Losing something isn't always the end of the world

I lost one of my big silver hoop earrings that I bought in Mexico.  I lost it in Zurich.  I guess that makes it memorable, anyway.  So if I'm sad about the earring one day, at least I can find a little joy in the fact that it's somewhere in Zurich.  That's better than just losing it at home or while riding my bike or down the drain in the bathroom.  I lost it in Zurich.  It's got a nice (ear)ring to it!

As you can imagine, I was rather upset (at first).  I was just settling in on the train back to Paris when I realized it was gone.  Panic.  Searching.  More panic.  Frustration.  More searching.  Then.....I thought of Quirky Girl.  Remember her?  My favorite barrista from the (Quirky Girl) cafe?  I'm quite sure that she's never worn two of the same earrings.  Maybe it's because she always loses one (like me) and instead of just throwing the other one away she makes a pair out of the two lonely ones missing their partners.  It's a nice idea, isn't it?  Who said our earrings had to match?  So, I calmed down a bit and stopped searching and panicking and feeling frustrated and found a little peace in the fact that I might just start wearing the misfits.

Then, all of this thinking about the Quirky Girl reminded me that I haven't updated you on her for a long time.  After the first month or so I confessed to her that I was blogging about her.  I wasn't sure what she'd think, but when I asked if I could post her photo and she agreed, I decided she probably didn't have a problem with the blog.  (One of these days I'm going to figure out how to attach pictures and you can meet her.)  Anyway, she asked for the blog address.

At some point I wrote about finding another cafe and being in London and wondering if she missed me.  In the wee hours one night, when I definitely shouldn't have been awake, I got an email from an address that I didn't recognize.  It said, "Of course, Quirky Girl misses you.  Philippe, the very proud Quirky Girl's husband."  I didn't think he should have been awake at that time either, until I found out that he's a writer!  And writers are often awake during the wee hours.

So, I went back to Quirky Girl Cafe to tell her that I got the message and  to find out more about Philippe!  She gave me the titles of some books for sale at FNAC (the French Barnes & Noble) and I went and bought one.  And guess what it's about?  Italy!

A few days later I went back for tea and she gave me another book.  This one was inscribed, "Tenley, Here is the real story of the now legendary Quirky Girl (and mine, of course).  A souvenir from Paris and the QG Cafe.  Philippe Jaenada."  Would I be happier with a pair of shoes from Paris?  Or the perfect scarf?  Or a funky bracelet?  No.  I couldn't be happier than I am to have this book from a man I've never met but feel some sort of connection to after receiving an email at 2:38 a.m.  Thank you, Philippe.  It's the perfect souvenir from Paris.

And the best part of all is that the cover has a picture of the QG.  She's wearing big glasses and a big white fur hat.  Her red leather coat is buttoned once at the breast and she appears to be wearing nothing more than this coat, some white underpants and a blue strand of beads.  Her hair isn't pulled back the way it is everyday so I can't see the earrings.  But I like to imagine that she's wearing one big silver hoop in one ear and something different in the other one.  Maybe the lesson here is instead of finding panic and fear in the loss of something, search for the freedom.