Chapter 13 (of 20) A Strange Enough Ending
Chapter 1 (of 20), A Good Café on the Place St-Michael, will take you back in time to the story that began my French culinary experiences while reading A Moveable Feast, chapter by chapter. From there, each chapter will take you to the next chapter and culinary experience.
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” Ernest Hemingway.
Chapter 13 (of 20) A Strange Enough Ending accompanied by French Onion Soup Funky Cellar, Spitalfields.
Notes From Chapter 13: A Strange Enough Ending
A WorkLife Book Club For One
Notes on The End of a Friendship
The way it ended with Gertrude Stein was strange enough. We had become very good friends.
And we were getting to be better friends than I could ever wish to be.
Miss Stein and a companion were getting ready to go south in Miss Stein’s car and on this day Miss Stein had asked me to come by in the forenoon to say goodbye.
The maidservant opened the door before I rang and told me to come in and wait.
I heard someone speaking to Miss Stein as I had never heard one person speak to another; never, anywhere, ever.
‘I have to go’, I said and tried not to hear any more as I left but it was still going on and the only way I could not hear it was to be gone.
In the courtyard I said to the maidservant. ‘Please say I came to the courtyard and met you. That I could not wait because a friend is sick. Say bon voyage for me. I will write.’
That was the way it finished for me, stupidly enough.
She quarrelled with nearly all of us that were fond of her.
She got to look like a Roman emperor. But Picasso had painted her, and I could remember her when she looked like a woman from Friuli.
I felt sad reading this chapter, perhaps the sadness Hemingway felt at the end of a good friendship. It seems Miss Stein pushed everyone away because of her quarrelsome nature. As with many characters throughout the book, Hemingway choose to remember the good about them, over the bad.
Words of Wisdom
This chapter is about the nature of life and of some friendships/relationships, perhaps. And sometimes, the best thing to do is to walk away, allowing as much dignity for both parties as possible. And in time, choose to remember the good over the bad. Because we all have good and bad within us. Choosing generosity of spirit is a kind thing to do.
Epilogue
I’m not sure when I’ll read the next chapter of A Moveable Feast over a glass and a plate.
It most likely will be another spontaneous happening. It may take a little planning to keep the French theme going, or as I walk and explore and discover, it may not. …
The Continuing Story …
I can now share where Chapter 14 (of 20)… The Man Who Was Marked for Death took me …
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Today I enjoyed French Onion Soup at Funky Cellar, Spitalfields.
Se souvenir de toi, Norma.
#FunFact1 The French onion soup history dates back to the 17th century. Legend has it that the soup was invented by King Louis XV. Late at night, at his hunting lodge, he was very hungry, and he only found onions, butter, and champagne. He cooked the three ingredients and made the first French onion soup. Source World in Paris.
#FunFact2 Funky Cellar is a Delicatessen, Fromagerie, Wine Shop and Bar selling quality vintage goods. A concept store, bathed in 70s décor. All the decorations, furniture and artwork are for sale and have been hand-selected from top-quality vintage and second-hand markets across Europe. Source Funky Cellar.
#FunFact3 Spitalfields takes its name from the hospital and priory, St. Mary’s Spittel, which was founded in 1197. Lying in the heart of the East End, it is an area known for its spirit and a strong sense of community. It was in a field next to the priory where the now-famous market first started in the thirteenth century. Source Spitalfields.
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Founder of School of WorkLife, Carmel O’ Reilly is a learning practitioner and writer. She creates resources to help people self-direct their WorkLife learning. These include a Collection of Books which originated from her first book, Your WorkLife Your Way and a Learn Through Reading Series of Case Studies. which originated from her latest book WorkLife Book Club.
That’s the power of writing (and reading, which is an integral part of the craft for writers), it helps you find, develop and tell the right story at the right time in all WorkLife situations – in day-to-day communication: WorkLife and feedback conversations, presentations, talks, and negotiations, at interviews, and when socialising and networking in building and maintaining good relationships. The practice of writing helps you to tell the stories that express who you are in an interesting and engaging way.