I took a sip of cappuccino and rela

I took a sip of cappuccino and relaxed in the first-class seat of the Eurostar train as it sped towards Paris.


I wasn't really sure why I was on the train in the first place It certainly wasn't typical of me to drop everything and run off to somewhere like Paris. Actually, my wife Sandra keeps telling me I've become boring in my old age. In fact, Sandra was the reason why I was heading for the French capital.


When I had got home from work the night before I'd found a note from Sandra on the kitchen table. It said that she needed to get away for a few days and would come back later in the week.


She'd done the same thing several times during our twenty-two years of marriage. When she got fed up with things at home she would pack a bag and go, but she always cameback when she was ready.


We had been having a few problems recently, and I had to admit that our relationship had got a bit boring since our youngest daughter had left for university.
After re-reading Sandra's note, it suddenly occurred to me that the following day would be exactly 25 years since Sandra and I first met in Paris. We had always celebrated this date together, but this time she had obviously decided to spend it away from me.


I couldn't really blame her. I'd been working such long hours that we barely saw each other. When we did have some time together, I was usually so exhausted that I simply fell asleepin front of the TV.
I suddenly felt I had to go to Paris on the anniversary of our first meeting. On my own, perhaps, I would be able to see things more clearly.


I decided to catch the first Eurostar train the next morning. Soon after the train arrived at the Gare du Nord in Paris, unsure of where I was going, I bought a ticket and went straight down to the Metro. As the train rushed through the black tunnel, I found my mind going back to that day, 25 years before.


I'd been working in the Paris branch of a London based mercha.nt bank. I remember it was a beautiful spring day and I'd decided to spend my lunch break in the Tuileries gardens. I had bought a baguette and some cold meat and found myself a bench next to a pool.


I'd only been there a few minutes when a gorgeous young lady came up and asked if she could join me. She had a thermos flask of coffee and a bag of fresh fruit.


We sat on the bench, shared our lunch and chatted for ages. Her name was Sandra and she was working in Paris as a nanny. We fell in love, and eventually married three years later in London.


I paused at the gates of the gardens, wishing that Sandra was with me. I eventually went through the gates and walked along the path past the same green trees, statues and flowerbeds.


When I arrived at the pool I saw that the bench was still there. It was empty, so I went over and sat down. I took the food out of the bag, tore off a piece of the baguette and began toeat. Suddenly I heard a woman's voice behind me.


"May I join you?" it said. Startled, I turned around. In disbelief, I watched as my wife, holding a thermos flask of coffee and a large bag of fruit, came round and sat next to me.
She looked wonderful. She'd had her hair done and was wearing a floral print dress.
"Sandra!" I exclaimed.
"I was hoping you'd come, Bill," she smiled.