking on the metal door.

I hear something fall, and then some steps.

"Okay, I am coming.", he says, his face peeking through the door. The light reflects off his eyes which reveals a beautiful green. And now I understand when people say that I have my father's eyes.

But that is not the only thing that catches my eye. In the background, I see a blue light just blinking over and over again.

He opens the door and then put a password in to lock it. It is made up of numbers.

"Father, what is it that you do in here?", I ask.

He pauses.

"Well, I create robot clones that will soon take over the world.", he laughs mockingly.

I start laughing and he gives me a playful punch.

We both run up the stairs quickly. God knows what was in that basement. I'll have to find out soon.

"Mother he is finally here."

My mother says something too quickly in French to understand, but I can tell that she is not happy.

"Why don't we all sit down and enjoy a nice meal prepared by my dear mother?", I try to ease up the situation. They take their seats and I take mine.

After what may have been fifteen minutes of us laughing and talking about anything honestly, I think it is time I ask.

"So, mom. Dad. I turn eighteen soon." I say while eating some pasta. My parents both nod.

So I continue. "You know, this is the time we usually start planning the trip.", I try to say nonchalantly. I hope it worked.

And it did.

"Oui, Ada, you are right. I have been so busy working on my project for my job that I almost forgot. I am such a bad father.", he says frowning.

My mother holds his hand. "Ada, mon amour, what is the special place you would like to visit?"

I take a deep breath. "I want to go to Paris."

It falls silent. Uh oh.

My father cleans his lips with a napkin. "France?", he asks. "Por quoi?"

My mother seems to agree with him.

"Well, for starters, we are a French family, and I haven't been there. Don't you think it is up to us to visit the family that we have there? Just because we live in a different country shouldn't mean that we should forget about our loved ones.", I explain.

I don't know where all of that came from.

And before my father says anything:

"Yes! The weather looks beautiful today!"

He smirks and shakes his head.

My parents show looks of sympathy.

"Maybe she's right."

"I guess."

"Then it is settled", my mother takes my hand, "We are going to Paris."