Last weekend French Husband and I went to stay at La Madone, well I should say we went and stayed with our friends who own La Madone. Many of you, who read my blog, who have come over to visit France, have stayed there too, and I have had the pleasure of meeting you. The thing is, that our friends at La Madone live nearly two hours away from us. So being able to stay with them, when one of you come to visit is an added bonus.
On arrival, my friend Natalie came running out the door with a note in her hand. A guest (and blogging friend) had left a note on Natalie's hallway table, she shoved the note at me, and in great stress asked:
"What does this mean???"
I told her it meant that the person was very happy to be at La Madone. Natalie was not convinced. She looked at me as if I did not understand English, she pointed to the word DIED, and asked, "Are YOU sure? Look Cor-ay did you read this word… DIED!"
Some of the best moments about living in France come from lost-in-translation-moments like these. I reassured her that the person in question did not leave a suicide note.
Natalie went on to say, that when she found the note she quickly went upstairs and knocked on the door of the person who left the note. When nobody answered she wanted to vomit with fear, instead she opened the door slowly expecting to see the worse. The person who she thought who had committed suicide did not hear the knock and was just coming out of the bathroom, at that moment Natalie was opening the door… both were surprised, both were embarrassed, both tried their best to hide… many; "Oh! Excusez-moi, Pardon, oops…" type of words flew in French and in English.
Natalie said, "Even though I saw her I was not convinced that the note wasn't a suicide note, and have been telling myself, I probably walked in on her just in time… but have been worried ever since. Maybe she is dead as we talk?!"
"Are you sure Cor-ay (?) that: I have died, doesn't mean she is going to go to heaven?"
I still laugh when think of that moment.
Instead Tanya and I went out for dinner… and Natalie will be teased by me for the rest of her born days.
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