Easy ladies—we found Antoine

 Monday, 5-Sept. In every trip, something unexpected happens. One can bemoan the inevitable. Or make adjustments and continue, realizing that the unfortunate events also make memories. 

We missed our train out of Barcelona to Aix-en-Provence, France.

It pushed out our arrival in Aix (going forward, that is how it’ll be shortened) about five hours. That was a small penalty for something that could have derailed our Aix plans. 

I won’t go into the gory details, but my sister, Nora, and her French boyfriend, Daniel, did a lot on our behalf to get us to Aix in the same day. After hours on the phone and online, they created a plan. First, she advised me to book us on a train to Nimes, France. Only seats left were first class. Well, after hours in the station, it was a deserved concession.

Next, Daniel found a driver who would take us from Nimes to Aix. Not cheap, but less the alternative combinations of rail, flight, and interim hotels we were facing.

His car was really nice. Brand new electric Kia.

The only thing is…he looked like a James Bond villain with his bald head and steely demeanor. Plus, he did not talk. Ever. When he did speak, he said he is pulling off the highway for one minute. I’m sure my pulse quickened. What was it going to be? Shots in the back of the head? Poison gas coming out of the vents? A pool full of crocodiles?

Fortunately, just the call of nature. Eventually, we arrived in Aix without being unwitting victims of an evil plot.

Before I go further, I must ask, have you seen the Rob Schneider farcical comedy, “Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo”? While some may not consider it high art, the premise has a simple purity. Here is the Wiki synopsis:

“The film tells the story of a hapless fishtank cleaner who goes into business as a male sex worker in an attempt to earn enough money to repair damage he caused while house-sitting.”

Any craft requires a mentor to guide a newbie. In this film, Deuce’s mentor is Antoine.

Though the owner of our Aix apartment said his name was “Brice”, here he is below with our driver.

Look above and then look here. 

I swear, through his heavy accent, I thought I heard him say, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to attend to some clients.”