Gideon called the travel agency and booked the flight for Sunday. Then, he went into the kitchen to wait for Chelsey. She always came through the kitchen after leaving the stables. He couldn’t wait to see her face when he told her that they were going to France.
To be honest, he was excited about the trip and was glad that Ruth had encouraged him to go. He would have stayed with her but wished that he had gone on the trip. Perhaps, Chelsey and he could stay in Nice and visit Monaco after they left Toulon. When in Monaco, they could do day trips to other places like Monte Carlo and where the Cannes Film Festival took place every May.
The kitchen door opened and Chelsey walked in. She stopped when she saw Gideon. “Did you go riding?” he asked.
“Yes. What are you doing in here?”
“Waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me? Why?”
“I have good news for you.”
“I could do with good news,” she sighed.
“You and I are going to France for two weeks.”
She stared at him. “We are?”
“Yes. We’re going to Besançon and Toulon. And from Toulon, we will go to Nice where we will spend about five days. From there we will take day trips to Monaco, Cannes, Monte Carlo. How does that sound to you?”
“That’s sound wonderful!” Chelsey exclaimed. “But, what about Mother? I thought you didn’t want to go because you were worried about her.”
“She assured me that she will be all right–that she’s not depressed or anything like. She’s just going through changes women her age go through. She insisted that I take you on this trip because she knows that it’s something we both want. I’m sorry, Chelsey, I can’t get over how disappointed you were when I told you that we couldn’t go.”
“It’s all right. As you said, you would haven’t enjoyed yourself if we had gone because you would have been worrying about Mother.”
“Well, I have no reason to worry about her now so we can go to France. I’ve already booked the flight. We leave on Sunday morning.”
She went over to him and hugged him. “Oh, thank you, Gideon.”
“You’re welcome. Make sure you thank your mother too. She didn’t want you to be disappointed because of her.”
“I’ll go and see her.”
“She’s in the library. Now, I don’t know about you but I’ve some packing to do.”
“I’ve packing to do. I just have to figure out what to take. Which outfits would work for Nice and Monaco and which would shoes to take and–“
“Remember, we’re going for two weeks not two months.”
Chelsey laughed. “I hope the two weeks will feel like two months.”
Gideon smiled. “It’s good to hear you laugh again, Chelsey.”
“It’s good to laugh again. I’ll go and pack now and then, I’ll call the gang and tell them about the trip. They’ll be green with envy.”
“Don’t forget to thank your mother.”
“I won’t.” She promised before she hurried out of the kitchen.
Gideon stayed there for a while longer before he got up and went upstairs to pack.
Source: Planet Ware
Notes to Women 